OSTEOARTHRITIS
by
Dr. Lawrence Wilson
©
December 2014, L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All information in this article is for educational
purposes only. It is not for the
diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
Osteoarthritis,
which means stiff and/or painful, inflamed joints, affects over half the
American adult population. Most of
the time, medical doctors do not even bother to look for underlying
causes. The usual treatment is
anti-inflammatory drugs, many of which have devastating side effects if one takes
them long enough and often enough.
Hair
mineral analysis, on the other hand, offers excellent information regarding the
causes and how to properly correct many cases of arthritis. Hair mineral patterns reveal many
correctable causes. Among the most
common are glandular imbalance, deposition of toxic metals and nutrient
deficiencies.
A
pattern of tissue breakdown is another important contributor to most cases of
arthritic pain and swelling of the joints. Let us examine some of the most common causes.
BIOCHEMICAL IMBALANCES THAT CAN CAUSE ARTHRITIS
Sluggish
thyroid and adrenal activity are closely associated with
arthritis. The adrenal glands
produce cortisone and cortisol, which are powerful anti-inflammatory
hormones. When the adrenals are weak,
hormone production decreases.
Inflammation of the joints is often one result. This type of arthritic pain is often
worse in the morning. As the day
goes on, the adrenals may function better and the pain often lessens.
Deposits
of calcium and other minerals
often occur in the joints and soft tissues of slow oxidizers. High hair calcium often indicates
abnormal tissue deposition of calcium and other elements as well, such as iron,
manganese, copper and others.
Adequate
sodium and potassium are needed to keep calcium in solution. When these are low in the hair tissue,
due to adrenal insufficiency, calcium leaves the blood and precipitates into
the tissues. Serum levels of
sodium and potassium are rarely low, however, so blood tests are not helpful to
make this assessment.
Toxic
metal poisoning is also associated with slow oxidation. The body lacks the energy needed to
remove toxic metals. Deficient
vital minerals are replaced by toxic substitutes. Metals including copper and iron are well known to settle in
the joints.
Nutrient Deficiencies. The presence of toxic metals also
destroy other nutrients. Vitamin
C, for example, is deactivated by an excess of copper. Vitamin C is required for regeneration
of joint cartilage. Thus toxic
substances act as anti-nutrients, interfering with maintenance of vital body
tissues.
Digestive Problems. Slow oxidizers often have deficient
digestion. Even if they eat a good
diet, absorption may be impaired by low hydrochloric acid and often by
intestinal infections. The joints
require many vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. Many such as zinc, selenium, manganese and others are
deficient in typical American diets.
This is another cause of arthritis in millions of people.
Protein is also very important for joint
regeneration. Joint cartilage is
protein and must e renewed continuously.
A low hair phosphorus level often indicates impaired protein metabolism. This may be due to dietary deficiency,
zinc or copper imbalance or impaired digestion for another reason such as a
stressful lifestyle.
Low energy production is another
important cause of arthritis in the slow oxidizer. Energy is needed to rebuild all tissues, including of course
the joint cartilages and other tissues in the area of the joints. Low energy can prevent the complete
healing of traumas, for example, such as minor falls and twists of the
joints.
This
is even more of a problem in one who is overweight, as there is more stress on
their joints. If this process goes
on for years, as it usually does, the joint surfaces slowly degrade and become
rough, with resulting scarring and inflammation in most cases.
FAST OXIDATION
Those
with a fast oxidation rate are also prone to arthritic disease. It can be acute and very painful. However, these individuals have
somewhat different nutritional needs. Often they require more copper, zinc
and magnesium, nutrient needed to rebuild cartilage and to avoid inflammation.
However,
they also need more anti-inflammatory oils and fatty acids, such as the omega-3
fatty acids in their diets. While
everyone needs some of these, the fast oxidizers usually need a larger amount
for a while.
They
also need more of other fats and oils, while faring much worse on sugars in the
diet. Unfortunately, few doctors
are aware of this, so they allow their arthritic patients to continue eating a
lots of carbohydrates and sweets.
Wheat
is particularly bad for many arthritic cases. TodayÕs wheat is quite pro-inflammatory and high in phytates
and other nutrients that impair healing and regeneration of the joints by
interfering with the absorption of zinc, calcium and other vital minerals from
the diet. Also, most all refined
wheat products are enriched with iron, which can make joint problems much
worse.
Certain
other foods cause joint irritation in both slow and fast oxidizers. These include spicy foods and
particularly the nightshade family of vegetables. These include potatoes, tomatoes, all peppers and eggplant.
Many
fast oxidizers have low sodium/potassium
ratios. This pattern, called
an inversion, is associated with tissue catabolism. This means that tissues do not repair themselves and
regenerate as fast as they are lost.
While it can affect any body tissue, catabolism often affects the
joints. Discs and cartilages may
break down, leading to serious joint problems.
Fast
oxidizers are also very prone to excessive
muscle tension and high stress.
