Re: Detoxing and Vitamins, ETC.

[Guest guest]

I AM NOT A DOCTOR, NOR DO I HAVE ANY FORMAL SCHOOLING OTHER THAN MY PREVIOUS ACCREDITATION (NOW EXPIRED) AS AN OPHTHALMIC ASSISTANT THROUGH JOINT COMMISSION OF ALLIED HEALTH PERSONNEL. I SHARE ONLY WHAT I'VE LEARNED ON MY OWN JOURNEY WITH SARCOIDOSIS-- AND MY 16 YRS OR SO TRYING TO GET MY BODY AND BRAIN BACK AS MUCH AS I CAN.

ALWAYS, SEEK THE ADVICE OF PROFESSIONALS WHENEVER YOU CHOOSE TO TRY ANY OF THE PROCESSES MEANTIONED HERE.

Sincerely,

Tracie

NS Co-owner/moderator

WARNING-- IF YOU DETOX TO QUICKLY-- YOU WILL DUMP A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TOXINS INTO YOUR BLOOD STREAM, SO DO THIS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THESE PROCESSES.

Vitamin C is a natural anti-inflammatory. It also helps with keeping your arteries healthy and pliable. So it slows the "hardening of the arteries." This is important because Prednisone does cause "hardening of the arteries." It is also an immune enhancer.

Ester-C powders are great-- but be aware, they also detox your body. In fact, they are a wonderful detox. You work up to as high a dose as you can stand---- (500mg at a time spaced 6 hrs apart) until you get diarrhea. Then back down until the diarrhea stops.

It's most important to drink lots of fluids with this-- so that you don't dehydrate.

Also, if you can get full body massages as you do this- -it will help with clearing the toxins out of your body. (Lymphatic massage is excellant.- check with your local hospice program, as they generally have the names of excellant massage therapists that are specifically trained in lymphatic and Swedish massage).

Licorice and anise seed is supposed to help with inflammation also. So is Eucalyptus. I've found that I like a product called OLBAS-- its a natural oil from Eucalyptus. It opens up the lungs and nose (boy howdy!) but you will breath easier! (Makes Vaporub seem like kid's play!) It has that cold/hot effect-- so what starts out feeling very cold, will get very warm!

Calcium should be taken with Magnesium, otherwise your body can't absorb it. Calcium and Magnesium are also both muscle relaxants.

We all hear that we have to be careful with Calcium. If you have hypercalciumia or hypercaluria (calcium in the urine) yes-- be very careful with calcium supplements. However, the human body requires Vitamin D-- not only for bone health, but for mental health-- a depletion of Vitamin D magnifies depression many times over.

So if you are going to go out in the sun, and you know you have problems being in the sun-- use the sunscreen, use the cotton clothes and long sleeves and a hat. But you still need the Vitamin D. So don't deprive yourself of it.

For those of us that have or are entering into the change, we still need to supplement the calcium. (See Dr. Sharma's site--FSR, Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research).

You will also find that your muscle and bone pain--that horrid pain that is deep within the bones, will decrease if you are getting the calcium you need. Otherwise, what our bodies do is suck the calcium from the bones--- and then our bone pain increases!

Weil, MD theorizes that if you are deficient on calcium, the body protects itself from this by putting calcium in organs like the kidney and gallbladder. For us, I wonder if it means that the calcium is deposited on the bone ends, creating spurs. (This makes sense to me.) It also takes calcium from the bones to fuel the organs that need it to survive. Hense the osteoporosis.

Most everyone is deficient on Magnesium. They now know that Magnesium may play an even bigger part to bone health. (Bigger than the calcium.) Magnesium is what relaxes the muscles.

Coenzyme Q10 is proving to be necessary for vascular health, and can help with vasculitis, hardening of the arteries, as well as help with ligament and muscle repair.

MSM Powder is a natural mineral that has been engineered out of our food by cooking, freezing, processing, and is actually now deplete from the soil itself. (There should be some 80+ nutrients and minerals in the soil-we replace the top 3- Potassium, Nitrogen and lol- the other one).

It is known (and I swear by it!) that it helps with the arthritic pain. I use only the powder, as it acts within 10 minutes, and there is no "gelcap" to ingest. (PUREMSM.COM)

Milk Thistle is a natural Liver Detoxifier. If you venture into detoxing-- add it to every glass of water you drink. It will take both the toxins from the meds we're on, as well as the gunk that has settled in our joints and ligaments and myelin sheath and help to rid them thru our urine. It doesn't interfer with any of the meds we take. It has no known allergic effects. (Look up Milk Thistle and the liver. Oncologists are now suggesting it for liver cancer patients to use it during their chemo--as well as for cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcohol or hepatitis).

Osteopaths, Naturopaths, Homeopaths, some Chiropractors, Acupuncurists, Herbalolgists are all great to help you with these issues. All have a desire to treat without drugs (except the Osteopath-MD) because of the side effects.

It is important to know that if you go down this road, that you have the potential to actually "kick" your immune system into further overdrive. Since sarcoidosis is auto-immune, meaning that our immune system see our bodies as the enemy and is attacking even healthy tissues- this is not a concept to play with on your own.

If you have an excellant Health food store, with owners that are trained in these concepts-- seek their opinions. If you are already on a process of immunosupressants, you may very well make the immunosupressant ineffective, and end up taking higher doses of it. So again-- seek the advice of those whose professions are in helping you find a balance to "rebalance" your body.

With healing wishes,

Tracie