PART
XXIII:
IS
THERE ANY THING
THAT
HELPS?
Unfortunately, no cure has been
found for a floxing, neither any medicine or supplement that makes a difference
in the evolution of a recovery.
People little affected can find
relief or help in drugs and suupplements with known properties, but a person
strongly affected by a floxing, will not get any benefit from them, but on the
contrary she/he will sometimes experience the opposite effect with respect to a
normal person, because the alteration of many of his/her body systems is very
deep and because of the chemical sensitivities developed.
It is depressing and very
dispairing for severely floxed victims to check that supplements do not have on
them now the same effect than on normal people or than on themselves before,
but instead they get now negative repercusions.
During the reading of the whole
Flox Report keep up a critical analysis, and specially in sections like this
one where a lot of recommendations based on average experiences, are made.
There is a good site (www.medicationsense.com)
, that belongs to Dr. Cohen. The site has an honest approach to the world of
misprescription, overmedication and conflicting interests in the drug use. We
recommend to have a look at it. It also contains a section on fluoroquinolones.
There, Dr. Cohen describes what some floxed persons have reported to him, as to
what supplements have helped them most. You can assess whether these proposals
seem adequate for your case.
ALTERNATIVE
POSSIBILITIES. Dr. Cohen.
Magnesium
in doses of 400-1000 mg/day may be useful for reducing neuropathic pain or
muscle spasms in some people. Feedback from quinolone sufferers about
magnesium has been mixed. The
I
am not a fan of milk of magnesia, which is a laxative. If the goal is to
absorb magnesium in order to get it into the tissues, chelated magnesium (e.g.,
magnesium aspartate, magnesium glycinate) or a magnesium solution (e.g., magnesium
chloride) are absorbed better than milk of magnesium or cheap magnesium
supplements. It has also been suggested that magnesium could be used with
calcium and other minerals. The fact is, no one knows. There's
little solid science, so it is trial and error. (For more information on
magnesium, please go to the other magnesium sections of this website.)
B-vitamins
have been reported to reduce tingling. Pyrodoxine (vitamin B6) and
pantethine (a derivative of pantothenic acid) have been reported to improve
some types of nerve pain. One person wrote to me that high doses of
lecithin had helped with memory problems. This is not
farfetched. Lecithin contains several substances essential for normal
nerve functioning. One of these is phosphatidylcholine.
For
anxiety or agitation, or to increase GABA in the nervous system, many
alternative doctors recommend taking GABA, which is an amino acid. GABA
has some similar qualities to Valium and Xanax, and it may be helpful for
anxiety, nervousness, or insomnia. Too much GABA can cause
sedation. Inositol is also used for treating anxiety.
There
are several alternative methods for reducing inflammation. Omega-3 fatty
acids (fish or flax oils) increase the anti-inflammatory prostaglandins (PGE3)
in cell membranes. GLA, found in primrose or borage seed oil, increases
PGE1, which is also anti-inflammatory. Studies have shown that high doses
of omega-3 fatty acids and of GLA reduce the pain of arthritis. This
method takes time, several months, because it requires a rebalancing of the
prostaglandins in the membranes of trillions of cells, but the ultimate
reduction in inflammation is better, in my experience, than with prescription
anti-inflammatory drugs. Omega-3 fatty acids and GLA are just two of many alternative
methods for reducing inflammation.
If
you are interested in alternative supplement and diet possibilities, I would
suggest consulting with a knowledgeable alternative practitioner. Many
doctors have adopted alternative methods because they became dissatisfied with
the drug-oriented mindset of mainstream medicine. In my experience,
alternative doctors are much more receptive to patients' concerns about
medication side effects. Good alternative practitioners are also far more
knowledgeable about the biochemical systems of the body. They have tests
to measure people's levels of fatty acids, amino acid, antioxidants, minerals
(including toxic minerals), and many other factors that may explain why some
people are more vulnerable to certain diseases or reactions. Good
alternative doctors are knowledgeable about magnesium and other minerals, GABA,
omega-3 fatty acids, and many other human-compatible therapies. For
example, alternative practitioners use alpha lipoic acid for treating
neuropathies. Alpha lipoic acid has long been used in
If
you run out of options with your mainstream doctors and would like to consult
with an alternative practitioner, ask your friends whom they have seen and
recommend. Half of the population has consulted with an alternative
practitioner at one time or another. You can also find practitioners via
the websites of the
Our records do not match entirely
with the above recommendations (in fact some are plainly contradictory like the
suggestion about magnesium that we postulate that severely floxed persons
should not take and we also "discovered" long ago that lecithin is
one of the worst natural substances for a floxed person) but surely it is due
to the fact that our data reflect mainly the responses of people strongly
affected.
