Jana, Thanks for sharing that. It is hard to grow up around negativity - if I can call it that. I do know a bit of what that's like. I'm glad you took all that you experienced and turned it into a positive. Good for you.

Brian, I have to add this, having been around alternative medical professionals for a long time. And I mean "professionals" and not "new age" laymans. Like those at the University level and experts around the world.

It will help your overall health to get enough sleep, to keep stress out, to eat healthy, have sensible supplements, enjoy your life, laugh, etc. Without enough sleep, good food, etc. people do get sick. It isn't boosting your immune system to take care of yourself. And I think it's oversimplifying by saying that our immune systems are over-active. Immunity is pretty complex and I certainly don't have a grasp on it all. I do know enough though that it can run the spectrum from being underactive (like having no IgG), overactive, reactive and not active at all!

I think it's important to realize that not all doctors know about or understand "alternative medicine." It's also important to define what "new age" is versus well-studied alternative medicine. Those doctors in countries like China and Japan have studied certain herbs, etc. for centuries. I do not for one minute believe that I know enough about any of it to either endorse or deny their effects on patients. I do know, however, that there have been many studies touting their very good effects. And I suspect that there are those in the U.S. that deny their benefits because they (i.e., the pharmaceutical co's) don't benefit from the sale of them.

And all the drugs we do take are derived from nature. Or synthesized from what we know of how plants help certain conditions. And as Lizzie has recently said, you should not have grapefruit while on Imuran because it can buildup in your system to toxic levels. A little, tasty grapefruit. That's also holds the same for some antibiotics. If a little fruit can adversely affect you, what else could OR what else could HELP you?

I personally don't think anyone should use supplements/herbs without consulting with their doctors. If you have a parathyroid condition, for example, and take too much calcium, you could have bad consequences. Same with someone who has a tendency to get kidney stones. On the other hand, I also know that using pancreatic enzymes - in this case for my dog who has pancreatitis - is a very sensible and useful thing to do for some people. For my dog, it keeps him alive (gives the pancreas "time off" from digesting foods).

You may not like what I'm going to say next. The medical world has enough arrogance in it. No, I'm not saying that's how you are!!! But for doctors who haven't thoroughly looked at this issue to say that there's nothing more you can do for yourself is quite narrow-minded. The body is extremely complex, as is the spirit as Jana alluded to, and I don't think we have even begun to understand what it needs to be healthy.

So, yeah, there are those out there who would tell you anything to sell you something. And there are those who maybe don't understand how alternative medicine can help and are desperate for answers. But there are also many medical professionals who are both willing to research this area and entertain that there are other solutions out there. I for one will always keep an open mind about this topic. There are solutions out there - we just haven't found all of them yet.

Meditation, for example, is often thought to be "new age" BS but it is very useful. In particular, it can help with PTSD, panic attacks, etc. It can help people with insomnia get to sleep. This is only one example of how many alternative therapies can give real and substantial help to people.

I had one more thought. If something isn't studied, how can we know it won't help? There aren't that many studies being done out there on the effects of certain therapies on MG or other autoimmune diseases. So, Brian, how can that doctor say that nothing will help? No one is an expert in this area because no one is pursuing being one - at least that I've read of. I wish someone would. And Huperzine A is just one example of an herb being studied for use in MG.

Or you can think of alternative medicine as a "cascade effect" on MG. I don't have stomach acid. If I didn't take Betaine HCL every day to digest my foods, I would have a buildup of undigested food in my body. That can lead to leaky gut. That can make the immune system worse or even bring on immune diseases. Without enough stomach acid, you can get more infections and I used to. If I kept having infections like I used to, my MG would eventually be adversely affected. Logic is more important to me than scientific studies sometimes. If something has been proven to help your health, why ignore it?

I'm sorry if this offends you or anyone else.

Annie

Mrs. D. has had this quote on her posts in the past and it is one of my favorites as well.

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”
Galileo Galilei