Rheumatoid Arthritis

June 15, 2004

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disabling and crippling

inflammatory disease of the joints. It chiefly affects the synovial

membrane (a thick tissue covering the joints) of the small joints

of the body. Symptoms include joint stiffness—especially in

the morning—tenderness, warmth, and pain, most often in the

joints of the fingers, wrists, toes, ankles, and knees. Other symptoms

include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight, and depression.

As the disease progresses, the joints thin out and become deformed.

Cartilage, bone, ligaments, and tendons in and around the joints

are weakened or destroyed, which can lead to muscle atrophy and

imbalances of opposing groups of muscles.

While rheumatoid arthritis can occur anytime in life, 70 percent

of the cases are diagnosed between the ages of thirty and seventy,

with the peak incidence in the fourth decade. It is estimated that

approximately 10 percent of all people age sixty-five or older suffer

from this condition. Women with this disease outnumber men by a

ratio of almost 3:1. Rheumatoid arthritis is a significant problem

for people who work with their hands, such as computer programmers,

physical therapists, people involved in assembly work, illustrators,

and artists. Because these individuals are involved in precision

work, this disease can significantly affect their ability to earn

a living.

Many research studies have implicated diet as a major risk factor

in the development of rheumatoid arthritis. All of the foods that

have been found to worsen the symptoms of this disease are either

highly acidic or produce an acid response within the body. When

volunteers with this disease were taken off these foods and either

fasted for a period of time or were placed on more alkaline vegetarian

diets, they experienced a notable improvement in their symptoms.

Many of the patients I have treated over the years are on a very

acidic diet and were unaware of the effect that their food choices

were having on their disease. Most of these individuals improved

significantly after modifying their eating habits and alkalinizing

their bodies.

Read More on Joint Health:

Getting Started

Heal Arthritis Naturally

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Nutritional Therapies

Get Moving with the Right Diet

Supplements to Heal Aching Joints

Digestive Enzymes: The Side Effect-Free Approach

to Pain Relief

Complementary Therapies

Stretch Out

Spice Up Your Life