need help with uveitis

[Guest guest]

OK, this is my second post Re: alternative treatments for uveitis. So

far I haven't had any major flareups but the left eye gets that hazy

cloudiness that lasts a couple of days. Now that it's mid-winter, I want

to head off the expected flares that come toward spring. The least

flares I have, the least damage to my eyes. My optho has now put me on

800mg ibuprofen to combat inflammation, and I'm taking bilberry and

ginger supplements to ward off future flares. Is there anything else I

should do? I've totally banned artificial sweetners from my diet and

severely curtailed dairy consumption with the exception of occasional

cheese and yogurt. The bulk of my calcium now comes from collard greens,

which I eat at least once or twice a week.

I'm on a uveitis support list and will often share alternative

treatments, but I get the usual " Don't do that! " (meaning the ginger and

bilberry). There is known cause for my case -- every test for every

autoimmune disease has come back clean, so I suspect my case is

idiopathic.

 

So what else can I do by way of diet, supplements, etc. so I don't have

to go the route my optho suggests. He wants to try immunosuppressants

(methotrexate and cellcept come up often) but I don't want to deal with

the side effects and potential dangers. Is there an alternative? I'm

told by my doc and those suffering (and who do EVERYTHING the doc tells

them) that building the immune system is a no-no in uveitis cases. Why

suppress the immune system anyway? Doesn't that open us up to increased

risk of infections? What do I say to my optho when he suggests again the

use of such drugs?

 

I'm new to alternative medicine so any suggestions you can give me will

be greatly appreciated.

 

Pam