John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

We continue our focus on joint health and today look at arthritis caused by autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and juvenile arthritis.

A common feature of these problems is that the immune system attacks joints, leading to a cascade of faulty immune system responses. The outcome is the inflammation and degeneration of various joint tissues.

RA is the most common of these diseases and is characterised by an inflammatory attack against joint synovial membranes. This inflammation causes swelling, stiffness and pain and over time can cause joint deformities. RA is diagnosed by the presence of inflamed synovial membranes (synovitis) and is confirmed with blood tests including rheumatoid factor and CRP.

Integrative medicine author Daniel Muller MD, PhD (2010) suggests the initial RA trigger may be a viral or bacterial infection. He comments that certain inflammatory chemicals produced by the immune system called cytokines have a major role in the disease process. These cytokines include TNF and IL -1 and 6. Some of the latest RA medications directly suppress these cytokines. Muller further notes that several natural compounds including curcuminoids in turmeric, ginger and omega 3 fatty acids also inhibit these cytokines.

My experience is that high dosages of these natural anti-inflammatory agents can take some of the heat out of RA, thus reducing symptoms. This can help drug therapy become more effective by reducing background inflammation. It is important not to take compounds like echinacea which stimulate the immune system, which can make the condition worse. I generally discourage herbal treatments for autoimmune disease as many herbs stimulate immune response. Our goal is to do the opposite by restricting the immune systems production of inflammatory prostaglandins and cytokines.

With supplements I use a cocktail of supplements aiming to cover most of the anti-inflammatory agents. I normally start with a multi-mineral/vitamin/antioxidant complex. To this I add up to 1500mg of the Omega 3 EPA and 1000mg of DHA (about 10,000mg of fish oils), vitamin D, vitamin C and then a combined anti-inflammatory complex that includes B vitamins, CoQ10, curcuminoids, grape seed extract and CoQ10 that can help reduce systemic inflammation and improve often low energy levels. Most people notice a difference in three months. Give me a call if you need more information. To join my weekly newsletter go to www.johnarts.co.nz and visit www.abundant.co.nz

John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. To contact John phone (local) 578 9051 or 0800 423 559.