Discussion Forums > Working Towards a Cure
Natural "Cures" for Thalassemia
Shikha Mitra:
Hi Andy.... it is interesting that we hear of these natural cures and healers in India and Pakistan only.. :)..
But a condition as complicated and severe as Thalassaemia... well I doubt there are any alternative medicine at the moment..
Like Manal asked about Dr. P. Bannerjee of Kolkata.. well if he or anyone really had a cure.. dont you think he would be world famous by now?
Wheatgrass does have some positive research behind its use.. but again I dont know how much effect it has on Thal major.. my daughter is on wheat grass for a long time now.. other than some improvement in health ( which we dont know if it is due to wheatgrass).. the transfusions rate remains the same.
So I guess we should not mislead ourselves with all kind of news.. but just do what we are supposed to do, based on years of research and what the modern medical world believes in..:)
And if a Miracle doctor does come up with somethimg some day .. we will all get its benefit...
Shikha
kabir_love:
WHEAT GRASS HAS A VERY VERY GOOD EFFECT. I HAD MET A THAL. MAJOR PATIENT AS HE DAILY TAKES THIS SUGGEST BY ONE OF AYURVEDIC. AND SINCE AFTER THIS IN ABOUT 2 MONTHS HE SEE THAT THE TIME OF BLOOD TRANFUSION HAD NOW INCREASED ABOUT 7 DAYS AND HE ALSO DONT FEEL DOWN FOR A MUCH LONGER TIME.
§ãJ¡Ð ساجد:
Mr. Kabir_love,
The use of wheat grass is effective in Thal. Intermedia as it stimulates the production of HbF that Intermedias can better produce than us Majors. I've been using it for quite a while and I found no significant difference as I am Thal. Major.
This proves that Intermedias are being misdiagnosed as Major at your hospitals. Know that it is very hard to diagnose Intermedia and tests like Electrophoresis don't detect it and they get "Certified Diagnosis" as Thal. Major. in most of the hospitals in the subcontinent; like this child that you are talking about.
Something tells me your son is also Intermedia and giving him wheat grass is going to help him a lot. Please try to give him some and hopefully you will see positive results.
Take care, Peace!
Canadian_Family:
This brings us to a very interesting debate. Where would you draw the line i.e. Intermedia and Major.
Doctors have some main baseline factors through which they decide the onset of thalassemia major.
-if a child is presented before the age of one.
-the HB level is recorded less than 7 two times in three consecutive months (Can happen in Intermedia).
-DNA confirms beta zero (Merely a calculated guess; just like now scientists are contesting the science of DNA in court cases).
Since the severity chart of thalassemia is so large, could these factors really means major, I think there is much confusion around it and medical science is still struggling.
What do you think.
Thanks.
Andy Battaglia:
Intermedia has always been a somewhat arbitrary classification, with its definition changing, depending on who you ask. Probably the most commonly accepted definition was that if the patient doesn't transfuse regularly as a child, and has two beta gene mutations, the classification is intermedia. Because of the many different mutations and multiple possible combinations of these genes, any classification will cover a broad range of conditions.
Unfortunately, we are not yet quite to the point where we can say intermedia or major by the combination of mutations present. Right now we mainly have these few classifications of thal to work with, but in the near future, as more people have DNA tests and their genes are cataloged, we will see computer programs that will predict the type and severity of the thalassemia and also be used to design specific treatments for patients from birth. How low the Hb will drop will be predicted by the combination of genes involved, including any other modifying genes. The computer program to catalog these mutations and predict accordingly already exists. What is needed now is a major effort to catalog all the different gene variations involved in the group of blood disorders all lumped together under the name, thalassemia.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version