Arthritis: What Would I Do?

by Le Anne Amber

First let’s take a look at the definition of arthritis, according to the American Medical Association’s PDR:

“Arthritis” literally means, “inflamed joints.” It is an umbrella term for more than 100 different forms of joint disease.(1) However, while arthritis primarily affects the joints, it also attacks muscles and connective tissues surrounding organs. Arthritic disease stems from injuries, defects in the immune system, wear and tear on the joints, infections, or genetic predisposition.(2) Whatever the cause, the effect is much the same in all individuals: Where bones meet in the joints, they are actually disintegrating.

Imagine a machine with well-oiled parts working smoothly, all valves pumping, all parts meshing together. Then, for some reason, one part bends, or the lubricating fluid dries up. Over a period of time, the parts begin to wear down or grind together until something gives way. For a variety of reasons, this is what happens in the joints of your arms, legs, hips, and even your back when they become arthritic. Some forms of arthritis do affect other parts of the body – skin, eyes, and various organ systems – and doctors watch for these symptoms in all patients with arthritic disease.

Many people believe that medicine’s only answer for arthritis is the use of strong prescription painkillers. And so they “self-medicate,” follow “alternative diets,” or try unproven “miracle” treatments such as copper bracelets or bee stings. Because arthritis is a disease that frequently comes and goes, these non-medical cures often seem to work. In fact, their success is merely a coincidence.

Fortunately, legitimate therapy is not limited to a few potent painkillers. There are many safe and effective medications for arthritis that, when combined with physical therapy, some dietary changes, and regular exercise, can enable most patients to lead normal lives.

Note 1: They claim there are 100 different joint diseases, but that’s probably just to support the fact that they wanted to be able to patent 100 different medicines for this one pain.

Notice that the AMA claims some of the causes of arthritis are infection and defects in the immune system. I contend that fungal infections are the primary reason, and they can also affect the immune system…

So, according to the AMA, once you have arthritis, you will have it for the rest of your life, and the best you can hope to do is “manage” your symptoms, which might “come and go.” Is that OK with you? It’s not OK with me. There must be a reason for the joints to become inflamed. It doesn’t “just happen,” as many doctors would have you believe. I also don’t think it’s hereditary,(2) but instead caused by you doing the same things, eating the same things, that your parents and grandparents did. You probably also have the same “doctor appointment” habits your parents had. And that’s not surprising because, as a child, your role model was your parent/s. Of course you do the same things they did, because they were right and they knew what was going on. This is not intended to point fingers or lay blame, simply to state the “way it is” with kids and how they look up to their parents (regardless of what they say once they get into high school!).

Note 2: Many doctors, who got this idea through their education, talk about “hereditary diseases.” I contend that no “disease” is hereditary. A disease does not come to you through your genes. You might have received broken genetic material from your parents, but you did not ever, in any case, inherit a disease because of your parents’ genetic structure (although you might be born with a disease if the mother had it in her system and you got it via umbilical blood during the course of the pregnancy – the average mother who partakes of the standard American diet transfers approximately 220 different poisons from her system to the fetus. That number is from lab analysis of umbilical blood at birth.). You might, however, have a genetic predisposition toward the acquisition of certain diseases because of the broken genetic material inherited from your parents. That means you might be susceptible to getting certain diseases because of genetics, but you did not inherit the disease itself. In my opinion, you are far more likely to acquire the same diseases your parents had because of your environment while growing up (as Lannie says, because you ate the same foods as they did, breathed the same moldy air, became a smoker because dad was a smoker, etc.).

What are the treatments that are being suggested in the PDR to manage arthritis?

Arthritis treatment is determined by the type you have. In general, however, the front-line therapy is an analgesic like aspirin or acetaminophen or a member of a group of medications called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. Most arthritis sufferers rely on NSAIDs for daily pain relief. While aspirin is still widely used, NSAIDs have fewer gastric side effects and are longer-acting than aspirin, so you have to take fewer pills each day. Strong anti-inflammatory medications such as corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs may also be used, as well as a new genetically engineered drug that blocks inflammation due to the immune-system agent called tumor necrosis factor. Another totally new class of drugs – nicknamed “COX-2 inhibitors” – promises the benefits of NSAIDs without the gastric side effects.

