What Is Arthr-IT IS?

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http://www.mercola.com/2005/jan/12/arthritis.htm

 

What Is Arthr-IT IS?

 

By Dr. Ben Lerner

 

During my first quarter of graduate school, I had to take a course in

medical terminology. As I found out early on, chiropractic school was

not much different than medical school. We had to learn to diagnose

and, interestingly enough, terminology was the key to diagnosis.

 

One of the first words we learned in that class was the term " -itis. "

" Itis " is Latin for " inflammation of. " Other terminology included some

words that probably sound familiar to you:

 

* Arthro means joint.

* Stoma means stomach.

* Bursa is short for the fluid-filled sack in many joints.

* Fibro means muscle fiber.

* Mya means muscle

* Cepha means head.

* Tendons connect bones.

* Ligaments connects muscles to bones.

 

My classmates and I often laughed as we learned these words, because

we realized the vast majority of medical diagnoses weren't actually

" diagnoses " at all, but merely turning the name into Latin or

something fancy to impress our patients.

 

It's also done, not only to impress, but to make an impact on the

patient so they'll be satisfied they have a diagnosis. So if you're

told you have " arthr-itis, " " tendon-itis, " " burs-itis " or

" stomat-itis, " it means your joint, tendon, bursa sack or stomach

hurts. Doctors can then follow medical protocol and write a

prescription to give you drugs that will hopefully ease the pain.

 

" Algia " is another interesting one that means pain. Therefore,

" Cephalgia " is a headache. The oft-used diagnosis, " Fibromyalgia, "

means muscle fiber pain.

 

There's one very serious problem with diagnosing: People feel they

have a " condition. " Everyone knows, once you have a " condition, " you

always have a " condition. " It's like old phones or luggage that used

to last forever. Well, the medical myth that " conditions " last forever

has gone the way of the rotary phone too.

 

Arthritis, tendonitis and fibromyalgia are not death sentences.

They're merely Latin terms, combined with fancy medical English

phraseologies, for pains doctors don't understand and conditions for

which they have no effective treatment. The key problem for the

conventional medicine when it comes to aches, pains and degenerative

issues like " arthr-itis " : Most doctors are only diagnosing and

treating side effects, not the true cause of the problem.

 

While certain types of arthritis can be attributed to extreme genetic

weaknesses (there are more than 100 types of arthritis), the most

common form conventional medicine treats -- they refer to it as " old

age " arthritis -- is just a side effect. In reality, this type of

arthritis is called " osteo-arthritis " ( " osteo " means bone, so isn't

that name hilarious!). When someone says his or her right knee has

arthritis because, " I'm old, " here's how I typically respond: " Really,

how old is the other knee? " Properly functioning joints don't degenerate.

 

The Joint

 

Arthritis is an " inflamed joint. " The joints are created by ends of

bones meeting. At this point, they are cushioned by cartilage. The

knee, hip, shoulder and other bigger joints have a fluid-filled sac

called a bursa ( " burs-itis " ). The inner lining of the joint has a

grease-like fluid called synovial fluid which reduces friction and

allows for freedom of movement. If the joint begins to malfunction,

this is often coupled by a loss of synovial fluid that would aggravate

the bones meeting in the joint.

 

When joints become arthritic, swelling causes stiffness, rigidity and

tissue damage. The body will warn you with pain if the joint moves

beyond its present limits. It's a vicious cycle because, as mobility

decreases, the muscles surrounding the joint also weaken and

deteriorate, allowing for further damage to the joint. Eventually, you

can have cartilage, ligament and tendon damage, as well as further

bone erosion.

 

If these joints are functioning normally and well cared for, however,

they just don't " itis. "

 

I had an 82-year-old patient who had perfect vertebra, joints and

discs in every part of his spine except for the second vertebrae.

Miraculously, he had never had a single trauma his whole life, except one.

 

Because it had only been one, he remembered exactly where, when and

how it happened. When he was 12-years-old, he had fallen off a chair

and into an open door. He pointed and showed me the exact point of

impact. You can guess where he pointed: To the second vertebra in his

neck.

 

Degenerative Arthritis: Their Prevention and Cures

 

The good news about degenerative arthritis: Outside of an extreme

genetic circumstance, it can be avoided and even reversed. Common

medical wisdom is that if you have arthritis, essentially you're

doomed. This could not be farther from the truth. The body does heal.

 

Arthritis is due to a physical or chemical irritant in a joint or the

system. If the cause of this irritation is avoided, removed or

corrected, your body has a chance to heal. There are endless stories

of athletes and people who assumed their physical lives were over,

only to reverse the effects of arthritis through a change in lifestyle

or help from a chiropractor and go on to become champions.

 

So where do the problems begin?

 

Diet: The majority of carbohydrates, particularly refined

carbohydrates can aggravate and even cause degeneration. Excess acids

in the system do exactly what they sound like they do: They

deteriorate and damage cells. Additionally, the body's survival

mechanism will attempt to neutralize these acids. (Calcium from bone

is an exemplary acid neutralizer.)

 

Therefore, as you consume sugar, flours, grains and other refined

carbohydrates, your blood stream ends up in acid overload and you

actually give yourself degenerative arthritis. Dairy and caffeine are

two additional major acid culprits.

 

Furthermore, as Dr. Mercola emphasizes, fats play a major role in the

inflammatory process. Excess omega-6 and omega-9 fats will add fuel to

the fire of arthritis while taking a high quality fish oil helps to

quench " the fire. "