MDS: On Alternative Medicines

Yesterday I mumbled on with thoughts about pineapple and pills. Today, I find myself ruminating on alternative medicines.

A Web search by Penny gave us a site called Myelodysplastic-options.com, which is apparently offered by something called The Society for the Promotion of Alternative Health (SPAH) of London, England.

The site shows a chart that’s supposedly imparts a "detailed comparison of the most effective Myelodysplastic Syndromes treatments available in alternative medicine."

All it does, however, it generate confusion by obtusely "ranking" three products.

Oh, and it also offers links to the products’ Web sites where, of course, one can read magnificent claims for each product, such as

• the most proven, effective, safe and easy to use product for healing Myelodysplastic Syndromes,

and

• the world's most relied upon and clinically proven natural treatment for Myelodysplastic Syndromes . . . a completely outstanding product and there is absolutely no alternative to its unique formula.

But, even a thorough exploration of these sites yields no information as to what the "results" actually are. The products "treat" MDS? What does that mean? Especially when the MDS medical community says definitively that, with the exception of a successful bone marrow transplant, there is no cure.

Is it also significant that all three of these "recommended" products are European?

It’s tempting to think you can down an herbal pill and find yourself magically healed. Very tempting. One begins to understand why people grab at such alluring straws in hopes of finding cures to diseases.

But, in the name of science, if nothing else, I remind myself to limit the variables. I could discard skepticism and give into the herbal remedy temptation. But doing that before we have any real understanding of Vidaza’s effectiveness—even if the herbals were working—we’d not know which medicine to credit with the success.

Even a D-grade science student like yours truly knows enough not to muddy the waters with multiple variables. So, enticing as these "cures" may be, we’ll stick to being Vidaza needle-stuck.

For now, anyway.

MDS: On Pineapple & Pills

Yesterday we wondered about pineapple and its possible medicinal use with MDS, particularly why fresh pineapple was useful but canned was not.

Some backgrounding by the crack MDSMitch research team reveals that pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain. This element is described by WorldHealth.net as "a proteolytic enzyme (an enzyme that digests proteins) [that is] a natural anticoagulant that works by breaking down the blood-clotting protein fibrin . . . There is also evidence that bromelain can trigger beneficial changes in white blood cells, and thus may improve immune function."

Apparently, the heat required to can pineapple kills the bromelain. Thus—the admonition to use fresh not canned fruit.

But, even though yesterday's MDS Nutritional Counseling reported fresh pineapple as anecdotally beneficial for raising and stabilizing platelet count, Grandma Ruth (Penny's mom) rightly and quickly pointed out that a blood thinner is not something you want to be ingesting when your platelet counts are low and your clotting efficiency is already compromised.

Forget the all-pineapple diet for now. We'll go with grandmotherly wisdom on this one.

We are beginning a V-8 juice regimen, however. Laina showed up at the doorstep last night toting two huge bottles of the stuff. V-8 might not be juiced kale, spinach, various grasses, etc., but it'll have to do as a supplement to the daily pill regimen.

Currently, the day begins with a Synthroid aperitif, followed at breakfast by a pill cocktail comprised of two Metamucil capsules, one multi-vitamin pill, two tabs of acidophilus, a vitamin D pill and a magnesium tablet. Evening brings two more Medemucils.

And, of course, one week a month we add a combo Vidaza and Zofran luncheon zinger.

• The Synthroid was prescribed by Dr. Thyroid, who also prescribed the vitamin D, although we're not sure why.
• The magnesium is self-prescribed to ward off muscle spasms of the feet, as recommended by cousins Berlie and Paula.
• Neighbor Yael, an acupuncturist among other things, advocated the acidophilus back when we thought the diagnosis was ITP.
• The acidophilus and Metamucil, self-prescribed to counter the colon-clogging effect of Vidaza and Zofran, seem to be helping the lifelong cranky digestive tract behave better. I'm just gleeful that we discovered Metamucil capsules so I needn't drink that stuff two times daily.

So, I've evolved into one of those aging guys whose daily routine revolves around pill-popping. I envision traveling with an entirely separate pill-bearing suitcase, no doubt incurring an airline extra baggage fee when flying.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the nightly sleeping pill-Tylenol -saline nose drops bedtime routine.

Does any/all of this truly help? Who knows. It's enough for a boy to simply keep track, no less worry about efficacy.

Down the hatch!