Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Dear Terry, “I am a 50 year old woman in good health. I noticed some marks on my skin and the doctor diagnosed sarcoidosis. He said it is not in my whole body, which is good, but is currently limited to my skin. He said to just watch it and I am not on any drugs at present. I want to take some supplements to stay healthy. What do you suggest? And what do you know about sarcoidosis? I had never heard of it before.” —Erica M., Santa Fe, NM A. Dear Erica, I am sorry that you are struggling with a new diagnosis of a chronic disease, but the good news is that it sounds like you have a very mild form, and there are many things you can do to keep yourself healthy. Sarcoidosis is a confusing disorder that involves problems with the immune system, inflammation, and a possible connection with exposure to certain infective illnesses. It can affect the skin only—which is the mildest form—or can also affect internal organs, especially the lungs, which can be a bit more serious. In the US, African Americans have 10 to 20 times the rate of sarcoidosis as do Caucasian Americans. However, in Europe, people in Sweden have much higher rates than people in Poland. An interesting side note is that sarcoidosis rates tend to jump in emigrant populations. For example, Irish women living in London have much higher rates than either English women, or Irish women living in Ireland. Sarcoidosis is characterized by clumps of immune system cells forming granulomas (red bumpy lesions) on the skin or internally. When the granulomas form internally, they can cause scarring that interferes with normal functioning. One thing to pay special attention to is that people with sarcoidosis make abnormal amounts of vitamin D outside their kidneys, which can be problematic. Therefore, unless your physician says it is safe for you to use vitamin D products, they are best avoided. This does not mean that you need to avoid going outside into the sun, but you should not sun bathe or use tanning beds if you have this condition. There are supplements that may be very helpful for reducing the systemic inflammation that occurs in this disease. The first would be a high bioavailability curcumin. Curcumin is the most potent herbal anti-inflammatory I know, and also helps balance the immune system. Unfortunately, it is hard to absorb. The best form I have ever found uses micronized curcumin blended with turmeric essential oils in a patented process. This curcumin has been shown in published human studies to be up to 10 times better absorbed than plain curcumin. A second useful product would be an omega 3 fatty acid extract of salmon. This form is up to 50X better absorbed than fish oils because the omega 3s are attached to phospholipids instead of triglycerides. Also, do NOT use any fish product unless you check to make sure it does not contain significant amounts of vitamin D. The special absorption salmon extract bound to natural phospholipids is safe to take, and will help with inflammation, and will be especially helpful to any skin issues you are encountering. Healthy regards, Terry… Naturally