| Lost password
397 users onlineYou are not loggend in.  Login
Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E
 1 2 3
 1 2 3
12/13/2010 01:01
Cwilson52621 
12/13/2010 01:01
Cwilson52621 
Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E

This is my story:

I am 53 years old, noticed Ledderhose's disease on my right foot when I was 43. Used to walk 6-8 miles a day and ran steps. I injured my foot running steps one morning and since then ledderhose has three lumps on my arch. I now were arch supports in all my shoes."Walk Fit". Only walk 2 miles at a time now, do not want to have arch flare up any more than it is.

October 2009, I noticed a lump in my right palm, and went to see a hand specialists. Doc said it was dupuytren's. He said there was not much that could be done at this point. They could do surgery once the contraction of finger developed, but this has not been very successful. Usually the nodules will return and may come back being worse. By February, 2010 the nodule below my little finger was getting bigger and starting to hurt, and by June a nodule developed in the palm on my left hand. I decided then I would try a hand/foot message. Went 6 times but the messages seems to make all of them angery. I then tried acupuncture and found that after three treatments the nodules seem to start shrinking. I went through 13 treatments, (two treatments a week), when I felt the knodules were at a stand still and I needed to find another solution.

Oct, 2010, I went to another hand specialists, he told me that he was willing to try the collagenase injection, but I was not at the stage to start this. He told me to continue to do what ever I was doing, because it seems to be working. He also told me that this disease is unpredictable. Collagenase works on some, but the Dupuytren's may come back, and the probability of this was very high. He does not do the NA procedure, but told me this doesn't always work. If the nodules became more painful he could inject steriods to see if this would help, but it may help, but could trigger the Dupuytren's to become even more agressive.

I then came across this forum and read the one about the Chiropractor started taking enzymes, Vitalizyme. So I decided what the heck and ordered one bottle. At first I took (1) capsule half an hour before each meal for a week, increased my vitamin E to 400 I.U. started a home made concoction of oils and lotion to rub in. Second week I started taking (2) capsules before each meal and (2) before bedtime. I am now starting my fourth week and all nodules are decreasing. I will continue this for as long as I see results with the nodules shrinking. I will update in a couple of weeks to see if the enzymes is still working. I wish I would have taken pictures when my hands were at the worst and be able to show the differences now. I do feel that this disease has something to do with not being able to absorb nutrients correctly.

12/13/2010 19:31
spanishbuddha 

Administrator

12/13/2010 19:31
spanishbuddha 

Administrator

Re: Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E

Thanks for sharing. Photo's over time would be a great help. ...and the feet.

12/16/2010 12:40
hrrmphf 
12/16/2010 12:40
hrrmphf 
Re: Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E

what is your diet like? now and before?

12/17/2010 05:41
wach 

Administrator

12/17/2010 05:41
wach 

Administrator

Re: Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E

Taking Vit E in high quantities and over a longer period of time is dangerous http://www.dupuytren-online.info/dupuytren_anecdotal.html. Also, most reports on Vit E for Dupuytren's are negative. It's your decision what you eat but you should be very careful with taking excessive nutritional additives.

Wolfgang

02/06/2011 21:01
onebluedolphin 
02/06/2011 21:01
onebluedolphin 
Re: Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E

I read your comments on enzyme therapy with great interest. I did some further research and discovered a nearly identical product for much less money. It is called Fibrozym, and after comparing prices, I ordered a supply at the best price on the web, from xxx I have dealt with them before, and have always been pleased with their service and products. If you go to xxx and enter both product names, you can compare the ingredients because they print the nutritional labels right from the bottle for the consumer to read. In any case, I have just been diagnosed with DD, have 2 nodules and one cord in the palm of my right hand. My aim is to at least contain the condition, which I can live with at this stage. I will take the Vitamin E, 400IU, @ 1 per day, and the enzymes as directed by the manufacturer, and see if there is any improvement. I will report back my results. Thanks so much for sharing your helpful information, and I'm interested to know how you are doing no! Good luck!!!

02/08/2011 13:05
dianataylor 
02/08/2011 13:05
dianataylor 
Re: Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E

Please let us know how this goes. I have so many knots in my feet and as a result several hammer toes. I had surgery on my right foot about ten years ago & it was a disaster. No more cutting on my feet!! I would love to find a way to at least get some shrinkage in the knots.

