Say No To Arthritis – How to prevent, relieve and resolve joint and muscle pain
Patrick Holford 2021
Book review
This book held some great surprises for me. Before I get to those let’s look at the best ways to get arthritis in the first place.
If you want arthritis do the following:
1. Eat the wrong types of fat
2. Eat the wrong carbohydrates and too much of these
3. Avoid anti-oxidants
4. Avoid vitamins B C D & E, especially C & D
5. Avoid a varied plant-oriented diet; eat lot’s of dairy and meat
6. Stay overweight
7. Don’t exercise
8. Don’t find out if you have food intolerances
It turns out the best way to get arthritis is also the best way to get a heart attack, diabetes, liver dysfunction, high blood pressure, kidney dysfunction, dementia and some kinds of cancer – to basically shorten our life.
Not surprisingly the way to prevent arthritis is to do the opposite of these things.
However, a big surprise is that when we do the opposite of these things, those who have arthritis can heal. Yes, joints that already have damaged cartilage will actually repair themselves given the right nutrients. All it takes is a commitment to a new way of eating and supplementing our diet. In 2 – 3 months it’s possible to get huge improvement in symptoms. The book has case studies of those who have eliminated their symptoms, even if their age was advanced when they started.
Another surprise is that the same measures can also help reduce or eliminate symptoms in those with Rheumatoid arthritis, which as you may know is immune system related.
And a further surprise was the revelation that these changes can also help those with specific joint injuries, as well as ankylosing spondylitis, gout, osteoporosis, displaced intervertebral discs, bursitis, tendonitis, fibromyalgia and even chronic fatigue syndrome. They suggest it may also help those with ‘long covid’, though obviously not much research has been conducted on that yet.
Some of the key changes that we can do for ourselves right now are:
· Reduce simple carbohydrate consumption – sugar or white flour based products, anything that is quickly digested and is going to spike our blood sugar levels, put pressure on the pancreas and overload our systems with insulin. Simple carbs also massively increase circulating oxidants in our body. Replace these with low GL foods like grains, nuts, seeds, oats and fruit that take much longer to digest, release into the bloodstream much more slowly, and keep us from feeling hungry for longer!
· That is going to help with losing weight. Which obviously reduces the load on any weight bearing joints.
· Use an Omega 3 fat supplement – Fish oil, cod liver oil or a tablespoon of flax seed oil (my favourite).
· Eat foods or supplements containing antioxidants – there’s a long list but the one’s I use are blueberries, turmeric, cinnamon, vitamin C, cherry juice and green leafy vegetables. Not only do they prevent joint damage and reduce inflammation, but they are cancer preventative.
· Take a multivitamin. It’s all very well to say that “if we eat a balanced diet we don’t need them”, but almost no one does eat a balanced diet - do you really know the nutrition profile of your diet through all the seasonal changes in food availability?
· Take a Vitamin D supplement (we need a lot more than we get in a multivitamin – 1000-2000 IU per day). Spending half an hour in the sun everyday will do it too, since vitamin D is made in the skin (please do early morning or evening to reduce skin cancer risk!). But realistically how many people will do that? Is it really that sunny at your place year round?! Research shows that the further we live from the equator, the more prevalent is arthritis. Vitamin D helps bone and joint re-building and bolsters the immune system - and we all need that right now more than ever, right?!
· Eat more plant and fruit, reduce simple carbs, reduce dairy and meat, eat more oily fish – you get the picture.
· Exercise those joints as much as you can without causing aggravation to an arthritic joint. This increases the flow of synovial fluid around the joint, which is the source of nutrition needed to build healthy cartilage, as well as removing waste products. If we don’t move the joints, the fluid basically stagnates, swamp-like. As a ZB teacher I know says ominously, “Nothing good grows in a swamp!”
· One other tip for those who like a lot of exercise, or that like to do it in short sharp bursts: Intense exercise will actually increase oxidants in the joint spaces for a while after exercise. This causes joints to sometimes feel a bit achy after going hard-out. So it’s important to warm-down after exercise to allow the body to clear the toxic oxidants naturally. Drinking plenty of water afterwards will also help eliminate these toxins.
· There’s a good chance that you know about your food allergies. However, there may be some foods that you don’t know you’re merely intolerant to, that may stir up inflammation in your body. If you’re asthmatic, get eczema, have IBS, Crohn’s, or you’re arthritic, then read Chapter 10!
These simple ideas are great for general health, and will almost certainly help with any specific sore spots you are carrying, even if you don’t have arthritis – yet! For example, did you know that Vitamin C helps relieve back pain?
“According to Dr Richard Cutler, Director of the US Government Anti-aging Research Department, ‘the amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live’”.
The book also offers a lot of advice on other supplements specific to joint health. My advice is grab yourself a copy of the book and discuss with a nutrition expert. And consult your doctor if you are already on prescription meds.
If you would like to discuss these concepts, and approach ways to heal yourself, then please book a session with me.