New Developments – in Sickle Cell management

There are some interesting new developments most of which are related to management of the illness rather than a cure. A cure may be some way in the future but right now managing the condition is the best we can hope for.

· Antioxidants – there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that plant based phytochemicals – small antioxidant molecules – can help enormously when faced with the ongoing death of red blood cells and the resultant stress that this causes on the body. Please note that we are not talking about vitamins and minerals – they are important but quite different molecules.

· Water – most people don’t realise that just being 5% dehydrated can dramatically decrease the fluidity of the blood. The body will take water from the blood to sustain other critical functions and this leads to the blood being thicker and more prone to higher blood pressure and sickle cells clumping together. Drink water in preference to anything else, 2 to 3 litres per day is the accepted norm and more if you are under stress. Try to use properly filtered water but not reverse osmosis – this is acidic and quite harmful. We only recommend one type of filtered water and as it’s portable is the ideal solution for today’s busy lifestyle.

· L-Arginine – there has been some research into nitric oxide as a vasodilator – it makes the blood vessels dilate. L-Arginine is a food (actually an amino acid) that in the right conditions can be turned into Nitric Oxide which the body uses to dilate the blood vessels. For someone with sickle cell and pain this is absolutely critical and a great help. It works within 15 minutes normally. Again we can recommend a supplier.

· Glyconutrients – there is a small but very significant number of people around the world who are seeing very significant improvements with pain management, immune system function and general well being that seems to coincide with the introduction of these newly understood biochemically active sugars. There is some evidence that these compounds support the body’s own ability to produce stem cells in the bone marrow – this would line up with the research being done in Georgia on stem cell transplant but which is hindered by lack of suitable donors. An autonomic stem cell transplant or even growth has not been studied but is an area worthy of further investigation. We only recommend one supplier as we have only seen repeatable results with one product. There are others out there but they are unproven and in some cases ineffective.

· Vitamins and Minerals – these vital molecules support normal physiology and are vital to health. However, synthetic vitamins and ground up rock does not convey the benefits that we are looking for. The best vitamins and minerals are pre digested minerals and plant sourced vitamins in a food matrix. We can recommend the best suppliers. Folic acid is already well known and should be continued.

· Gastrointestinal Support – the digestive system in sufferers of sickle cell are increasingly compromised and as the GI tract is the front line of the immune system and contributes 70% of its effectiveness it is no surprise that this is an area where there are enormous potential benefits. The use of good Probiotics and digestive enzymes can benefit the sufferer enormously. Once again we have preferred suppliers who have give the best results.

· Pain Management – this is an area where we have to come clean and admit that we don’t really understand the results we have seen. Based upon real people we have seen repeatable results with a child’s chewable immune support product mitigating the acute pain experienced by every sufferer daily within 15 minutes. We have our ideas on what is giving the almost instant result but we are don’t know.

· Reducing dependence on Antibiotics – we have seen all ages who have a history of long term use of antibiotics benefit enormously from the use of the above techniques. Many people have been able to reduce or even eliminate daily use of antibiotics.

· Longer term developmental issues – it is too early to suggest that long term use of glyconutrients will normalise and restore the development of children with sickle cell. However, it is clear already that the earlier you adopt a clear strategy based upon the above ideas that a more normal developmental process may prevail. In simple words – the sooner you start your child on this course the better the results long term.