King Solomon might have been a very wise man in his day but I’d like to call attention to the fact that his sun set many years ago. When he said, “There is nothing new under the sun,” he certainly should have excluded the field of drugs and the ability in treating colitis. Following in the train of sulfa drugs and the antibiotics there now comes the new group of hormone derivatives. The chief of these is cortisone. There are, of course, others in this group such as ACTH.
The astounding results obtained from the use of these drugs in certain diseases has led people, even doctors, to wonder if they might not be effective in cases of colitis. Here again, however, the element of judgment enters. In properly selected cases, where there is definite evidence of glandular insufficiency, cortisone supplies that need and helps the body, including the colon, to regain normal function.
However, even so beneficient a substance as cortisone has withÂin it the seeds of trouble. Since its use must be continued, at least in the case of colitis, over a long period of time, its possible side effects should be known. The drug has a disturbing faculty of stimulating the growth of hair, particularly on the face. The harvest of the indiscreet use of cortisone among female patients might well be a congregation of bearded ladies. There are other side effects which can hardly be classified as desirable.
For one thing, cortisone disturbs the ability of the body to handle various food substances such as fat, protein and sugar. It also has a profound influence on the ability of the body to use minerals. When cortisone is taken in large doses over a long period of time the spine tends to lose its minerals and become bent. The face becomes round and fat and in some cases the mind is affected. Cortisone is also capable of producing diabetes in some people.
Despite the foregoing, cortisone is a remarkable drug, but like all other powerful things, it must be used judiciously. You, as a layman, cannot hope to make intelligent use of it when scientifically trained medical men are still making scientific guesses with their fingers crossed when treating a patient with hormone drugs. When the doctor uses it, he is alert to its possibilities and will make every effort to safeguard you. When you take it without guidance, you might very well get the bad results first and then have little chance to wonder what next to do about it.
