| Whether we have experience the pain personally, | | | | which can be taken to : a) decrease inflammation |
| or know of someone who has, arthritis has | | | | in the body: |
| affected most of us in one way or another. | | | | I) Eat more fresh pineapple between meals; |
| Simply put, arthritis is an inflammatory condition of | | | | pineapple contains bromelin, an enzyme that |
| one or more joints; however, there are various | | | | decrease inflammation.ii) Avoid the nightshade |
| types including: | | | | family (tomatoes, white potatoes, peppers, |
| - osteoarthritis | | | | eggplant, tobacco). Solanine, the substance |
| - rheumatoid arthritis | | | | contained in these foods, causes joint pain.iii) Use |
| - fibromyalgia | | | | hot castor oil packs (for instruction, call the |
| - gout | | | | office).iv) Check for possible food sensitivities |
| - lupus | | | | using an electro dermal acupuncture device ( call |
| - lyme disease | | | | the office for more details).v) Apply cayenne |
| - Reiter's syndrome | | | | pepper paste (cayenne pepper and wintergreen |
| - psoriatic arthritis | | | | oil) to painful and inflamed joints. Capsaicin, the |
| - Sjogren's syndrome | | | | substance present in cayenne pepper, relieves |
| - ankylosing spondylitis | | | | pain and inflammation.b) To nourish the joint |
| While each of the above conditions are | | | | structures, you can: |
| characterized by their own specific symptoms, | | | | I) Consume more foods containing sulfur (eggs, |
| common elements of each are: | | | | asparagus, garlic and onion); sulfur helps repair of |
| - pain | | | | the joint tissues.ii) Eat more foods containing |
| - swelling | | | | histidine (rice, wheat, and rye), which removes the |
| - stiffness | | | | excess metals from the body.iii) Eat deep-sea fish |
| - diminished range of motion | | | | (contains the good fats that nourish the joint |
| - deformity | | | | tissues; decrease pain and inflammation as well). |
| While individual cases will vary in both scope and | | | | It is of paramount importance to remember that |
| complexity, a naturopathic approach involving a | | | | each case of arthritis is individualistic and also that |
| combination of acupuncture, herbs, homeopathic, | | | | an excess amount of toxicity will only aggravate |
| and nutritional support should be tailored on an | | | | this condition. |
| individual basis to address two key areas: a) a | | | | Naturopathic medicine recognizes this fact as its |
| reduction of inflammation and b) strengthening of | | | | core belief: treat the individual, not just the |
| the joint structures (cartilage, ligaments, and | | | | disease. |
| capsule). | | | | Stay informed and pain free. |
| On a general level, there are some simple actions | | | | |