Wait a minute! Are they suggesting Vioxx as a “promising” treatment for arthritis? OK, so at the time this was written, they didn’t know that it causes sudden unexpected heart attack and stroke, so we’ll give ‘em a break this time. However, remember that before it was withdrawn from the market, Vioxx was approved as safe and effective by the FDA. Another option for treatment is to suppress your immune system? Wouldn’t that make the problem worse? Yes, of course it would, but in the short term, if your immune system is suppressed, it can’t send out the white blood cells and the prostaglandins that cause the swelling, so you think you feel better. (Meanwhile, with less opposition, the fungus continues to multiply and wreak havoc.) But the point is, all they recommend is treating the symptoms (i.e. relieving the pain). They’ll write you a prescription and send you on your way until your next doctor visit, when they’ll renew the prescription that’s relieving your pain, all the while making the underlying condition worse. Why does no one look for the cause of the inflammation in the first place?

Now let’s look at what the PDR says about diet and its role in arthritis:

So how could diet become involved in this process? There does seem to be a connection between joint inflammation and stomach inflammation, although it has yet to be fully explained. Some scientists speculate that the trouble may start in the intestines, where foreign antigens can slip through the layer of mucus coating the intestinal wall, enter the bloodstream, and travel to a joint. The presence of antigens there attracts the white blood cells that launch the inflammatory process.

If these invading antigens are byproducts of a particular food to which you are allergic or sensitive, eliminating it from your diet could reduce swelling in the joint and cut down on arthritis pain. However, very few people have a true food allergy. Another explanation offered is the presence of lectins, food molecules that can act like antigens. Recent studies in both the British Journal of Rheumatology, and the British Journal of Nutrition point out that many foods commonly mentioned in discussions of food allergy, such as peanuts, beans, peas, lentils, barley, rye, oats, corn, and wheat, are particularly rich in lectins. Lectins are known to cause changes in the wall of the digestive tract that can allow inflammatory antigens to leak into the system and perhaps trigger rheumatoid arthritis. However, the studies’ authors agree that more research on the effects of lectin-rich vs. lectin-free diets is needed before any definitive conclusions can be drawn.

I think they’ve almost got it! They suspect there’s a relationship between stomach and intestinal inflammation, and joint inflammation. They’re right, but they don’t know why. It’s interesting that they list only grains as the foods most likely to cause inflammation. They’re blaming antigens and lectins, but if you’ll substitute the word “fungi” in the above statements, what they say is true. They’ve identified the carrier, but they still refuse to see the fungus itself.

Fungus causes inflammation. That’s a fact. After it enters the body through the intestines or the lungs, it can go wherever it isn’t opposed. If you’ve got a suppressed immune system, or insufficient beneficial bacteria, there’s not much to stop it. And it’s not only AIDS or chemotherapy patients who can have a suppressed immune system – anyone can, if they’ve been exposed to antibiotics, hormones (birth control pills, corticosteroids, hormone replacement therapy, or soy foods), or severe illness, such as pneumonia. The invading pathogens (fungi) are attacked by the body’s immune system (white blood cells), causing inflammation. (There are many more players and steps involved, but that’s the simple way of saying it.) The challenge in this case is identifying the fungal pathogens. Under a microscope, a fungal cell looks just like a normal human cell. Someone trained in mycology, and using the proper diagnostic tests, would be able to isolate fungal cells, but most labs don’t employ those kinds of people. The test results come back normal, and you’re told that for some reason, your body is attacking itself (autoimmune disease). There are many autoimmune diseases, of which arthritis is only one. The common denominator in all of them is that the doctors “don’t know what caused it.” I’m not going to swear on a stack of Holy Bibles that fungus causes every autoimmune disease, but I will tell you that if you are ever diagnosed with one, you should treat it as a systemic fungal infection first and see if you don’t get “miraculously” better.

So what would I do if my doctor told me I had arthritis? The first thing would be to clean up my diet and eliminate as many grains as possible. I would eat more vegetables and proteins and either limit or eliminate the grains entirely. As we’ve discussed before, some grains are better than others, so a moderate intake of those “safer” grains would be my choice. I would also completely eliminate refined sugar from my diet, as well as much of the natural sugar from fruits. The really sweet fruits, like peaches and melons, I would eliminate entirely. Sugar feeds fungus, so if the arthritis is indeed caused by a fungal infection, eliminating sugars and grains is the quickest way to starve it out of existence. You can go back and reference my “The Healthy Diet” for more specifics (Issue #9).

