My hand, after suffering the ill effects of DC, now feels "almost" normal. I attribute this, for the most part, to two things: elimination of all vitamin C supplements, and 1 - 3 Tbs of soy lecithin granules (refrigerated type) every day. I believe that lecithin attacks the out-of-control formation of collagen by regulating its formation, and by producing naturally what we need most with this affliction, i.e., collagenese. I embarked on this course following my google searches re lecithin. Some of the different hits are as follows:

1. "We concluded that (a) polyunsaturated lecithin selectively prevents the acetaldehyde-induced increase in collagen accumulation in lipocyte cultures, whereas other phospholipids or linoleate have no such effect; and (b) polyunsaturated lecithin does not modify the acetaldehyde-mediated increase in alpha-1 (I) procollagen mRNA, but it increases collagenase activity, suggesting that the protective effect exerted by polyunsaturated lecithin against alcohol induced fibrosis in vivo is due at least in part to stimulation of collagenase activity, which may prevent excess collagen accumulation by offsetting increased collagen production.

2. Soy lecithin inhibits collagen-induced platelet aggregation.
Brook J.G., Linn S., Aviram M. "Dietary soya lecithin decreases plasma triglyceride levels and inhibits collagen- and ADP-induced platelet aggregation." Biochem Med Metab Biol. 1986 Feb; 35: 31 – 39

3. A choline deficiency, which promotes liver damage, can be corrected with lecithin supplements. Choline increases the activity of the enzyme hepatic collagenase, which breaks down collagen, preventing cirrhosis.

4. Likewise, in rat lipocytes, polyunsaturated lecithin prevented the acetaldehyde-induced accumulation of collagen, increasing collagenase activity"

Best wishes to all on this forum,

John

Thanks for the informative post John.

Providing the sources really helps.

dang good info, thanks for sharing!

Has Gary/Sean/diathesis now turned into Gary/Sean/diathesis/Jack?

Jack, Crayton, et. al.,

I knocked out vitamin C because I think there is a chance that may have contributed to my getting DC. I took upwards of 13 grams a day. For me, I think I get enough in the fruits & vegetables I eat. Also, alot of foods use ascorbic acid as a preservative. Since I am not a nutritionist, I am not sure what the ideal intake should be. I still take moderate amounts of other standard supplements.

I was diagnosed with DC about 2 years ago. My symptoms were the tell-tale lump beneath the left ring finger, stiffness in the hand and fingers (particularly upon waking up), periodic aching and sensations, and a knuckle pad on the right hand first finger. I did not have a chord or appreciable contracting. I also had significant pain if I laid my hand flat, and did something like a pushup. The main effect of this condition was that I knew something was different and very wrong in my hand; it did not feel right.

As I mentioned, I started out on the lecithin because of the information I stumbled across doing google searches. I am guessing that this was 5 - 6 months ago. I did not start taking it regularly. I did not take the 1 -3 Tbs daily, in fact I did not really take it daily. The reason for that is I tend to be somewhat skeptical, and tend to believe there is oftentimes more hype than reality with so-called miracle foods. Probably a couple of months after I started haphazardly taking the lecithin, I began to feel that this condition might be improving. Because the lecithin was the only real change I had made, I went into the regular dosage that I mentioned earlier.

The changes that have taken place are these: no finger or hand stiffness at all, no aching or feeling of "activity" in the hand, and, very significantly, the painful knucklepad on my right hand finger has totally disappeared. That used to cause significant pain whenever I made a fist, or even if I brushed that finger against a wall or knocked on a door. I was told by my hand surgeon that that was related to the dupuytren's. The only other change is that my hand feels like a normal hand again. I still have the lump, and if I do a pushup I still feel a very small amount of pain, but nothing like before.

I hesitated in posting to this forum for a while because I really did not want to raise false expectations. I waited a couple of months to see if there would be a relapse, but what has instead happened is that things have improved. Of course I don't know if others would be helped, but it is difficult for me to believe that I would be the only one to react favorably to this. In addition, as you can see from my posts or your own research if you have done so, greater minds than mine have concluded that this product has a positive effect on regulating collagen.

I received a couple of inquiries as to why I think the refrigerated lecithin is the way to go. In my research, I have learned that if lecithin is not refrigerated it is very likely to turn rancid. I get lecithin granules from food cooperatives or health food stores.

Good luck to all,

John

PS Mary Beth, thanks for the kind words.