Arhtritis/ Muscle problems

ARTHRITIS / MUSCLE PROBLEMS

Arthritis is one of the most common causes of disability in the Western World.  Anti inflammatory medications are very effective on a short term basis, but unfortunately, their use is limited due to a significant side effect profile.  This mainly consists of gastro-intestinal side effects, and plays a contributory role in up to 2000 deaths in the U.K. on an annual basis.

Q. Is Arthritis caused by diet or an allergy?

A. There are many contributory causes to Arthritis and diet is certainly one of these.  Depending on the individual, the importance of diet varies considerably.  A full allergy assessment i.e. comprehensive history and allergy testing will normally clarify the importance of diet in a person’s Arthritis.  The effects of diet are individual and there is no one allergy diet.

Q. What can Complementary Medicine offer in Rheumatoid Arthritis?

1. Diet/Allergy.  A variety of common, everyday foods e.g. dairy, wheat, citrus, yeast etc. can play a significant contributory role to Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Patients with other symptoms/allergies are more likely to benefit from dietary elimination.  Dietary evaluation is done by history allergy testing and evaluation of response over a 6-8 week period.
2. Individually selected Herbal Medicines and Homeopathy can be very beneficial.  Apart from relieving the Arthritis symptoms, they aim to help the overall Immune system as well as treating any underlying bowel disorder.  It is becoming increasingly that the digestive system is important in immune function.  Treatment includes good quality probiotics and preparations for gut permeability can benefit all patients with chronic illness.
3. A wide variety of Vitamins and Minerals e.g. Magnesium, Selenium, Vitamin C can be used.  With all supplements and Herbal medicine it is important to use the right dose of good quality products for an appropriate period of time.
4. Acupuncture.  By itself it has a limited role in Rheumatoid but can be useful in  relief of pain/inflammation in selective joints and points.

Q. Can Acupuncture help Osteoarthritis?

A. I normally recommend a course of 4-6 treatments of Acupuncture to the affected joints.  Acupuncture will not cure the Arthritis, but can produce significant relief of symptoms for 6-12 months.  Dietary measures including weight reduction can be beneficial.  Osteoarthritis is not normally due to food intolerance, but in patients with a history of other allergic type symptoms e.g. Asthma, Eczema, Rhinitis, then dietary elimination can be very successful.

A variety of supplements including Herbal/Homeopathic Medicines and Vitamins and Minerals can help to resolve the inflammation.  Glucosamine builds up the cartilage of the joint can be useful in Ostroarthritis, however, it has to be used for a prolonged period and should not be used with a history of shell fish allergy.

Q. For years I have a lot of muscular aches and pains and have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I have been told that I have to live with the condition and that it is stress related.

A. Stress will certainly aggravate this condition, but is not the cause of it.  There are many other factors including posture, cold sensitivity, hormonal, diet and Vitamin/Mineral imbalance.  In this condition, multiple, tight bands of muscle (trigger points) are present and symptoms generally increase with the traditional aggravating factors outlined above.  Complementary Medicine treats this with a combination of:

• Acupuncture to the worse affected areas.
• Dietary evaluation, as this can be extremely important in some patients.
• Correction of any Vitamin/Mineral imbalance.
• Use of Herbal and Homeopathic Medicines.