In the simplest terms, osteoarthritis is a cooked food disease. Eating foods that are predominately cooked causes a deficiency of the enzymes and nutrients needed by healthy joints to maintain and rebuild cartilage which is damaged and lost from everyday activities. In addition, the chronic use of non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) the mainstay medical treatment of arthritis- actually hastens joint destruction because these drugs inhibit the enzyme activity needed to build cartilage. The standard NSAIDs used in arthritis treatment are aspirin, Advil, Nalfon, Indocin, Meclofen, Naprosyn, Feldene, Clinoril, and Tolectin.

When it comes to osteo or degenerative arthritis, you must think food, food, food. Your diet must be at least one third raw for a year or more. Significantly reduce junk, processed, and fried foods from your diet. Eliminate sodas and all store bought oils (including store on the counter salad dressing). Make your own salad dressing using raw flax oil or first pressed, extra-virgin olive oil.

Here are some foods to eliminate from your diet that are reactive to arthritis. Eliminate all milk and wheat products from your diet for the first month. A huge percentage of arthritis sufferers will have much less pain by following this procedure. The second month try eliminating all nightshade foods from your diet. These include tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and tobacco. Up to 70% of arthritis sufferers will have less pain on a nightshade elimination diet. You have seen the new ad on television regarding the super -aspirin Celebrex and Vioxx for arthritis sufferers. Both are touted as providing significant arthritis relief with much less risk if side effects caused by other NSAIDs like ibuprofen, etc.

Both of these drugs are a new class of Cox-2 inhibitor drugs. This means they emphasize power and strength to kill pain by blocking the Cox-2 enzyme. Both are advertised as safe and effective. However, when compared with other NSAIDs, the persistent side effects of internal bleeding, and ulcers were not significantly lessened. So the FDA rejected the request to remove this side effect warning from the Celebrex label.

Neither drug provides enough relief to warrant the increased risk of side effects. And most older people who take this drug are already taking other NSAIDs, and possibly aspirin for heart therapy. This compounds the problems and cancels any stomach-protecting benefit offered by Celebrex or Vioxx. And finally, the FDA has had about enough of the TV commercials. They have issued a fourth warning to the drug company about their ads as "false and lacking in balance."

Alarmingly Vioxx users showed four times the rate of heart attacks and other cardiovascular side effects as those taking other NSAIDs. No one has addressed this finding to date. Therefore, if you take any other NSAIDs, have any problems with bleeding or ulcers, have any kind of heart or circulatory problem, or are taking aspirin as part of any other therapy, you should probably stay away from the new super-aspirins.

You have to keep in mind that osteoarthritis is also often associated with a form of osteoporosis. While this seems odd at first (too much calcium buildup of arthritis and too little calcium as in osteoporosis happening at the same time), it is a fact. Therefore, one of the goals of your supplement program must be the re- mineralization of your skeleton. That means providing the raw materials needed to build strong bones, joints, and cartilage.

And considering that glucosamine appears to slow the progression of osteoarthritis, it makes more sense to use a natural approach. Now that we have a glucosamine product that is combined with its natural raw bone synergists- Glucosamine Synergy by Standard Process Labs- there is even more reason to go natural. Glucosamine stimulates the body's manufacture of glucosaminoglycans. These give your body's cartilage its resilience and shock-absorbing qualities. To help rebuild bone we need to include raw bone supplements which I have many options.

Did you know that dogs on a constant diet of cooked dog food (processed dog food) can develop arthritis but when given a diet of raw meaty bones the improvement in 90 to 120 days is amazing.

The same results can happen to you by following my advice and get on proper supplements an exercise. Call me and let's get started know.

Dr. Schaefer 602-548-6100