Hi,,, Because you have brought up Lyme and other reasons,  I am going to
give you a post from the past from an MD.  It is very long and a lot to deal
with.  I just want to let you know that I have had RD for over 25 years and
have been treaded by 3 different Rheumatologists.   With treatment with
todays medicines in the hands of a good RD,  your daughter does not have to
end up in a wheel chair.  I haven't and I have not had to have any hospital
procedures on any joints.  I did have to retire early a little over 10 years
ago but that was before the new anti-tnf medicines were even thoughts of.
     The stem cell study goes on all over the world.   Only the death of a
human life has slowed part of the study in the USA.  Here is the post from
the past to look at.
Harv

Ps   I think she should read and take part in another newsgroup
news:alt.support.arthritis     click on that...

Why I Prescribe Antibiotics
By
Gabe Mirkin M.D.

The latest information for you and your doctor on the treatment of:

Rheumatoid or Reactive Arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
Late-Onset Asthma
Ulcerative Colitis
Chrohn's Disease
Stomach Problems
Prevention of Heart Attacks
Infertility
Sexually Transmitted Disease
Yeast Infections

Why I Prescribe Antibiotics to My Patients with Rheumatoid or Reactive
Arthritis, Late-onset Asthma, Crohn's Disease, Fibromyalgia, and Other
Autoimmune Diseases.

Before I prescribe any medication, I ask myself whether it will help or
hurt.
All of the autoimmune diseases cause severe disability. Conventional
medications neither cure these diseases nor stop the progressive destruction
that they cause. Doctors prescribe immune suppressives that sometimes have
deadly effects. Antibiotics are far safer that the drugs conventionally used
to
treat these diseases. So, if antibiotics can be shown to help control these
diseases, they should be used long before a doctor thinks of using the
conventional immune suppressives.

When a germ gets into your body, you are supposed to produce cells and
proteins
called antibodies that attach to and kill that germ. These diseases are felt
by
many doctors to be caused by your own immunity. Instead of doing its job of
killing germs, your immunity attacks your own tissue. If it attacks your
joints, its is called reactive arthritis; if it attacks your intestines, it's
called Crohn's disease; your colon, it's called ultra ulcerative colitis;
and if it fills your lungs with mucous, it's called late onset asthma. I do
not believe that your immunity is that stupid. Accumulating data show that
all
of these conditions can be caused by infection. Many diseases that were
thought
to be autoimmune turn out to be infections: stomach ulcers are caused by
bacterium, helicobactor pylori and others; multiple sclerosis may be caused
by
HHS-6 virus; rheumatic fever is caused by the bacterium, beta streptococcus,
group A; Gillian-Barre syndrome may be caused by the bacterium,
campylobacter;
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis by E. Coli, Klebsiella and
Bacteroides; and so forth.

Shouldn't We Be Concerned About Resistant Bacteria?

The argument that giving antibiotics causes bacteria to be resistant to that
antibiotic is reasonable, but it has no place in discouraging people with
these
diseases from taking them. First, these people have serious diseases that
cause
permanent damage life and death. Second, the treatments that are available
are
toxic, shorten life, cause cancer, and have to be followed by frequent blood
tests. On the other hand, I prescribe derivatives of tetracycline and
erythromycin. These are extraordinarily safe and do not require drawing
frequent blood tests. If you were to become infected subsequently with
bacteria
that are resistant to these antibiotics, you would have lost nothing. No
reasonable doctor would prescribe erythromycin or tetracycline for acute
serious diseases, such as meningitis, pneumonia, or an abscess, because
tetracyclines and erythromycins do not kill germs, they only stop them from
multiplying. Instead, doctors prescribe far more bacteriocidal antibiotics
that
kill bacteria.

Many doctors criticize my use of antibiotics, but many antibiotics are far
safer than conventional treatment, cost less, can be administered by a
general
practitioner, and often cure the condition, rather that just suppressing
symptoms. I know that most physicians who develop these conditions will
treat
themselves with antibiotics because they know that conventional treatments
with
prednisone, chloroquine, azathioprine, and methotrexate are toxic and my
treatments with erythromycins and tetracyclines are safe.

The Hidden Epidemic-Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, and Ureaplasma

Mycoplasma, chlamydia, and ureaplasma are the smallest of free-living
organisms. They are unlike all other all other bacteria because they have no
cell walls and therefore must live inside cells. They are unlike viruses
because they can live in cultures outside of cells and can be killed by
certain
antibiotics. However, they cannot be killed by most antibiotics, as most
antibiotics work by damaging a bacteria's cell wall. They can be killed by
antibiotics such as tetracyclines or erythromycins that do not act on a cell
wall.

