Anyone know about Mexico for RA treatment? Please! | Arthritis Information
Hello,
I am new. I am looking for information for my poor Aunt Cookie. She suffers from RA and her hands have become deformed.
Has anyone been to, heard of, have information on the alternative treatments in Mexico?
She has interest in Hoxsey, but would love for testimonials. The only ones we can find are regarding cancer.
Please! If anyone has any information, yea or nay, ANYTHING, please respond. I'm sorry to barge onto your board, but I really want to help her.
Thank you!
Christine
from Quackwatch
if it sounds too good to be true................
Look, I'm not defending Hoxsey (sounds like "Hoax, see?") but I sure wouldn't be looking to Quackwatch for the lowdown on anything:
Dr. Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch Exposed In Court Cases
At trial, under a heated cross-examination by Negrete, Barrett conceded that he was not a Medical Board Certified psychiatrist because he had failed the certification exam.
This was a major revelation since Barrett had provided supposed expert testimony as a psychiatrist and had testified in numerous court cases. Barrett also had said that he was a legal expert even though he had no formal legal training.
The most damning testimony before the jury, under the intense cross-examination by Negrete, was that Barrett had filed similar defamation lawsuits against almost 40 people across the country within the past few years and had not won one single one at trial.
During the course of his examination, Barrett also had to concede his ties to the AMA, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
http://www.canlyme.com/quackwatch.html
That said, has your mother looked into Antibiotic Protocol Therapy at all? Check out
The Roadback Foundation
Also, this is YOUR board as much as anyone's, so come by any time!Hi Christine, There are many alternative therapies in Mexico for RA. They run the gamut from Indian healers to modern clinics that use some esoteric substances and are run by foreign doctors that have moved to Mexico because of problems in their own homeland. Sometimes they aren't even physicians. I've found traditional health care in Mexico very good and in some instances excellent. In the alternative clinics they use everything from teas, medicinal herbs, injections of a protein (so they say) to a month of rest with massage, art, acupuncture, acupressure and chelation. Results have been negative. I live in Mexico 6 - 10 months of the year and have many gringo friends who have tried the alternative treatments with no response. I also have a Mexican friend who swears that she's much better. I think it's possible she's finished with the flare. I personally have only tried the rest, massage, art, acpunc and acupress. and it relieved some symptoms for a short period of time but I was far from cured.
There is no cure according to the medical experts but sometimes many of these therapies bring relief. I'd be very cautious about taking some of these treatments.
What meds and treatments has she had? Lindy
LinB2008-04-03 20:58:41kathy_in_wslv:
Thank you, I have read things like this and I have my own ill feelings about treatment centers in Mexico, but I have to explore it for her.
Gimpy-a-gogo:
Thank you for the reply. I am conflicted. I don't want to rule anything out, but it sounds like a longshot.
I did give my Aunt information about Antibiotic treatment. Would you happen to know anyone who has done it? Or have testimonials? Thanks!
LinB:
Thank you for your insight on Mexico. From what I have read, it sounds like the treatment may help, but it short-lived. Since my Aunt does not want to go off her meds for the required 2-3 months before treatment, I don't see her doing this. But it is not for me to say. I am just trying to gather information for her.
I wish I knew her course of treatment. I think my Mom said she was on Celebrex, but I am not sure if I am remembering that right.
I have read reviews on askapatient.com about other popular drugs and I have read a few posts here and there on this board. It is very helpful.
The reason she is interested in Mexico is because she heard about the Hoxsey Clinic, but the tesimonials are mainly from cancer patients. The clinic her neighbor goes to for his allergies (and they treat RA) is Clinica Carrillo in Mexicali, Mexico. There website leaves much to be desired.
Would anyone be willing to share what drugs they have tried or are taking that they feel improved their RA? What doesn't work?
I wish I knew what she has done, I will try to find out.
Since I currently (regretably) live in Los Angeles right now and she lives in Upstate New York, I do not see her very often. I talk to my mother (her younger sister) once a week and she says her hands are cripled looking, but not much else.
Anyway, thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it!
Christine
Help4, yes, I know myself, who is partially on it, plus there are several people on this forum who have had success with it, including but not limited to Pip!, JustSayNoeMore, and WatchingWolf. More testimonials can be read on
the Road Back Foundation's web site, and in the book
The New Arthritis Breakthorugh by Henry Scammell, (an informative and easy read. Check out the "customer reviews" on the linked page).
It's a tried and true alternative methodology that has been around for about 50 years. There are some doctors who specialise in it. If you want to find one in your area, you can post on the
Road Back Foundation's Bulliten board and someone will email you a list of possible doctors.Hey Christine -
Sorry, I could have sworn I answered you earlier. Duh! This is what happens when you're out teaching dance numbers to 7 year olds. Too much Hannah Montana and your brains kind of melt.
I am the longest running APer (antibiotic protocol user) on this board. I've been on AP since 8/06 and it saved my life. On the Roadback you can find people that have been on it longer and I've seen posts from people that have been on it for 25 years. Since I need to make it 40+ years with this disease - I have been studying the science behind this and learning all I can about cutting edge research for dealing with these diseases.
