Osteoarthritis (a degenerative joint disease) and rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease) are two entirely different diseases, but they can be treated in much the same way. This is because certain principles will start a cascade of healing in your body, no matter what the problem is.

So even though osteoarthritis is commonly said to be caused by wear-and-tear on your joints due to lifestyle, diet and aging, and rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which your body starts destroying itself, you can gain relief in much the same way: by addressing your diet and exercise habits.

Notice the similarities in my top recommendations for both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

My Top Recommendations for Osteoarthritis:

• · Get plenty of omega-3 fats by taking a high-quality krill oil.
• · Get moving with an exercise program.
• · Eat a healthier diet based on the principles of nutritional typing.
• · Rely on safer anti-inflammatory alternatives for pain relief.
• · Use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to harness the power of your mind to help in your healing.

My Top Recommendations for Rheumatoid Arthritis

• · My revision of Dr. Brown's Antibiotic Protocol.
• · Improve your diet using nutritional typing.
• · Take a high-quality krill oil for omega-3 fats.
• · Have an effective method of addressing the nearly universal underlying emotional distresses that are present in nearly all autoimmune diseases like RA, such as EFT.
• · Incorporate regular exercise into your daily schedule being careful to have a consultation with an exercise professional so no permanent joint damage is done as a result of joint deformities.
• · Get your vitamin D levels checked and, if necessary, taking a supplement if you can't get daily sun exposure. This is absolutely crucial and, in my opinion, gross medical negligence and malpractice if it is not performed on nearly every RA patient.

What About Supplements?

A nutritious diet will support your health in a way that no supplement ever can, so any supplements you do take should be in addition to a healthy diet.

That said, certain supplements are far safer than the painkillers that many arthritis patients take on a regular basis.

One of the best ones for pain is animal-based omega-3 fat. This is absolutely essential for any comprehensive anti-inflammatory program, and a recent study even found that it can reduce the need for painkillers in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Omega-3 fats form the precursors to the molecules that actually produce or inhibit inflammation in your body (prostaglandins), so it is essential to make sure you are getting enough. It is also vital to understand that you need to reduce omega-6 fats from vegetable, as it is actually the ratio of omega-6:3 fats that determines how much inflammation is present. You could theoretically consume enough omega-3 fats to work but then ruin the effect by consuming too many omega-6 fats.

My most highly recommended form of omega-3 fats are from krill oil.

How to Beat Arthritis With Exercise

Arthritis can be extremely painful, and you may think it is next to impossible to exercise when your joints are inflamed. However, if you stop moving, your joints will become more stiff and painful, and you will gradually lose your independence.

If you have arthritis, it is essential to keep your body moving, but it does take some creativity to do so in a way that minimizes stress to your joints.

Gentler exercises like Tai Chi and yoga are recommended, as are swimming, power walking, stretching and lifting weights. You should generally avoid high-impact exercises like running, as they can cause permanent joint damage due to the excessive amount of inflammation present. A simple key to follow is that if you have pain two hours after exercise that specific exercise was likely too aggressive for your joints in their current state of inflammation.

Arthritis Does Not Have to be a “Terminal Disease”

Lastly, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to believe that you can overcome arthritis. By making changes to your eating and exercise habits, along with letting go of your limiting beliefs and emotional challenges using an appropriate energy psychology tool, arthritis can be healed.

As Dr. Ben Lerner once said, “Arthritis is not a terminal disease. If that's what you've been told, fire your doctor.”

Printer-friendly version