Arthritis and Longevity Living

Arthritis and Longevity Living
Aging is not a natural process. Contrary to popular belief,
aging is not a consequence of time. Aging is a disease, and
therefore should be treated as one.

As you add on more years to your life, the symptoms of the
disease of aging become more acute, manifested in ailments
and problems commonly attributable to aging. One of them is
arthritis.

Arthritis is common among the elderly; if you live long
enough, you can expect some stiffness in your joints. Wear
and tear of your joints is normal. Osteoarthritis may
develop in the joints that you work hardest, such as your
spine, knees, hips and hands, resulting in inflammation.

In addition to usage and abusage, inflammation in your
joints may be aggravated by toxins from the environment,
such as pesticides, and from your foods that may contain
known cancer-causing agents. The chemicals in the form of
food flavorings, coloring, and enhancers may contribute to
the elevated toxicity level in your body.

In addition, highly refined and processed foods immobilize
your immune system, while tap water loaded with toxic
industrial chemicals stress your body cells to the extreme.
Believe it or not, you may be ingesting more than one
hundred chemicals in your body every day. To make matters
worse, DHEA ? your body's hormone machine ? gradually
grinds down, as you grow older.

All these accumulative effects of the symptoms of the
disease of aging may ultimately lead to the onslaught of
arthritis, immobilizing your longevity living. The first
step to control your arthritis begins with your body
detoxification. Remove all chemicals from your body.
Detoxify your body through fasting and EDTA chelation
therapy to remove toxins accumulated over the years.

Fasting is one of the simplest and most effective ways of
removing toxins, and may relieve some of the symptoms of
arthritis. But fasting alone may not be a long-term
solution.

EDTA chelation therapy employs intravenous drips of certain
man-made amino acid to bind heavy metals and take them
safely out of your body. EDTA chelation therapy is
instrumental in removing calcium from your soft tissues,
such as arteries, joints, and muscles, but not the calcium
in your bones.

You should detoxify your body of toxins on a regular basis.
Use herbs ? such as dandelion, licorice root, milk thistle,
and black walnut hull ? and foods ? such as burdock and
beets ? to facilitate the detoxification process.

After your body has been detoxified, a proper diet should
help the rejuvenation process. A vegetarian diet or a
balanced acid and alkaline diet may help you control some
of your arthritis symptoms if you have already developed
them. To find out your toxicity level or the pH level, use
test strips (obtainable in most drug stores) to determine
your body's acid-alkaline level. Avoid all processed foods
in the supermarket. Avoid all non-foods, such as sugar,
artificial sweeteners, food dyes and colorings, additives.

Reduce all dairy products; especially you may not have
adequate lactose enzymes to digest milk proteins, leading
to allergy reactions which may aggravate your arthritic
symptoms.

Cut down, if not eliminate, meat from your diet: the very
process of converting animal proteins into energy is itself
a toxic metabolism process, producing an acid that promotes
inflammation. Animal fats harbor toxic chemicals in your
bones and joints.

Take anti-viral and anti-bacterial supplements, such as
Echinacea. Also, take a dose of 25-50 milligrams of DHEA.

Eat healing foods, such as figs, berries (blackberries,
blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, and cherries) fresh
greens (celery, cucumber, kale, parsley), whole grains,
oats, brown rice, seeds and nuts, and beans and sprouts.
Sprinkle flaxseed in your soup, salad, or just about
anything you eat. Eat at least 30 grams of flaxseed a day.

Include cold water fish in your diet to get your omega-3
fatty acids to fight inflammation in your arthritis.

Use olive or flaxseed oil in your cooking. You already have
too much bad oil in fast food, restaurant food. Don't use
safflower and sunflower oils, and salad oils.

Drink green chlorophyll juices: barley or wheat grass
juices. Drink one glass each day for one week, and then
gradually increase to five or six glasses a day. Other
juices include aloe vera with cabbage, and raw potato
juice, which is especially good for arthritis.

Use common herbs to treat arthritis: Aloe vera (already
used medicinally for thousands of years); avocado/soybean
oil (for relieving osteoarthritis pain); cayenne or red
pepper (blocking osteoarthritis pain of the knee); ginger
(a potent anti-inflammatory agent); glucosamine
(recommended by most doctors); and green tea (containing
anti-inflammation polyphenols).

Drink shitake mushroom (not just any type of mushroom) soup
once a week: ½ cup of shitake mushroom, di-stemmed and
sliced; lb. of tofu (firm);1 kelp leaf;1 Tbs. of barley
miso;4 green onions, sliced;2 cups of vegetable stock

Boil all ingredients, except miso and green onions, and
simmer before adding the rest of the ingredients.

To relieve pain from osteoarthritis, apply cold compresses,
an ice bag, or ice cubes in a plastic bag wrapped in a
towel will help numb your pain. Or, alternatively, use heat
to relieve both pain and stiffness of your joints. Sitting
in a warm bath water for 10 minutes will do just that.

The long-term effect of arthritis is not just the pain
inflicted but the immobility, which may lead to other
far-reaching effects as you continue to age. Mobility is
the closest thing to an anti-aging pill.

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Stephen Lau is a writer and researcher, writing synopses of
research of doctors and scientists. He has created
websites such as ?Longevity for You? on health and ?Golfing
Success Info? on the art of playing golf. His publications
include "NO MIRACLE CURES - Only Wholesome Self-Healing,"
"How To Teach Children To Read" and "Blueprint For Success
In Affiliate Business."
http://www.longevityforyou.com
http://www.golfingsuccessinfo.com