How to Reverse Sarcoidosis – It Starts With Oxidative Stress!
Sarcoidosis starts with S for stresssssssss… Sarcoidosis Treatment starts with A for Anitoxidant.
When Jack was diagnosed with lymphatic Sarcoidosis in 2004 we spent 3 yrs “treating” his symptoms and masking all the real root causes of the disease. He took prednisone at high doses for 2 1/2 yrs. gained weight, had the moon face, felt anxious all the time, ached everywhere, was constantly sick, suffered with vertigo and on and on.
Sarcoidosis was a new word in our vocab. Having no idea what it was I started researching. After 3 yrs of failed traditional medical treatment he was facing the possibility of open heart surgery and another risky surgery to remove a clump of lymph nodes under his chin that had swelled to the size of a tennis ball.
We chose NOT to continue traditional medical treatment and went for alternative remedies. Through tons of research I found several studies (on pubmed.gov search: oxidative stress sarcoidosis) suggesting that oxidative stress: Oxidative stress is an imbalance between oxidants (reactive oxygen and nitrogen species) and antioxidants that may affect lipids, DNA, carbohydrates and proteins.
In humans, oxidative stress is involved in many diseases (an estimated 60+). Examples include atherosclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, heart failure, myocardial infarction, Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder, sarcoidosis & chronic fatigue syndrome just to mention a few. This discovery started to make sense to me as I saw my husbands symptoms reversing through super saturated antioxidant nutrition.
1 Pubmed study reports: Enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), capable of reducing endogenous defense levels and enhancing inflammation, is suggested to play a role in sarcoidosis. Antioxidant supplementation might offer protection against such ROS-mediated damage.
An antioxidant is a molecule capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions that damage cells. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions. They do this by being oxidized themselves, so antioxidants are often reducing agents such as thiols, ascorbic acid or polyphenols
Although oxidation reactions are crucial for life, they can also be damaging; hence, plants and animals maintain complex systems of multiple types of antioxidants, such as glutathione, as well as enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, and various peroxidases. Low levels of antioxidants, or inhibition of the antioxidant enzymes, cause oxidative stress and may damage or kill cells.
OK, OK, OK… to put this in layman terms: oxidative stress is causing cellular damage & inflammation that leads to Sarcoidosis. Additional research stated that oxidative stress levels were significantly higher (with low levels of antioxidants) in patients with sarcoidosis compared to those of normal subjects which gives further evidence that supplementing with a broad spectrum antioxidant lowers this oxidative stress and in time may reverse damage done by Sarcoidosis.
I can say with certainty that Jack’s results have proven this scientific research to be true. Within 6 months of beginning a serious antioxidant, immune support & anti-inflammatory regimen ALL of his symptoms, including those his specialists said were “impossible” were gone!
If you are suffering with a seemingly unresolvable disease like Sarcoidosis I implore you to consider supplementing with efficacious antioxidant supplements high in actives, even if you are being medically treated at this time.
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