question about cold remedies.

With having rheumatoid arthritis does this mean we have an immune problem?
I seem to get colds alot and sinus stuff and am flying the first week of feb
and have come down with a nasty cold. I have been told to take airborne it
helps, but it says that it enhances the immune system so if you are taking
mtx and enbrel which say they lower it would medicines like this be harmful
to the arthritis?
It has echidnae in it?
Thanks
Becky

I would check with your pharmacist but mine has said not to take these. For
one my immune system does not need ramping up and echinacea is not
recommended for people with RA or MS. Echinacia did cause my RA to worsen
(I took it before knowing this.) Some of the bottles will actually say this
on it - some will not. You are on enbrel and mtx and your chances of sinus
and colds are high - lots of hand washing etc. I have to say though I am
probably better off than the general public right now on the cold front etc.
as I am drinking lots of fluids, staying away from people with infections,
and washing hands lots and lots.

vitamin C if you can take it Becky but I know that it commonly interferes
with the interstitial cystitis. Other than that lots and lots of fluids.

Good luck
Kelly
"Becky" <becky.mahoney@comcast.net> wrote in message
newss6dnYZMNdYM0z3YnZ2dnUVZ_sqdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> With having rheumatoid arthritis does this mean we have an immune problem?
> I seem to get colds alot and sinus stuff and am flying the first week of
> feb and have come down with a nasty cold. I have been told to take
> airborne it helps, but it says that it enhances the immune system so if
> you are taking mtx and enbrel which say they lower it would medicines like
> this be harmful to the arthritis?
> It has echidnae in it?
> Thanks
> Becky
>

Thanks for all the information Kelly, The last year or so my IC has really
not been a problem, hopefully it will continue, I think taking the daily
antihistamine has helped for some reason.
Thanks for the info again

Becky
"Kelly" <kelly.e1@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:cQZnh.560309$5R2.158647@pd7urf3no...
>I would check with your pharmacist but mine has said not to take these.
>For one my immune system does not need ramping up and echinacea is not
>recommended for people with RA or MS. Echinacia did cause my RA to worsen
>(I took it before knowing this.) Some of the bottles will actually say
>this on it - some will not. You are on enbrel and mtx and your chances of
>sinus and colds are high - lots of hand washing etc. I have to say though
>I am probably better off than the general public right now on the cold
>front etc. as I am drinking lots of fluids, staying away from people with
>infections, and washing hands lots and lots.
>
> vitamin C if you can take it Becky but I know that it commonly interferes
> with the interstitial cystitis. Other than that lots and lots of fluids.
>
> Good luck
> Kelly
> "Becky" <becky.mahoney@comcast.net> wrote in message
> newss6dnYZMNdYM0z3YnZ2dnUVZ_sqdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>> With having rheumatoid arthritis does this mean we have an immune
>> problem? I seem to get colds alot and sinus stuff and am flying the first
>> week of feb and have come down with a nasty cold. I have been told to
>> take airborne it helps, but it says that it enhances the immune system so
>> if you are taking mtx and enbrel which say they lower it would medicines
>> like this be harmful to the arthritis?
>> It has echidnae in it?
>> Thanks
>> Becky
>>
>
>

On Sun, 07 Jan 2007 03:31:20 GMT, "Kelly" <kelly.e1@shaw.ca> wrote in
alt.support.arthritis:

>You are on enbrel and mtx and your chances of sinus
>and colds are high - lots of hand washing etc.

Is MTX on its own apt to cause sinus infections? I have had a nasty sinus
infection for several months that is causing me grief. I have an appt. with an
ENT specialist later in the month. Antibiotics have not helped and the
persistent post-nasal drip has caused loss of appetite and weight.
---
Joan

Becky wrote:
> With having rheumatoid arthritis does this mean we have an immune problem?
> I seem to get colds alot and sinus stuff and am flying the first week of feb
> and have come down with a nasty cold.

Flying sucks...a little metal tube recirculating the air that everyone
is coughing and sneezing in. Last time I flew I got sick, too.

> I have been told to take airborne it
> helps, but it says that it enhances the immune system so if you are taking
> mtx and enbrel which say they lower it would medicines like this be harmful
> to the arthritis?

Very unlikely unless thay have a specific effect on enbrel or mtx.
'enhances' is a pretty silly advertising gimmick, but the FDA hasn't
stopped it, so they'll keep making money. The drugs have specific
mechanisms to stop rheumatoid arthritis. They halt a part of the immune
response, but a specific part only. I doubt that whatever 'airborne' is,
it really enhances anything except your feelings of well being during a
cold.

> It has echidnae in it?

A spiky little Australian animal? Poor little echidnas...

> Thanks
> Becky
>
>


--
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Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
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http://www.marrow.org/

Joan Carter wrote:
> On Sun, 07 Jan 2007 03:31:20 GMT, "Kelly" <kelly.e1@shaw.ca> wrote in
> alt.support.arthritis:
>
>> You are on enbrel and mtx and your chances of sinus
>> and colds are high - lots of hand washing etc.
>
> Is MTX on its own apt to cause sinus infections? I have had a nasty sinus
> infection for several months that is causing me grief. I have an appt. with an
> ENT specialist later in the month. Antibiotics have not helped and the
> persistent post-nasal drip has caused loss of appetite and weight.
> ---
> Joan

MTX limits your body's ability to build a defense against common (or
uncommon) bugs that get into or through the epithelium lining the
respiratory tract. The inflamatory processes necessary to get
lymphocytes in there are suppressed by MTX, so you're unable to get the
body's defenders in to where they need to be to keep natural and
pathogenic (they can be one in the same) flora under control. You may
have to take a hiatus from the MTX and have a culture and antibiotic
differential run on what you have growing in there that is causing the
problems and how best to kill it.

Regards,

Ari

--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/

When I had been on Enbrel for about 18 months, every place where I had
injected Enbrel turned into round red spots. I'm talking EVERY one of the
sites over an 18 month period! I went to my RD and he quizzed me about was
I taking any new drugs. No, I said......he asked what about over the
counter.....No, I had not.....Then he asked about herbs, had I taken any
herbs....well, yes, I had started to take Echinacea. He said that was the
culprit and to stop taking it and never take it again. He told me the
Echinacea was causing my immune system to try to get rid of the Enbrel and
was affecting all of the injection sites. I stopped the Echinacea and within
a day and a half all the spots were gone.
Gloria

"Becky" <becky.mahoney@comcast.net> wrote in message
newss6dnYZMNdYM0z3YnZ2dnUVZ_sqdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> With having rheumatoid arthritis does this mean we have an immune problem?
> I seem to get colds alot and sinus stuff and am flying the first week of
> feb and have come down with a nasty cold. I have been told to take
> airborne it helps, but it says that it enhances the immune system so if
> you are taking mtx and enbrel which say they lower it would medicines like
> this be harmful to the arthritis?
> It has echidnae in it?
> Thanks
> Becky
>