Calcium and magnesium, needed to relax, are often deficient in these
individuals. Excess tension
may add stress to already weakened joints.
STRESS, OBESITY, ALLERGIES AND EXERCISE
Obesity can contribute to joint disease
by placing more weight on the joints.
Causes include imbalanced body chemistry, diet and other stress
factors. Poor quality food contributes,
as it does not satisfy the appetite.
One eats more and more, attempting to get oneÕs nutrients. However, since the food is of poor
quality with relatively low nutrient density, and many vital nutrients have
been removed or were never there to begin with, the unknowing eater just eats
more.
Both
fast and slow oxidizers are prone to obesity, though for different
reasons. Sluggish thyroid and
adrenal glandular activity can lead to weight gain in slow oxidizers.
In
fast oxidizers, water retention is common. High insulin and cortisone also lead to fat deposition,
usually in the belly area or chest on women.
Food sensitivities, a contributor to
obesity, can also directly affect the joints. Many people report improvement when wheat and dairy or other
allergic foods are removed from the diet.
Trauma. Excessive activity and exercise is occasionally a
cause. Running and high-impact
activities may easily damage joint surfaces.
Often
one doesnÕt realize it until the damage is done. On a positive note, the joints will often recover if one is
willing to change the diet and lifestyle and do a nutritional balancing program
to restore joint health.
TOXIC CHEMICALS
Everyone
in America is exposed to harmful chemicals in food, air and drinking and
bathing water. We are also eposed
to chemicals through contact.
For
example, we live with thousands of harmful chemicals, from fluoride to
pesticides. They affect the
joints by a variety of mechanisms.
Some are simply stored in the joints, where they cause their
damage.
Others
act as anti-nutrients, producing deficiencies and imbalances. They may impair digestion, absorption
or utilization of vital elements needed for joint health. Often toxic chemicals poison the
thyroid and adrenals. This, in
turn, leads to many health problems.
Others affect the immune response, allowing infections to remain.
CHRONIC INFECTIONS
Chronic
or even acute infections are other possible causes of arthritis. The focus of the infection may not even
be in the joints themselves.
Endotoxins and exotoxins produced by bacteria and even viral infections
from an infection elsewhere in the body such as in old root canals can cause
symptoms at a distance.
Other
common sites of hidden infections include the sinuses, bladder and
bronchials. Bacteria and fungi
produce toxins that often affect the joints. It wonÕt show up on x-rays and you may have few other
symptoms.
Sometimes
a hair analysis will tip one off to the possibility of an infection as a cause
of arthritis because the sodium /potassium ratio will be less than about
2.5:1. this is a chronic infection
indicator, though it is not considered a diagnostic tool. It tells the doctor or practitioner
that chronic infection is likely somewhere in the body.
Most
often, however, the infections only reveal themselves as one ÒretracesÓ or
cleans up the diet and lifestyle and balances body chemistry. As adaptive energy builds, the body
begins to fight the infections.
Often a flare-up or retracing occurs, in which the infection becomes
acute. Usually it resolves itself
without the need for medical intervention. If needed, natural substances such as colloidal silver, bee
propolis and other remedies will help heal the infection once it is flaring up.
This
process can take a number of years.
Often there are layers of infections one on top of another. As one layer is healed, the next is
exposed. This is why we say there
is a time factor in healing.
ARTHRITIS, EMOTIONS AND ATTITUDES
Attitudes
have a lot to do with certain kinds of arthritis. Rigidity will cause joints to stiffen, in particular. Anger and rage will also cause joints
to harden and inflame. Other
emotions can also affect the joints such as an attitude of rigidity,
interestingly enough. Since most
people are unaware of this connection, it can be an important factor that is
hidden from view. By working on
oneÕs attitudes and letting go of rigidity and anger, in particular, joint pain
can sometimes quickly vanish.
OTHER CAUSES
Chiropractic
misalignments can be an important other cause of arthritis. It is a simple one to have checked by a
competent chiropractor and have corrected. Rolfing or body work are also often very helpful for some
tensions that cause arthritic conditions in a few cases.
Rarely,
other causes are responsible for arthritis, such as a genetic defect, a growth
such as tumor, or something else.
However, these are rare.
CORRECTION WITH NUTRITIONAL BALANCING SCIENCE
Rather
than just go after the symptom of pain, a scientific and individualized
nutritional balancing program based on a properly performed and correctly
interpreted hair mineral analysis will identify many causes and slowly undo
them. As a result, most cases of
arthritis will improve, especially when combined with chiropractic or bodywork,
if needed.
Patience
and persistence may be required, but the results are well worth the
effort. Many cases respond very
rapidly, within a few days to a few weeks. Others take longer if toxic metals, for example, have built
up in the joints and must slowly be replaced by physiological minerals. Sauna therapy and coffee enemas, our
extra procedures, are often very helpful to speed up progress. At times, they are essential to reverse
and break old chronic patterns of stress in the body that can cause arthritis.
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