Hi Sharon,<br><br>I am not a scleroderma
sufferer, but my hobby is medicine. There is some new
research that seems<br>to be slow to spread about the
treatment of this condition. (long term
antibiotics)<br><br>I will attach the article to this post and hope
that it passes the scrutiny of the
moderator.<br><br>Feel free to email me at
ronh8semail@...<br>if you wish to ask any questions.<br><br>Bye for
now... Ron<br><br>
---------------------------------------------<br>G163 6/3/99 <br><br>
SCLERODERMA<br><br> Gabe Mirkin,
M.D.<br><br>On May 5, 1998, Dr. David Trentham of Harvard
Medical School reported to the International Society for
Rheumatic Studies in<br>Boston, Massachusetts that an
inexpensive antibiotic called minocycline helps to alleviate
the destruction caused by scleroderma,<br>a
progressive destructive disease that until now had no
effective treatment and is often fatal. <br><br>Scleroderma
is a disease characterized by skin that becomes so
stiff that it looks and feels like leather, fingers
that turn blue and<br>hurt on exposure to cold, a
terrible arthritis that freezes and deforms joints,
muscles, tendons and ligaments, an esophagus that is<br>so
scarred and deformed that swallowing becomes difficult
and eventually impossible, heart, lung and kidney
scarring that causes<br>heart failure, shortness of breath
and kidney failure, low thyroid function, dry vagina
and eyes, impotence, calcium deposits under<br>the
skin and large blood vessels to become visible on the
skin. Although no bacteria has been isolated from
people with this<br>disease, it could be an infection
because many tests for an overactive immunity are
positive. The usual treatment is with drugs,<br>such as
penicillamine, that are not very effective. Many doctors are
skeptical about Dr. Trentham's treatment, but he is a
highly<br>respected researcher with impeccable credentials, the
treatment is far safer than anything else, and no other
treatment has been<br>shows to help treat scleroderma.
<br><br>I prescribe minocycline 100 mg twice a day (some
doctors use higher doses). I tell my patients to avoid
sunlight as it increases<br>their chances of being
sunburned, take the pills with plenty of water and eat
afterwards to push the pills down into the stomach
as<br>they can cause an irritation of the esophagus, and to
stop the mediation and call me if they suffer diarrhea
or other possible side<br>effects. 50% of people
with localized scleroderma or morphea have blood
evidence of infection with Lyme disease. Many can
be<br>cured with a long course of doxycycline, azithromycin
or clarithromycin. <br><br>Andrew Franks Jr. of New
York University, Department of Dermatology<br><br>
Health Reports from The Dr. Gabe Mirkin Show and
DrMirkin.com <br><br> Transcripts of segments of The Dr. Gabe
Mirkin Show are provided as a service to listeners at no
charge. Dr. Mirkin's opinions<br> and the references
cited are for information only, and are not intended to
diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and<br>
treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.