Dr Martin Scurr has been treating patients for more than 30 years and is a leading GP in the UK. The following is an extract from his Daily Mail column, in which he gives an informative answer to a particular question about sarcoidosis and treatment.
Question: My sister is 79 and has been diagnosed with sarcoidosis, which she has been told is incurable with no treatment. In the past five years she has had operations to remove a lump on her neck, and two lumps behind her knees. She has lost a lot of weight and still has problems walking any distance. Can you tell me anything about the condition?
Mrs B. R. Timson Basildon, Essex.
Answer: Sarcoidosis is a disease that can affect any organ in the body, and is characterised by the formation of tiny patches of inflammation — known as granulomas — in the organs. These are thought to be the result of the immune system malfunctioning and attacking the body’s own tissues, and are identified by doctors when one of the swellings, such as the lump your sister had in her neck, is taken for examination.
The condition has a wide spectrum of severity. Many cases go unnoticed and are only discovered by chance when a chest X-ray is obtained for some other reason — the lung is the most common part of the body to be involved.
Despite much research, no cause for the disease has ever been found.
Most patients who have this disorder, which affects about one in 10,000, have a mild form of the disease, with little in the way of symptoms, and requiring no treatment. In many of those cases the condition abates after a year or two.
But in others the patches of inflammation become widespread in the body, and may be found in the eyes, joints, skin, liver and spleen.
This causes symptoms such as a cough, breathlessness, fatigue, and weight loss, and treatment to suppress the damaging inflammation becomes necessary.
The standard approach is to prescribe steroids in the form of tablets of prednisolone, but it must be stressed that the decision to start treatment must be taken by a specialist, as the side effects of the medicine must be weighed against the symptoms and damage caused by the disease.
The side effects of steroids include weight gain, indigestion, muscle weakness and osteoporosis, which is why a long period of watchful waiting before making the decision to start treatment may be necessary.
The length of therapy is variable but will be at least three to six months, and relapses may occur when the steroid tablets are gradually tapered off.
Further, for patients who have unacceptable side effects, or those who have evidence of the condition becoming worse despite the steroids, the addition of pills to reduce the inflammation may be helpful.
Generally these are drugs that suppress the immune system such as azathioprine.
The most important advice for your sister is she should be monitored periodically on a specialised unit so that her progress, and hopefully her remission, is identified — as well as any complications observed and treated accordingly
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Showing posts with label Cure for Sarcoidosis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cure for Sarcoidosis. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Natural Sarcoidosis Cure
Sarcoidosis Cure - A Natural Solution to Sarcoid Relief
Sarcoidosis is an autoimmune disease that shares characteristics with many other diseases which fall into the autoimmune category. Sarcoidosis shares many of the same symptoms and often overlaps into conditions such as Lupus & Scleroderma normally the most common way of determining sarcoidosis from other conditions is by the manifestation of non-caseating granulomas which are small inflammatory nodules.
Sarcoid or Boeck a multi-organ disease
Finding a cure for Sarcoidosis, otherwise known as sarcoid or Besnier-Boeck disease is by no means an easy task, although the most common symptoms of sarcoidosis are granulomas which most often appear in the lungs or the lymph nodes the condition also affects many other parts of the body including eyes, skin and internal organs. This medical condition although quite rare has been known about for quite some time now and hundreds of thousands of people in the USA alone suffer from it at present.
Still, an effective cure for Sarcoidosis that can address the many different problems caused by the disease has not been invented so far and the best that physicians can do is to provide symptomatic Sarcoidosis relief.
Sarcoid Treatment Options-Depend on Severity
The different Sarcoidosis treatment options depend on the severity of the condition and its level of development. In cases in which the affected symptoms are not to serious and the condition is progressing slowly, the examination by just one medical professional specializing in this field is sufficient.
The doctor will prescribe an appropriate treatment that will provide for the relief of these symptoms most often this will be something like a corticosteroid. However, when the Sarcoidosis condition is severe or if it's developing quickly a check by and treatment from more than one specialists is usually required.
This is absolutely necessary in cases of Sarcoidosis which has started to effect internal organs. Apart from the visits to the dermatologist and the rheumatologist, a sufferer may also have to see a cardiologist as this disease is often linked to cardiovascular problems.
While an actual Sarcoidosis cure might be something many can only dream of due to the differing symptoms it is also quite common for early symptoms to go into remission, however this is not a true cure for sarcoidosis and the condition and sarcoid symptoms may return.