If you feel sick and your doctor is unable to make a diagnosis because all
laboratory tests and cultures fail to reveal a cause, you could be infected
with one or more of these bacteria. The only way that you will be cured is
for
your doctor to suspect an infection with these germs and for you to take
long-acting erythromycin or tetracyclines for several weeks, months or
years.
They are the most common cause of venereal diseases and are a common cause
of
muscle and joint pains, burning in the stomach, a chronic cough, and chronic
fatigue. They can cause transverse myelitis (paralysis of the spine); gall
stones; a chronic sore throat; red itchy eyes, pain on looking at light and
blindness; arthritis; brain and nerve damage with symptoms of lack of
coordination, headaches and passing out; spotting between periods or uterine
infections; kidney stones; testicular pain; asthma; heart attacks; strokes;
cerebral palsy; premature birth; high blood pressure; nasal polyps; stuffy
nose
in newborns; chronic fatigue; belly pain; muscle pain; confusion; passing
out
and death; coughing; bloody diarrhea; and anal itching and bleeding.

Mycoplasma, chlamydia, and ureaplasma infections are extraordinary difficult
to
diagnose and treat. No dependable tests are available to most practicing
physicians that will rule infections with these bacteria in or out, and most
doctors will not prescribe antibiotics to patients unless they have results
of
a laboratory test that confirms a specific infection. If you feel sick and
your
doctor unable to make a diagnosis because all laboratory test and cultures
fail
to reveal a cause, you could be infected with mycoplasma, chlamydia, or
ureaplasma and will be cured only by taking long-acting erythromycin or
tetracyclines for many months.

Usually the first symptoms from chlamydia, ureaplasma and mycoplasma are
burning on urination, a feeling that you have to urinate all the time,
terrible
discomfort when the bladder is full and vaginal itching, odor or discharge.
Other first symptoms include itchy eyes, a cough or a burning in your nose.
The
bacteria are transmitted through sexual contact, or you can be infected when
an
infected person coughs in your face or you touched nasal or eye secretions
from
an infected person and put your finger in your nose or eye. Your chances for
a
cure are high if you are treated when you have only local symptoms; but
after
many months the infection can spread to other parts of your body and make
you
sick or damage nerves, joints and muscles.

Once these infections are allowed to persist for months or years, they are
extraordinarily difficult to cure and often require treatment for many
months.
Even if your doctor is willing to prescribe antibiotics, treatment can be
difficult. Often patients do not take the medication long enough to be
cured,
or they may have a close contact with an infected person and become
reinfected.
One patient in four takes of medication as prescribed and almost all women
who
had chlamydia one month after treatment had been reinfected by new or old
partners.

My recommended treatment: I often prescribe 500 mg of azithromycin twice a
week
and/or doxycycline 100-mg twice a day. Many physicians disagree with these
recommendations, so check with your doctor to see if you may be a candidate
for
this treatment.

Reactive and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Most rheumatologist refuse to treat their rheumatoid arthritis patients with
antibiotics even though all five controlled prospective studies conducted to
date show that minocycline drops the rheumatoid factor towards zero and
helps
to alleviate the pain and destruction of cartilage of rheumatoid arthritis.
There are two major types of arthritis: osteoarthritis, also called
degenerative arthritis; and reactive arthritis, which includes rheumatoid
arthritis. Osteoarthritis means that cartilage wears away and doctors don't
have the foggiest idea why. There is no effective treatment. Doctors usually
prescribe non-steroidal pills that help to block pain but do not stop or
even
slow down the destruction of cartilage.

Most scientists agree that an infection initiates rheumatoid and other
reactive
arthritides and most think that the germ is still there when the symptoms
start. Short-term antibiotics are ineffective, but if antibiotics are
started
before the joint is destroyed, many months and years of antibiotics are
effective in reducing and preventing joint damage. Your arthritis is likely
to
be classified as reactive arthritis if you have: 1) positive blood tests for
arthritis (all tests used to diagnose arthritis are measures of an
overactive
immunity); 2) swelling of the knuckles and middle joints of your fingers,
causing them to look like cigars; 3) a history of a long-standing infection
such as a chronic cough, burning on urination or pain when the bladder is
full,
chronic diarrhea, burning in the stomach, throat or nose, or gum disease;
and
4) symptoms that begin before age 50.

Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by pain in many muscles and joints and
is
thought to be caused by a person's own antibodies and cells and cells
attacking and destroying cartilage in joints. Rheumatoid arthritis may be
triggered by infection and antibiotics may help to prevent and treat this
joint
destruction. Most rheumatologists treat rheumatoid arthritis with immune
suppressants, which are extraordinarily expensive, highly toxic and, in my
opinion, far less effective in controlling rheumatoid arthritis than
antibiotics. Antibiotics are effective in controlling the symptoms of
rheumatoid arthritis and higher doses are more effective. Short-term
antibiotics are ineffective. Doxycycline may prevent joint destruction by
stabilizing cartilage in addition to clearing the germ from the body.

How do germs cause arthritis? When a germ gets into your body, you
manufacture
cells and proteins called antibodies that attach to and kill that germ.
Sometimes, the germ has a surface protein that is similar to the surface
protein in your cells. Then, not only do the antibodies attach to and kill
the
germ, they also attach to and kill your own cells that have the same surface
membranes. People with rheumatoid arthritis have high antibody titre to E.
Coli, a bacteria that lives normally in everyone's intestines. It has the
same surface protein as many cells in your body. Normal intestines do not
permit E. Coli to get into your bloodstream. The people who get rheumatoid
arthritis may be those whose intestines allow E. Coli to pass into the blood
stream and cause the immune reaction that destroys muscles and joints. The
same
type of reaction applies to several other bacteria and viruses that can pass
into your blood stream. Venereal diseases, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia,
mycoplasma, and ureaplasma have been found in the joint fluid of many people
with arthritis. People with rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to have
staph
aureus in their noses and carry higher antibody titer against that germ.
Many
people with rheumatoid arthritis have had chronic lung infections, caused by
mycoplasma and chlamydia, prior to getting rheumatoid arthritis.

I have seen antibiotics reduce high rheumatoid factors to zero, alleviate
symptoms and stop the progressive destruction of cartilage in joints. The
lead
paper at a recent meeting of the American Academy of Rheumatology showed
that
Minocycline is the safest and least expensive drug that effectively stops
progressive joint damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis. It is most
effective
when given before extensive cartilaginous damage occurs.

I treat my reactive arthritis patients with Minocycline 100 mg twice a day,
(sometimes azithromycin 500-mg twice a week). This must still be considered
experimental because most doctors are not yet ready to accept antibiotics as
treatment. There is also concern about a rare, serious side effect of lupus.
However, other papers show that even osteoarthritis may respond to
antibiotics.

Late-Onset Asthma May Be Caused by Infection.

A recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reviews
articles showing that asthma that starts after puberty can be caused by an
infection. At the 37th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and
Chemotherapy in Toronto, papers were presented showing that mycoplasma is a
common cause of pneumonia in young adults and children, a common cause for
meningitis, nerve damage, heart and muscle infection, (myocarditis) and
arthritis, and a common cause of asthma in young adults. One paper showed
that
a significant number of young adults who develop asthma caused by mycoplasma
fail to develop antibodies to kill that bacteria, so they continue to be
infected for the rest of their lives. Another paper showed that another
intracellular bacteria called ureaplasma is a common cause of asthma in
young
children. Since practicing physicians usually do not have an available
laboratory test to find chlamydia, ureaplasma and mycoplasma, doctors should
consider prescribing antibiotics for some people with persistent wheezing
and
coughing (azithromycin, clarithromysin, dirithromycin, minocycline or
doxycycline).

Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Fibromyalgia means that a previously healthy person develops unexplained
exhaustion, fatigue and muscle aches and pains that last for more that six
months; all blood tests are normal and doctors can't find a cause. One
recent
report shows that a large number of people who were diagnosed with having
fibromyalgia really had polymyalgia rheumatica, which does have abnormal
blood
tests. A recent report shows that many sufferers have low spinal fluid
levels
of vitamin B12 can be treated with 1000mcg of B12 each day.

The diagnosis of fibromyalgia should be made only after all other causes
have
been ruled out. Many infections can cause fatigue and muscle pain. The
evaluation should include tests for infectious diseases; such as Lyme
disease
and Hepatitis B or C, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis or the helicobactor
that
causes stomach ulcers; autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis,
lupus, Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis; hidden cancers such as those
of
the breast and prostate; hormonal diseases such as low thyroid; or side
effects
from a medication or illicit drug. Around 20 percent will be depressed. Most
people miss work and complain of illness long before their diagnosis, but
the
majority will not have a known cause.