As for the Hoxsey clinic - I'm not familiar with it and would need to look at their website and try and figure out what 'remedies' they are expousing. There is actually quite a lot of real science behind natural or alternative remedies - but when it's all kind of clouded in 'secret formulas' then that screams 'bogus' to me.
I have to agree with LinB - the range from excellent to charletan kind of jumps at the border. She could luck out...or not. There are a lot of Dr.s from the US - some escaping malpractice problems here - and some escaping political situations here.
For example some Lyme MD's and some dentists have been so hounded for their beliefs that they just left the country. My biologic dentist was involved in filming another dentist doing cavitations before dentist #2 split because he couldn't take being hounded anymore. Before I went to see my biologic dentist I was told by my mainstream periodontist that the dentist in question was being investigated for quackery and they were going to pull his license. So, not wanting to walk into some quacks' office, I investigated said biologic dentist. Imagine my surprise when I found not only was he NOT having his license pulled, he was dealing with IRS problems. Those familiar with the Lyme Wars know what that means.
My point in telling you this is...find out what any MD wants to do, figure out if there is solid science behind it, and rate it from there. Ignore the inuendo and rumors and find the science. Learn all sides of the 'autoimmune' debate and take your new found knowledge and chose a treatment plan for your Aunt (with her approval, of course).
I am assuming that things have not gone well for your aunt if she's gotten to the point of leaving the country for help. I was in that place - but I chose to move to LA for my help with one of the top rated AP docs in the country. There's a top rated one in Boston - you know, that bastion of quackery called Harvard? Others are spread accross the country so you can find help where you need it - but to be honest - mainstream medicine is slow to move on cutting edge research - even research that started 50 years ago and has been slowly catching on (in thanks to the Internet) - so we do not have nearly enough docs to handle the need.
Since you're not going thru this yourself, this is a huge learning curve. I'm here if you have questions.
Pip
Pip!2008-04-04 19:13:58I've just spent the last couple of hours researching Hoxsey Clinic. Very interesting read and quite controversial. To me it sounded familiar and I made a phone call to relatives in Washington. It's the same clinic where my nephew was treated. My aunt spent ,000 plus to cure him of metastatic lung cancer. They sent him home from Mexico to die at home. It isn't a cure that I would seek out.
There are more reputable clinicians in the U.S., most of them don't promise a cure. I believe in complementary medicine which is the use of alternative and traditional medicines used together. In fact I use alternative treatments along with my traditional meds but only in partnership with my RD. Search through NIH's (National Institute of Health) integrative medicine site.
I notice that you're in Southern California. If your aunt lives in that area then she has access to numerous naturapthic physicians who can guide and treat her. Lindy
Hello, all! Thanks for responding.
I was able to obtain a little more information.
My Aunt is taking Humira and Methotrexate. My mom said she went from 8 tablets to 3, but I do not know what drug. I thought Humira was injected??
My mom says just her knuckles look bad. They are enlarged, but her fingers are not deformed. I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought.
My Aunt lives in Upstate New York, so southern California treatment isn't an option.
Thank you for all your comments about Mexico. I don't think she is looking into that so much anymore.
What medications do you feel work/don't work for your RA?
What foods do you avoid?
What supplements do you take?
I think there is definitely a link between foods and diseases. Though I only suffer from migraines, I am on an elimination diet. I am doing my best to stay away from processed foods and read food labels. MSG is an ingredient that I really need to stay away from. Anyone else told to stay away from MSG? I heard some of you say that gluten is a problem for you.
Thank you!
Minocin, Zith and probiotics - non APer's here on probiotics are reporting serious drops in pain levels.
I have not eliminated any foods but am supposed to get delayed onset allergy testing and will remove any offending foods that are irritating my intestines. Huge believer in leaky gut with these diseases.
Folic acid for old lady hair, magnesium, potassium, and just added in bromelain. Whole Lemon/Olive Oil drink. The sulpherated protein recipe when I remember.
Pip
P.S. I have to update my signature!
Hi, I'm new here, but I found the website while Googling Clinica Carrillo. My mother has been seeing Dr. Carrillo for about 30 years now. She was diagnosed with RA at 18, and by the time she was in her mid-30s, she was completely bed-ridden. She couldn't walk, and even the slightest movement left her in agony. In desperation, she was willing to try anything--even the medication that a friend of a friend of a friend brought back from Mexico.
Within days her pain had eased enough to make the long trek across country to Mexico to meet Dr. Carrillo. Since that trip, she hasn't slowed down, and she's now one of the most active people I know. And for over 30 years now she has personally taken or referred dozens of friends, relatives, and complete strangers to Clinica Carrillo.
Treatment does require a trip to Mexico every 2-3 years, but the cost of the medicine itself is extremely reasonable, and the results are remarkable.
Hi Lorinb, what treatments does your mother receive? Lindy
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