Arthritis, especially painfully severe or advanced arthritis, is indicative of a body that is, and has been, racked with chronic inflammation for long time.
It is possible to cool the flames of pain caused by severe arthritis without resorting to potentially damaging pharmaceutical drugs. This brief post will explain how.
What many people suffering from severe arthritis (or any number of inflammation related health conditions for that matter) don’t realize is that the pain experienced as a result of arthritis is a symptom of chronic inflammation. So, per doctor’s orders, all too many simply pop the prescribed pain killer and whitewash the pain without getting to the root of the problem.
Getting to the Root of the Problem
There are 3 distinct pro-inflammatory markers which prime our body for chronic inflammation. If these were avoided or consumed in a balanced way, you could experience a health and wellness transformation you have only dreamed about.
Marker 1: Omega-6 Family of Fatty Acids
These fatty acids actually stimulate the inflammatory response. A key point to make here is that inflammation, when it is balanced, is good for you, in fact, it keeps you alive.
The problem is, sometimes your body doesn’t know when to stop and the inflammatory response turns from a powerful friend to a vicious enemy. So, it is not that omega-6 fatty acids are just bad for you, it is that we simply eat too many foods with omega-6 fatty acids. This “turns up the burner” on your immune system causing chronic, low-grade inflammation which leads to degenerative diseases such as arthritis.
So, as best you can, avoid vegetable oils and processed/packaged foods.
Easier said than done, right? The modern diet is built around vegetable oils and processed foods!
Don’t give up though, slowly adjust to fresh (organic if possible) produce and meat and you’ll quickly notice the difference this makes in the way you feel.
Marker 2: Trans Fatty Acids
Trans fats get a lot of attention these days, primarily because they are such nasty little buggars.
Take a look at the food label on just about any salad dressing, shortening, or cake and cookie and you’ll will find trans fats hiding behind the name “partially hydrogenated vegetable oils”.
These fats do their damage by interfering with the healthy anti-inflammatories you take into your body, especially the very beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.
Marker 3: Free Radicals
Free radicals are the worst of the three pro-inflammatory markers. Free radicals have been thoroughly proven to damage the cells in the body, increase the risk of disease, and accelerate the aging process. Probably because what they really do is stimulate and pro-long inflammatory reactions.
In other words, free radicals are like the key that unlocks that proverbial Pandora’s Box of chronic inflammation and, subsequently, arthritis.
Fortunately, not only can you treat, and potentially heal severe arthritis by avoiding these three pro-inflammatory markers, you can enlist powerful anti-inflammatory aids to speed up the healing process.
Powerful Anti-Inflammatory 1: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
We have written about the tremendous value of omega-3 fatty acids before. In a nutshell, omega-3 provides the building blocks for many powerful anti-inflammatory substances. Thus, omega-3 encourages the body to turn off inflammatory responses when they are no longer needed.
You can inject these wonderful health aids into your diet by eating just about any dark green leafy vegetable (these provide omega-3 via alpha linolenic acid) or, even more potently, by eating cold water fish such as salmon or herring (these provide omega-3 via eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA).
Power Anti-Inflammatory 2: Omega-9 Fatty Acids
These fats work hand-in-hand with their more potent “cousins” omega-3. Omega-9 fats are present in olive oil, avacados, macadamia nuts, and macadamia nut oil.
Powerful Anti-Inflammatory 3: Antioxidants
I saved the best for last. In case you haven’t already heard, antioxidants are great because they neutralize free radicals.
Since free radicals have the potential to do the most damage and really are at the root of the type of chronic inflammation that leads to arthritis (and all degenerative diseases), neutralizing them can literally change your life.
The good news is, antioxidants are found in some of the most delicious foods. It is well known that berries are bursting with antioxidants, dark chocolate is chock full of antioxidants and some juices are jammed with antioxidants. Getting lots of antioxidants into your body should be a pleasure. Although, it may mean you have to drive past McDonalds and hit up a farmer’s market for lunch or a snack, but, really, is that so bad?
12 responses so far ↓
1 jbhaye // Feb 14, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Very good, concise article. I am sending it to family and friends. I agree that inflammation is the source of many ills.
2 SSSPrt // Jan 20, 2011 at 11:32 am
I’ve tried all this, and it only helped me a tiny bit. I sure hope it helps others better than it did me. If curing Arthritis is so simple…I’m sure everyone would know about it, especially Doctors whom have spent their entire lives specializing in this field, would SURLY have told their patients before handing them pain medications.
