Arthritis - a digestive disorder? Interesting info ..

Arthritis - A Digestive Disorder

Arthritis, as with most chronic illness, is a direct result of gastric-intestinal toxicity due primarily to impaired digestion. Faulty digestion is generally a result of inadequate nutrition. In other words, poor diet is the number one culprit. Over long periods of time, inadequate nutrition disrupts the digestive process. Faulty digestion leads to a generalized toxicity of acid waste products especially in the liver and kidney. These acid wastes invite infection and allergy and disrupt the normal endocrine balance. The endocrine glands (thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, pancreas, etc) are the "masters" of the human body and backup and support all other bodily organs. They do this by hormone production. Improper digestion eventually leads to imbalanced hormones.

So, we have the set up for disease:

* Poor nutrition and other life style factors
* Impaired digestion
* Liver, kidney, and generalized toxicity
* Acid wastes accumulate
* Infection or overgrowth of pathogens begin
* An auto-immune response is initiated
* An antigen-antibody complex or allergy begins
* Endocrine glands become imbalanced - some becoming hypofunctioning and some hyperfunctioning
* Exhaustion and disease moves in


This cascade of events leads to mineral imbalances which ultimately cause harmful shifts in acid-base balance or pH. At this point, depending on genetic make up and other mind-body influences, the body begins to break down and disease becomes an uninvited guest. This, in a nutshell, is the process of most disease states.

If faulty digestion is at the heart of most chronic diseases, then what causes the digestion to become impaired? Poor nutrition is at the head of the list. Lack of whole food vitamins and minerals coupled with an excess consumption of toxic chemicals passing as food are the primary causes of chronic illness. Genetics, of course, plays a role. You may be predisposed to diabetes, arthritis, cancer, or heart problems, but unless you provide the "proper environment" for disease, they will not manifest.

The lack of good nutrition can cause the lining of the gut to become inflamed. This inflammation starts the whole process of disease. The skin cells lining the gut tissue shrink and allow proteins to enter the blood stream directly and improperly. This sets up an "allergic" response and allows the overgrowth of pathogenic organisms as well as an auto-immune response. In arthritis, these harmful substances "disorganize" the joint tissues. This is true of all kinds of arthritis. Arthritis, whether rheumatoid or osteoarthritis, is primarily a case of poor digestion and toxic liver and kidney, In arthritis, the thyroid, parathyroid, thymus, and adrenals become imbalanced with accumulation of toxic waste. (Standard medical tests may not show these subtle imbalances).

The liver is our primary detoxification center. Through impaired diet, the liver becomes toxic. This toxic overload is sent to the endocrines and these glands eventually become imbalanced and toxic. Since these wastes are acidic in nature, they can deplete our alkali mineral stores causing a disruption in our acid base equilibrium or pH. When organs become toxic with acid wastes, they must eliminate these toxins or the organ will die. When the thyroid becomes toxic, it tries to eliminate the toxins through the skin-either through the hide (outer skin) or the two deeper layers. This avenue of elimination is not a normal path and when the body resorts to this, vicarious elimination sets in. Arthritis is a disease of the thyroid eliminating through the middle skin (the lining of the joints). This elimination sets up inflammation and pain which eventually causes either a mild or a severe autoimmune reaction due to damaged tissue. In the case of osteoarthritis, the autoimmune factor can be mild but in rheumatoid (RA), the autoimmune reaction is more serious.

Central to the auto-immune reaction is a high T-helper to suppressor cell ration which results in increased antibody formation. Most medical authorities try to suppress the immune system -but I find it more beneficial to balance the immune system with certain glandulars and protomorphogens (PMG). (See article on PMGs on website). And whole food supplements. There have been documented studies showing thymus, thyroid, and adrenal to be helpful in treating inflammatory diseases. (No artificial hormones). In one study, patients with a ratio of 3.30 achieved normal ratios of T helper to suppressor cells after 3 months of therapy. No side effects have been reported. This research studied hepatitis B, but I have found excellent results with arthritis (especially RA). (Calli M, etal. Attempt to treat acute type hepatitis with orally administered thymic extract: Drugs Exp Clin Res 11, 665-669, 1985)

I might add that the thymus and the thyroid glands regulate each other. When the thyroid and thymus become imbalanced, then "filtrates" migrate to organs and cause damage. In low thyroid, these can affect the joints, the middle ear, lungs, heart and other organs. It all goes back to digestion and toxicity. The liver is the primary organ that detoxifies the body, so a healthy clean liver is a must in order to achieve health. Almost all chronic illness is a result of toxic liver, but with arthritis, the bowel is also very toxic. Detoxifying the bowel and restoring normal flora is critical in order to heal arthritis. Other organs also become toxic. Areas to detoxify are the liver, kidneys, bowel, skin, lungs and endocrine glands. Each area has a specific method to detox and rebuild.