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1. The Dark Side of Cortisone Shots: Joint Deterioration
2. Higher Learning without Substance Abuse - What can you do?
3. The Key to Long Term Weight Loss
4. Gum Disease - Do hormones affect this problem?

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The Dark Side of Cortisone Shots: Joint Deterioration

When your knees, hips or shoulders hurt, you want rapid relief. Cortisone shots seem like a simple and fast solution. Are there risks with steroids shots?

You have no doubt heard about “steroids.” By the way, this is a terrible term! It causes nothing but confusion. We promise not to overwhelm you with chemistry. The core structure of steroids can be found in hormones like estrogen, progesterone and testosterone as well as in corticosteroids like cortisone and prednisone. The steroid injections we are referring have nothing to do with body building. This is all about cortisone shots for joint pain and inflammation.

Structural chemical formulas of corticosteroids (glucocorticoids): cortisol, cortisone, corticosterone
A Quick Overview of Cortisone:

A patient with rheumatoid arthritis first received cortisone just over 70 years ago. The results were impressive enough that doctors quickly embraced cortisone as a treatment for this crippling disease. By the early 1950s, patients were taking cortisone orally and receiving cortisone shots in their joints (Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology, Sept-Oct. 2011).

Cortisone was hailed as a miracle cure for rheumatoid arthritis. It reduced the pain and inflammation that crippled many patients.

People who relied upon crutches or wheelchairs to move could suddenly get around on their own. Doctors who prescribed oral cortisone or administered cortisone shots were seen as heroes by patients in pain.

The Darker Side of Corticosteroids Emerges:

Before long, however, the dark side of corticosteroids began to appear.

Patients taking high doses for long periods of time experienced side effects such as hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, loss of potassium, blood clots, weight gain, cataracts, glaucoma, muscle weakness, bone loss and fractures.

A close family friend ended up with severe osteoporosis and horrible fractures after taking high-dose cortisone for many years.

Once doctors realized that there were serious tradeoffs to long-term, high-dose treatment with corticosteroids, they became more discriminating. Nowadays, drugs like prednisone are mostly reserved for serious conditions such as Addison’s disease, Crohn’s disease, lupus and cancers such as leukemia and multiple myeloma.

When people experience severe asthma attacks or life-threatening allergic reactions, they may get cortisone shots in an emergency department. We have no quarrel with such treatments.

You can read about my personal story with prednisone. This corticosteroid reversed my sudden deafness (idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss). Here is a link:

Prednisone Side Effects: Deal With The Devil?

Cortisone Shots: A Risky Tradeoff?

Doctors often offer athletes and older patients with arthritis steroid injections into sore joints. There is a widespread belief that such cortisone shots can provide “localized” treatment.

Many people, including some health professionals, believe that the injection of a corticosteroid such as methylprednisolone, betamethasone or triamcinolone into a joint can ease symptoms without systemic (whole body) side effects. There is growing awareness that conception may be way too optimistic.

Cortisone Shots and Joint Deterioration:

A review in the journal Radiology (Oct. 15, 2019) highlights some unpleasant reactions to such injections. Among the most worrisome is that corticosteroids can accelerate the progression of osteoarthritis in that joint. In addition, if the bone tissue has begun to die (osteonecrosis), the steroid injection can make that worse. Certain types of stress fractures also become more likely, along with bone loss and rapid joint destruction.

Benefitting from Cortisone Shots

Some people who have had such injections have been very pleased with the results.

Article by The People's Pharmacy

For joint problems without using drugs, we recommend natural solutioins. See Joint Pain & Stiffness

Higher Learning without Substance Abuse - What can you do?

This is for parents or grandparents who want to ensure that their sons & daughters don't decide to experiment with drugs while trying to learn.

Education should be understanding drugs so they can make self-determined decisions. What do you and they really know about drugs?

Education is much better than hoping they will listen to lectures about why they shouldn't do drugs.

For more information Truth About Drugs by Foundation for a Drug Free World

The Key to Long Term Weight Loss

There is always the problem when someone wants to lose weight of gaining the weight back. There is also the problem of craving food and being hungry between meals. This educational video explains how this happens to you and what to do about it.

The Key to Long Term Weight Loss 

Gum Disease - Do hormones affect this problem?

A problem with bleeding gums? Here is our article Gum Disease

Did you know Bleeding Gums are Associated with your Hormones?

They most often occurs with:

• Menstruation

• Contraceptive pill

• Certain stages of pregnancy

Hormones are communication factors between your organs. When they aren't in balance, your health is out of balance.

People with hormone issues often have dental health issues. People with gum disease will suffer from digestive issues.

Slow loss of children’s first teeth can be a sign for example of hypothyroidism.

And when your digestive system isn't working well, look at that persons immune system.

In pregnancy, we see the gut microbe change to one that is more characteristic of a type II diabetic patient. That's because microbes balance hormones, the immune system, and nutrient stores to help make a healthy baby!

See our Site Index for more information about these health issues.

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USE OUR SITE INDEX TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION

To Your Health

MCVitamins.com
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Sidebar:

Things that Prevent Healthy Nerves

There are some things that don't support the health of your nerves and may actually prevent you from being able to get your nerves back to a healthy state.

B vitamins are needed to support healthy nerves.

Heavy drinking of coffee, tea and soft drinks (including de-caffeinated coffee, tea and soft drinks) cause the loss of both water and water-soluble B vitamins from the body.

Heavy smoking or drinking of alcohol, use of antibiotics, as well as stress can all burn up B vitamins. And of course, there are many prescription medications that may have side effects that directly affect your nerves.

Fortunately, the Nerve Support Formula supplies the precise ingredients needed to help build and maintain healthy nerves.

You can learn more and order the RHP Nerve Support Formula

If you would like to know whether any medications you might be taking might affect your nerves (see the list of medications ), or you have any other questions, you can call us or email us.

Our number is (888) 758-5590. We will answer your questions. We want to make sure you are getting the information you need.

We want to make sure you get the results you are looking for.