Are you or any of your loved ones battling arthritis? It is such a nasty disease that brings with it pain, inflammation and is often debilitating in its progression. It is hard enough to handle as an adult but the disease is even more devastating when it happens to your child. My daughter was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 2 ½. It started with a knee that swelled up like a grapefruit. We thought she had simply sprained it and we carried her around, managed the pain and waited for it to heal. It got worse and then she began complaining of neck pain. She could barely move her neck side to side without excruciating pain. Her years between 2 ½ and 5 were filled with pain management, therapies, specialists, needles, lots of trials of various drugs until she ended up on weekly shots of Enbrel and Methotrexate. We had to administer these ourselves at home to a child who fought us every time so that it was a battle of wills and my nerves would be shot. Every time we administered the drugs, I felt something wasn’t quite right but her disease was not progressing and she could walk most days and move her neck. Even with these high powered prescription drugs, we had to go in every couple months to have her fully sedated and receive cortisol injections in her knee.
So what is Methotrexate? Label says … IMPORTANT WARNING:
Methotrexate may cause very serious, life-threatening side effects. You should only take methotrexate to treat cancer or certain other conditions that are very severe and that cannot be treated with other medications. Methotrexate may cause:
- a decrease in the number of blood cells made by your bone marrow
- liver damage, especially when it is taken for a long period of time
- lung damage
- damage to the lining of your mouth, stomach, or intestines
- May increase the risk that you will develop cancer
- serious or life-threatening skin reactions
- may decrease the activity of your immune system
- you to develop serious infections
- If you or your partner become pregnant, call your doctor immediately. Methotrexate may cause harm or death to the fetus.
Side effects of methotrexate: dizziness, headache, loss of appetite, hair loss, blurred vision, seizures, confusion, weakness, loss of consciousness.
Methotrexate interferes with the production and maintenance of DNA, the genetic material in the cells of your body. It is not known exactly how methotrexate works in rheumatoid arthritis, but it can reduce inflammation and slow the progression of the disease.
So how do these risks and side effects make it such a great drug choice that all the Rheumatology clinics are recommending? I’ve often wondered about that myself and am curious how much influence the manufacturers that make a living off of the sales have to do with it being sold as the best thing. Our daughter was relieved of many of her arthritis symptoms but felt queasy for 2 days after the shots, never had any energy, was pale and depressed. This cycle of exchanging one set of symptoms for another just never sat well with us. I began experimenting with natural supplements at first just to counter the side effects of the methotrexate but eventually we weaned her from this while adding a protocol that has worked like a miracle for her.
She has been pain free now for almost 2 years. I am a strong believer that what our bodies really need can be found in the natural realm. I have experienced firsthand the terrible side effects that come with so many of the drugs.
If you are interested in knowing what we found worked for our daughter, you can click here.
Healthy Blessings,
Sandy Scherschligt
http://www.10TopHealthSecrets.com
