Osteoarthritis
CAUSES
According to a short article on WebMD, osteoarthritis is caused by:
1. Heredity. Some people have an inherited defect in one of the genes responsible for making cartilage.
2. Obesity . Obesity increases the risk for osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, and spine.
3. Injury. Injuries contribute to the development of osteoarthritis.
4. Joint overuse.
5. Other diseases.
Heredity likely can create more challenges but that is a relatively rare cause of the typical arthritis that so many people experience.
Obesity produces mechanical challenges for joints such as knees and ankles, but doesn’t explain why an obese person might have arthritis of the hands or the shoulders.
Injury and “joint overuse” (whatever that is) could play a role if the normal healing mechanism of the body are not working correctly. Or if the body is unable to extinguish the inflammation that really creates the disturbance.
In my view, the general “run of the mill” arthritis is chronic inflammation of the joints and the inability of the body to heal the joints appropriately.
TREATMENT
Natural anti-inflamatories such as curcumin, quercetin, black cumin seed, omega 3 oils, and others can be helpful in the healing process.
Foods are a very common cause of arthritis. One of the reasons I decided to study medicine was because of a book I read by Paavo Airola, “There Is a Cure for Arthritis”. I previously had thought that if you got arthritis you got arthritis - Sorry, Charlie! But Paavo showed that for many people the body is able to heal itself if we provide the proper environment. Good nutrition. Avoid problem foods.
Many years ago I did a two year training program with Dr Theron Randolph, a pioneering allergist. We had a specialty unit in a Chicago hospital. We saw people with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, bowel issues, psychological issues, skin problems, asthma, and many other chronic problems. We would place them on a 4-6 day fast at the start of their stay with us, and by the time they finished their fast, they would almost always be doing much much better. We then knew that something in their environment, likely a food, was contributing to their health issues. We would feed them one food per meal. When we tested wheat, it wasn’t bread with butter that we fed them, not even bread. It was just a wheat mush. Our hospital kitchen did not receive any Michelin awards; ) What we found was that people who, for instance, had a dramatic recovery from their arthritis symptoms while on the fast would have a sudden and equally dramatic return of their arthritis symptoms upon eating certain foods. This confirmed to our patients that foods would cause, or at least contribute to, their arthritis. By avoiding those foods they would have far fewer problems with their arthritis.
What foods to avoid? That depends on the person. Nightshades can be a real problem for some. Or dairy, or gluten, or sugar, or corn.
Figuring out the problem foods and avoiding them can be a huge benefit.
Minerals such as boron can be quite helpful. Some forms of boron are more helpful than other.