Re: PA -Progressive degenerative

[Guest guest]

On Sat, 10 Jul 1999 01:20:25 +0800, " Shyam Prasad "

<spkarpur@...> wrote:

>From: " Shyam Prasad " <spkarpur@...>

>

>

>My name is J. Mithra and I have had psoriasis for about 17 years now. Two

>months back, I developed pain in my thumb joint and consulted a

>rheumatologist. After a blood test, he says I do not have Psoriatic

>Arthritis as yet but that he needed to observe my condition for a longer

>period.

I don't believe that there is a blood test that will detect PA. Did he

say why the test led him to believe that you don't have it?

>The NFP website says PA is a progressive degenerative disease. Does this

>mean that after one develops PA, it is just a matter of time when it spreads

>to many joints and one is crippled? Are there people with PA for 10 years

>and more who are not in a wheelchair.

I've had PA for over 9 years, and I'm nowhere near wheelchair stage!

<G> The course that PA takes is very individual, some are only

affected slightly by it, please don't write your future off just yet.

>I am extremely worried. I would appreciate if other PAers could respond.

>Thanks

I've had PA for some time now, and am currently doing well, many

others are also, please don't give up hope, and don't let yourself get

discouraged. Your doctor may well be right, and you don't has PA. If

you do, it's not the end of the world!

Steve

http://www.zoomnet.net/~steve

[Guest guest]

I've had PA for 25 years. I've had very few limitations. I'm a little

slow on stairs, but can walk fine for a couple of miles at a time.

Some of my fingers are deformed by the arthritis, but I type for a

living. And there are extremely promising meds on the horizon. Don't

worry so much!

Fell <david@...>

At 1:20 AM +0800 7/10/99, Shyam Prasad wrote:

>...it is just a matter of time when it spreads

>to many joints and one is crippled? Are there people with PA for 10 years

>and more who are not in a wheelchair.

>

>I am extremely worried. I would appreciate if other PAers could respond.

>Thanks

>

>J Mithra

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[Guest guest]

Hi J.

I've had PA for about 15 yrs as far as I can tell and

am still up and running(well, maybe walking). As far

as blood tests go I don't think my condition ever

showed up in a blood test, I was diagnosed based on

physical evidence(x-rays and deformity of toes and

fingers) Sounds bad but I get around and am the

primary caretaker for my 3 yr old daughter. There are

lots of god meds out there and more being developed as

we speak. Stay informed and let your doctor know of

any changes and /or problems you are experiencing.

Seems RDs are being more aggressive these days based

on studies showing that people can tolerate some of

these meds quite well when being monitored via blood

tests. Good luck

===

C McCullough

thelockhorns@...

[Guest guest]

Has anyone else had success with fighting PA at its " roots, " at the cellular

level with antioxidants and nutrients to fight against the free-radical

damage? My pain is continuing to reduce with the supplements/antioxidants

I'm taking along with the chaparral. I haven't had to take *any* ibuprofen

for 3 days, and typing this hardly hurts at all now, and it's still as humid

as ever here. Granted, this is my first major all-over-my-body flare-up, but

I didn't get any relief when I was taking 800 mg of the ibuprofen without

doing the supplements and herbs, but now I'm much better in all my joints,

and the psoriasis I had is going away without putting anything on it. Am I

the only one getting these results? Has anyone else tried this route?

Kathy Fowkes

fowkes@...

[Guest guest]

On Tue, 20 Jul 1999 12:59:16 -0700, R & K Fowkes <fowkes@...>

wrote:

>Has anyone else had success with fighting PA at its " roots, " at the cellular

>level with antioxidants and nutrients to fight against the free-radical

>damage? My pain is continuing to reduce with the supplements/antioxidants

>I'm taking along with the chaparral. I haven't had to take *any* ibuprofen

>for 3 days, and typing this hardly hurts at all now, and it's still as humid

>as ever here. Granted, this is my first major all-over-my-body flare-up, but

>I didn't get any relief when I was taking 800 mg of the ibuprofen without

>doing the supplements and herbs, but now I'm much better in all my joints,

>and the psoriasis I had is going away without putting anything on it. Am I

>the only one getting these results? Has anyone else tried this route?

Kathy, I'm currently taking MTX and Imuran, and doing extremely well.

However, when my doctor asked me if I thought the medicine was

working, I had to say that I just didn't know. For years I had PA and

wasn't even diagnosed, so I wasn't on medication for it. It would

flare up, lots of pain, terrible fatigue, then it would just go away,

without any change of diet or treatment or anything. Then some time

later, it would come back.

It's these cycles that cause me to hesitate to credit any medication I

take for my remission.

Steve

http://www.zoomnet.net/~steve

[Guest guest]

At 01:12 AM 7/21/99 GMT, you wrote:

>It's these cycles that cause me to hesitate to credit any medication I

>take for my remission.

>

>Steve

You know, I was wondering that myself--if the improvement was just a natural

course of the condition. But when I stop taking the supplements and herb,

the pain returns. It also returns even if I'm taking them, but I don't do my

water aerobics class. It hasn't been very long, but I can feel the

difference in just a matter of days if I leave anything out.

I'm grateful to have found something that works for me so I don't have to

do the harsher prescription meds so far! But it wasn't a big stretch--I knew

about their efficacy for other conditions before. My friend gives them to

her daughter to boost her immune system--her daughter was always coming down

with ear infections and bronchitis, but she doesn't anymore. Even the

reputable journals of medicine are publishing reports about how most

illnesses, especially degenerative diseases like PA, are caused by a faulty

or poor immune system, which in turn is caused by poor nutrition. So for

*me* it seems to be best to fight the PA by giving my immune system the

chance to work at its optimum level. It can't hurt at all, and seems to be

helping.

The chaparral, though, is new to me. Garlic, cayenne and a high-quality fish

or flax seed oil are also supposed to be helpful. I'm going to add them one

at a time, starting with the fish oil, to see if I get even more

improvement. Some in the first of August I've decided to go to a

naturophathic doctor to get her advice on what I'm already doing, and see

what she recommends for further treatment. It will be good to be under

someone's care instead of trying to figure it all out for myself.

Kathy Fowkes

fowkes@...

[Guest guest]

On Wed, 21 Jul 1999 15:28:21 -0700, R & K Fowkes <fowkes@...>

wrote:

>You know, I was wondering that myself--if the improvement was just a natural

>course of the condition. But when I stop taking the supplements and herb,

>the pain returns. It also returns even if I'm taking them, but I don't do my

>water aerobics class. It hasn't been very long, but I can feel the

>difference in just a matter of days if I leave anything out.

>

Hey, if you are getting good results, it would be foolish to change

anything. <G> That's one of the reasons, I'm still taking the meds,

even though I'm not 100% sure they are working. I'm doing well, I

ain't gonna rock the boat!

Steve

http://www.zoomnet.net/~steve

[Guest guest]

I am very curious...... what herbs are people taking to help????