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.
Click below to access the full article:
Are you an ITP warrior? Let's keep in touch!
I'm happy to share more of my story!
For more information about the specific herbal protocol I used, hop over to my "helpful links" page.
I was diagnosed in 2003 with a platelet count of 2k. Drs tried prednisone, win Rho, chemo, IVIG, Rituxan, & splenectomy. Splenectomy didn't work at all. Prednisone helped, but wasn't a long term treatment option. Long story short, I decided to try alternative treatments. I found a protocol of Herbal supplements that were formulated specifically for ITP by doctors who were trained in both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese medicine.
It wasn't a quick fix. Natural treatments tend to take longer than pharmaceuticals. It took about 1 year to get into remission. In hindsight, since I didn’t make any other lifestyle changes at the time, it is very possible that’s why it took so long for the herbal supplements to be effective.
It wasn't a quick fix. Natural treatments tend to take longer than pharmaceuticals. It took about 1 year to get into remission. In hindsight, since I didn’t make any other lifestyle changes at the time, it is very possible that’s why it took so long for the herbal supplements to be effective.
Although the herbs helped me achieve remission, I made many lifestyle changes later which I attribute my staying in remission. To be honest, if I had NOT made these changes, I don’t think I would still be healthy 17 years later!
* I changed my diet and removed foods that cause inflammation (gluten, dairy, refined sugar, all processed food). It is a commitment to “eat real food”, but I feel so much better. I have come to realize that gluten causes me full blown inflammation indicated with a fever, body aches, and extreme fatigue. I found an anti-inflammatory protocol that has been extremely helpful.
* I removed cleaning products & personal care products from my home that contain harsh chemicals & artificial fragrances. There are so many things lurking in our homes that we don’t even think about. I got really good at reading labels: sodium laurel sulfate, parabens, “fragrance”. These all disrupt the endocrine system (hormones), cause cancer, and keep us sick!
* I started using essential oils for many things such as managing my stress, balancing my hormones, and supporting my immune system. I realized that, for every essential oil I could use to support my health…there was something in my cupboard I could get rid of that had a toxic ingredient. It was a win/win!
I developed this website for sharing info and encouraging other "wellness warriors".
I have a Facebook group you can join for free.
Make sure you check out other blog posts.
My "helpful links" page has the info on the Chinese herbs and other products I recommend.
Grab some info on my favorite anti-inflammatory protocol.
Schedule a free consultation!
