Laura, Your friend is pretty much avoiding all foods that cause inflammation, which is something that not only helps arthritis, but should help keep most inflammatory illnesses at bay, which may include blood pressure, cholesterol, & diabetes, just to name a few.
Essential Fatty Oils are also good to help minimize the pain from arthritis. I have two clients that did the HCG diet this past year, and they were on a ridiculously low caloric intake and had to cut out all the good fats from their diet. Neither one of them could believe how much pain re-entered the picture after cutting out all the healthy fats, and quickly decided to go off it, in order to make their bones feel better. They are both in their 60's and suffer from arthritis.
Lisa, Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. Basically, the body gets confused and attacks its own joints. Viral infections or toxins in the tissues may be the real cause of rheumatoid arthritis. Most people suffering from this use drugs referred to as NSAIDS or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. At first, this may appear to help, as these drugs are known for knocking out the pain, yet they do not address the cause of the illness and they don't remove the toxins that actually contribute to further breakdown of the body.
Others choose to use surgery to minimize the pain, but again, the root cause is not being addressed. Taking care of the pain is merely a band-aid for the situation. I believe you must address all illness from the root cause. Traditional medicine does not approach treating illnesses in this manner & merely address the symptoms.
Arthritis comes from irritation to the joints. Remove the irritant that causes the problem and the irritation will go away. THere are 3 primary causes of joint irritation: *structural (via mechanical wear or damage) *chemical stress, which are environmental toxins & nutritional deficiencies that weaken the joints *Emotional Stress (being frozen in our lives) can be a third source of arthritis.
While naturally addressing arthritis, it is important to bettering the circulation in the area affected to help it heal. Massaging and gentle stretching exercises combined with topical application of something like Deep Relief Oils or Tei Fu Essential Oils will also help ease the pain.
Diet is important. By eating a diet that alkalizes the system's pH, reduction of joint irritations will occur, particularly paying attention to balancing highly acid forming foods like meat, dairy grain, nuts and beans with more alkaline forming foods like fruits and veggies.
Increasingly popular supplements to help with arthritis & joint pain include: MSM, Glucosamine, Chondroitin; all of which is available in a combination called Ever Flex. This is one of my hubby's favorite supplements. He used to be a professional skateboarder and has suffered many falls, leaving him with back and joint pain. He isn't that committed to working on his diet, so he uses this to help him feel better.
If cartilage is damaged, Collatrim helps prevent the tissues to harden and helps cartilage heal. A few grams a day can help restore mobility to the joints. Herbs can help damaged joints to rebuild. Silica adds resilency to joints so they are less susceptible to damage and can be found in horsetail, Dulse Liquid & HSN-W.
Calcium is important, but calcium alone isn't the answer, as you need other supplements in order to assimilate calcium properly, including Vit. D, silica, boron, & magnesium. Skeletal Strength contains all these nutrients and is the best combination for helping with joint repair. My Mama Doris LOVED Skeletal Strength. It also helps increase bone density. She had a bone density test done and the first one showed her bones as an upper 80 yo woman, were that of a 102-107yo woman. After using Skeletal Strength for 6 months and having her bone density test repeated, her bone density was that of a 57 yo. Her doctor was astounded to say the least!
There are other supplements that can help, but this is a good springboard of things to consider.
Hope this has been helpful.
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