Chronic fatigue means that the primary symptom is exhaustion, but most also
have constipation and diarrhea. Fibromyalgia usually means that muscle and
joint pains are major symptoms, but muscle biopsies are normal, pressure
points
are not reproducible and ultra sound is normal. Multiple chemical
sensitivities
means that patients think that their symptoms are caused by factors in their
environment or they consult doctors who think the same thing. Untreated, the
symptoms that that lead to any of these diagnoses will usually continue in
adults for the rest of their lives. I have prescribed doxycycline 100-mg
twice
a day for several months, and sometimes azithromycin 500-mg twice a week,
and
some of my patients get better. However, this treatment is not accepted by
most
doctors. Please check with your doctor.

Prevention of Heart Attacks

Myriad scientific papers show that heart attacks may be caused by infection
with chlamydia and other bacteria and viruses. Most mainstream heart
specialists feel that infection with chlamydia can cause heart attacks, but
most doctors are afraid to prescribe new treatments. Most people who develop
fatty plaques in their arteries have been infected with chlamydia and many
people with arteriosclerotic heart disease carry chlamydia in their mouths.

Previous studies show that chlamydia is associated with and has been found
repeatedly in plaques that form in arteries to causes heart attacks, high
blood
pressure and strokes. Antibodies combine with chlamydia to form immune
complexes that convert the bad LDL cholesterol to oxidized cholesterol to
form
plaques in arteries. People with high blood levels of C-reactive protein, an
indicator of infection are the ones most likely to suffer heart attacks and
strokes. Aspirin reduces inflammation caused by infection in the inner
lining
of arteries and prevents heart attacks. People who have had heart attacks
are
more likely to die if they have had high levels of C-reactive protein. Being
infected with chlamydia is associated with increased risk for heart attacks
and
having chlamydia increases a heart attack victim's chances of suffering
another heart attack fourfold, presumably by increasing susceptibility
clotting. Treating with azithromycin, an antibiotic that kills chlamydia
helped
relieve symptoms in people with agina chest pain. Herpes simplex and
cytomegalovirus have been associated with heart attacks.

To prevent heart attacks, eat a low-fat, high-fiber diet and treat chronic
infections. I recommend a short course of doxycycline or azithromycin to
people
who have heart attacks or strokes, or who are at high risk for heart attacks
because of extensive arteriosclerosis; and have a positive antibody blood
test
for chlamydia or mycoplasma. I predict that soon most physicians will do the
same, but now most physicians disagree with me even though studies show that
antibiotics prevent heart attacks.

Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease

When a person has bloody diarrhea and doctors find ulcers in the intestines,
they look for cancer, infection or parasites. When they can't find a cause,
they should say that they don't have the foggiest idea why the person has
intestinal ulcers. Instead, they deceive their patients by saying that the
person has Chrohn's disease and explaining that the person's immunity is so
stupid that it punches holes in the intestines, rather than doing its job of
killing germs. They prescribe medications that suppress immunity or cut out
parts of intestine.

Normal intestines are so loaded with bacteria that doctors can't possibly
tell which belong there and which may be causing disease. The conventional
treatment offers no cure and is associated with many complications that
shorten
life. Exciting research from France show that a variant of E. Coli, a
bacteria
that lives in normal intestines, sticks to the intestinal lining and
produces
an alpha hemolysis that punches holes in the intestines to cause at least
some
cases of Crohn's disease. Further studies show that heat shock protein can
be
removed from the common intestinal bacteria, E. Coli, and when given to
mice,
causes terrible bloody ulcers to form in the intestines. Under the
microscope,
intestines looked exactly the same as those of people who suffer from
ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. Extensive data show that people with
this condition have leaky intestines that allow germs to pass into the
bloodstream and their immunities are trying to kill these germs.

Antibiotics can reduce swelling and ulcers in Crohn's disease. Dr. Joel
Taurog of the University of Texas has shown that a bacteria called
bacteroides
causes ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in mice who are genetically
programmed to have an HLA-B27, a special gene that causes arthritis. Special
tissue staining techniques show that tissue taken from patients with Crohn's
disease and ulcerative colitis contain parts of two common bacteria called
E.
Coli and streptococci. Many studies show that infections may cause Crohn's
disease and that antibiotics, particularly Cipro with or without
metronidazole,
control ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Although many doctors
disagree, I treat Crohn's disease with Cipro 500-mg twice a day continuously
and metronidazole 250-mg four times a day on alternate weeks and check liver
tests monthly. I tell patients to stop the metronidazole if they feel any
strange nerve sensations.

