ARTHRITIS

Step One is detoxifying . The reason is simple - a life-time of randomly putting stuff into the body and not completely clearing it out, means that the elimination process is clogged, right down to the most basic level of our cells. When our cells are unable to rid themselves of toxins, a process of deep inflammation starts and very often the areas that become inflamed are areas where we have weaknesses, such as an old injury, or joints and muscles that we stress disproportionately in our daily life. Equally, as long as the cells are clogged by undischarged toxins, they are not able to accept and use the nutrients needed to rebuild and restore proper function.

Step Two is adjustment of the diet. In arthritis, very often allergies play a role. When a person has allergies, this means, put simply, that certain substances in the food have escaped the proper digestive process and been assimilated whole into our blood stream. There, the body perceives them as enemies, and an inflammatory cascade is set in action.

Dr. M. Werbach M.D. says that approximately 10 to 20% of people with arthritis suffer from insufficient production of Hydrochloric Acid, one of the functions of which is to digest proteins. "When the digestion of food proteins is inadequate, the gut lining absorbs more partially broken down products .... while amino acids, the fully broken down products of protein digestion, are invisible to the immune system, partially broken down protein products alert the immune system to the presence of perceived foreign invaders". The immune response that follows might well be the cause of a flare-up.

I can personally attest to the fact that problems with my back almost always accompany a temporary problem with digestive inflammation. Certain people with arthritis respond to eliminating the "nightshade" family of foods from their diet. These are tomatoes, peppers, (to include chili, paprika but not black pepper) potatoes, ^nicotine and eggplants. With rheumatoid arthritis, wheat and dairy are often culprits.

Interestingly, new research is suggesting a link between carbohydrates and rheumatoid arthritis: Harvard researcher Dr. Julia Wang and her colleagues injected mice with GAGs. (Lynn: these are complex carbohydrates). GAG-binding cells accumulated in the animals' joints, and the mice developed chronic RA-like symptoms, including synovitis, tenosynovitis and dermatitis. Some animals developed bone erosion. Since then, they have found GAG binding cells in human tissue, and they theorize that this may be an immune response to bacteria carrying GAG-like molecules on their surface. Up until now, carbohydrates have been considered rare triggers of the immune system, but patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis are found to have higher than normal levels of the GAG hyaluronic acid. LIMIT YOUR SUGAR INTAKE!

The other aspect of diet is that food choices low in certain nutrients can fail to support the systems in our body that repair and nourish joints and bone tissue. Equally, a diet high in the wrong nutrients can overburden the digestion, and a diet that is too rich and indulgent can contribute to the formation of free radicals, which also attack the body at the cellular level. Ours is a complicated organism!

A factor that is currently little regarded, but which I have found to be key to the control of arthritis ( as well as many other chronic disease problems) is balancing the acid/alkaline, or pH, factor in the body. This is particularly true where calcium deposits are a part of the problem, since calcium cannot be absorbed properly in an acid pH (as opposed to needing acid in the stomach to be absorbed). Most Americans tend to be highly acidic: nearly all proteins contribute to an acid pH, while green vegetables are mostly alkaline. You can buy pH papers at some pharmacies to check your own situation. You can also order them directly from us. Adding Super Green Foods in a powder or a tablet can be very beneficial for controlling this imbalance. Also, some of the hype about Coral Calcium does have a basis: it modifies pH, a balancing process which enables the body to defend itself better against chronic problems.

Step Three is the proper selection of the nutrients needed to help the body to rebuild, repair, and fight the inflammation that is causing the problem. Sometimes this may even include burdock, or yucca, or fish oil: though one of the most promising substances to come to the fore in helping osteoarthritis is Glucosamine Sulfate, and some find Glucosamine HCL even more helpful.

This natural remedy is described dramatically by Dr. Julian Whitaker; he says Glucosamine is to connective tissue what wheat is to bread! It's main action in the body is to stimulate the formation of connective tissue, an ability which some people seem to lose as they age. Thus, while NSAIDS and other anti-arthritic drugs address only the symptoms of the disease (and some of them in the long run actually increase destruction of bone - you can find more details about this here at www.mercola.com **) the nutrient Glucosamine sulfate addresses the cause.

If you have blood sugar problems that worsen when you are using Glucosamine, be aware that some people experience this effect. - http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/arthritis/a/Glucosamine.htm

It does not have its effect over-night; many nutritionally oriented doctors wean their patients off the drugs they are using slowly, at the same time introducing the Glucosamine: the dosage recommended by Dr. Whitaker is 500 mgs, three times daily. In most cases, improvement can be noted by the end of 30 days. These holistic Doctors also point out what I said previously, that a complete nutritional program needs to be followed for optimum success: and there are formulas available that pair the Glucosamine with important companion factors which improve its effectiveness.

Chief among these is Chondroitin Sulfate, also known as mucopolysaccharides, glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans. I say this not to show that I can handle long names, but because the names indicate that CS is formed from Glucosamine sulfate or Glutamine (an amino acid in protein) on its way to repair and regenerate cartilage: NSAIDS are known to inhibit the synthesis of CS, therefore, if you are taking NSAIDS and Glucosamine without Chondroitin, you could actually be sabotaging your own efforts to rebuild cartilage.

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