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Treatment
Because of the nature of tuberculosis, the disease should never be treated by alternative methods alone. Alternative treatments can help support healing, but treatment of TB must include drugs and will require the care of a physician. Any alternative treatments should be discussed with a medical practitioner before they are applied.
Supportive treatments include:
* Diet. Nutritionists recommend a whole food diet including raw foods, fluids, and particularly Pears and pear products (pear juice, pear sauce), since pears may help heal the lungs. Other helpful foods include fenugreek, alfalfa sprouts, garlic, pomegranate, and yogurt or kefir. Four tablespoons of pureed steamed asparagus at breakfast and dinner taken for a few months may also be helpful.
* Nutritional therapy. Nutritionists may recommend one or many of the following vitamins and minerals: vitamin A at 300,000 IU for the first three days, 200,000 IU for the next two days, then 50,000 IU for several weeks; beta-carotene at 25,000-50,000 IU; vitamin E at up to 1,000 IU daily unless the patient is a premenopausal woman with premenstrual symptoms; lipotrophic formula (one daily); deglycerolized licorice; citrus seed extract; vitamin C; lung glandular; essential fatty acids; vitamin B complex; multiminerals; and zinc.
* Herb therapy may use the tinctures of echinacea, elecampane, and mullein taken three times per day, along with three garlic capsules three times per day.
* Hydrotherapy may be used up to five times weekly. Dr. Benedict Lust, the founder of naturopathy, supposedly cured himself of tuberculosis by using hydrotherapy.
* Juice therapy. Raw potato juice, may be taken three times daily with equal parts of carrot juice plus one teaspoon of olive or almond oil, one teaspoon of honey, beaten until it foams. Before using the potato juice, starch should be allowed to settle from the juice.
* Topical treatment may use eucalyptus oil packs, grape packs or grain alcohol packs.
Professional practitioners may also treat tuberculosis using cell therapy, magnetic field therapy, or traditional Chinese medicine. Fasting may be undertaken, but only with a doctor's supervision.
Allopathic Treatment
Drug Therapy
Five drugs are most commonly used today to treat tuberculosis: isoniazid (INH), rifampin, pyrazinamide, streptomycin, and ethambutol. Of the five medications, INH is the most frequently used drug for both treatment and prevention. The first three drugs may be given in the same capsule to minimize and treat active TB the number of pills in the dosage. As of 1998, many patients are given INH and rifampin together for six months, with pyrazinamide added for the first two months. Hospitalization is rarely necessary because many patients are no longer infectious after about two weeks of combination treatment. A physician must monitor side effects and conduct monthly sputum tests. In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) worked with medical organizations to release new guidelines that better individualize the drug regimens received by TB patients depending on their disease symptoms and severity. Many can now receive once-weekly doses of rifapentine in the continuation phase of treatment.
The first large scale trial of a new agent to treat TB began in 2002. The promising new drug, called moxifloxacin, may mean a shorter treatment course for TB sufferers in the near future. It will also be tested in combination with rifapentine, and researchers believe that using the drugs together will mean a less frequent dosing schedule for patients.
Drug resistance has become a problem in treating TB. When patients do not take medication properly or for long enough periods of time, the TB organisms may become drug resistant. This makes the patient vulnerable to further infection and allows the TB organism to develop resistance.
Surgery
Surgical treatment of TB may be used if medications are ineffective. There are three surgical treatments for pulmonary TB: pneumothorax, in which air is introduced into the chest to collapse the lung; thoracoplasty, in which one or more ribs are removed; and removal of a diseased lung, in whole or in part. It is possible for patients to survive with one healthy lung.
Expected Results
The prognosis for recovery from TB is good for most patients, if the disease is diagnosed early and given prompt treatment with appropriate medications on a long-term regimen. According to a 2002 Johns Hopkins study, most patients in the United States who die of TB are older-average age 62-and suffer from such underlying diseases as Diabetes and kidney failure.
Modern surgical methods are usually effective when necessary. Miliary tuberculosis is still fatal in many cases but is rarely seen today in developed countries. Even in cases in which the bacillus proves resistant to all of the commonly used medications, other seldom-used drugs may be tried because the tubercle bacilli have not yet developed resistance to them.
Source: Answers.com
The bacteria that cause tuberculosis is spread by tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes.
Tuberculosis is normally treated by taking several antibiotic drugs for at least 6 months and sometimes as long as 12 months.
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Is a person with already treated TB eligible to work in Japan and why?
no
What would happen to cattle if they caught TB?
The cow would pass the TB on to its milk and humans could catch if the milk wasn't treated. All cows that have TB have to be slaughtered and burned.
Can penicillin treat tb bacteria?
No. TB is commonly resistant to numerous antibiotics. It's generally treated with a cocktail of antibiotics, none are Penicillin.
Is a person with already treated TB eligible to work in Japan?
Yes, I think so
Can you die from tb?
Yes, untreated tuberculosis (TB) can be fatal. TB is a serious bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs but can also spread to other parts of the body if not treated promptly. With proper medical treatment, most cases of TB can be cured.
Is there a cure for a tb?
There is a cure for TB which stands for tuberculosis. This can be treated through various drugs like isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF), ethambutol (EMB) and pyrazinamide (PZA).
If were treated for latent tb can still develope active tb?
Latent TB can develop into Active TB. When the TB is latent, the mycobacteria causing the infection has been targeted and effectively "trapped" within calcified lumps in the affected organ / tissue. If the immune system becomes weakened for some reason (eg. old age, other disease) then the TB bacteria is often able to break through the lumps, and so becomes active.
What is the alternative treatment for TB?
The disease should never be treated by alternative methods alone. Alternative treatments can help support healing, but treatment of TB must include drugs and will require the care of a physician.
What is a TB disease?
TB is an infectious disease caused by a type of bacterium. It can lead to serious complications and even death, especially if the body is weakened by other health problems. TB is rare in the UK and it can usually be treated with antibiotics. However, it's a common cause of death in less developed parts of the world.
What is spinal TB?
TB is particularly likely to attack the spine and the ends of the long bones. Children are especially prone to spinal tuberculosis. If not treated, the spinal segments (vertebrae) may collapse and cause paralysis in one or both legs.
Why do people die of consumption?
Consumption is an archaic word for Tuberculosis (TB) which is a deadly bacterial infection mainly of the lungs which is treated nowadays with antibiotics.
When was TB or Not TB created?
TB or Not TB was created on 2005-11-01.
