I got this video from “Creative Chronic Babes” and found it appropriate for just about anyone. Elizabeth Gilbert is funny, soothing and inspiring. Although you may not end up ROFL, it’s still a must see if you enjoy a great speaker and want to feel inspired. Sit back and enjoy.
You just bought yet another supplement. Two weeks down the road, you haven’t noticed any changes. The supplement is expensive and you’re tired of keeping your hopes up. Is it worth continuing? After all, shouldn’t it have done something by now?
When I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, one of the very first medications they give you is prednisone, a type of steroid, known as a corticosteroid. As with any steroid, this drug is very fast acting. Unfortunately, the drugs I tried after Prednisone took much, much longer to work. Methotrexate can take up to six months to work for some people, while for others it can work as early as one or two months. And then there are others who never experience any relief from Methotrexate after having been on it for many months.
So what do you really need to know when trying out a new drug, supplement or therapy? How do you know if you’ve given it enough time? Why is it that some people seem to do really well with supplements and claim they work, while others claim they don’t work at all? Why do some people have to try endless drug therapies before they finally reach the right one, while others might get relief right away?
Here are my thoughts on how to make any drug, supplement or therapy a success………
1. Research the drug, supplement or therapy.
Research, research and then research some more! It’s impossible to have a successful outcome from all drugs or therapies in terms of getting relief, but not wasting your time is success! I always have my favorite dependable sites like Mayoclinic for example that I depend on for information, but do be sure to also look at blogs, Wikipedia and ask people on support groups, as well as people you might personally know. It’s important to get a well rounded view on possible outcomes. Most people will be against experimentation. You’re not always going to get the kind of support you want, and that’s something to consider also. In the end remember, it’s your body and your decision, period.
2. Have realistic expectations.
If you have a chronic disease, the odds are against you, that you will find a drug or supplement that puts you in remission. Many people do go into remission, but many more don’t. There are different types of remission as well. Most people who achieve remission, achieve “drug induced remission” meaning that if they went off the drugs, their symptoms would come back full force. There is the rare person who achieves remission and can go off drugs without the return of symptoms. There are also different degrees of drug induced remission. You can be considered in remission and yet still have some symptoms of the disease. Most auto-immune diseases require “stacking” medication before symptoms of the disease are relieved. Keep that in mind when taking supplements. Although there are many supplements that can do amazing things, you will mot likely still have some symptoms of your disease if you are on only one supplement. Drugs and supplements both take time to work. Research how long it usually takes for something to work and consider adding on an extra month just in case your body takes longer than most. Remember that this is somewhat of a gamble. Even your doctor doesn’t know what drug will best suit you or how long it will take.
3. Understand “Hering’s Law”.
Natural Healing is based on “hering’s law” which in a nutshell means that people often re-visit previous symptoms temporarily. This is often when people quit their new supplement or medication, while re-visiting symptoms is often an indicator that you’re on the right track! Having side effects from a drug or supplement doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Any kind of detox will give you side effects simply because the toxins have to re-enter your blood stream and exit your body. This can cause lots of symptoms. Antibiotic therapy is also another therapy that people often stop because they suddenly get side effects. If people could just realize that this is often a sign that you’ve found the right medication for you, they could stay on the right track and reap the benefits right around the corner! On the flip side, side effects that are not normally a disease symptom, like vomiting or blurry vision, depending on your disease, could be a sign that the drug you’re taking is not the right drug for you. For people on drugs like methotrexate, side effects often become less severe over time, but this is not considered “Hering’s Law.” “Hering’s Law” is the re-visitation of old symptoms from the disease itself, not new side effects from the drug. If you are having severe side effects like vomiting or blurry vision and these are not normal symptoms of your disease, then you should consider talking with your doctor and possibly coming off of the drug.
Some pharmaceutical drugs don’t cause you to re-visit symptoms because they suppress the immune system. Suppressing the immune system, vs. emptying the body of toxins are two entirely different things. It’s important to realize that side effects are simply part of the healing process when it comes to a lot of supplements, alternative therapies and select drugs.
5. Don’t group all supplements or alternative medications into one lump sum.
Look at each one individually and it’s specific mechanics. It’s absolutely essential to understand how a supplement, drug or therapy works so that you’re not hindering the process. Some supplements or drugs require a special diet or other supplements in order for them to work. N-Acetyl Cysteine is one of them. It rids your body of toxic metals. But it’s important to take this supplement with extra Vitamin C among other things in order for it to work. Along with that, you have to supplement the metals that are important to your body, like zinc, iron and selenium because N-Acetyl Cysteine doesn’t have the capabilities of only selecting specific metals.
6. Try to take into account how complicated the body is, how much it changes from person to person and how if something doesn’t work for one person, it doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work for you.
We eat different foods, have different lifestyles, have different personalities. OF COURSE we’re all going to react differently to medications, no matter what they are. That’s just part of being human. Even a supplement like Vitamin E, for instance, can take up to three months before you might notice a difference. So hang in there and give it plenty of time!
