Rheumatic Disease - Alternative Remedies

Rheumatic disease covers a spectrum of disorders from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to lupus. Each condition has a different mechanism and is therefor treated differently in eastern, western, and folk medicine. . Unfortunately there is no totally effective treatment for rheumatism. All treatments have limitations and risk.

I am sure that you already know about the conventional western treatments. So I will not go into any of them. Instead I will focus on the traditional eastern and folk treatments. If you do have any questions about conventional treatments that you feel the doctor has not addresses fully please ask. I will briefly recommend two dietary supplements that often go unmentioned but are incredibly effective.

Though many physicians recommend calcium very few recommend vitamin D. This is more of a oversight than a lack of faith in the effectiveness of vitamin D. Vitamin D is as crucial to strong bones and joints as calcium. People over the age of 55 often lack in vitamin D. As people get older they often spend less time in the sun. On top of this the body’s slower production level means it take longer sun exposure for a 55 year old to produce vitamin D than it does for a 20 year old. Sun exposure is the best way to get vitamin D, however that is not always possible. You can purchase up to 5,000UI Vitamin D supplements over the counter at most pharmacies. Large amounts are available by perscription. Speak with you physician to get a recommended dosage.
Omega three fatty acids reduce inflammation by reducing the bodies inflammatory immune response. It acts very similar to an immunosuppressant. Of course it is not nearly as effective as an immunosuppressant, it also doesn't carry the side effects. Simply eating omega three rich food such as fish, nuts and healthy oils can greatly reduce the pain and inflammation. I saw a difference in first morning pain levels two weeks after switching from vegetable oil to olive oil.

Eastern medicine at its most basic is about living a health well balanced life. The concepts seem exotic and foreign simply because they are based on foreign beliefs. Fully understanding the concepts that drive the diagnosis and treatment of illness requires one to learn a completely different order of the universe. No one can give you a detailed Chinese treatment plan online because the treatment of an illness requires determining the patients body type and the underlying cause of the condition. Both of those require very detailed analysis. If you would like full treatment, I recommend finding a good practitioner. On a personal note I tried acupuncture. It did offer me some mild relive of pain and increased mobility for a short time. I quite going because for me the benefits I was receiving from the treatment was not worth the amount of time, not to mention money, I spend receiving the treatment.

If you Google herbal anti-inflammatory you will get a long list of herbs that can be used to help treat rheumatism. I will only mention a few that I have tried with some degree of success. Peppermint as a tea and as a poultice (crush it, wet it, warm it, wear it). Parsley as a poultice. Ginkgo Biloba as a tea.

Now for two folks remedies. I put these last because there are the best. The first is quinine. In ancient Rome quinine was discovered and used to treat malaria. It is still used to treat malaria to this day and is also used to treat arthritis and lupus. Quinine is a proven pain reliever and anti-inflammatory. You can get quinine from your doctor or from tonic water. Tonic water contains a very low level of quinine, whole litter of quinine is less than a single dose of the prescription. Still drinking a few glasses has an effect. This is something that you need to discuss with your physician. Though the levels in tonic water are generally safe, quinine can aggravate some conditions and can interfere with certain medical test.

Last is poke weed. Pokeweed can be found all over the US. If you live in the southern united states go to the smallest county store you can find and ask about pokeweed or pokesalad. Someone should be able to point you to someone who knows how to properly prepare it. If you do not live in the south, it is a remedy used by voodoo/hoodoo practitioners, if you can find one. Pokeweed can be deadly if not handled properly. The harvesting of the plant is as important as the preparation. The plant should be harvest when it is young. The preparation includes boiling, rinsing, and boiling again. Though pokesalad is consumed in the south often, you should never ingest pokeweed unless you know how to handle it. A poultice of pokeweed is effective for pain and inflammation. Though a poultice is safer, toxic levels can be absorbed through the skin. The poultices work great for me. I grew up in the south and was eating pokesalad before I heard of rheumatism. I used to use the berries to make a mock lipstick. Needless to say I am comfortable with pokeweed. Being comfortable with you treatment is important. Attitudes can greatly effect your how your body responds.

I know this is a quick article. If you need an more information on this or anything else just ask.