The next thing I would do is exercise the muscles surrounding the inflamed joints. The more blood you can get to your muscles, the more good soldiers will be on hand for the battle with the fungus. Strengthening your muscles will also help with weight-bearing and range-of-motion in damaged joints. The best exercise you could do would be swimming, but not many of us have swimming pools, so the next best thing would be walking briskly. You can get your heart rate up by walking briskly and you’ll notice that all your muscles feel relaxed and warm when you finish. This is important, because it means you’ve succeeded in getting much-needed blood to the sites of the inflammation. This blood, of course, includes your white blood cells. If I had arthritis in my fingers, shoulders or wrists, I’d do some exercises just for them, in addition to walking. I would squeeze a tennis ball for arthritic fingers, after first soaking my hands in warm water to loosen them up. Putting varying amounts of water in empty milk jugs and hoisting them this way and that (a cheap, homemade set of weights J) would help with my shoulders or wrists. Maybe I’d start with just a little bit of water if they were very painful, and gradually work up to more and more water in the jug. Another benefit of exercising is increasing bone density. If you don’t use your bones, they will atrophy, just like an unused muscle. So get out and walk! And swing those milk jugs! But not necessarily at the same time. J

Lastly, I’d take a couple of different supplements. One of them would be an antifungal, such as olive leaf, Pau d’Arco, chaparral, or something similar. I’d also take a good probiotic supplement, to help with reinforcement of the “good guys” in my gut. By killing off the fungi and replacing the good bacteria, it will give my immune system a chance to get back on its feet and start rebuilding the bone and cartilage that might have been damaged. Don’t let a doctor tell you that bone and cartilage can’t re-grow, because it can. You only have to look at a broken bone or a torn cartilage that’s healed to see that your body can indeed repair itself. You just have to give it a chance.

A closing thought… Everything I just told you above is apparently a “Bogus Remedy”. I found this on the arthritis page of the AMA’s PDR website:

Tip-offs of a Bogus Remedy

Bookstores abound with information on new treatments for arthritis, including new diets. Television, radio, and magazine advertisements may try to convince you that changing the way you eat will cure your disease. The Arthritis Foundation compiled this list of 10 practices typical of promotions for unproven remedies. The Foundation warns that even a doctor’s testimonial doesn’t always make a claim legitimate. You should be alert for these signs:

1.       A cure is offered. (There is no known cure yet for any form of chronic rheumatic disease. All current treatments merely reduce the symptoms and slow the progress. When genuine cures are found, there won’t be any question about it; the whole world will know.)

Well, no cure that they know about, anyway. And they’re the only ones whose opinion counts, right?

2.   The cure or remedy is described as a “secret” formula or device — as “exclusive,” or “special.” (Legitimate scientists don’t keep their discoveries secret or exclusive.)

Eh, not guilty. I’m not keeping any secrets.

And, yes, legitimate scientists do keep their discoveries a secret – until they have found a way to patent them and make huge profits from them. Then they tell the world and make you pay the price to get their “cure” (or other product). They are no different than the so-called “quacks” except that they have government authorization to act in that manner.

3.    Testimonials and case histories of people who have supposedly been helped by the remedy are offered as “proof” of its effectiveness. (A few successes — if true — still don’t prove the remedy will work for everyone.)

Well, I never said it would work for everyone, but it did work for me, so why not give it a try?

4.    The remedy or treatment is described in sensational articles in tabloids and special health-interest publications, or advertised in magazines and through mail order promotions. (The tabloids are fun; but you should never take them seriously.)

Nope, no tabloids here!

Well, gee, we did do the aliens-taking-over-Rich spoof, but honest, there are no two-headed Sasquatch babies down here in the Publications Dungeon. J

5.   Quick, simple relief of pain is promised or implied. (There is nothing simple about arthritis.)

Baloney! That’s just what they want you to believe. They just want you to buy more drugs!

6.   The treatment is promoted as “cleansing” the body of poisons or “toxins” to allow the body’s “natural” curative powers to clear up the disease. (They won’t.)

That statement is simply a bald-faced lie. Totally!

Actually, this statement is typical (according to psychologists), of someone who is afraid that the competition might be right and they have no real scientific evidence to back them up, so they want the competition to appear to be snake oil salesmen (and hey, some of them are). Many doctors do know that the body can fix itself once whatever is aggravating it is removed.

