|
|
HEALTH
NEWS
by Lynne Gully |
|||
|
|
|
April 2007 |
||
|
Last month I wrote about osteoarthritis and how to
prevent or help treat the condition. This month is about the other form of
arthritis – rheumatoid arthritis. Here is an account of my friend’s experience
who had rheumatoid arthritis. Renata’s Story It
all started at the end of 2000, beginning of 2001. I had pain in my toes and
one morning I couldn’t stand on my feet because I had so much pain. The
orthopaedist gave me painkillers and prescribed shoe insoles made of silicon.
He told me that it was very typical for women of my age to experience such
pains and that I had to accept getting older. (I was 44 at the time). The
pain remained but it was a bit more comfortable to walk with the insoles. It
progressively got worse and by June of that year I could hardly walk and my
feet and knees were badly swollen. Homeopathy - I found a homeopath in
Crete (where I have lived since 1998) and he prescribed various remedies but
nothing helped. The pain got worse and I had to resort to taking the
painkillers, Aspirin or Brufen. Taking these painkillers every two or three
hours throughout the day and night did not stop the pain. I often cried at
night because of so much pain. I could hardly walk and my partner helped me
to get dressed, to get out of bed, get up from the chair etc. It was hell! By
end of October 2001 I couldn’t cope anymore and I decided to go to the
hospital. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. To
The Hospital
- They kept me in the hospital for nearly a week giving me cortisone
injections to reduce the inflammation and then the drug Methotrexate. I had
to go to the hospital quite often as the medication didn’t help properly and
I had to continue with the cortisone injections. A different drug was prescribed,
followed by various combinations of drugs. Then they tried injecting the
cortisone directly into my joints. I tried to live “normally” but it was very
hard as I was in pain most of the time. The worst of all was that the doctors
told me again and again that I had to take the medication all my life and
that there was no cure. This, I couldn’t accept. The
Alternative Approach Again - The following year I found a nature cure practitioner
in Switzerland who agreed to help even though he didn’t like the idea of treating me
from a distance. I took various herbal and homoeopathic remedies and I had to
follow a strict diet. It was very difficult to follow a strict diet, as
several times a week it was necessary for my business partner and I to
entertain clients in the tavernas. Nevertheless I had some success and I was
able to stop one medication from the hospital. On holiday I gave up with the
strict diet and homeopathic remedies and so had to revert to taking the drugs
again. Drugs
Again! -
The following year the hospital gave me Remicade, one of the strongest
medications available, which helped extremely well. I had no more pain at
all. BUT! I had side effects. I had severe hair loss, diarrhoea and
extremely high cholesterol levels. The doctors told me that it was a typical
side effect from Remicade along with the fact that Remicade suppresses the
immune system so I was always in danger of contracting various infections or
viruses. My cholesterol levels went higher and higher. The doctors wanted to
give me drugs to reduce the cholesterol that would be followed by drugs for
the heart. I became very frightened at the prospect of a life dependant on
drugs! Ayurvedic
Clinic -
This was now 2006. In the summer of that year an Ayurvedic doctor in India
had been recommended to me. So now in September 2006 when the additional
drugs to reduce cholesterol were suggested I decided enough was enough –
no more drugs! I contacted the Ayurvedic doctor in India and he
replied that I had a good chance to get cured but I needed to go to his
clinic for at least three to four months. He put me in touch with two of his
former rheumatoid arthritis patients and when they told me about their
success, I decided to go there as quickly as possible. A
New Therapy
- Two months later, at the end of November 2006, I started my therapy in
India. I stopped taking all the drug medication prior to going to this
clinic. They started by giving me special Ayurvedic herbal combinations in
order to get rid of the toxins in my body. Every day I had a steam bath.
Compresses from herbs and resins were put on my joints, which was painful at
first. They put me on a diet of brown rice, mung beans and vegetables. After
a while I received a special treatment for my left elbow, which had started
to deform over the years from the rheumatoid arthritis. The doctor put a leaf
from a special tropical tree on the elbow and then he pressed a pair of
forceps with some burning cotton on different points through the leaf. It was
quite painful but it was only seconds and I felt a huge relief after each
treatment. My elbow started to become more flexible and after some time I
could bend the elbow almost normally. I had this treatment over 40 times!!
