Arthritis And Herbs (I)

If you feel a twinge in your knee always, or get a sharp pain shooting down your leg from your hip to your calf then you may be in with “Arthritis”. Doctors used to think of it as a disease of old age, but they now believe that this form of degeneration disease  also affects those in their 40s and 50s.
There is “Osteoarthritis”, a degenerative disorder in which the cartilage – the natural shock absorber  that cushions the  insides of your joints-begins to break down. There is also “Rheumatoid” arthritis which  causes pains and swellings at different parts of the body.
The danger about arthritis  is that it starts undetected for a long time so by the time you begin to feel those telltale  twings, signifies that the disorder may be starting to affect your bones. What doctors would like to have is some kind of test that will identify people  in the earliest  stages of Osteoarthritis,  before too much damage has occurred.
Both on the type and on the philosophy  of the physician, but  generally it involves  aspirin, and other pain killers, anti-inflammation drugs, including  injections.
Less conventional treatment include, acupuncture, chiropractic and herbs, including nutrition. We  shall discuss the last two herbs and nutrition  and their effects in combating this common ailment.
1. Nutrition: It was Dr. Norman Childers of  Rutgers University who first  gave a glimpse  of the link between Arthritis  and nutrition. He found that cows that fed on weeds and grasses of the nightshade  family develop swollen joints such that they always  kneel  rather than stand normally. Weeds  of the nightshade family include -pepper, except  black  pepper,  tomato,  white Potato and eggplant.  When he tried the experiment on  humans asking them to avoid  these foods, he surprisingly saw marked improvements.
A recent  research at the US Department of Agriculture further  indicate that foods from the nightshade  family may heavily contribute  to arthritis.
For those who want to checkmate their  malaise  naturally, it’s  recommended  that you keep away from tomatoes, white  potatoes and garden  eggs, at least for the  mean time until the situation improves.
2.    Herbs: Garlic is one herb that tops the herbalist  list as a potent  cure to several ailments. In Russia it’s extensively  used in the treatment of  rheumatism and arthritis. It has huge anti-inflammatory properties  that accounts for its  effectiveness  in the  treatment of rheumatic afflictions.
Apart from lowering blood pressure  and tension,  garlic has the power to ease spasm  of the small arteries. It also  relieves symptoms  of dizziness, shortness of breath and formation of gas within  the digestive  tract.  The average  dosage   should be  two to three  capsules of garlic  daily.
Alternatively,  one can get a fresh garlic clove  pounded or crushed  and drink  the liquid. Swallowing  raw cloves of garlic  is not  encouraged since it may take time to break down in the stomach.