Osteo and Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Change your diet and feel the results!
Very often these days the medication given for arthritis takes no account of what changes and benefits could come about by a change in the diet. On this site I am including several pages on diets for various conditions. By adjusting our diets in this way we can reduce symptoms and therefore reduce the amount of medication we need to take. The end result of that is less stress on the body systems... and we all want that!
The Natural Remedies page for arthritis can be found by going through the seniors link.
There are two kinds of arthritis.
1. Osteoarthritis - or osteoarthrosis - which is a degeneration of the joint surfaces, usually by wear and tear and sometimes by injury. It may affect one joint or many joints, usually the weight bearing ones such as hips and knees.
2. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the joint surfaces and affects the body as a whole. It is an auto immune disease, one in which the body mistakenly attacks itself and is thought to be caused partly by nutritional deficiencies and stress. This stress can be physical, mental or emotional and can cause exhaustion of the body's reserves.
The right diet and vitamin and mineral supplementation reduces the stress levels and refills the body's reserves which are depleted by coping with pain, taking medication and by the disruption to life's harmony caused by chronic disease.
OSTEOARTHRITIS
A good quality diet is advisable for osteoarthritis, containing maximum vits and mins, as much organic produce as possible and keeping all food groups in good balance. In any degenerative condition such as this, all junk food should be avoided. Its just too much of a strain on the digestive tract. The diet should be alkaline, with acidic foods reduced.
For lists of acid and alkaline foods, there are some great website. Just google the words and you can download a chart free.
Extra Vit C and E should be taken, to speed repair of the connective tissue. Kelp and Brewer's yeast are great dietary supplements for this condition.
Great Care should be taken to avoid strain on the affected joints, but the circulation should be improved with gentle exercise, massage and the application of herbal oils and linaments.The regular gentle exercise and massage are both very important!
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Diet in rheumatoid arthritis is much more important as in some cases it can arrest the disease itself. Since it is an auto-immune system disease there may be food allergies and the first thing to do is look for them. Ideally this means going on an elimination or rotation diet. These days comprehensive tests can be done to determine allergies, but these can be expensive.
If you think you may be allergic, try eliminating one food group at a time for a month. You'll soon feel the difference when you find the foods your body doesn't like!
The foods most often found to make the symptoms worse are milk (or milk products), wheat (or wheatflour products), pork (and pork products), beef, coffee, and acidic foods such as oranges. If there are food allergies then these foods may have to be completely eliminated from the diet.
If there are no food causing allergic reactions then the diet must be as alkaline as possible. Foods must be fresh and organic if possible.
If you have had a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and have not been put onto a strict diet or your food allergies checked.. then please follow these simple nutritional guidelines and also use the page on Rheumatoid arthritis remedies, select one remedy at a time. Within one month you should see improvement in your symptoms, at which point you can think about talking to your doctor about reducing your medication.
FOODS TO EAT
Salad vegetables - some should be eaten EVERY DAY!
carrot, watercress, spring onions or sliced red or brown onions, radishes, celery, shredded cabbage (coleslaw), mustard and cress, lettuce, beetroot grated raw or cooked without vinegar.
Cooked fresh vegetables:Broccoli, spring greens, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, onions, leeks, carrots, parsnips, turnips, swede, potato, green runner beans, peas, celeriac, yam, sweet potato, kohlrabi
Pulses:soya beans and soya bean products such as soya flour, lentils, split peas - red and green, chick peas - also known as garbanzo beans , red kidney beans - the ones we usually use for chili con carne, butter beans - big broad cream colored, broad beans - smaller green beans can be grown or found in cans and frozen, haricot beans, black eyed beans, mung beans and bean sprouts.
Fish: all kinds except shell fish
Poultry: chicken , turkey, duck, pigeon
Rabbit and hare
Lamb and lambs liver
Sunflower and safflower oils, sunflower or soya margarines (polyunsaturated)
Nuts: walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts
Rice: Brown rice only - NOT white rice.
Fruit: grapes, melon, pears, peaches, apricots and ripe bananas
Dried Fruit: raisins, sultanas, dates, figs, dried apricots, peaches and pears
Honey for sweetening, in small quantities only
Molasses is rich in minerals and is a mild natural laxative carob should replace chocolate
DRINKS
Prue grape juice herbal teas Dandelion coffee Soya milk to replace cows milk. Barley water made with barley kernels.
FOOD TO AVOID COMPLETELY
Citrus fruits: oranges and grapefruits
Berry fruits: Strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrents,gooseberries
Other acidic Fruit: Plums, greengages, pineapple
Acid vegetables: Tomatoes , spinach, rhubarb
Pork, bacon, ham and all preserved meats
Beef in any form
Vinegar and pickles
White bread, white flour and any foods containing white flour
Sugar and foods containing sugar such as jam and marmalade
Salt and salty foods
Processed foods and drinks containing chemical additives
Chocolate and coffee
SUSPECT FOODS
These are foods which may be taken safely by some people by must be strictly avoided by others. Wholemeal flour, bread, cereals, wheat germ and bran. Milk,butter,cheese,cream,yogurt and all milk products.Eggs,Tea,Apples, Oats and Rye.
VITAMINS AND MINERAL SUPPLMENTS
Vit C and B complex and calcium pantothenate - all well indicated for arthritis.
Vit E and Selenium support the immune system.
Zinc is needed for the immune system.
Vits A and D are needed for the maintenance and repair of bones and joints and these are all found in fish liver oils.
Take an Omega 3 and 6 capsule daily
Take Evening primrose Oil daily
For natural remedies for arthritis see the link on the seniors page! or you can always contact me for advice and info.
JUDES RELIABLES: I have to say that the Omega 3 and 6 advice has been proven through so much research that we cannot refute it. If you don't already.. get some and start taking it!! And eat some oily fish once or twice a week. I benefit from it and you will too.
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