Diet therapies

Practitioners of alternative diet therapies say that much of Western food produces toxins in our bodies. Some of these therapies are strictly vegan or vegetarian, which means they suggest eating food that is raw, sugar-free and low in salt, and drinking vegetable/fruit/liver juices and taking high doses of vitamins/ minerals/enzymes. These diets make some people feel better, but there is no evidence they can improve silicosis.

No scientific evidence exists that leaving out certain foods will improve the outcome for you once you have silicosis. Many complementary therapists believe a good diet can be very helpful to your well-being and will gladly help you construct a special diet that is nutritious and as enjoyable as possible.

Pulmonary doctors are concerned that many diet therapies are completely inappropriate for many silicosis patients. The high bulk, low calories and protein, and the unappealing, difficult to make, or expensive options can discourage patients. The result can often be weight loss, weakness, depression (from not enjoying your food), guilt (if you should have to stop the diet), and anger (if you see no results from the diet). If you've already lost weight from the silicosis, you need all the protein and calories you can get.

More details are provided for the following approaches:

• The Bristol diet
• Megavitamin therapy
• Metabolic therapy
• 'Immuno-augmentative therapy'

The Bristol diet

The Bristol diet, developed at the Cancer Help Centre in Bristol, England, is a well known alternative diet that emphasizes whole foods, fresh fruit and vegetables, raw cereals and organic fish, poultry and eggs. Stress is on avoiding dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt, red meat, salt, sugar and caffeine (e.g. tea, coffee, colas) and using organically grown produce. There is no evidence at this time to indicate that this or any other diet is useful in treating silicosis.

The most important thing is to relax and enjoy your food. Caution: Some doctors feel that excluding important sources of calories and protein such as dairy and red meat aren't good for very ill patients, and that cutting out salt and sugar will not help people enjoy their food-an important consideration when fighting disease. Also organic foods tend to be more expensive and can be hard to find (though that is now changing).

Vitamins, megavitamin therapy and silicosis

Vitamins were discovered in the early twentieth century and understanding their power helped advance medicine dramatically. Tiny amounts of these compounds could cure scurvy, rickets and many other potentially fatal conditions. Your body cannot make enough vitamins, so they are an essential part of a healthy diet. There is no evidence that taking large doses of vitamins really makes any difference when you have silicosis, unless you are eating less and your diet is lacking in these. A healthy diet is still the best way to get the vitamins and minerals you need.

Metabolic therapy

Laetrile (amygdalin or vitamin B17), a derivative of bitter almonds, is one of the metabolic therapies that claims to boost the immune system. Some have said it helps against cancer, but a scientific study failed to show any benefit from this treatment. In fact, laetrile releases cyanide into the blood, and the amount reached dangerously high levels during the test.

Other types of metabolic therapy advocate using coffee enemas and liver herb tonics, supposedly to flush toxins out of the body, after which you receive large doses of vitamins and minerals. No evidence suggests these are effective in treating silicosis.

Immuno-augmentative therapy

Iscador is an herbal medicine extracted from mistletoe and is claimed to boost the body's immune system. Many homeopathic doctors have used it for patients with cancer, giving it in either tablets or by injection. Studies have shown that white blood cell counts do rise (white cells fight infection) after injections of Iscador, and it has been shown to affect the growth of lung disease cells in the laboratory. But no reliable studies have yet shown it having any effect on the progress of silicosis in human patients.