Stomach Problems

If you have belching, burping, a sour taste in your mouth, mouth odor, a
white-coated tongue or a burning pain in your stomach or chest that gets
worse
when you are hungry and better when you eat, you probably have too much
stomach
acid. Doctors may say you have ulcers, esophagitis, gastritis, duodenitis,
achalasia, chalazia, hiatal hernia or reflux. These terms mean that stomach
acid is burning your gastrointestinal tract. Most people who have these
symptoms have an infection with a bacteria called helicobactor pylori.

If you have these symptoms, you need blood tests to see if you have
helicobactor and a special x-ray called an upper GI series to rule out a
cancer. Since there are several bacteria that cause stomach cancers ulcers,
a
negative blood test does not rule out an infection. I usually treat all
people
with gastritis symptoms with a one-week course of antibiotics: metronidazole
four times a day, clarithromycin 500-mg twice a day and omeperazole 20-mg
once
a day for one week. At least 12 weeks later, you need a follow up blood test
for helicobactor. If your symptoms are gone and the titre drops, you are
probably cured. If your helicobactor titre is still high, your helicobactor
is
probably resistant to metronidazole and your need to be treated for at least
ten days with amoxacillin 500-mg four times a day, tetracycline 500-mg three
times a day and omeperazole 20-mg once a day. If you have regurgitation of
stomach acid into your esophagus (reflux, hiatal hernia), you may need to be
treated with 20-mg omeperazole once a day and 10-mg cisapride four times a
day.
Virtually all physicians have now accepted the infectious causes of stomach
problems. Only the manufacturers of over-the-counter remedies still try to
make
you believe that stomach pain is caused by stress.

Infertility

Recent reports from the University of Maryland and Germany show that before
you
consult an infertility doctor to help you become pregnant, you should take
antibiotics to treat a possible hidden infection. Many other studies show
that
the most common cause of infertility is a uterine infection. Of women being
evaluated for infertility, 40 percent are infected with chlamydia,
mycoplasma
or ureaplasma, as are 36 percent of those with a previous history of uterine
infection and 50 percent of those with tubule blockage. More than 60 percent
had evidence of a past infection. The more partners you have, the more
likely
you are to be infected, although you can be infected by one contact. An
infection can prevent pregnancy by blocking the uterine tubes. It can damage
sperm so that they can't swim toward the egg, and it can cause abortions,
premature birth and low birth weight. Infected people may have burning on
urination, discomfort when the bladder is full, or an urgency to void. Women
may have only spotting between periods. Men and women can be infected with
mycoplasma or ureaplasma, even though all available tests can't find them
and
they may have no symptoms at all. A dipstick urine test may diagnose the
infection. Semen from 91 percent of infertile men contain contains types of
bacteria that grow without oxygen. Before infertile couples spend between
$10,000 and $150,000 for infertility evaluations and treatments, they should
ask their gynecologist to treat them with the newer erythromycins, Zithromax
(250-mg once a day for eight days) or Biaxin (500-mg BID for 10 days), for
chlamydia and mycoplasma infections.

Other tests for evaluation of infertility: Female: FSH (menopause), TSH
(thyroid disease), Prolactin (brain tumor), Progesterone (7 days after
expected
ovulation, around 21 days after start of menstruation), HSG (to check if
uterine tubes are open). If masculinization: testosterone, DHEAS, 17-oh
progesterone, sonogram of ovaries. Male: semen analysis.

You Should Be Afraid to Have Casual Sex!

If you have unprotected sex with a person who is having sex with someone
else,
you are at extraordinarily high risk for getting venereal diseases that can
make you sick and even kill you. A report from Johns Hopkins shows that 25
percent of girls between 12 and 19 who show up at school based and sexually
transmitted disease clinics are infected with chlamydia, a venereal disease
that cause infertility, terrible pelvic infections, horrible urinary
symptoms,
joint pains, a sore throat, a cough, heart attacks and even death. Other
studies show that 50 percent of young people with more than three sexual
partners a year have sexually transmissible diseases and 40 percent of
sexually
active adolescent females in a large American city have chlamydia and or
gonorrhea.