7.    Drugs and surgery are condemned as damaging, dangerous, and unnecessary and you are advised to try a non-drug treatment. (Standard treatments can be dangerous for some people, but that doesn’t mean a non-drug treatment will work.)

Yup, I’d suggest a non-surgical approach first. Every single time.

Isn’t it the most logical thing to do to attempt any reasonable method of repair before cutting open your body? Oh, I’m sorry… I’m asking the government and big business to be logical.

8.    No reliable evidence or scientific proof is offered to back up claims that the advertised remedy is safe and effective. (The promoter has not had the method properly tested in clinical trials.)

Well, we do have scientific proof and clinical trials referenced, although we did not conduct them ourselves.

Also, AMA/FDA-certified labs did not do those tests that were done because they refuse to do so. They’d lose their certification for helping the “enemy.” You think this isn’t a money war?

9.   A special diet or nutrition treatment program is promoted as the answer. (Research scientists have not found any foods or nutrients that, by themselves, cause any rheumatic disease, or can be relied on to make any of these diseases better or worse [except modestly in gout]).

Oh, good grief! Read that statement carefully. They have not found any single food that causes or lessens arthritis. Of course not, because there are many! Basically, anything with yeast, mold, or mycotoxins in it will make it worse and anything that’s antioxidant and antifungal will make it better.

And, I add, that if they agree that gout can be affected by foods, why then can they not even consider the idea that the problems of the rest of the body can be likewise affected? In for a dime, in for a dollar?

10. The “medical establishment” is accused of conspiracy to thwart progress by refusing to “recognize” or “approve” the remedy being promoted. (Doctors are conservative; but they have no reason to deliberately block progress.)

It is not now, and never has been, the doctors themselves who stand in the way of alternative treatments. Many are open to the idea. The FDA and the pharmaceutical companies are the ones standing in the way. And many doctors who do not follow the “rules” lose their licenses. They’re caught in a bureaucratic trap.

Well, apparently I have committed 7 of the 10 sins above. But on the other hand, I’m not trying to sell you drugs, and they are, so I guess you have to consider the source. But in the interest of fair reporting, I wanted to make sure you saw their side of the story. With appropriate comments from us, of course. J

And as always, you’re free to do whatever you feel is right. I tell you what I think is right, but I’m only sharing information. You have to assimilate this information with what you already know (or suspect) and come to your own conclusions. It is my hope that if nothing else, I can get you to at least question tradition. I hate to use that term to describe allopathic medicine, because it’s been around for such a short time, but “traditional medicine” is the accepted term for our current state of affairs, and the long-term historic time-tested “wise woman” practices of herbs, diet, and exercise are now considered “alternative” or even “New Age.”

To your health, however you choose. J

Oregano: Antibacterial/Antifungal Miracle?

Well, as I promised, I started searching for information on this subject and found more than I expected. At the moment, I am in “Situation: Overload.” I have so many things here to read and study that I’m not sure where to start. There are several magazine articles (some good, some questionable in their claims), some books (as yet I have not acquired or read them), quite a few legitimate lab tests (with favorable results for Mediterranean Oregano), and a zillion web sites (some reasonably logical and some quite full of whacko sales propaganda).

I guess the first place to start would be a few quotes from past magazine articles.

Men’s Health magazine, April 2002, page 26:

The spice of life. Tossing some oregano in your supper might help fight a bacterial infection. Researchers at Georgetown University recently found that the natural oils in oregano can kill dangerous, and sometimes even drug-resistant, forms of bacteria – including staph. “In animal trials, we found that a small amount of oregano oil diluted with olive oil was just as effective at preventing bacterial growth as some standard but more potent antibiotics, such as penicillin,” says Harry Preuss, MD, the study author.

OK this part is off topic, but I noticed on that same page a little factoid they threw in that says Percentage of energy-bar labels that contain inaccurate nutritional information: 60 – Yeah, well, it isn’t about oregano, but you should know that anyway. So maybe even reading those labels and trying to decipher them won’t give you the truth about the product if they are going to lie anyway.

Psychology Today, April 2002, “You Are What you Eat” section:

The secret is in the oil (of oregano, that is) Eating right doesn’t only make you feel good: Some foods and supplements have powerful germ-fighting abilities. Researchers believe that spicy foods became popular in the tropics because the spices keep bacteria at bay and foods from spoiling.

