Arthritis Treatment – What Works?

For most people, arthritis treatment using the state of the art methods as offered by the top medical doctors in the country will only get you so far.

Arthritis drugs can suppress your symptoms, but they will not heal your arthritis. At best, they will slow down or temporarily stop the damage being done to your joints, giving you time to seek out alternative treatments that heal the underlying condition. At worst, they will produce side effects that can sometimes be as bad as the arthritis itself.

Joint replacement surgery is a godsend to many, but again, that isn't really treating the arthritis, it is recreating a functional joint after arthritis has already destroyed one you were born with.

What type of arthritis treatment actually treats the underlying causes of the disease?

Diet is one of the most popular and successful types.

One of the underlying causes of arthritis for many people is food sensitivities. If you are one of these people, you must first proceed by finding out your exact food sensitivities. Then you need to eliminate these problem foods from your diet. This type of strategy can often work miracles.

The ALCAT blood test is one way to discover if you have any food sensitivities and if so, exactly what they are. Selectively eliminating any suspected problem foods from your diet for a week and then systematically reintroducing them, with at least 24 hours between each reintroduction, is another.

This type of treatment is two fold. First you most know exactly what your problem foods are. Second, you must know all the hidden sources of these foods, so you don't unknowingly eat them.

For instance, table salt is half dextrose, half salt. The dextrose in the United States is made from corn. Individuals with corn sensitivities will sometimes have their arthritis activated whenever they eat food that contains table salt.

Besides foods to avoid, there are also healthy foods to seek out. Assuming you don't have a food sensitivity to them, you will want to eat foods that have anti-inflammatory properties. Including the spices tumeric, ginger, and cumin in your diet, for instance, can calm inflammation without the negative side effects of many prescription arthritis drugs.