No.77 : Rapid recovery from dermatomyositis (collagenosis) (March 2003)

Dr. Suzuki,
It's M.D. I called you in October of last year, wanting your advice about my son's dermatomyositis, a type of collagenosis. I took him back to Japan with me and had him admitted to a hospital in Kochi Prefecture, where he is still be cared for. He got a temporary leave from the hospital, so I brought him to San Diego. When the leave is finished, he will go back to the hospital for some more treatment.

The plan is for the steroid dosage to be reduced to 0 within the next 2 or 3 months, so that is the goal we are working towards now. The steroids are currently down to 7.5mg from the original dose of 45mg. His blood test results have been uniformly good. I have been giving him 6 pills of M10-8 SS and Cell Support each a day, as well as Co-Enzyme.
I will of course continue to give him these supplements, but I was wondering if it would be okay to reduce the amounts. If 6 pills a day is what you recommend, then of course I will continue with that dosage. Either way, I intend to continue giving him the supplements for as many years as it takes.

He has been taking the supplements for just over 5 months now. I believe that it is because he has been taking M10-8 SS and Cell Support every day so far that he has shown such good progress. We have also been keeping to the diet. That is, he is only eating the food at the hospital, which means he is taking in absolutely no meats, dairy products, or oils (except for olive oil). He eats flax seeds on rice sometimes. There are patients with cancer and collagenosis in the hospital with my son, and some have even bought M10-8 SS after seeing how quickly he is recovering. People who can't swallow the pills have bought the powder.

We began taking the supplements desperate for anything that would help, but we will continue with them. Should he continue taking the 6 pills every day?
Thank you for replying to this message, despite your busy schedule.

(M.D. female, 43-years-old, living in California)

Dr. Suzuki's Advice
Dear M.D.,
I received your fax. Reading it made me happy, as I could clearly see how hard you are trying. I remember now hearing that we had received some orders thanks to your recommendation.
I understand what you are asking. I would like to tell you that it's okay to reduce the dosage, but unfortunately 6 pills a day is the minimum at this point. There's no getting around it. Please continue with the current dosage. Once the steroids are reduced to 0, we can discuss the different options then.