Natural Sarcoidosis Treatments.
As discussed an actual cure for sarcoid is not likely to happen any time soon at least when it comes to traditional medical practices, this is due mainly to the fact that most modern medicine concentrates on the symptom.
However a natural sarcoidosis treatment will often concentrate on the underlying issues which are known to cause autoimmune disorders. If you suffer with Sarcoidosis it may be helpful to ask your doctor to check you blood for high levels of Vitamin D, there is well documented evidence that many sarcoid sufferers have high levels of Vitamin D (this is known as Vitamin D Toxicity).
Although this is not a major problem in itself it is often an indication of a bacterial (micro-bacterial) infection which certain research points to as a possible cause of sarcoidosis.
A Natural Sarcoidosis Solution
Although Sarcoid seems to be an untreatable disease and as far as modern medication goes that's probably true, But there has been much research done on the subject by research teams and doctors working outside the drug industry. These findings are a real revelation for Sarcoid sufferers.Read more: Click Here
Most diseases have their roots buried much deeper, the symptoms are just our bodies way of displaying a warning.
So to stop Sarcoidosis being an increasing problem you should be looking at treating these underlying issues & not just the symptoms Read More
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_D
Click Here For Your Sarcoidosis Alternative Treatment
Sarcoidosis is an autoimmune disease that shares characteristics with many other diseases which fall into the autoimmune category. Sarcoidosis shares many of the same symptoms and often overlaps into conditions such as Lupus & Scleroderma normally the most common way of determining sarcoidosis from other conditions is by the manifestation of non-caseating granulomas which are small inflammatory nodules.
Sarcoid or Boeck a multi-organ disease
Finding a cure for Sarcoidosis, otherwise known as sarcoid or Besnier-Boeck disease is by no means an easy task, although the most common symptoms of sarcoidosis are granulomas which most often appear in the lungs or the lymph nodes the condition also affects many other parts of the body including eyes, skin and internal organs. This medical condition although quite rare has been known about for quite some time now and hundreds of thousands of people in the USA alone suffer from it at present.
Still, an effective cure for Sarcoidosis that can address the many different problems caused by the disease has not been invented so far and the best that physicians can do is to provide symptomatic Sarcoidosis relief.
Sarcoid Treatment Options-Depend on Severity
The different Sarcoidosis treatment options depend on the severity of the condition and its level of development. In cases in which the affected symptoms are not to serious and the condition is progressing slowly, the examination by just one medical professional specializing in this field is sufficient.
The doctor will prescribe an appropriate treatment that will provide for the relief of these symptoms most often this will be something like a corticosteroid. However, when the Sarcoidosis condition is severe or if it's developing quickly a check by and treatment from more than one specialists is usually required.
This is absolutely necessary in cases of Sarcoidosis which has started to effect internal organs. Apart from the visits to the dermatologist and the rheumatologist, a sufferer may also have to see a cardiologist as this disease is often linked to cardiovascular problems.
While an actual Sarcoidosis cure might be something many can only dream of due to the differing symptoms it is also quite common for early symptoms to go into remission, however this is not a true cure for sarcoidosis and the condition and sarcoid symptoms may return.
Natural Sarcoidosis Treatments.
As discussed an actual cure for sarcoid is not likely to happen any time soon at least when it comes to traditional medical practices, this is due mainly to the fact that most modern medicine concentrates on the symptom.
However a natural sarcoidosis treatment will often concentrate on the underlying issues which are known to cause autoimmune disorders. If you suffer with Sarcoidosis it may be helpful to ask your doctor to check you blood for high levels of Vitamin D, there is well documented evidence that many sarcoid sufferers have high levels of Vitamin D (this is known as Vitamin D Toxicity).
Although this is not a major problem in itself it is often an indication of a bacterial (micro-bacterial) infection which certain research points to as a possible cause of sarcoidosis.
A Natural Sarcoidosis Solution
Although Sarcoid seems to be an untreatable disease and as far as modern medication goes that's probably true, But there has been much research done on the subject by research teams and doctors working outside the drug industry. These findings are a real revelation for Sarcoid sufferers.Read more: Click Here
Most diseases have their roots buried much deeper, the symptoms are just our bodies way of displaying a warning.
So to stop Sarcoidosis being an increasing problem you should be looking at treating these underlying issues & not just the symptoms Read More
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_D
Click Here For Your Sarcoidosis Alternative Treatment
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