Diet Cure for Arthritis - Home remedies, symptom, cause, treatment of Arthritis

What is Arthritis?

The word 'arthritis' means 'inflammation of joints'. It comes from two Greek words , athron meaning joints and itis meaning inflammation. It is a chronic disease process. In the early stages, the whole body is usually involved and one or two joints may become completely deformed, leaving the patient handicapped and somewhat weakened.

There are two categories of joints, namely, synarthrosis or those which do not move any very much and do not have a cavity, and diarthrosis or those which move freely and have a joint cavity. The first type of joints are found in the head and spinal column. The second type, which is most frequently affected by arthritis, is more common and is found in the shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, knees, ankles and toes.

What are the symptom of Arthritis?

The chief symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and stiffness in the joints. The pain usually increases after exercise. Other symptoms include watery eyes, leg cramps, allergies, arteriosclerosis, impairment in the functioning of the gall-bladder and liver disturbances. The possible causes include malnutrition, continuous physical stress, obesity, glandular insufficiency, calcium deficiency and shortage of hydrochloric acid.

What are the causes of Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is often called the "cooked food disease." It usually develops gradually over several months with persistent pain and stiffness in one or more joints. Ultimately the whole body is affected. Symptoms include anaemia, colitis, constipation, gall bladder disturbances, low blood pressure, deformed hands and feet. The condition may be caused by hormonal imbalance, physical and emotional stress, infection, severe fright, shock and injury. Hereditary factors may also be responsible for the onset of this disease.

Dietary Treatment of Arthritis and home remedies

According to the modern medical profession, there is no cure for arthritis and the patient must learn to live with it. Naturopathy, however, believes in dietetic cure of the disease. Most chronic arthritis patients are heavy eaters and often take food furnishing 3,500 to 4,000 calories. As they cannot utilise all the starchy elements of this intake, toxins accumulate and an excessive acid waste results in the aggravation of prevalent joint condition. A low caloric diet consisting of about 2,000 calories with a minimum carbohydrate content is advisable. The diet should, however, include an adequate amount of vitamins, calcium, phosphorous and iron. The diet of the arthritis patient should be alkaline in nature and include fruits and vegetables for protection and proteins and carbohydrates for energy. It may consist of a couple of fresh raw vegetables in the form of salads and at least two cooked vegetables. Cabbage, carrot, celery, cucumber, endive, lettuce, onion, radish, tomato and watercress may be used for raw salad. The cooked vegetables may include asparagus, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, celery, brinjal mushroom, onions peas, beans, spinach, squash, tomatoes and turnips.

In severe cases, it will be advisable to put the patient on a vegetable juice therapy for about a week. Green juice extracted from any green leafy vegetable mixed with carrot , celery and red beet juice is specifically helpful for arthritis. The alkaline action of raw juices dissolves the accumulation of deposits around the joints and in other tissue. Fresh pineapple is also valuable as the enzyme in fresh pineaple juice, bromelain, reduces swelling and inflammation in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Repeated juice fasts are recommended at intervals of every two months.