The doctor was very happy with my progress and agreed that I could leave the
clinic earlier than expected, after only two and a half months. Healthy
Again -
I’ve now been back from India for two months and I feel very healthy and I
have no pain at all. I take Ayurvedic herbal medication and I have been given
a special diet that restricts certain foods. The main thing is that I am
drug free, pain free and can look forward to getting more and more
healthy as I continue with the programme. |
||||
|
Contact Lynne at lynne.gully@optimumhealth.co.uk
or tel: 0030 28920 42356 |
||||
The Ayurvedic Clinic in India
The
Ayurvedic doctor requested that Renata return to his clinic after one year
for a check up. You might think all this was very expensive. Renata had to
pay for the flight to India but the accommodation, treatment, food and
Ayurvedic herbal medication for a whole year cost just under €1000. The cost
will vary from person to person dependant on the treatment required as the
clinic treats all sorts of ailments, not just rheumatoid arthritis. The
clinic does not have a website but it is possible to contact the doctor by
email. If you are seriously interested in attending this clinic contact me
for more information. Going
to this clinic in India may not be an option for you. So, in this newsletter
I will give you information on how to reduce and maybe even alleviate the
pain of rheumatoid arthritis. What is
Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, where the body reacts against
itself. It most often affects the joints of the fingers, elbows, wrists,
ankles or knees but can also affect other parts of the body such as muscles,
heart, lungs, blood vessels and skin. RA
starts with inflammation of the synovial membrane in the joint. Consequently
the joint becomes inflamed and enlarged. The synovial membrane actually
produces chemicals that further irritate the joint and start a process of
degeneration in the cartilage and ultimately the bone. Rheumatoid joints are
often warm and sufferers may have a slight fever. They are likely to feel
tired and generally run down. However the symptoms of this disease are not
always the same. The
typical pattern of development is one of gradual progression over a number of
months or, more often, years. A small percentage of people experience a quick
onset where the symptoms become severe and the joints are quickly affected.
The cause of RA may be due to immune system problems, perhaps triggered by a
viral or bacterial infection, or a genetic weakness. RA often starts and
flares up when nutrition is under par, probably because good nutrition is
vital for immune strength. Most RA sufferers develop antibodies, which attack
normal components of the body, as if the immune system has malfunctioned.
This is why RA is often called an autoimmune disease. The disease itself does
not shorten the lifespan of most patients, but the medication used for RA
may, since the long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can cause
gastric bleeding. The
Naturopathic Approach
There
is clearly only one way out from this disease. It is not by covering up the
symptoms with painkillers, aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs. The mineral
balance in the body has to be corrected, the acidity in the tissues of the
body has to be reduced, the liver must be strengthened and the bowel wall
cleaned and improved in its functions. I know changing your diet and taking
nutritional supplements is not easy, but RA can never be reversed using
drugs that merely suppress the associated inflammation. RA is a disease in which
nutritional treatment can lead to almost complete remission. However it
depends on how far the disease has progressed and the age of the patient. The
more progressed the disease and the older the patient the less likely the
joints will completely repair themselves. It is, however, worth trying as
most people benefit from reduced pain and improvement in mobility. |
The Food
Connection A detox diet is
recommended to cleanse the body and the joints of accumulated toxins. Just
try it for a week or so and monitor the changes. If you have less pain and
feel better, then continue with it for a period of three months. You probably
won’t want to go back to eating the food that caused the inflammation once
you start to feel better. Do eat / drink Ø
Lots of fresh vegetables
every day, especially carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, garlic, sweet
potatoes, chilli peppers. Ø
Some fruit but stick to
apples, bananas or pears. Citrus fruits and soft berries are too acidic. Ø
Lots of brown rice,
millet, mung beans and butter beans. Ø
Lots of turmeric as an
anti-inflammatory. Ø
Oily fish such as
sardines, mackerel, herrings or organic salmon. Keep tuna to a minimum as
this contains high levels of mercury. The omega-3 oil in fish is an
anti-inflammatory. Ø
Watercress, asparagus and
pumpkin seeds as excellent sources for the extra zinc needed. Ø
Lots of fresh water. Try
hot water as this is better for you and cleans the body more effectively. Don’t eat / drink Ø
Meat as this contains the
wrong type of fat and arachidonic acid, which is highly inflammatory. Ø
Dairy produce such as
milk, cheese etc, as this food is too acidic and increases inflammation. Ø
Wheat products such as
bread, pasta, pizza, biscuits, cakes etc as these will increase inflammation. Ø
Added salt including
baking powder, stock cubes, gravy mixes, packet soups etc. Ø
Tomatoes as these are too
acidic. Ø
Keep to an absolute
minimum alcohol, coffee, tea and chocolate but avoid if possible. Nutritional
Supplements Ø
Antioxidant Arsenal containing Vitamins C, E,
beta-carotene, the minerals selenium and zinc and the immune booster grapine.
Stock no 4033. Ø
MSM. Contains sulphur and in
RA sulphur is always low. It is needed for the detoxification process.
Stock no 4059. Ø Colloidal Minerals – a liquid mineral supplement that contains a full range of minerals essential for bone and joint health. It also contains boron, which has been shown to help alleviate rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Stock no 4037. Ø
Omega-3 fish oil capsules. There have been
a number of clinical trials assessing the benefits of omega 3 supplementation
in several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid
arthritis. Stock no 1609. Ø
Bifidophilus (milk free). Increases the immune
system and improves bowel health. Stock no 4100. Ø
Aloe Vera Juice. This decreases
inflammation and is highly beneficial for RA sufferers. Stock no 1680. Ø
Glucosamine to help repair any damage
to the cartilage in the joints. Stock no 932. To order any of these products–
call Nature’s Sunshine Products on 08458
40 50 60 or the main telephone line on 01952 671600. |
|||
