Dupuytren’s Contracture: Annoying But Treatable

Written by Wellness Club on June 29, 2011 – 2:48 pm -

Dupuytren’s Contracture: There are alternatives to surgery!

 

Dr. Myatt recently answered a question about Dupuytren’s Contracture for a friend, and we thought that the rest of our HealthBeat News readers would be interested in this information as well – this annoying and sometimes painful deformity of the hand affects nearly 8 of every 100 Americans, men more frequently than women.

Here is what Dr. Myatt had to say to our friend Al:

Hi Al:
That “finger funk” you have is called Dupuytren’s Contracture. Learn more than you probably want to know at this website:

This is basically the tightening and stiffening of tendons in the hand.

Conventional treatment ranges from “never mind, it’s not that bad” to surgery (which isn’t always successful) with nothing in between. Thanks, guys.

We can do better than that, and possibly even soften up some of the fibrosis. It will take 3-4 months of CONSISTENT treatment to see results, so please keep this in mind. You might notice improvement sooner, but if you’ve had this for a long time, it will take longer to see results.

1.) PABA:  Doses that prevent/reverse fibrosis range from 6-15 grams per day. The more conservative dose (6 grams) is 12 caps per day. Because PABA is water-soluble, it is best taken in divided doses. 4 caps, 3 times per day would be best but 6 caps, 2 times per day should work also.

PABA  is also an antioxidant and has been shown in several studies to greatly increase life span of animals. In other words, it will have more of a positive effect than just working on the fibrosis.

2.) DMSO: Rub into hand along the entire course of the fibrosis, 2-3 times per day. Be sure your hands are clean before doing this as DMSO “drives in” whatever else it is associated with including gunk on your hand! Dr. Jonathan Wright suggests massaging a mixture of Vitamin E and DMSO into the thickened tissues.

That’s it for now and let me know if you have and questions about this.

Here’s to a happier, handier hand!
In Health,
Dana

Please bear in mind that the website she refers Al to is the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons – and they tend to favor surgical solutions to a problem like Dupuytren’s (or any other orthopedic problem for that matter!). This should come as no surprise – since surgery is what keeps them in car payments… Still, it is a well-done webpage with some very good information – and if after a good trial of more natural remedies as listed above (like a year or so) I might be persuaded to try one of their less-invasive suggestions.

For those who wish to try Dr. Myatt’s suggestions, we can make both PABA and DMSO available by special order – contact us for details.

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