Steroid Therapy
Steroid therapy is the use of steroid medications, also
known as corticosteroids, to treat many types of autoimmune disease,
including myasthenia gravis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis, and other
disorders, such as asthma. Steroid medications may include some medications
like prednisone and cortisone. Corticosteroids can be taken
orally or in other ways, such as by inhalation.
According to Western medicine, steroid medications are
medically necessary to treat many conditions and diseases. But steroid
medications have major effects on the metabolism of calcium and bone, which may
lead to severe bone loss, osteoporosis, and bone fractures. As a matter of
fact, high dosage of steroid medications can cause rapid bone loss, up to as
much as 15 percent per year. If you are on steroids, you are more than twice as
likely to have a fracture on the spine or the ribs as compared to a person not
taking steroids. In addition, there are even different rates of bone loss among
individuals on corticosteroids. Bone loss occurs most rapidly in the first six
months after starting oral steroid medications. After 12 months of chronic
steroid use, there is a slower rate of bone loss. Fracture risk generally
increases as the daily doses of steroid medications increase, although not all
patients who take steroid medications experience bone loss.
Other adverse side effects of steroid medications are
elevation of blood pressure, weight gain, decreased resistance to infection,
indigestion, thinning of skin, and potential development of cataracts and
glaucoma.
For example, prednisone is a medication that is commonly prescribed for ocular
myasthenia. However, four factors should be carefully considered prior to the
use of steroids, especially if your myasthenia gravis is related only to ocular
muscles:
Can steroids improve or eradicate
your symptoms?
Are there other safer forms of
therapy to treat your myasthenia gravis?
Does the severity of the symptoms warrant
the risk of steroid adverse effects?
Do steroids reduce the
chance of a relapse?
It stands to reason that the high risk of taking
pharmaceutical drugs to treat only the symptoms without producing a cure may
not warrant the continuation of the medications over a long period.
The bottom line: Set your goal to ultimately stop
all medications. It may take weeks, months, or even years, but that should be
your ultimate goal in your health pursuit.
Do not stop all medications right away.
Talk to your doctor about your concern. Express your wish
to reduce your medications slowly and gradually.
If your doctor does not agree to your suggestion, look for
another naturopathic doctor.
No matter what, make it your ultimate objective to stop all medications
eventually.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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