02/08/2011 13:47
wach 

Administrator

02/08/2011 13:47
wach 

Administrator

Re: Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E

Diana, have you read about radiotherapy http://www.dupuytren-online.info/radiation_therapy.html? This is a proven and established way for shrinking Ledderhose nodules. The enzymes discussed in this thread have no proven effect. Most likely they are a waste of money.

Wolfgang

dianataylor:
Please let us know how this goes. I have so many knots in my feet and as a result several hammer toes. I had surgery on my right foot about ten years ago & it was a disaster. No more cutting on my feet!! I would love to find a way to at least get some shrinkage in the knots.


Edited 02/08/11 15:48

02/08/2011 16:38
onebluedolphin 
02/08/2011 16:38
onebluedolphin 
Re: Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E

To Dianataylor: Yes, I will let you know if there is any improvement in my condition, although I expect it to take several months, judging from the anecdotal entries on this forum. I appreciate Wolf's statements about "unproven" treatment. I would not expect a simple treatment with enzymes to be researched due to the inexpensive nature of the treatment, and the lack of research funding due to there not being any real profit to the drug companies. Radioitherapy may work for some people, but I personally would rather try approaches which are the least harmful to my overall well being, before trying a treatment which might be harmful to my overall health, although it may relieve the condition. Also, the radiotherapy is quite expensive, in my area, it is in the $7,000.00 range! As for the enzymes, the idea makes sense to me, as bromelain is useful, in my experience, for softening, or tenderizing, tissue, and in combination with the other enzymes, such as serrapeptase, has the potential to be of use with DD. That said, please note I am not expecting dramatic results, but an improvement would be wonderful! I will start taking the enzymes this week, and will keep you posted.

02/24/2011 19:42
bstenman 
02/24/2011 19:42
bstenman 
Re: Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E

Although the exact cause of Dupuytren's is not known the underlying mechanisms that cause the excessive production of collagen in the tissues of the hands and feet is known. There have been studies of drugs to control the collagen production including 5-fluorouracil which has been used to treat cancer (but which causes long term damage to the central nervous system).

Expecting acupuncture or vitamin e to impact this buildup of collagen has no basis in science of any kind and is no more like to be effective for Dupuytren's than it would be for treating lung cancer. There is only one lotion that has any medical support for helping with tissue damage and inflammation and that is DMSO. Its possible use make more sense as a way to assist the body in removing the waste products that result from using Xiaflex than as a curative on its own.

My X-ray treatment was delayed by nearly a year as I listened to my GP, Dawn Motyka, who also has a side business providing acupuncture at a separate office in town. XRT slows the progression of the disease most effectively when the radiation is used at the early stages of the process. Use of these alternative substances and treatments only delays people from getting XRT that has been shown to be effective over a period of decades with thousands of patients.

The use of XRT with Dupuytren's goes back at least as far as 1955 so it is not a new treatment by any means and the risks are well known and well documented.

I did find on the Canadian OSHA website a great chart that shows the relative impact of radiation in terms of likely causing a cancer to develop with the different weighting for different parts of the body. If the entire body is radiated as with the people in Hiroshima or the 150 million Americans exposed to radioactive fallout from the exploding of nuclear bombs in the atmosphere for 20 years the weight is 1.00. The relative weight for radiation to the abdomen is 0.12 and for the skin it is 0.01, i.e. much less. So dose is important and equally so is the body area where the radiation is applied.

XRT in the USA, like all medical care, is exceedingly expensive. I flew to Germany for my XRT and the cost for the two hands in 2007 was 800 Euros. At that time the Euro was valued at around $1.35 which is around what it is today. I doubt that the cost today would be much higher. If your hands are important to your work or your enjoyment of life I would find the money to get the treatment in Germany and do so as soon as possible.

02/24/2011 21:08
onebluedolphin 
02/24/2011 21:08
onebluedolphin 
Re: Acupunture/enzymes/vitamin E

I read your message, and then re-read it, with great interest. I will consult soon with a hand specialist, and strongly keep this treatment option in mind. Thankfully for me, I am fully covered by health insurance, (it is my deepest wish that everyone have this peace of mind!), so long as it is not an experimental treatment. Thank you so much for taking the time to communicate your experience, which is the most promising advice I have had to date. I was only diagnosed a month ago, and have been scrambling for information. Thanks again, you are most kind.

 1 2 3
 1 2 3
dupuytren   Contractures   Xiaflex   ingredients   radiation   different   Antioxidant   dupuytren-online   disease   treatment   internationally   effective   nodules   vegetables   vitamin   enzymes   Acupunture   anti-inflammatory   supplementation   treatments