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ARTHRITIS / RHEUMATISM - QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
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- What is the key factor in treating arthritis?
- Not to treat the arthritis, but to work with the patients entire health picture. I do not now and I never have treated "arthritis". I work with the whole patient to improve the functioning of all their bodily symptoms and return them to a higher level of vitality. When their health returns their arthritis dissipates. This includes searching out weaknesses in all systems and improving endocrine, gastrointestinal, neurological, immunological, and every other aspect through natural, hygienic methods. If they want the arthritis symptoms "treated" they should go to a standard medical physician. They can expect that under such circumstances improvements in their health will be exceedingly rare and that the risks from such treatments are significant.
- What do you think of taking fish liver oils, enemas, colonics, shark cartilage, colloidal minerals, apple cider vinegar and honey, bee sting therapy, herbal products, DMSO, Acupuncture, Vega Testing, Homeopathy, Spirulina, Blue Green Algae, etc.?
- There are innumerable potions and remedies on the market, and they change each year.... New ones come and old ones leave. Until the real causes of a patients problems are addressed, any benefits obtained will be minimal. By looking for quick fixes, we delay finding the causes for our problems. Arthritis does not occur due to a lack of shark cartilage, or blue green algae, or any other product. Multi level marketing companies will change with the market as will the products they sell and desperate people will grab at any hope offered. We must orient ourselves to looking for causes of our problems rather then shopping around on the "quick cure train". It is true that this is not always easy, but ultimately it is the way back to improved health.
- Is it necessary for patients to adopt a whole new way of living, even to the point where they may need to change jobs, lifestyles, etc. if they are to recover?
- Yes! Real health reform is required. If the home or work atmosphere is filled with strife, if the person hates their job, if the environment is not hygienic, then change is mandatory. It is important to note also, that mere knowledge of what one needs to do, even if that person becomes an expert in the field and an authority on Rheumatic Diseases is not enough. It takes action and that normally means changes.
Once the patient has had a comprehensive workup performed, and understands the changes needed, they must dedicate themselves to enthusiastically establishing new patterns of living. Early to bed and early to rise, giving up toxic habits of mind and body, avoidance of all but high quality natural foods (after adequate detoxification and avoidance of allergens), and persistence, persistence, persistence.
- Once a patient has recovered, can they have a relapse?
- Yes. Many patients go back to old habits and ways and find themselves right back where they started from with pain and disability. Fortunately nature is kind, and we can usually recover again when we readopt the right habits. There is no permanent cure of rheumatic diseases! If the causes of the disease are set back into motion then disease will follow. If we follow the correct path of health, improved health will follow. It is a matter of cause and effect.
- What are the factors that make recovery most difficult?
- Lack of determination and persistence on the part of the patient are the greatest threats to success. If the patient does not take an active role in their recovery, if they lack the motivation and interest in getting well, or if they are unwilling to endure temporary, sometimes significant discomforts during the early periods of their recovery program, it is unlikely that improvement will be obtained. In terms of the clinical picture, long term steroid or other immunosuppressant drug usage such as methotrexate or surgical loss of organs and glands make recovery more difficult. Great discipline in following a program is essential.
- Is age a factor in recovering?
- Age is not so much a factor as is our will power and energy reserves. Some middle age and older persons have more energy reserves than some younger people. In any person who is badly enervated, as is true with most people with arthritis and rheumatism, much sleep and rest may be required for some time.
BEFORE AND AFTER
Dr. Goldberg - almost crippled by severe rheumatoid arthritis and colitis - read more
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- What is the single most important dietetic factor in causing Rheumatic Disease?
- There are multiple dietary factors that may be responsible, and they will differ greatly from person to person. If I had to pick one single factor, it would be the usage of refined carbohydrates and overeating. An excess of even natural carbohydrates can be a potent contributing factor in some people. Food allergies are also a contributing factor in many patients. Some patients have eaten so much in the way of refined carbohydrate or excess carbohydrate overall over a number of years that they have thrown off their insulin/glucagon balance leading to an imbalance of eicosanoids with resulting lowered immunity and increased inflammatory responses
- Vegetarians do not get arthritis do they?
- While excess meat eating may contribute to Rheumatic Disease, vegetarians are not immune. Keep in mind, that one who is "vegetarian" is not necessarily eating healthfully just because they don't eat meat. I have some patients utilize animal proteins in their diets temporarily, while with many others I focus on vegetarian fare... . It depends on the case.
- I read in a popular health book that cows milk is the cause of all arthritis. Is that true?
- Pasteurized cows milk can contribute to arthritic processes, and in one experiment reported by the Price-Pottenger Foundation, even calves fed pasteurized cows milk developed heart disease and arthritis after a few months on it. There is no single factor that causes all arthritis in humans, however, not even pasteurized, homogenized, antibiotic, hormone laced cows milk.
- Would some patients benefit from an extended rest/vacation initially as part of their care?
- Emphatically yes! An extended rest/vacation with dietetic reform (or fasting in some cases) is often essential for the Rheumatic Disease patient. A good Natural Hygiene Retreat Center generally serves best for this. Importantly is that it be a place where the patient can get unlimited rest and sleep, be in a natural clean environment, be monitored as to their needs, and be away from all the enervating influences of modern society. Many patients are not able to recover from Rheumatic Disease unless they initially take a much needed long term rest.
- Can severe or prolonged emotional stress cause Rheumatic Disease?
- Yes. In a person who is predisposed to Rheumatic Disease, extensive emotional stress can trigger the disease process, particularly when added to other stressors they are exposed to. Unrelenting emotional stress negatively influences the immune, endocrine, nervous, and gastrointestinal systems particularly which in turn influence the muscles and joints.
- What is the length of time needed for recovery from Rheumatic Disease?
- This is highly variable depending on the amount of energy reserves the patient has, the number of drugs they have taken, the extent of the disease process, the expertise of the practitioner, and the tenacity and determination to adhere to a program on the part of the patient. It generally takes about one month of recovery time for every six months the patient has been ill, assuming the patient has been correctly analyzed and placed on a program of care that is appropriate and well carried out. Some patients recover quickly while others take more time. How much drugs they have taken, their own energy reserves, and their age are also factors determining recovery time. Again, an extended rest at a retreat center can dramatically reduce recovery time.
- You sound optimistic. Are you quite certain about what you said? Is there really reason for most people with rheumatic disease to have hope?
- What I have written was based on personal experience and experience with patients, as well as formal education and study from many different fields over the past twenty six years. I know the enormous suffering and agony that is felt by Rheumatic Disease patients and I do not take it lightly. Be of good cheer! With the right guidance, effort, and time, recovery is possible!
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Arthritis is not a single entity, it is a symptom that reflects numerous factors, different ones in different people.