If you have discomfort when your bladder is full, get up in the middle of
the
night to urinate, have spotting between periods, feel like there is a hair
in
your urinary tube or have unexplained pelvic pain, you may have a venereal
disease that can be cured with antibiotics. You should get urine and vaginal
cultures and tests for venereal diseases. Even if none is found, if you are
sexually active and have symptoms, both you and your partner still should be
treated with the newer erythromycins or tetracyclines for several weeks. If
you
still have symptoms, you need a thorough evaluation.

The most common causes of burning on urination in young men are venereal
diseases caused by mycoplasma, chlamydia and ureaplasma. If you are a man
who
has burning on urination, a feeling that you have to urinate all the time, a
sense of urgency to urinate when your bladder is full and have to get up
frequently in the middle of the night to urinate, you probably have an
infection. Your doctor may do urethral smear for chlamydia and gonorrhea,
but
negative tests do not rule out these infections. Bladder infections rarely
occur in men, but your doctor can order a urinalysis and urine culture. If
the
culture grows out a bacterium, you should be treated with the appropriate
antibiotic. If, as expected, no germ grows from the culture and your urine
has
a positive nitrite or leukocyte esterase test, the odds are overwhelming
that
you have a mycoplasma, chlamydia or ureaplasma infection and you and your
partner should be treated with azithromycin 500-mg the first day and 250-mg
each day for the next 7 days, or doxycycline 100-mg twice a day for several
weeks.

If that doesn't cure you, you are in big trouble. Your doctor may order a
semen culture, but semen cultures can grow germs that are not causing your
symptoms, but it may be the only clue you have. Prostate infections can be
extraordinarily difficult to cure so you may have to be treated with
injections
of very high doses of antibiotics or with antibiotic pills for several
months.
Your doctor may also check you for other causes of urinary symptoms such as
prostate and bladder cancer.

Yeast Infections

Some yeasts cause vaginal itching and discharge, particularly after a woman
takes antibiotics or birth control pills. A doctor diagnoses yeast by
inserting
a cotton swab into the vagina, placing it in a drop of water and examining
the
fluid for yeast under a microscope. Cultures should not be used to diagnose
yeast as most healthy women harbor harmless yeast in their vaginas, mouths
and
intestines.

Yeast infections often follow taking antibiotics or birth control pills, but
when yeast cause a rash on the genitals, it is often acquired through
heterosexual contact or it can be caused by immune defects associated with
diabetes or HIV. When normal healthy people develop rashes caused by yeast,
doctors should look for a cause. Genital infections caused by yeast are
often
associated with a special type of yeast that is able to break through the
skin
to cause a red, itchy rash. Men and women with genital rashes caused by
yeast
usually have several sexual partners and therefore, are at increased risk
for
picking up this special yeast through sexual contact. Since yeast is a
normal
inhabitant in the vagina, it is often diagnosed as the cause of vaginal
itching
when it is only an innocent bystander. When a physician takes cultures for
many
different types of infections and finds only a yeast, he usually prescribes
suppositories (over-the-counter clotrimazole vaginal suppository, once a day
for three days) to kill yeast and the patient feels better for a week or so
because the suppository lubricates the irritated area. Then the itching
returns
because these women often are infected with mycoplasma, which is
extraordinarily difficult to find on culture. They can be cured when they
and
their partners take azithromycin (250-mg once a day for 9days) to kill the
mycoplasma. If a woman really has a vaginal yeast infection, she usually
clears
up with a pill called fluconazole (150-mg/day for 4 days).

Doxycycline, Minocycline and Tetracycline

Many doctors have asked why I treat some of my patients with acne,
arthritis,
chronic fatigue syndrome, and late on-set asthma with antibiotic,
doxycycline,
when minocycline is probably more effective. Doxycycline is a fairly safe
drug,
although it can cause a sore throat, sunlight sensitivity, pigmentation and
abnormal liver tests. It causes sore throat and heartburn when it gets stuck
in
your esophagus, so take it with large amounts of water to wash it down to
your
stomach. To prevent sunburn, avoid excessive exposure to the sun.
Minocycline
is fairly safe, but it can cause more serious serum sickness-like reaction,
hypersensitivity syndrome reaction, and drug-induced lupus: characterized by
fever, joint pain, a rash.

