6.A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO USING CORTISONE.
Thirteen days after the cortisone shot in my right shoulder no joint pain had started to occur. However all of the literature on the subject failed to record evidence that cortisone caused a lasting remission. My studies had shown quite clearly that the actual level of cortisone in the body which is regulated by a rather complex feedback system is not at the correct level to counter the attack on the body by an out-of-control immune system. Any stimulation of the cortisone level by a shot or by pills temporarily brings this hormonal system up to a level that has this capability. As I found out the result is quite dramatic. However the medical profession and associated disciplines have not accurately measured the levels in a normal person and those with an out-of-control immune system although the devices are readlly available. They are used at each Olympics and World games to check on the level of steroids in the athletes. This is done in parts per billion.
Twenty three days after the cortisone shot I reviewed the state of the arthritis with my doctor. By this time the wrists and fingers showed signs of the return of the arthritis as did the left shoulder. The doctor recommended that we wait awhile yet before starting on the cortisone pills. This was pure guesswork. On forty-one days after the cortisone shot the knees, wrists, fingers and left shoulder were quite painful. The arthritis had returned. The doctor gave me a prescription for 5 mg cortisone pills called Prednisone. I decided that I would try to find the minimum dose that would restore me to a normal condition. I knew that the cortisone would start to work within 24 hours. The prescription called for a so-called tapered dose. That is, 5 pills the first day then 4 then 3 then 2 then 1. I crept up on this dosage by taking one quarter of a pill the first day then one half and so on increasing by one quarter each day. I found that the pills had no affect until I had taken the equivalent of five pills or 25 mg. I decided that the prescribed dose was about the minimum that would restore the normal condition. But I still did not know the safe period between doses that would avoid all side effects.
From everything that I had learned at this point it seemed that the right course was to take the cortisone at intervals of 20 to 30 days but try to achieve a normal or near normal condition most of the time. I thought that there was a good chance that this periodic boost to the regulation of the hormone system would finally convince the system to regulate at a more correct level for the condition of the body; taking the mature age into consideration. Fifteen days after taking the cortisone pills my wrists showed signs of returning arthritis. The doctor recommended that I try to fill in with an anti-inflammatory. I tried taking some Naproxen that I still had from the first doctor. To my surprise it restored my wrists to a normal condition. I now had two drugs that I could work with but both produce severe side effects when used every day for a few months. I tried several different ant-inflammatories but they gave me side effects almost immediately. I took the Naproxen each morning with breakfast and each evening with supper making 500 mg a day. About this time I learned from a good medical text that the stomach is able to heal itself in 6 days if the irritant is removed.
After three months of trying different periods between taking the cortisone pills I decided that I would use a one month period and start it at the first of each month for simplicity. This seemed to be a long enough period in which to avoid all side effects. I stopped the Naproxen for seven days during this period to rest my stomach and avoid stomach damage from the Naproxen. I found that after 20 days some arthritis would return but I treated this with painkillers and menthol. The menthol was called Deep Cold and was an across the counter drug. I applied it at night to the painful joints and it worked well to let me get to sleep. I kept up this regimen for a year and was able to live a fairly active live without too much discomfort. There were no side effects from the drugs. After a year I noticed that the cortisone worked for the full month. This was a real breakthrough. In the next month I reduced the Naproxen to one pill a day or 250 mg. The next month I took no Naproxen but continued with the cortisone dose at the start of the month. At this time I had an annual physical and suggested to the doctor that he do a sedimentation check on my blood. When the arthritis was at its worst the test indicated a 39% level. This check had returned to normal at 20%. My body told me that the arthritis had gone into remission and the sedimentation check confirmed it.