I just found something interesting on the web. Google Isotonic opc-3 and watch the U TUbe News Report. Very interesting. I think Market America is the authorized distributor but other places have it cheaper but there are warnings it is not authorized. Has anyone tried this?
I just got the Zyflamend today and will start taking those. Those are from New Chapter Dr. Weil recomends them their website is impressive -they have organic ginger farms in Costa Ric. This product has tumeric, ginger, and other things in it. They also have some mushroom products that are supposed to help with inflamation. Curcumin is what is in turmeric i think that is so good.
Also heard about msm and omega 3 fish oils - 1000 mg docosahexaenoic acid and 1400 mg eicosapentaenoic acid daily and msm - 1000 mg daily....I have read many ideal amounts but i think this is mostly recomended...
I drink an acai juice every day....(purple berry from the rainforests of brazil). It is very good and very high in antioxidents. Sambazon is a good brand. Bon Dia has a mix of acai and other juices that are also good but a bit more money.
Anybody swear by anything they take? I am in agony today. Is there anyone out there who is NOT taking the pred? In my research i think that if you start to show signs of Giant Cell then you go Way way way up in pred...so the low doses are not going to protect you from that...i think you just watch for the signs.
Very interesting about the Isotonix. For myself, I have been on prednisone since Feb 06 and have had very little trouble with side effects, although I have been diligent about trying to taper as much as possible. I take chromium picolinate & biotin to combat the few side effects I did experience, caused by blood sugar fluctuations due to depletion of chromium, which is needed in the system for insulin to do its job of regulation blood sugar levels.
In another PMR group, someone said that high doses of Vitamin C (another antioxidant) had "cured" her PMR. I upped my dosage of vit. C and, coincidentally or not, have had no trouble tapering prednisone over the past few weeks. Most of the time these days, any stiffness I feel can be attributed to my activity and age - I used to get stiff occasionally even before this started (I'm 57) and I am very physically active, with 5 horses to clean up after every day!
I also take a supplement called Recovery - see www.recoverymedicine.com - which has a number of antioxidants in it, including vitamin C. I have added an additional 1000 - 1500 mg of vit C daily to my regimen in the past few weeks. I also take an Omega 3 supplement (fish oil blend) which I get at Costco.
However, with PMR, I understand it can disappear as quickly and inexplicably as it came, so it's hard to say whether one supplement or another is really responsible, unless (like the woman with lupus in the video clip) you stop taking it to see if the pain comes back.
Good luck!
Smartie, I have long been confused about this business of whether or not low dose pred protects PMR sufferers from GCA. Some say yes, some say no. It is the main reason I am on pred. I realise that GCA required a much higher dosage of pred, but surely the low dose that suppresses the inflammation of PMR keep the inflammation level down in general? I have found several places in the PMR literature that says that untreated PMR is more risky for developing GCA. On the other hand, is there any real research/evidence? I am currently VERY tempted to stop pred, now that I am seeing real side effects from it. Although that is not the advice I would give (have given) to others! Just the other day here on this forum posted supporting the use of pred. I am just confused, confused, confused.Chico -
I understand your confusion! Seems most of us have a love-hate relationship with prednisone. It gave me my life back when the PMR was debilitating to the point where I wondered if I would have to give up the farm, but I recently was concerned about the long term affects of prednisone on memory - something they don't tell you about, but has been clearly demonstrated in some studies. I think we all have to weigh the pros and cons based on our own lifestyles and the side effects we experience from prednisone.
Ruth
Ruth, I had no memory to start with! Sorry to be negative, but I am not in a good frame of mind just now! I hope you all are doing better.