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

What is Rheumatism?

The word rheumatism is derived from the Greek word "rheuma", which means a swelling. It refers to an acute or chronic illness which is characterised by pain and swelling of the muscles, ligaments and tendons or of the joints. It is a crippling disease which causes widespread invalidism, but seldom kills. Rheumatism, perhaps, more than any other disease, although readily diagnosed, is never the same in any two individuals. There are too many variations in the develop- ment of this disease. Broadly speaking, however, rheumatism, which may be acute or chronic, can be roughly grouped into two classes. These are muscular rheumatism which affects the muscles and articular rheumatism which affects the joints. The muscular variety is, however, far less common than that affecting the joints. In the acute form, it is found among children and young people, but in the chronic form, it is generally confined to the adults.

What are the symptom of Rheumatism?

The onset of acute types of rheumatism is characterised by fever and rapid pulse with intense soreness and pain. In the acute muscular type, the tissues become so sensitive that even the weight of bed clothing aggravates the pain. The liver is found to be swollen. Acute rheumatism is extremely painful but it leaves no permanent defects, if treated properly, it may settle into a chronic state under a wrong mode of treatment.

What are the causes of Rheumatism?

The chief cause of rheumatism is the poisoning of the blood with acid wastes, which results from imperfect elimination and lowered vitality. Meat, white bread, sugar and refined cereals, to which modern man is most addicted, leave a large residue of acid toxic wastes in the system. These acid wastes are not neutralised due to absence of sufficient quantities of alkaline mineral salts in the foods eaten. This upsets the acid-alkaline balance in the body and produces the condition described as acidosis.

Dietary Treatment of Rheumatism and home remedies

In the case of acute rheumatism, the patient should be put on a short fast of orange juice and water for three or four days. The procedure is to take the juice of an orange diluted in warm water, if desired, every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nothing else, whatsoever , should be taken, otherwise the purpose of the fast will be entirely lost. While fasting, the bowels should be cleansed through a warm water enema.

After the juice fast, the patient should be placed on a restricted diet for 14 days. In this regimen, orange or grape fruit may be taken for breakfast ; lunch may consist of raw salad of any vegetables in season, with raisins, prunes, fit or dates ; and for dinner, one or two steamed vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, carrots, turnips and cauliflower and a few nuts or some sweet fruit may be taken. No bread or potatoes or other starchy food should be taken, otherwise the effect of the diet will be lost. Thereafter, the patient may gradually commence a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits.

The patient should take ripe fruits and fresh vegetables in abundance. Lemons are valuable and the juice of two or three lemons may be taken each day. Lots of butter-milk should be taken. The foods which should be avoided are meat, fish, white bread, sugar, refined cereals, rich indigestible and highly seasoned foods, tea, coffee, alcohol, sauces, pickles and condiments.

Rheumatism is particularly responsive to raw vegetable juice. The alkaline action of raw juices dissolve the accumulation of deposits around the joints and in other tissues. The carrot juice combined with juices of red beet and cucumber is especially valuable. Three ounces each of best and cucumber juices may be mixed in ten ounces of carrot juice in this combination.