There are many protocols of
supplements and selfcare for neuropathies, specially peripheral neuropathies,
some well founded and that can be of some help in those floxings that present
with neuropathies predominantly.
We have found it innecesary to
reproduce them here because you can find them in many reliable internet sites.
Mild and intermediate reactions
do not request a specific recovery program. They can more or less heal on their
own. For severe reactions, healthy conduct and healthy foods are all part of a
recovery plan. Each of us reacts differently, and there is a lot of controversy
about this issue, but on average, there is a very common core of reactions that
allows us to establish some recommendations. Stick to your already healthy
diet. If you develop intolerances or bad reactions to some foods (very
typical), avoid them during the years to come.
Obviously, it is strongly advised
to avoid any quinolone or fluoroquinolone antibiotic; and to also avoid any
meat, fish, dairy, eggs or animal product that has been treated with
quinolones. Some contain concentrations of quinolones that are up to 50 times
higher than concentrations in human tissues during a standard treatment, and
can release relapses that range from mild to very severe. Do not believe food
producers or health protection agencies if they tell you that is safe to
consume meat or poultry that has been kept off antibiotics for 3 days before
slaughter. It is not safe, the quinolones are not fully excreted, and enough of
the drug remains in the animal’s tissues to bring you a very severe relapse.
AUTHORITY:
SEC. 512 OF THE FEDERAL FOOD, DRUG, AND COSMETIC ACT (21 U.S.C. 360B).
SEC. 20.813 ENROFLOXACIN [QUINOLONE]
ORAL SOLUTION.
Conditions
of use. It is used in drinking water as follows: (1) Chickens and turkeys--(i)
Amount. 25 to 50 parts per million of enrofloxacin in drinking water. (ii)
Indications. Chickens: Control of mortality
associated with Escherichia coli susceptible to enrofloxacin.
FASTING
During the acute phase of a
severe reaction (first two years), it is quite common to feel much better when
fasting for 18 hours or more. The same applies if during the fasting some
probiotic cultures are taken. The improvement is felt in terms of less
stiffness, less pains and less overall soreness. The original achy state
returns as soon as the floxed person consumes any food. This fact, discovered
by chance by some floxed persons, happens to be common knowledge among
rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.
WATER
A common mistake in the early
stages of any floxing is to take an excessive amount of water daily. Perhaps it
is not as relevant for mild or intermediate floxings, but it is not recommended
for severe reactions. Too much water increases the overall feeling of sickness
and can deplete the body of essential minerals, which are difficult to get
through an intoxicated intestine. The water ingested by floxed persons should
be of good quality and balanced mineral composition, with low sulphate load and
of course not fluorinated, and not chlorinated if possible. The amount of water
has to be adjusted for body weight, activity needs, and climate, and also
considering the rest of the sources of water (fruits, vegetables, juices).
Cases of chronic hyponatremia have been reported in floxed persons that take
water compulsively. In winter and for sedentary activities one and a half liters
should suffice for a body weight of
SUGAR
|
QUICK RECOMMENDATION: In severe
reactions, the three foods to avoid above all are SUGAR, SOY and OMEGA-3 oils. |
Sugar has an adverse influence
increasing insomnia, restlessness and neurological pains. If a floxed person should have to choose a single food to avoid, that
would be sugar. Sugar worsens all symptoms of QTS
(Quinolone-Toxicity-Syndrome). Fluoroquinolones impair the glucose metabolism.
