Natural Remedies for Bone Marrow Failure

Bone marrow produces blood cells, both red and white, that carry out many of the necessary life functions. An inability to produce blood cells results in bone marrow failure. This is a life-threatening complication that requires immediate treatment. Treatment typically involves hospitalization in conjunction with chemotherapy, radiation, blood transfusions or a transplant of healthy bone marrow. Natural treatments for bone marrow failure are limited to preventive methods and proper lifestyle adjustments.

Prevention

• Prevention is your greatest tool in combating bone marrow failure. Since bone marrow failure results from issues with blood cells, such as anemia, it is important to incorporate lifestyle choices that will help strengthen them. Avoid vitamin deficiency by incorporating a healthy diet. Vitamin B-12, vitamin C, iron and folate should be consumed daily. Foods like bananas, leafy vegetables, citrus, low-fat meats and dairy products, dried fruit, legumes and peanut butter are all high in these vitamins. If you have a history of anemia in your family, talk to your doctor about preventing bone marrow failure. Your doctor may direct you to a genetic counselor, who can discuss potential risks and prevention of bone marrow failure.

Lifestyle

• If you have been diagnosed with bone marrow failure resulting from an underlying disease like leukemia or lymphoma, you should adjust your lifestyle to fight the stress, weakness and fatigue caused by bone marrow failure. Get enough sleep every night. Do not stop being active if fatigue sets in. Attempt to exercise every day, even mildly. Eat a high amount of fruits and vegetables. These lifestyle adjustments will not cure bone marrow failure, but they can strengthen your immune system and reduce negative symptoms associated with bone marrow failure.

Warning

• Do not rely on lifestyle adjustments or natural remedies to cure bone marrow failure. If you have been diagnosed with a disease that affects your blood cells or bone marrow, seek medical attention immediately. Medical treatment may involve a combination of chemotherapy or radiation to combat abnormal blood cells within the body. Blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants are sometimes used to correct bone marrow failure. Additional therapies, such as biotherapy and interferon therapy, are also used.

  While lifestyle adjustments and proper nutrition are important, they do not provide the ability to properly combat bone marrow failure. Since bone marrow failure is often a life-threatening complication, do not attempt to treat it yourself.