Sugar mixture might save shepherd from surgery

Q. My German shepherd has been suffering from a chronic ulcerated wound that did not respond well to anything the vet prescribed. The surgery for such a wound is invasive and risky for an older dog.

I found a mention of Sugardyne on your site yesterday and tried it. There was an immediate change. Today the wound was visibly improved, and I hope it will help it heal permanently. What more can you tell me?

A. Sugardyne is the name Richard Knutson, M.D., gave to an ointment composed of powdered sugar and vegetable oil (3 parts sugar to 1 part oil). Originally, he included povidone-iodine as well, but found it was not necessary for success.

As an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Knutson used this simple, inexpensive but effective treatment on thousands of patients during his lifetime. Bleeding must be completely controlled before the mixture is applied. The dressing should be changed daily until the wound heals.

Japanese researchers have come up with a refinement of Dr. Knutson’s formulation. They added tretinoin (a vitamin A compound) and tocoferil (a vitamin E compound) to the povidone iodine-sugar base and used it for pressure ulcers (Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, Vol. 61, No. 7, 2013).

Q. I read that taking vitamin C at the same time as aspirin can reduce stomach irritation. Does this protective effect of vitamin C also apply to other NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or naproxen?

A. One of the drawbacks of using aspirin or any NSAID for more than a few days at a time is the risk of gastrointestinal irritation, which can lead to bleeding ulcers. A decade ago, researchers determined that taking vitamin C (ascorbic acid) together with aspirin could reduce the damage (Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, November 2006, Suppl. 5).

Little research has been done on whether vitamin C provides similar protection from gastrointestinal damage due to other NSAIDs. Taking vitamin C at the same time as naproxen, however, seems to generate compounds less likely to cause ulcers (Archives of Pharmacal Research, March 2012).

Other possible approaches to reducing stomach irritation from NSAIDs or aspirin include deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) or SAMe (Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, September 1983; American Journal of Medicine, Suppl. 1, Nov. 20, 1987).

Q. My mother had been bothered with burning feet for some time, and we had not found a solution till recently. We suspected that the burning was related to her type 2 diabetes, and I’d read somewhere that fenugreek helps blood sugar.

She tried fenugreek, and it works! It is the only thing that ever has. What can you tell us about this?

A. We hope your mother is under medical care for her diabetes. Fenugreek is one of several herbs that can help with blood-sugar control under a doctor’s supervision.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or email them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”

2014 King Features Syndicate Inc.