We do not know if a worsening of symptoms after consuming sugar (or honey or
any sweets) means that the glucose metoblism is injured. In severe floxings,
this intolerance to sugar lasts more than five years on average.
ALCOHOL
Alcohol is also vaso-constrictive
and a toxin for the neurological system, so it is better to avoid it, although
clearly some wine or beer has an immediate soothing effect. The definitive
experience of most severe floxed persons is that more than two or three glasses
of wine weekly is always paid in terms of high pains but only in the most
affected nerves.
CAFFEINE AND GRAPEFRUIT
The floxed body does not
metabolize caffeine so it can increase your insomnia problems. According to
many reports, the floxed person cannot properly metabolize caffeine because the
quinolones have damaged (extraordinarily impaired) the cytochrome P450 system
that is in charge of the clearance of many drugs in the body. This explains why
so many foods, additives and products cause problems to floxed persons, and why
a severely affected floxed person cannot metabolize caffeine properly for at
least 5 years post-floxing. Grapefruit juice has the same inhibitory effect on
the cytochrome P450 system as quinolones, so it is better to avoid it now and
forever as a healthy measure.
CHOLESTEROL
Do not allow your cholesterol to
drop too low. Some floxed persons have reported improvements with organic food
high in cholesterol. However, scientific research shows that the toxic effects
from these drugs on the muscle tissue acts mainly on the endogenous synthesis
of cholesterol (the one produced by the body) rather than cellular uptake of
preformed cholesterol (the one ingested). Maintain it a bit higher than your
normal level, assuming that your normal level is ok, obviously. Note: on the
short term, right after the treatment, quinolones cause a sharp increase in the
cholesterol levels (up to three fold) that tend to normalize in the first
months.
|
PARADOXES: Many supplements
with healthy properties and safe records, are very detrimental for severely
floxed persons, for unknown reasons. |
OMEGA-3
This is one of the paradoxes of
floxing. Omega-3 oils are virtually side-effects-free for the general
population, and are a healthy food. The same can be said for non strongly
affected floxed persons. Omega 3 oils help to overcome the stiffness and the reduction
in range of motion of every joint and help to keep a balanced diet.But for a
severely floxed person and some other floxed persons, the effect is just the
contrary. Fish oil (we do not know which section of the oil: CLA or others)
releases strong relapses in neuropathies (pains), fasciculations all over the
body, and joint pains after some days of ingesting it. This has been tested
many times. We have observed this kind of contradictory effects with many
supplements.
DILATORS
It is also beneficial to take
some red peppers, and some nuts. Dilators help with insomnia, but increase some
of the dryness symptoms. They have, as many other supplements and foods, a
contradictory effect. Sometimes you will wish to take advantage of the
vasodilating properties, and others you will try to avoid dry mucous membranes.
THINNERS
Garlic and onion might help the
exchanges at cellular level and movement along the small damaged blood vessels,
but do not mix large amounts of these with other supplements that they could
interact negatively with or could amplify their actions. Garlic, in particular,
taken in large doses (4 cloves a day) increases insomnia problems according to
several well-documented reports from floxed individuals. All thinners increase
the risk of internal bleeding in a severely floxed person. They promote
movement of fluids within the body, but also increase some central and
peripheral nervous systems symptoms.
In the first instance it might be
considered wise to order a test for food and supplement tolerance for every
floxed person. It consists of an analysis of the IgG reactions to a hundred
common foods and additives, so that the floxed person could know which ones
release an IgG reaction, because such reactions could exacerbate the floxing
symptoms as they would add more immune complexes to the already burdened blood
vessels with the IgG and IgM complexes liberated after the toxicity. However,
trials done with a few floxed persons do not show dramatic improvements if they
avoid foods to which they are intolerant (IgG reactive), indicating that the
drug induced immune reaction is of another order of magnitude with respect to
food intolerances.
In the section with information
for athletes you can find more information on the effects of certain foods, vitamins
and supplements on the rebuilding of connective tissue.