Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis

What is Arthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a breakdown or degeneration of the joints due to inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis is an auto immune problem. Doctors will say they cannot cure arthritis. But there is no need to cure arthritis. Arthritis is a process that can be reversed.

The key to understanding arthritis is in the name, which is joint inflammation. This inflammation causes joint pain, aches, stiffness, tenderness and loss of flexibility.

What causes Arthritis?

Rheumatoid

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. You can’t have an immune problem without having a digestive problem. Most of your immune system is located in the digestive system.

If you have an auto immune problem you have to look to the digestive system and digestive problems. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis when foreign bodies(toxins) move around in our blood system and accumulate in our joints. The immune system will start attacking these foreign bodies as well as our joints and this is what causes the pain and symptoms associated with arthritis.

Osteoarthritis

In the case of osteoarthritis its a breakdown and degeneration of the connective tissue and cartilage of the joints. However this is also due to chronic long term inflammation so it can be dealt with the same way.

Autoimmune Disease

The digestive system is synonymous with the immune system. Our digestive system is the main contact point with the outside world and anything entering that system has to be treated as a foreign body.

What happens after we put something into the body is known as a foreign body reaction. Foreign bodies are a target for our immune system. Even the most gentle and benign foods will active the immune system. So eating well or eating healthy are relative terms.

Obviously we need to eat, but we need to understand the impact food has on our bodies. This also becomes more of a problem if our bodies are already burdened with other stresses.

Leaky Gut Syndrome

Incompletely digested food particles like peptides leak through the gut into the blood stream and this triggers an immune system reaction.

This creates a sense of emergency in the body because the blood system is a tightly regulated and controlled environment.

Antibodies surround the peptides or other foreign bodies. These toxic circulating immune complexes (CICs) then float around in the blood and start to deposit in the soft tissues of the joints.

These toxins can also deposit into any area of the body especially our organs.

Inflammation

Both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis is gradual chronic build up of inflammation until it manifests itself as pain and then doctors give it the name and diagnosis of arthritis.

Inflammation is a defensive response of the immune system and cortisol is an anti-inflammatory because it shuts down the immune system. This temporarily masks the symptoms the arthritis. Prednisone is usually how doctors and the medical model will treat rheumatoid arthritis but this does not treat the cause the arthritis.

Inflammation can be protective however chronic out of control inflammation can be destructive.

The inflammatory process is counter productive when it occurs long term and this is where we run into a problem or a disease. In the short term inflammation is a defensive and protective response.

The answer is not to artificiality and pharmacology suppress the inflammation it is to correct the damage that is causing the inflammation in the first place. In the case of the joints that means helping the body to rebuild the connective tissue in addition to eliminating digestive problems.

FASTING involves the abstinence from food or drink for a period of time or intermittently. Fasting is like pressing the reset button on your digestive system.

Ben’s Advice on how to reverse Arthritis.

The diagnosis of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid, reiter’s syndrome or reactive arthritis is not important because they are all dealt with and reversed in the same way.

The best way to get relief from and start reversing the process of arthritis is to practice fasting. Fasting should allow you to hit the rest button on your digestive system and reduce your symptoms.

Find the immune system trigger

You need to try and find the trigger or the cause of the defence response. Almost always the offending agent will be something getting in from the digestive system.

Find the problem foods by using a food diary and the elimination diet and paying attention to your digestive symptoms. Changing your diet and connecting problem foods should be your first step to reversing your arthritis. Your largest control point is your food choices.

Stabilise blood sugar by staying away from blood sugar spiking foods. Eating more protein which will curb the sugar cravings so you can reduce your sugar intake. Active the relaxation nervous system. Practice slow deep breathing to calm the body down.

Supplements for arthritis

Support the digestive system.
Proper fat and protein digestion.

Vitamin C 1g- 5g a day. Spread the dose out through out the day. DO NOT take it all at once.
Glucosamine and vitamin C work hand in hand.
Collagen.
Zinc
Whey protein.
Take extra coconut oil, vitamin E and EFA’s which are powerfully anti-inflammatory.
Digestive Enzymes. Taking digestive enzymes on an empty stomach has anti inflammatory properties and taking them with food helps you digest your food.
Lecithin.
Apple cider vinegar.
Gelatin.
Use bone soup and cartilage.
Fucoidan is a long chain sugar or polysaccharide that has wound healing properties and supports the immune system.

Read Ben Fuchs article on PharmacistBen.com about Fucoidan. 

Move the body

Increasing blood supply to the joints by exercising is a great way to oxygenate, nourish and detoxify the cells.  Moving the body will also help the body flush out the lymphatic system for detoxification, improved delivery of oxygen to the cells and will help with regeneration of connective tissue. 

Hemp Oil

Hemp oil can be used for Rheumatoid arthritis because it has anti inflammatory benefits. Due to it high Essential fatty acid and vitamin E content its great as an anti inflammatory.
Click here for more about hemp oil and Arthritis

Turmeric

Turmeric is also a powerfully anti inflammatory and can be used to reduce inflammation related to rheumatoid arthritis.

Baker Dan author of Beating Arthritis Alternative Cooking.

Wednesday 16 July 2014 – GUEST – Baker Dan author of Beating Arthritis Alternative Cooking. Talking about his journey to reverse arthritis and inflammation. The techniques, recipes and foods he used to reverse arthritis. Bakerdan.com.

Click here to go and listen to the show.

Rebuilding Bones, Cartilage and Connective Tissue

When your building connective tissue your helping the whole body to build and be stronger.

Rebuilding Cartilage involves eating the amino acids that make up cartilage such as chicken or bone soup, whey protein, collagen, glucosamine and hyaluronic acid.

Vitamin C and protein are very important for rheumatoid and osteoarthritis

Using vitamin C, whey protein and collagen supplements is the best way to build stronger bones and joints. Calcium is important but the bones are mostly made up of protein. Make sure your digesting your protein with digestive enzymes. Try to get roughly half a gram(protein) per pound of body weight.

Vitamin C is the key vitamin for dealing with arthritis. Without Vitamin C you cannot make cartilage and vitamin C is more important than calcium for building strong bones and connective tissue.

Other building supplements

Kitosan is made up of N-Acetyl glucosamine and is important for building bones, skin, blood vessels and the heart.

Gelatin supplements are good for joints and connective tissue but it is also good for the digestive tract and helps with leaky gut syndrome.

Fucoidan is a polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweeds and this is great for the digestive tract.

Is arthritis caused by a bug or bacteria?

Rheumatoid arthritis can be associated with bacteria but this is not a cause. Whether it be toxins, foreign bodies or bacteria, its still a foreign body and it will trigger the immune system. Either way it still needs to be dealt with in the same way.

Do not take Methotrexate for your rheumatoid arthritis. You should NEVER take long term low dose antibiotics for any disease.

Arthritis and Fluoride

Just drinking tap water and eating food will give you a high dose of sodium fluoride. Fluoride can weaken the bones and joints and this is called fluorosis. Both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis can be exacerbated by fluoride.

Arthritis and Hypothyroidism.

Arthritis and hypothyroidism go hand in hand and synthroid will not help hypothyroidism. The thyroid does not produce the hormones and the doctors only solution is to give you some fake hormones rather than treat the real cause the problem.

Elevated cortisol is one of the major causes hypothyroidism. Adrenal stress follows blood sugar problems which always follows digestive problems. Elevated cortisol is also related to elevated cholesterol.

Lower and stabilise the blood sugar. Calm the body down and lower the cortisol. Concentrate on the health of the gut and digestive system. Probiotics play a crucial role in the activation of thyroid hormone in the gut.