OMEGA-3 and Rheumatoid Arthritis
It is difficult to imagine with all the hype to lower the fat in our diets that anyone could be fat or fatty acid deficient. Most Americans, unfortunately, have too much fat that hangs over their belt lines due to the over-consumption of total calories. Another type of fat that causes trouble are omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids are increased in the body due to the over-consumption of foods fried in hydrogenated vegetable oil as well as consumption of other hydrogenated oils like those found in margarine. Hydrogenated oils are everywhere! Look at the labels the next time you purchase crackers, cookies, and salad dressings. You will be surprised to find that almost all baked goods contain them.
Over-consumption of fried foods, margarine, and other foods with hydrogenated oils will increase the body’s inflammatory state and make the symptoms of disease such as rheumatoid arthritis worse. The way to counteract this is to stop porking out on pork fritters and start eating salmon!
Salmon and other fish contain a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the incidence of rheumatologic diseases, as well as their symptomatology. The fatty acids in the fish oil, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), dramatically improve the functional ability and diminish the pain in a myriad of diseases, including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, lupus, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Apparently for optimum health, a ratio of one-to-one in the diet of omega-6 to omega-3 is the healthiest. Currently, that ratio in the standard American diet is close to 20-to-one. Supplementation with such things as flax seed oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil, and fish oils may help bring the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio into proper proportion and more toward optimal health. This is why part of standard Natural Medicine treatment for inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, is the high-dose consumption of fish and fish oils. Lipase enzymes are also given so that the fat is digested properly.
Gluten Intolerance
Celiac disease is an intolerance of the small intestine to gluten. Gluten is a substance found in barley, buckwheat, malt, oats, rye, and wheat. Natural medicine physicians have known for years that Gluten intolerance is a very common finding in the chronically ill. Many people with chronic fatigue, chronic pain, insomnia, digestive complaints, and stomach pains are found to be allergic to gluten (sensitive to it) when they undergo food blood allergy testing.
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A recent study confirms that the natural medicine physicians are correct. When a gluten intolerant person is taken off of the above foods, many of their symptoms stop. Yes, the person with terrible chronic pain or chronic fatigue could be that way because the body is mounting an immune reaction to the gluten in the food they are eating.
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Most people fail to realize (as do many doctors) that 50% of a persons immune system lines the bowel walls. This lymph tissue is called GALT which stands for Gut-associated lymphoid tissue. When a person eats a food they are allergic to the immune cells in GALT then attack the food via the production of antibodies. This is seen as a redness on the intestinal lining. Yes that is correct. When a person has a colonoscopy or endoscopy and the report comes back redness, most of the time it is diagnosed as gastroenteritis or gastritis, the itis on the end means the doctor saw redness during the test. Redness is from what? Inflammation! What causes inflammation in the intestines, food allergy.
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So the cure for gastritis, stomach pain, irritable bowel syndrome, or chronic gastroenteritis? You are right it is not prevacid, zantac, no it isn't even Tums. It is finding the cause of the excess acid or redness...food allergies. See a natural medicine physician and get a food allergy test (we generally test 190 foods) and don't eat the allergic foods.
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For people who have food allergies, they are helped tremendously by a few supplements available at www.benuts.com.
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