Taking a Look at Arthritis

Arthritis, simply put, is inflammations of the joint or joints. It is usually accompanied by pain and often with swelling, heat, and redness. Researchers have identified hundreds of types of arthritis but they can all be put into 3 categories: (1) osteoarthritis, (2) rheumatoid arthritis, and (3) gouty arthritis. This article will concentrate on the first two since they are far more prevalent.

Signs and Symptoms

Osteoarthritis

• It is thought to be a "wear and tear" disease when it is actually a biochemical breakdown of the joint.
• It usually involves the hips, knees, spine, and hands, tends not to migrate, and typically does not affect the joint on both sides of the body.
• Early morning stiffness and pain is frequent but gets better as the day goes on.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

• This is mainly a metabolic problem and not so much a structural problem.
• This inflammatory disease progresses throughout the body and migrates from joint to joint.
• It frequently follows a severe infection or another stressful event.
• Stiffness follows periods of inactivity that gradually improves with movement.
• Inexplicable periods of fatigue or weakness.
• There is a strong correlation between RA and sluggish liver and adrenal function.
• Dysbiosis and "leaky gut syndrome"  are showing to be correlated to RA. An overgrowth of unfriendly yeast and bacteria can lead to increased permeability of the stomach lining allowing for larger than normal food particles to be passed through the stomach into the bloodstream. The body's immune system recognizes these larger particles as foreign invaders and attacks them setting off inflammatory responses.

Conventional Treatments

The conventional treatments used by medical doctors involve using anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. NSAIDs and aspirin are most commonly used. While they are effective at reducing pain and inflammation, they also have serious side effects.

*In 1995, approximately 41,000 hospitalizations were due to NSAID use.
*Approximately 16,500 deaths occur each year due to daily NSAID use.

Some of the frequent side effects of NSAIDs include:

• Stomach pain, heartburn, and nausea
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Fluid retention and weight gain
• Wounds bleed more and heal more slowly
• Ringing in the ears
• Cartilage degeneration
• Cramping and diarrhea
• Drowsiness, dizziness, mental fuzziness
• Adverse reactions with alcohol and Vitamin C
• Sleep disturbances

Ironically, everyday use of NSAIDs can lead to cartilage degeneration. NSAIDs will hinder construction of the chemical building blocks of cartilage and may also increase their natural rate of decay!!!

In half of all people who regularly use NSAIDs, detectable erosions in the lining of the stomach or upper intestine develop and 15-20% get ulcers. One two-year survey of 1,900 people who routinely used NSAIDs showed that 80% of those who had potentially fatal gastric bleeding noticed no warning symptoms!

Holistic-Based Treatments

Osteoarthritis
Imbalance of muscle function around the joint. Often times, OA is diagnosed because there is pain in a joint. Sometimes, there is no OA in the joint at all but just a painful joint due to improper support around the joint from muscle, ligaments, and tendons. By correcting muscle function many times the joint will no longer be painful. So the very first thing that should be ruled out is altered joint biomechanics.

Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Imbalance of the pH level in the body. Conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, and other "-itises" may be due to an excess of alkalinity in the blood. Diet plays a role in maintaining normal pH, but it is mainly balanced by the endocrine system. Structural imbalances in the upper neck and/or pelvic regions are essential to correct in these conditions. In addition, temporary use of specific supplements can help bring the pH to its proper level.
  

• Inability to digest protein/Lack of protein in the diet. At the age of 50 only 15% of the amount of HCl (hydrochloric acid) is present in our stomach as there is at age 25. Additionally, over one-third of people over 65 do not secrete any HCl at all. Without these acids in our stomach, it is very difficult to digest protein. Undigested protein leads to putrefaction in the gut causing an excess of guanidine in the body. Guanidine is the most alkaline substance in the body and an overload can greatly contribute to alkalinity of the body, which as mentioned earlier, is directly linked to arthritis. Increasing the HCl in the stomach through supplementation is very important. One of the reasons adequate protein is essential is because without adequate protein, the body looks for places to "steal" it from. One of the richest sources of protein is in the synovium, the slippery portion of the joint that allows the bone to slide on one another. If protein is "stolen" from the synovium, the joint will begin to break down.
  

• Lack of proper nutrients. Arthritis has been called the "cooked food disease". By cooking food we destroy the live, active enzymes, vitamins, and minerals in our food. Our body uses these substances to maintain and repair itself. Without these, our body gradually begins to break down. A key nutrient that our bodies need is amino acids, especially the sulfur-bearing ones. The best source is from RAW, UNPROCESSED bone. This type of supplement has all of the live enzymes and amino acids to repair damaged bone and cartilage. Other key nutrients include: organic manganese, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C complex (not just ascorbic acid), etc. Another supplement is glucosamine sulfate. This is an amino sugar not an amino acid. It is one of the basic building blocks of the joint.
  

• Eliminating food allergies  as the cause of arthritis is very important. Some of the big culprits include dairy products, refined foods, overcooked meats, citrus, caffeine, alcohol, and nightshades (tobacco, white potato, tomato, chili peppers, and eggplant). These foods can inhibit collagen repair and increase inflammation. This list is not exhaustive. Any food you are allergic to can cause joint pain.