The oil of the oregano plant has received some recent attention as a natural means to combat bacterial and fungal infections. Researchers at the University of Tennessee compared the power of various spices in fighting off common food-borne microbes, including E.coli and Listeria. The results were startling: Oil of oregano seemed to completely inhibit the growth of harmful organisms. Cass Ingram, M.D., author of The Cure is in the Cupboard, says that oil of oregano can treat conditions ranging from acne and ear aches to varicose veins. Ingram even suggests taking a few drops before eating at a restaurant to fight off any bacteria that might lurk in the salad bar.

Did I see them say “food-borne microbes”? And this article has a doctor’s name in it, so is it possible that some doctors actually do believe there is an association between the foods you eat and the possibilities that you can get sick from those foods?

That same page, again off-topic, carried an article that asked the question: How do you stick to your diet when bad food makes you feel so good? Hmmm, that could be another issue here later, the psychology of dieting.

Business Week, October 22, 2001:

SEEKING AN ANTHRAX CURE IN YOUR SPICE GARDEN – Oregano may be a lot more than just a tasty herb you sprinkle on your pizza and spaghetti. It could turn into the next wonder drug. The herb was celebrated by the ancient Greeks as an antidote for hemlock poisoning. But the latest research suggest it may clobber fungi and bacteria – possibly including the virulent anthrax bug, a potential terrorist weapon.

In recent tests on mice, Dr. Harry G. Preuss of Georgetown University Medical Center found that oregano-oil extract is just as effective as the most potent antibiotic in combating staphylococcus bacteria, which can cause deadly infections and is becoming increasingly resistant to many antibiotics. Similarly, oregano oil wipes out a fungus called Candida albicans, which causes diaper rash and other ailments.

As for anthrax, animal tests haven’t started yet, but Dr. Cass Ingram of North American Herb & Spice Co., who collaborates with Preuss, says oregano oil has proved effective in test-tube experiments. So it looks poised to make big-time leap from the spice cabinet to the medicine cabinet. - Pallavi Gogoi

Well, as Hippocrates suggested, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.”

Family Circle, July 12, 2005, page 77, “Health Report” by Tricia O’Brien:

Can oregano prevent cancer? Surprising remedies from your spice rack – Your pantry may hold the answer to everything from arthritis and memory problems to diabetes and cancer. Take our sage advice to improve your health (and your cuisine).

Among several claims, such as garlic being a heart protector and ginger being a pain reliever and nausea remedy, was this tidbit:

When it comes to reaping the health benefits of spices, making them a habitual part of your diet is best, says Takayuki Shibamoto, Ph.D., a professor of environmental toxicology at the University of California, Davis, who researchers the health benefits of spices. What’s more, when used in cooking, spices are very safe. Sprinkle on your favorite spice today, and you could be on your way to wellness.

A professor of toxicology who researches the health benefits of spices… Didn’t I just read something, perhaps in this very issue, that the AMA claims there is no medicinal value, good or bad, in food?

Better Nutrition, February 2002, page 19:

Is Oregano an anti-candida fighter? Yes, according to a new study led by Georgetown University’s Harry G. Preuss, M.D., in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. The study looked at a specific oregano oil (P73), oregano compounds such as carvacrol and synthetic antibiotics such as amphotericin B and nystatin versus Candida albicans in test-tube cultures (in vitro) and in mice infected with candida. In the test-tube part of the study, the oregano oil completely stopped or prevented the growth of candida – by up to 75 percent. In the animal part of the study, mice infected with candida were given oregano oil for eight days and followed for one month. The mice that received oregano oil all survived; the mice that only received the placebo olive oil all died within 10 days. The oregano oil was as effective as amphotericin B in protecting the mice from systemic candidiasis. Interestingly enough, giving whole oregano oil was more effective than only giving one of its isolated components, carvacrol, which supports the view that a synergy of naturally occurring compounds (including thymol, terpenes and flavonoids) is more effective than isolating a specific ingredient. The study’s authors concluded that daily consumption of “oregano oil may be highly effective in the prevention and treatment of candidiasis.” The power of the findings led the researchers to suggest future studies should look at oregano oil against other systemic and skin fungal infections, pathogens and even cancer.

Stay tuned for more in a future issue.