7. Natural healing needs the effort of the person to consider what they’re ingesting, whether it’s the wrong foods or medications that are inhibiting the supplement from working.
Minocycline therapy for instance, can be easily impared. “Minocycline’s absorption is impaired if taken at the same time of day as calcium or iron supplements. Unlike some of the other tetracycline group antibiotics, it can be taken with calcium-rich foods such as milk, although this does reduce the absorption slightly.[6]“-Wikipedia
Make sure you read about a drug or supplement carefully before taking it, unless you’re willing to throw all caution to the wind. I know for myself, sometimes I get both lazy and daring. Sometimes that works out and sometimes it backfires.
In my support group, a woman with Crohn’s told everyone to avoid aloe vera juice because it had caused her intestines to swell and cause blockage. In fact because of her aloe vera juice experience, she cautions everyone to avoid alternative treatments completely. To this day, I feel like I’m missing quite a bit of information so I can understand the full story. Where did she buy her aloe vera juice, for example? And was it pure aloe vera juice or were there other ingredients? As well, was it possible that she was experiencing “Hering’s Law” and just drank the aloe in too much of a fury? I will never know. Some Aloe Vera Juice products contain lots of sugar and sugar is highly inflammatory. It’s very possible that that could have been the culprit.
In the end, research everything and listen to your body. Do what you feel is right. You have to live in your own skin. You are the only person that knows you the way that you do. And don’t forget to share your successes with the rest of us!
Polypodium leucotomos extract comes from a tropical fern plant grown in Central and South America. Native Americans have used the plant extract for centuries for the treatment of inflammatory disorders and skin diseases. Recently, clinical research has shown that it has antioxidant and photoprotective properties and taken orally provides protection against the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and other sources.-Derm Net NZ
The more I learn about supplements, the more I’m shocked and hopeful that my future with Rheumatoid Arthritis is nothing to fear. I started this blog because I’m on a quest to fix my Rheumatoid Arthritis, whatever that means. If you have an autoimmune disease then you are probably somewhat like me, always researching. I’ve had RA now for 2 1/2 years and I have come a long way. Please know that when I talk about supplements, I am in no way pushing anything, but rather, I am sharing my experience with you. I am in no way, shape or form connected with any sale of a product and since the beginning of this blog, have not made any money thus far to put towards my very expensive monthly regimen that keeps me fairly limber. I do hope that one day I can get “help” towards my costly supplements but if I don’t, I will survive because I’d rather starve than be without them. If there is a particular website mentioned to buy a product, then that’s only because I think they’re the cheapest, friendliest and fastest place to get it from, and not for any other reason whatsoever. I enjoy helping those who help me!
Today I started on Calaguala also known as “Kalawalla” from American Nutrition. It’s a blend of Polypodium Leucotomos and Samambaia Rhizome….now say that three times fast! Luckily, it’s in liquid form and this $15 bottle according to serving size, should last me ten days, which is a bit out of my means but if it works, then great! It’s also tasty thank goodness! I added it to my coffee and couldn’t even tell a difference. Each small droperfull has a naturally sweet flavor. I’m still on the lookout for something cheaper, so if anyone has any suggestions, do tell! I first heard about Polypodium Leucotomos in this months Shape magazine. It states:
Supplement your protection. Researchers have found that taking the extract of the South American fern Polypodium leucotomos (PL) in supplement form can help halt UV-induced skin damage and skin cancer. “In human studies, PL has been shown to decrease inflammation and prevent cellular mutations and photoaging,” says Leslie Baumann, M.D., a Miami Beach dermatologist.
Anything about inflammation and I immediate look it up. Just as I suspected, this extract not only does wonders for your skin but for autoimmune disorders such as Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus, to name a few. I found dozens of people on the Internet that claim this stuff works. Here’s a quote from someone on Revolution Health:
This stuff is GREAT!For the first time in 4 years I am feeling almost normal. I mean when I used to sleep my legs were tingling and felt weird. Now I don’t notice them anymore. My stamina is increasing and I can almost walk again. My eyesight is greatly improved. I think I can now drive again! It has only been 1 month. I can’t wait till the end of 6 months. I’ll let you know what happens…….
News Flash! Kalawalla is ok as I mentioned. However this is still not fast enough.
It sounds like to me, like with everything else and autoimmune diseases, there’s simply no cure-all. Once you start feeling better you expect to continue to feel better, and better and better….. but it seems like a drug or a supplement can only do so much. It doesn’t matter if you’re on steroids, chemotherapy drugs, CRAB drugs, antibiotics, or supplements. The reality is, inflammation and the disease process is complicated. My thoughts are, if you find something that’s working for you and it improves your immune system, then stay on it because who knows how you’ll do in the future…maybe even better. I also find that a lot of people give up on supplements early on whereas if their doctor tells them that for example, methotrexate may not work for four months, they’ll stick with it for four months. I can tell you FOR SURE that both Low Dose Naltrexone and Serracor-NK work for me but it took at least two months. I still have inflammation. I don’t have flares but there is still some inflammation in my fingers and wrists. The longer the inflammation exists, the more damage that is done, plain and simple. Compared to where I was earlier in the disease process which meant I was nearly unable to bath and cloth myself, I feel like a million bucks. I am hoping that soon I can stop the inflammation for good in my fingers and wrists. I’m happy that Kalawalla comes in liquid form because it’s one less pill I have to take. And I’m happy that there’s yet one more option out there for me.
