I had a patient who came in for a follow up visit and he complained that he wasn’t feeling any better after the first visit. I reminded him that the arthritis in his back took 30 years to get there so I asked him to give me a week per decade to get better. Then told him I was honored that he thought I could heal him so quickly. He laughed.

He got it.

I said to him that the body has incredible (miraculous) healing abilities. My job is not to heal him but to put it in a better position to heal itself. Even miracles take time.

One of the biggest problems is doing the right thing for the wrong amount of time.

Arthritis, arguably the most common ailment we treat whether it spinal, knee, hand, etc., is when you have pain/inflammation or deterioration in a joint. An inflammatory arthritic disease like rheumatoid and psoriatic are autoimmune diseases. These are a systemic issue meaning the whole body. We can support those issues but they ultimately start with a gut issue that we can go into another time.

Degenerative arthritis is non inflammatory, meaning it is not systemic, but it does have localized inflammation in the joint. It is called degenerative because the cartilage is degenerating. The bone may form spurs, there is local inflammation, and the ligaments and tendons become less pliable and damaged.

Many people take a glucosamine supplement but there are a couple problems with most:

1. There are many forms of glucosamine-the one that works best is glucosamine sulfate
2. Combinations mix with chondroitin sulfate which  manufacturers will tend to blend with a  cheaper form of glucosamine.
3. Glucosamine only supports the cartilage, which is great but it doesn’t support the inflammation directly or the joint capsule, ligaments, tendons and bone components of the joint.

Our favorite supplement is Glucosamine Synergy and here’s why:

1. There is glucosamine sulfate which provides cartilage support
2. It contains Ligaplex 2 which supplies whole food support for ligaments, tendons, and bones.
3. Boswellia (frankincense) to reduce inflammation (yes, the wisemen gave Mary an anti inflammatory!)

Here are some natural ways to support your joints:

1. Move
2. Yoga
3. Bone broth
4. Broccoli, kale, Brussel sprouts, onions, asparagus
5. Celery- especially celery seed, helps draw puffiness out of the joint that is sore, which is why we will often use Boswellia Complex for arthritis initially.
6. Turmeric forte

So if you have arthritis, don’t get disjointed over it! There are many options to help your joints improve-let the body have some time to heal!

Read past blog posts here