What's known to boost immunity, ove...

What's known to boost immunity, overpower cancer-causing liberated radicals, dramatically speed the healing proces and, most numerous recently, to aid in the prevention and treatment of the brace most common forms of arthritis? Vitamin C

Preliminary research and anecdotal evidence give an inkling of that this potent antioxidant may help ease the joint pain, stiffness, and swelling of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin C is a critical ingredient in the body's production of collagen, a protein penuryed for healthy bone, cartilage, and connective tissue. In fact, stamp 2 collagen is a major constituent in the self-same joint cartilage that deteriorates in osteoarthritis.

In a preliminary contemplation involving 640 people, published in the journal, Arthritis and Rheumatism, Boston researchers reported that a high intake of antioxidant micronutrients -- especially vitamin C -- was associated with a three-fold reduc risk for cartilage los and disease progression among populace with osteoarthritis in their knee The greatest in number common form of chronic arthritis, osteoarthritis is a disease of cartilage deterioration within the joints that afflicts more than 16 million Americans, especially the elderly

"Vitamin C is an important co-factor in protein synthesis, and, theoretically, it could be the case that maintaining a certain baseline flat of this micronutrient is extremityed to help repair cartilage tissue," according to lead author of the article. Timothy E McAlindon, an assistant professor of medicine at the Boston University Medical Center in Boston.

While this subject of attention part of the ongoing Framingham Osteoarthritis Cohort consideration requires confirmation by a large clinical trial, "it's serviceable health advice to eat a diet with luxuriance of fruits and vegetables, and a certain quantity of evidence suggests that this may be of additional benefit to population with osteoarthritis." McAlindon added.

Other doctors, however, are les conservative in their vitamin C recommendations. In his work The Complete Family Guide to Alternative Medicine, Norman Shealy indicates consuming 2 g/day as part of the treatment regimen for the couple osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

A markedly different disease than osteoarthritis, which is degenerative (or, worsens with age), rheumatoid arthritis is another frequent form of chronic inflammatory arthritis. Affecting about 2 million Americans, the rheumatoid form is an auto-immune disease (when the immune combination of parts to form a whole attacks itself), and is characterized through persistent, progressive, dull joint pain, stiffness, and swelling, as well as inflammation in other carcass organs. This form of arthritis can strike folks at any age.

While there is not a wealth of published data forward vitamin C and rheumatoid arthritis, anecdotal evidence glance ats that high doses of this antioxidant may stimulate natural anti-inflammatory replications says James S. Gordon, clinical professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the Georgetown University Medical train in Washington, D.C., and author of Manifesto for a recently made known Medicine: Your Guide to Healing Partnerships and the Wise Use of Alternative Therapy.

Adding firing to this hypothesis is a 1994 inquiry that showed low levels of antioxidants are risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis.

"I use vitamin C in higher than normal doses -- 3000 to 6000 mg/day -- to work with patients with RA [rheumatoid arthritis]," Gordon said.

"When a human frame has an illness such as RA, their vitamin and mineral destitutions tend to go up, and vitamins are used as therapeutic or pharmacologic agents," he said.

In this form of arthritis, as well as in other inflammatory diseases, emancipated radicals damage tissue and perpetuate the inflammatory proces further antioxidants, including vitamin C, swallow up free radicals -- stopping the inflammation proces in its tracks.

Dietary improvements should also include a multi-mineral continuation replete with manganese which, along with other minerals in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as zinc, facilitates proper calcium metabolism and helps build bone individual issue of the Journal of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society commits 15 mg/day for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. An ingredient in several enzyme manganese is essential for normal bone pile and manganese deficiency is marked by the agency of joint pain.

REFERENCES

McAlindon" TE et al. "Do antioxidant micronutrients harbor against the development and progression of knee arthritis?," Arthritis and Rheumatism 39(4):648-656 1996

Heliovaara, M et al. "Serum antioxidants and risk of rheumatoid arthritis," Annals of Rheumatic Disease 53(1):51-53 1994

Shealy, Norman, MD PhD (editor). The clean Family Guide to Alternative Medicine. Rockport, Mass.: component part Books Inc., 1996.

Murray, C "Rheumatoid Arthritis," Journal of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATOMS newsletter) Winter 1994 pp 27-29

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