3 Laurie P. // Jan 20, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Concise and to the point. Auto- immune disorders and many other issues could also benefit from this info. Many doctors realize that many patients have neither the desire nor the willpower to follow the dietary restictions, and I suspect that is why so many are prescribed pain meds . Having a husband with RA, any info that may lessen the amount of impact it has on our lives is greatly appreciated. Nothing in this arcticle is difficult to follow , and definitly worth a try.
4 sue // Jan 21, 2011 at 12:39 pm
I agree many people rather simply take pain medications. But I’m not one of those. I actually refuse pain meds 80% of the time but, when I finally cannot stand up and walk…I will take some pain medication for a day or two. Then go back to doing the best I can without. It’s a hard way to live, but I’m also staying with the right diets, and vitamins with hopes it eventually helps me enough to stop pain medication forever. So far, I’ve been eating right for a year, and it still has only made a tiny bit of difference for me. I truly hope others benefit much better than I have so far. It would be so wonderful for many people whom suffer so terribly.
5 sue // Jan 21, 2011 at 12:44 pm
One thing I forgot to mention. My arthritis comes mostly from severe psroiasis. Maybe that is why the foods have not helped me as much? I don’t know. I also have a fair amount of RA. Maybe the tiny bit of help eating right has given me, is the RA I have. JMO I wish I could figure it out, and help others.
6 Lucy // Jun 13, 2011 at 9:38 pm
You need to rethink the recommendation for chocolate. I found that cutting chocolate out of my diet greatly improved my arthritis symptoms (I’d become addicted to chocolate milk and was drinking about a quart a day and after a while could hardly walk, the pain in my hip and knee was so bad, and fingers starting to develop painful swollen joints), and a little research online revealed that chocolate can exacerbate arthritis (make it worse). The whole idea of the value of “antioxidants” is being questioned now, I believe.
7 Louise // Jul 10, 2011 at 2:52 pm
lately the pain in my hips are so bad that it keeps me awake at night, and fingers are very painful and swollen joints. The only thing I changed is adding eating dark chocolate and drinking chocolate milk every day over the last 2 months. Made me wonder where this severe pain comes from. After some investigation found this forum and I believe it’s the chocolate that’s causing the pain.
8 Jon // Jul 12, 2011 at 10:43 am
I was experiencing joint pain in my fingers and left elbow. At night my finger pain was worse. I did some reading on the internet and started to experiment with my diet. I eliminated wheat and chocolate from my diet (I was drinking a large hot chocolate from Starbucks everyday, and breads and pastas all the time). Now after a month, I only have one finger joint with slight pain (as compared to around 6 or 7 joints before). And my elbow only aches when I lift something heavy. So I’m crossing my fingers and keeping up my new diet. I’m also planning on doing an experiment where I eat wheat and chocolate for a day and then watch for symptoms. Hope this helps …..
9 Michaela // Aug 2, 2011 at 11:17 am
I think it’s very important to make a distinction between “chocolate” like those found in chocolate milk or beverages and “dark chocolate” which is in fact rich in anti-oxidants. Very often the chocolate used to make candy bars and drinks contains the bad hydrogenated oils previously discussed. The real benefits of chocolate comes from the pure cocoa of the cacao plant. Like most foods, it is most beneficial in its most natural form, without any additives or fillers.
10 Susi // Aug 17, 2011 at 5:34 pm
I’ve had swollen arthritic fingers for years, but no pain, because of Omegas 3 & 9, Glucosamine and Litozin, plus a very good organic diet. This week, for four evenings in a row, I had two to three pieces of dark, organic chocolate – a most unusual event – and from the 3rd day experienced really sharp pain in the arthritic fingers. The chocolate is the ONLY change in my diet or lifestyle, so I have to reluctantly say that, despite the praise chocolate has had for reducing inflammation, I do not think it is good for arthritis…
11 Kat // Nov 24, 2011 at 12:30 pm
The connection between arthritis pain triggers is very true indeed. I suffer from arthritis and had been seriously addicted to “Silk Chocolate Soymilk”. I bought the soymilk on Monday after not drinking it for a few months (even before that I was downing maybe 1/2 a gallon every 3 days). Well every night since Monday my jaw (where the arthritis lies) would become extremely painful, bringin on fever and shakes. Today I didn’t partake of any of the chocolate goodness and I’m have little to no pain. So yes the chocolate must be the culprit. I also began to take Trace Minerals (liquid) to see if this may help also. Good luck to all and Happy Thanksgiving!
12 Alice // Jan 1, 2012 at 5:17 pm
I have arthritis in my bacl to my knee’s and they do hurt sometimes but I take meds and they do help and so does walking. When I get depressed I would eat a a piece or two of dark chocolate and I would feel a better and outside and now a friend has taken all chocolate from my house and I am mad. Since there is no chocolate in the house my knees hurt and I am depressed. I only eat two one half piecesat a time.
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