At Singapore, Dr John Wood, one of the top cardiologists in the world of thalassemia, stressed the importance of L-carnitine and said all thalassemics should be taking it. Something people should be aware of when taking most supplements is that you may not notice any dramatic effect but over time you may see some subtle changes. Most of what these supplements do will never be directly seen. You won't see that your red cells last a bit longer or that your blood vessels maintain their flexibility, but what is most important is that by using certain supplements, you will help prevent some other things from happening. This has to be a long term approach. Have faith that when the top doctors say take these supplements, that they have done the research and understand why. This is something I have been very happy to hear top doctors and researchers say and confirms my belief that thals can make a difference in their health by compensating for the deficiencies thal causes and by supplementing to help prevent the damage that iron causes throughout the body.
I will be trying to move similar posts to this new board because this topic has become one of special interest. Supplements can provide an advantage to thals and research has born this out. Thals have extreme stresses on their bodies and what is sufficient for non-thals is deficient for thals. We've heard how Dr Vichinsky credited supplements for protecting Sharmin's son's organs in spite of some iron loading, and I think his resiliency after his battle with the autoantibody and exposure to some very powerful drugs, is a testament to what can be accomplished when you establish a strong nutritional program.