I was diagnosed with JRA at 5 years of age.  am now in my 40's and have
been in an out of remission many MANY times.  Was tested for lyme.
Didn't have that.  It seems doctors don't believe it really can happen
to children.  Been there many times with several doctors.  I did feel
very alone as a kid with JRA I palyed in a world all of my own with my
Dawn dolls.  Some may remember them form the 1970's Dawn was made in
the simitude of a smaller barbie doll.  (Though it is sacralidge to say
that in front of the dawn collectors) Dawn was made with a faulty metal
mecanisim in her knees that turned the joint green. In my young mind
Dawn also suffered JRA.  Me with several "knee drainings" also had
"green, (bruised) knees" Dawn was my best friend and the ONLY one as
far as I was concerned that really understood.  Besides my mother.  To
this day I have and love my dawn dolls.  They are still on display with
their knees "bandaged" just like mine.  I am an avid Dawn doll
collector even now.  When the pain gets really bad you can find me
curled up in the bed with a dawn in my hand.  It's somehow comforting.
My screen name "greenknees" means just that.  Just like dawn I suffer
the adult form of JRA. My mom has long forgot my pain due to
alsheimers.  But Dawn will always remember.

Teresa aka greenknees

If you look below .. iron .. seems to be a problem .. and if iron
supplements are a problem .. then .. logic .. tells you .. iron filings
added to every bit of floured product your child .. eats .. WILL ..
cause .. destruction ..

EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY UPDATE: Arthritic kids' iron supplements may
hasten joint deterioration
By Diana Swift
WWASHINGTON, D.C. - The iron supplements that many arthritic children
take to combat concomitant anemia may be hastening the deterioration of
their joints, Houston researchers say.
Led by biologist Roman Shypailo of the Children's Nutrition Research
Centre at Baylor College of Medicine, a Texas team looked at eight
children being treated for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The patients,
aged five to 15 years, received an intravenous radioactive tracer dose
of iron (0.03 microsievert). Iron activity in affected joints was
monitored on a position/energy-sensitive gamma counter, while a second
machine monitored whole-body iron retention. Iron deposition was
measured two hours post-infusion and again at days seven, 14, 28 and
56.
Anemic
"We found that iron excessively accumulates in arthritic joints and
probably contributes to the chronic damage," said Shypailo. "That puts
you between a rock and a hard place because many of these arthritic
kids are anemic and need iron supplements, which may worsen the
disease."
The study found a high level of agreement between the joint data and
the whole-body data, with a greater than 90% retention rate of the
infused iron both in joints and systemically. Furthermore, six of eight
patients showed increased uptake at the affected joints: 165% over the
first 30 days compared with initial uptake at two hours.
The next step, he says, is to see if there is excessive deposition of
dietary iron in arthritic joints.

Ann Rheum Dis 1989 May;48(5):382-8

Investigation of the anti-inflammatory properties of
hydroxypyridinones.

   Hewitt SD, Hider RC, Sarpong P, Morris CJ, Blake DR

  Cancer Research Unit, University of York, Heslington.

  Synovial iron deposition associated with rheumatoid disease may
result
  in the production of highly reactive oxygen free radicals, leading
to
  tissue damage. This chain of events can be interrupted by iron
  chelation. Families of strong iron (III) chelators have been tested
  for their iron scavenging properties in vitro and their effects
  assessed in vivo using a rat model of inflammation. All the
chelators
  competed successfully for iron with apotransferrin, and some removed

  up to 34% of iron from ferritin. The best anti-inflammatory effects
  were achieved with the most hydrophilic chelators and those which
  chelated iron most avidly. Activity was dependent on dose. The route

  of administration was also an important factor with lower affinity
  chelators. This work introduces a range of simple bidentate iron
  chelators, which under certain conditions exceed desferrioxamine in
  their iron scavenging abilities, and some of which, in this simple
  animal model, approach indomethacin in their anti-inflammatory
  capabilities.

  Comments:
    * Comment in: Ann Rheum Dis 1990 Nov;49(11):956-7

  PMID: 2730166, UI: 89272259
    ______________________________

Who loves ya.
Tom
Jesus Was A Vegetarian! http://jesuswasavegetarian.7h.com
Man Is A Herbivore!
http://pages.ivillage.com/ironjustice/manisaherbivore
DEAD PEOPLE WALKING
http://pages.ivillage.com/ironjustice/deadpeoplewalking

please do some research on "glyconutrients" and RA on the internet. Also
www.glycoscience.org

Hope this is helpful.