Good anti-inflammatories for people with ITP

Hi @tbrooks57. You’re right, with having a low platelet level from immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) the last thing you want to do is potentially add to thinning your blood. I also understand your concern about wanting to stay as healthy as possible with the addition of antioxidants/anti-inflammatory supplements.

While antioxidant supplements may be helpful they may also be a bit unpredictable with their impact on some health conditions such as blood cancers or conditions. For instance, Vitamin K2, can cause clotting issues and counter the effects of blood thinners. Spices such as ginger or turmeric can thin the blood. Even seemingly innocuous supplements like a daily vitamin tablet can have side effects that we’d never expect. Case in point, thinking I was doing the right thing by taking a well-known brand of daily multiple vitamin for senior women, I was shocked (so was my doctor) when my metabolic labs were way off! The only thing I had changed was the addition of the vitamins. So I stopped taking them, repeated labs in a month and my liver was again happy. The vitamin A in the vitamin was the suspect culprit.
With the advice from my doctor and a dietician, most people don’t actually require anti-inflammatory supplementation if they eat a balanced and healthy diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods. That way we’re not getting too much of any one particular vitamin or mineral.

Diet plans such as the Mediterranean Diet have been shown to be highly anti-inflammatory. My husband and I have pretty much followed this for over 30 years. We eat a lot of salmon and other fish, lean proteins, tons of fresh fruits and veggies, no processed foods. Snacks for me are a dates, nuts, homemade granola with varied whole grains. The only supplements I take routinely are calcium and magnesium glycinate. Though I need to stay away from supplemental turmeric, I sneak in a cup of golden tea from time to time. ☺️

Here are a few websites with anti-inflammatory foods you may want to investigate. You might be surprised at how many of these are already in your daily diet, confirming that maybe you don’t need supplements?
https://www.parsleyhealth.com/blog//top-20-anti-inflammatory-foods/
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https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-anti-inflammatory-foods
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https://health.clevelandclinic.org/anti-inflammatory-diet
I also did a quick search for other members with ITP. Quite a few discussion popped up. Feel free to jump into any of the conversations:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/?search=Immune+Thrombocytopenia+%28ITP
Was the underlying cause for your ITP determined?

Hi Lori,

Thank you so much for your helpful response. I will look into incorporating more anti-inflammatory foods in my diet instead of just looking at supplements. I am new to this forum, so I am getting answers about my condition and asking all the questions I can!

The underlying cause of my ITP has not been determined at all. Is there any way to determine what is causing my ITP?

Hi @tbrooks57. From what other members have shared in the forum, sometimes trying to find the root cause of ITP can be frustrating. Underlying infections or certain viral infections such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV), have been linked to the onset of ITP.
According the Mayo website, “In adults, an infection with HIV, hepatitis or the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers, known as H. pylori, can cause ITP.” Also having underlying conditions in which there is an inflammatory response such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or other inflammatory can be another trigger. So you can understand how trying to find the culprit can be like unraveling a mystery.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/idiopathic-thrombocytopenic-purpura/symptoms-causes/syc-20352325
Our immune systems are incredibly complex, always on patrol to keep us healthy from any potential invading threat/attackers such as bacteria, fungi or viruses. Occasionally, there’s a miscue and the immune system may end up attacking healthy cells. With ITP the immune system attacks and destroys platelets.

Since you’re new to the forum and you mentioned having other health conditions, I’d love to provide links to relevant discussions for you. Mayo Connect has over 70+ support groups. Would you mind sharing your other conditions?