I recently came across a research article that was written back in 2003 by the doctors who developed the Chinese herbal supplements for ITP. (Yes, the very herbal supplements that helped put me into remission.) The article discusses the differences in Western versus Eastern philosophy regarding autoimmune disease. Western medicine treats autoimmune disease as a completely random dysfunction of the immune system and seeks to suppress it, as it seems to have become “overactive”. Unfortunately, although powerful immunosuppressive drugs may actually raise platelet counts, the underlying imbalance of the body that caused ITP in the first place remains unchanged.
The article states, “Toxins in the tissues are a common cause of autoimmune disease. Toxic tissues or cells are attacked by the immune system in an attempt to rid the body of them.” In other words, in the case of ITP, the platelets have somehow become “sick” and the immune system is doing its job by destroying them. This would indicate that it is not a dysfunction of the immune system, but a dysfunction of the platelet itself. THIS TOTALLY BLEW MY MIND!!
What would cause toxicity of the platelets? “Toxicity can be caused by the build up of any foreign chemical to the body – pharmaceuticals agents, pesticides, contaminants, or toxic metals” (including mercury). THIS MEANS WE ACTUALLY *MAY* HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER OUR PLATELETS! If I can cut out ANY & ALL toxins that I possibly can, then I can begin to help my platelets heal. I find this INCREDIBLY empowering!!
The authors also discuss prolonged stress and depression, which I believe triggered the onset of my ITP. “Autoimmune diseases are often associated with low energy states in the body. Low cellular energy conditions hamper cell function and detoxifying activity, which can stimulate the immune system to attack the affected tissues or cells.”
The focus on treating ITP (and other autoimmune diseases) is to improve the tissue quality through improved nutrition, circulation, and detoxification. The article shared the research with their protocol of herbal supplements between 1996 – 2001. They followed 20 patients for 12 months. The mean platelet count of the participants was 16K. All had failed to respond to conventional therapy. Three patients had undergone splenectomy. They tested patients at 3, 6, 12 months. At the end of 12 months, 12 patients had platelet counts of over 140K, 5 patients had platelet counts over 100K, 3 patients had platelet counts over 50K, 0 patients experienced “no effect”.
In the conclusion, the doctors also state, “Excess anxiety, fear, and anger are all stressors that can add to the suppression of platelet production and destruction.” Knowing that stress played a HUGE role in the onset of ITP for me, I am a firm believer in finding ways to reduce stress. I also have made it a point to reduce ALL unnecessary toxins in my home. This includes: artificial fragrances, and harsh chemicals in cleaning and personal care products. I’m certain that if I hadn’t made so many lifestyle changes since getting into remission, I would have re-toxified my platelets and I would have relapsed.
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