Supplements are tricky too. My brother told me over the weekend, “more isn’t necessarily better”. I explained to him that each supplement works differently and that inflammation is complicated. Inflammation can be caused by a variety of things and it can cause a variety of things! My journey can feel very alone at times as I try my best to make scientifically based decisions on what to put into my body. If you think about it, if you’re seeing a doctor for Rheumatoid Arthritis, something I understand well, you start out with NSAIDS. When those don’t work you ADD Prednisone. When the RA progresses, you ADD Methotrexate or Sulfasalazine. Then your doctor might suggest to ADD Plaquenil and later, a Biologic. It’s like there’s no end to adding and adding of the drugs. Some people may think I’m taking too many supplements but the reality is, if I were on normal RA drugs, I’d be on multiple ones. At one point in time, early on in the diagnosis, I was taking Prednisone, Sulfasalazine, NSAIDS and Methotrexate. And you know what? I STILL wasn’t in remission!!! That’s why I stopped everything and figured, Heck, maybe there’s something else out there that works and doesn’t ruin my body in the meantime. RA is damaging enough to my body and I’d rather not take on all the damage that happens when you take steroids, NSAIDS and DMARDS long term. A recent article inWebMD states, “Biologics for Rheumatoid Arthritis: No Cure-all” explains that Biologics aren’t all that promising either-WebMD. So that is why I’m always touting about supplements. I think they’re safer and make you feel better…..but this is my story and my journey so it’s up to you to decide what’s best for you.
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much research on PL. According to About.com,
“Studies on Polypodium leucotomos, which have mainly been animal or test tube studies, have found that Polypodium leucotomos is an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory and immune effects.”
I’m not one to shy away from experimentations ever since LDN, a drug that sounded too good to be true, and decreased dramatically the amount of inflammation in my body. Hopefully soon I’ll know whether PL is really working. For now, all I can do is hope that total remission is just around the corner.
Children rely on adults to keep their food, toys and medicine safe. Unfortunately, food may be ridden with chemicals, antibiotics and hormones, toys might contain led and medicine meant to help, might kill. So if children rely on adults, adults rely on the FDA…..or do they?
Can we trust the FDA is going to keep our foods toxin free, drugs reliable and products safe? Even sippy cups don’t pass the buck. If you think your toddler is safe drinking from that sippy cup, think again. The Associated Press on March 4th reported,
If you’re a parent who has been keeping up with sippy cups being a problem with speech development, then perhaps you’re feeling relieved right now for following that hunch or advice to keep sippy cups out of your home. Speech therapists have been touting for some time now that sippy cups were causing speech impediments.
I think the reality is, just because something has FDA approval doesn’t mean it’s not going to harm you. Former President Bush reduced FDA funding for safety inspections back in 2005. I think it’s absolutely necessary to do the best you can in researching the drugs you take. You can’t research everything obviously, but staying informed, reading and learning as much as you can seems to be dependent on survival in this day in age. Life is short, don’t let the FDA make it shorter.
I discovered Quercetin, a flavonoid found in red wine by visiting the Sarcoidosis group in my support group, Daily Strength. I was convinced that I was actually suffering from SarcoidArthritis which isn’t diagnosed as easily and often mistaken for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Although I have come to the conclusion that I most likely do have Rheumatoid Arthritis and not Sarcoid Arthritis, I’m still glad to have learned about it. My skin issues at that time were hive like patches. Some of them itched like crazy and some of them didn’t. I also had a lump in each corner of my eye that was itchy and somewhat swollen and driving me batty. The people in the Sarcoidosis group told me that Quercetin was good for skin issues. I immediately started researching and found that it would only help me, so why not give it a shot?
“From in vitro studies, quercetin has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting both manufacture and release of histamine and other allergic/inflammatory mediators.”-Wikipedia We often take drugs like benadryl to help us with allergies, but why not try a supplement instead?
Beyond helping with allergy and inflammation type issues, Quercetin has shown in some studies to be beneficial for cancers. “An 8-year study found that three flavonols — kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin — were associated with a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer of 23 percent”-Wikipedia
I don’t need to be convinced that Quercetin is beneficial. Two months later I’m skin symptom free after two years of dealing with skin issues, some that made my skin pigment change to a lighter hue. Is it a coincidence? It could be. I know I take so many supplements that it’s hard to say what’s working and what’s not sometimes. But I honestly don’t think it’s a coincidence. I think Quercetin does work wonders but I do advise one thing: take it after you eat because it can upset your stomach.
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