Arthritis Problems

Your doctor tells you, you have arthritis. Can he or she tell you what kind of arthritis you have or what is causing it? These are not unreasonable questions, yet you will rarely get answers. This is because arthritis is largely a disorder of symptoms- a syndrome, to be more accurate. As long as physicians lump symptoms into one category, and do not examine the causes of the symptoms, there can be no hope or cure. All is not lost, however, or you would not be reading this chapter!

Causes of arthritis are: digestive problems, malnutrition, a high fat diet, chemical sensivity, food allergies, and even a little organism known as the limax amoeba.

The allergy Connection

Your body can be its own worst enemy, if you don't treat it right. Researchers consider arthritis an autoimmune disease because the symptoms are caused by the body's immune system attacking its own tissues. Just as we have come to identify red, itchy eyes as an allergic symptom, arthritis must be accepted as another. In getting to the cause of arthritis, we have to look at the possible allergens responsible.

When arthritis patients had their food allergies identified and eliminated, their symptoms ended or were improved.

When it comes to identifying allergens, scratch the conventional test. The food elimination diet and Coca Pule Test are much more reliable. Because allergens can cause the heart rate to soar, taking your pulse in the morning upon rising, and comparing it to your rate after eating certain foods will help you target offending foods.

Narrow your list down to the following foods suspect for most allergy sufferers: beef, sugar, chocolate, eggs, citrus fruits, coffee, corn, malt, milk, pork, potatoes, soybeans, spices, tomatoes, wheat and yeast.

Consider also eliminating nightshade foods, which many are allergic to. Approximately one-third of those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis are sensitive to nightshade plants.

Tobacco is a nightshade. Can you imagine rolling up a leaf of poison ivy and smoking it? That's what people who are allergic to nightshades do when they smoke. Other nightshades are potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers, Read you labels! Nightshades can be hidden ingredients in processed foods, Better yet, avoid processed foods altogether. Researchers have found those with allergic symptoms are often sensitive to the 3,000 chemical additives we ingest, plus 10,000 environmental chemical contaminants assaulting our bodies every day.

A lack of hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes in the stomach, common among people over forty, can also contribute toward food allergies. This slowdown of digestion will also create over-large food molecules, which end up in the bloodstream. The defensive reaction by the body to these molecules creates the allergic response that leads to arthritis symptoms.

It may sound hopeless, considering the sheer volume of chemical antagonists present in our environment today. But I would not be here if there weren't answers and solutions to the arthritis dilemma.

As with any ailment, disorder or disease, good nutrition is essential. For such an extreme symptom as arthritis, supplementation is the best way to go.

An imbalance of prostaglandins-too much or too many -can be a source of may common diseases, arthritis for one. Borage oil is a good source of prostaglendins and early tests have shown it to be not only a valuable treatment for arthritis, but a substitute for commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids. NSAIDS have dangerous side effects. Frequent use causes stomach ulcers and liver and kidney disease. Deaths have even been associates with MSAID use.

A calcium deficiency can actually cause arthritis symptoms. Vitamin C is another arthritis essential. Studies have shown vitamin C, enhanced with bioflavonoids, reduces inflammation and this synovial joint fluid, contributing to easier and greater range of motion.

 Source: