Re: Rheumatoid Arthritis/Sjogrens diagnosed at 24. (Ask CureZone Community) 5/1/2011 1806261

Arthritis may be an allergic response to materials in the food supply. Diet revision may be helpful in reducing the activity of inflammatory arthritis and in some instances may halt the progression of the disease. There are many patterns of arthritis. A group of related joint and connective disorders have been called rheumatic diseases. All these diseases are immune-mediated, and all are expressions of inflammation in connective tissues. Inflammation damages joints and surrounding tissues resulting in loss of function and deformities. Variations in the patterns of these diseases reflect the many possibilities for immune damage to disturb and distort structure and function. Severity ranges from mildly painful, chronic activity to drastic, disabling disease. Rheumatoid arthritis, often severe and disabling, is the dominant rheumatic disease that can attack all joints in the body.

Rheumatoid arthritis is often considered to be an autoimmune disease. Our idea is that no disease is just internally generated and must involve outside contributions. Arthritis is often associated with inflammatory boweldisease. The mechanisms of food allergy link abnormal gastrointestinalTract (GIT) function with immune attacks on connective tissue. In all arthritic patients, normal GIT function should be rigorously sought by adaptive dietary adjustments.

Simple allergic arthritis is a definite entity that is often not recognized as a food allergy. Typically, a dramatic, acute, and painful swelling develops in one or more joints asymmetrically. Eating a food, either an unusual food eaten for the first time or sometimes a regular food eaten in excess usually brings on the joint inflammation. This presentation is similar to and often confused with gout. Any food can cause allergic arthritis. Staple foodssuch as milk, eggs, and wheat (rye, oats, barley), coffee, beef, pork, and food additives are the most common food triggers. Carinini and Brostroff reviewed the concepts of and evidence for food-induced arthritis. They stated:

In another study, 33 of 45 patients with rheumatoid arthritis improved significantly on a hypoallergenic diet. The authors concluded: Increasing numbers of scientific studies suggest that dietary manipulation may help at least some rheumatoid patients and perhaps the greatest need now is for more careful and well-designed research so that preconceptions may be put aside and role of diet, as a specific or even a nonspecific adjunctive therapy, may be determined.

Unfortunately, dairy products, wheat and its close relatives, oats, barley, and rye, have proved to be a major problem in the diets of our patients. There are many possible reasons for cereal grains to become pathogenic. Hypersensitivity mechanisms triggered by grain proteins, collectively called Gluten, are the likely cause of the illnesses related to intake of cereal grains. Gluten is a mixture of individual proteins classified in two groups, the prolamines and the Glutelins. The prolamine fraction of gluten concerns us the most when grain intolerance is suspected. The prolamine,gliadin, seems to be a problem in celiac disease; gliadin antibodies are commonly found in the immune complexes associated with this disease. Recently marketed grains, spelt and kamut, are wheat variants (despite claims to the contrary) and are likely to cause problems similar to other wheat varieties.

A wheat gluten mechanism has been studied in rheumatoid arthritis patients. The clinical observation is that wheat ingestion is followed within hours by increased joint swelling and pain. Little and his colleagues studied the mechanism, as it developed sequentially following gluten ingestion. Dr. Parke and colleagues concurred with this explanation of the gut-arthritis link in their report of three patients with celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The mechanism involves several stages:

Once in the joint, the immune complexes activate complement, which in turn damages cells and activates inflammation. More inflammation results in more pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of mobility.

Arthritis is usually treated with salicylates or related anti-inflammatory drugs generally referred to as NSAIDs. These drugs alleviate the terrible pain of active arthritis but do not favorably affect the outcome of the disease. All anti-arthritic medication can produce asthma or chronic rhinitis and a variety of allergic skin rashes. Gastrointestinal surface irritation, bleeding, and ulceration are routine problems of anti-arthritic medication.

The first attack of joint swelling and pain should be treated as an urgent problem to be solved. Inflammation may damage joints. Often NSAIDs and physiotherapy are the only treatments prescribed and inflammation is given every opportunity to ravage tissues. We have seen countless patients, just treated with NSAIDs, who progressed rapidly to a severe disabling disease, often with poor pain control. In unlucky patients, severe deformities of joints accumulate in the first few months of a severe attack. There is a trend to recommend more aggressive treatments, using drugs that impair the immune response. The best drug is prednisone, but it is seldom used because it has long-term side effects which scare both physicians and patients. Prednisone is often a magic drug that relieves terrible pain and suffering often in the first 48 hours of therapy. Beyond prednisone, there is a grab bag of immune suppressant drugs to treat arthritis-chloroquine, penicillamine, gold and methotrexate have emerged as the favored drug therapies. All these drugs have impressive side effects and great potential for toxicity.

Our preference is to try to stop the inflammatory activity as soon as possible with diet revision. All inflammation is likened to a fire. You get out the fire-extinguishers and go to work. No matter what pattern the immune attack assumes, our standard defense can be tried first. The Core Program method of diet revision is used. Food is replaced with an elemental nutrient formula, ENFood, for a clearing period of 10 to 20 days. Prednisone and/or NSAIDs are drug options during the clearing period and then the dosage is reduced after pain and swelling have subsided. Improvement is followed by slow food reintroduction (see Core Program). Each returning food is carefully screened for arthritis- triggering effects. You hope that food allergy caused the problem and that food control can be successful controlling the disease in the long- term. Nothing is lost by taking this approach and complete control of the disease can sometimes be obtained. If strict food control proves to be inadequate, then other drug treatments can be instituted.

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wheat In the first article in this series, I showed that hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disease in 90% of cases. In this article we’re going to discuss the connection between autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) and gluten intolerance.

Several studies show a strong link between AITD (both Hashimoto’s and Graves’) and gluten intolerance. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] The link is so well-established that researchers suggest all people with AITD be screened for gluten intolerance, and vice versa.

What explains the connection? It’s a case of mistaken identity. The molecular structure of gliadin, the protein portion of gluten, closely resembles that of the thyroid gland. When gliadin breaches the protective barrier of the gut, and enters the bloodstream, the immune system tags it for destruction. These antibodies to gliadin also cause the body to attack thyroid tissue. This means if you have AITD and you eat foods containing gluten, your immune system will attack your thyroid.

Even worse, the immune response to gluten can last up to 6 months each time you eat it. This explains why it iscritical to eliminate gluten completely from your diet if you have AITD. There’s no “80/20″ rule when it comes to gluten. Being “mostly” gluten-free isn’t going to cut it. If you’re gluten intolerant, you have to be 100% gluten-free to prevent immune destruction of your thyroid.

So how do you find out if you’re gluten intolerant? Unfortunately, standard lab tests aren’t very accurate. They test for antibodies to gluten in the bloodstream. But antibodies in the blood will only be found in cases where the gut has become so permeable that gluten can pass through. This is a relatively advanced stage of disease. Blood tests will miss the many milder cases of gluten intolerance that haven’t yet progressed to that stage.

Stool analysis is far more sensitive, because it detects antibodies produced in the digestive tract that aren’t yet escaping into the bloodstream. Using this method at Entero Lab, Dr. Kenneth Fine, a pioneer in the field, has found that up to 35% of Americans are gluten intolerant.

In addition to the stool analysis, Dr. Fine’s lab uses a cheek swab to test for the genes connected with gluten intolerance and celiac disease. People with HLA DQ genes are more likely than the general population to have autoimmune disease, celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Dr. Fine’s research shows that more than 80% of Americans have one of these gene types.

When I first read Dr. Fine’s research, I was astounded by the implications. It suggests that 1 in 3 Americans are gluten intolerant, and that 8 in 10 are genetically predisposed to gluten intolerance. This is nothing short of a public health catastrophe in a nation where the #1 source of calories is refined flour. But while most are at least aware of the dangers of sugar, trans-fat and other unhealthy foods, fewer than 1 in 8 people with celiac disease are aware of their condition. I would guess that an even lower proportion of people are aware they are gluten intolerant.

One reason gluten intolerance goes undetected in so many cases is that both doctors and patients mistakenly believe it only causes digestive problems. But gluten intolerance can also present with inflammation in the joints, skin, respiratory tract and brain – without any obvious gut symptoms.

As much improved as Dr. Fine’s methods are, they aren’t perfect. In some patients with autoimmune disease, their immune system is so worn out they can no longer produce many antibodies.

Hashmioto’s, the most common autoimmune thyroid condition, is primarily a Th1 dominant condition. I’ll explain what this means in further detail in a future article. For now, what you need to understand is that in Th1-dominant conditions, the Th2 system is suppressed. The Th2 system is the part of the immune system responsible for producing antibodies. When the Th2 system is severely depressed, the body’s ability to produce antibodies is impaired. The levels may be so low that they won’t show up on a test. So, even if you have gluten intolerance, your test for gluten antibodies may be falsely negative if you have Th1-dominant Hashimoto’s.

This is why I recommend that you avoid gluten if you have AITD, regardless of whether tests show an active antibody response. This is especially true if you have one of the genes (HLA DQ1,2, or 3) that predisposes you to developing gluten intolerance. In my opinion continuing to eat gluten when you have a confirmed autoimmune condition simply isn’t worth risking the immune destruction it could cause.

In fact, the more I learn about gluten and its effects on the body, the more I think we’d all probably be better off not eating it. Mark Sisson has written extensively about the dangers of gluten and gluten-containing grains, so head over there and have a look if this is new to you. The short version: foods that contain gluten (both whole grains and flours) contain substances that inhibit nutrient absorption, damage our intestinal lining, and – as I’ve described in this article – activate a potentially destructive autoimmune response. What’s more, there are no nutrients in gluten-containing foods that you can’t get more easily and efficiently from foods that don’t contain gluten.

The good news is that if you have AITD and are gluten intolerant removing gluten completely from your diet will dramatically improve your health. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

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http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/brownstein.htm

Arthritis and Joint Paint with Thyroid and Autoimmune Disease
An Interview with David Brownstein, M.D.

by Mary Shomon

David Brownstein, M.D., a family physician who integrates conventional and alternative therapies in his practice, is the author of Overcoming Arthritis, and The Miracle of Natural Hormones. In this interview, he talks about relationship between arthritis, arthritis symptoms, and thyroid conditions, and treatments that can help.

He serves as the Medical Director for the Center for Holistic Medicine in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Dr. Brownstein is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. Brownstein is Board Certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Preventive Medicine, Acupuncture Society of Michigan, American College for the Advancement in Medicine and The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. He has a website located atwww.drbrownstein.com.

Mary Shomon: What arthritis-type symptoms do you hear frequently reported by thyroid patients?

David Brownstein, M.D.: Mary, I often hear patients with thyroid disorders complaining of soreness and swelling in their joints. Patients will describe difficulty in getting their joints to move freely, particularly in the morning. People also complain of swelling of their joints. I hear complaints like these over and over in my practice. For over 50 years, the link between thyroid problems and arthritis has been known.

Mary Shomon: In your book, Overcoming Arthritis, you describe how certain infections may be at the root of both autoimmune diseases-including Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease-and arthritic disorders. Can you tell us a little bit more about that concept?

David Brownstein, M.D.: In conventional medicine, there is no explanation for why autoimmune disorders (e.g., Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimotos’, Graves, Thyroiditis, etc) occur. If you don’t understand the cause of an illness, then how can you fashion an appropriate treatment regimen?

My experience has shown that many individuals suffering from autoimmune illnesses often have an underlying infectious component. The idea of an infectious cause of arthritis has been around since 1899, when a form of arthritis in cattle was diagnosed as being caused by a bacterium. In humans, this idea was further developed in the 1930’s by a rheumatologist, Dr. Thomas Brown. Dr. Brown was able to isolate a bacterium, Mycoplasma Bacterium, from the joints of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. After isolating the bacteria, Dr. Brown began treating his patients with antibiotics directed against this bacterium, and he noticed an interesting phenomenon. His patients actually improved. At that time, people with rheumatoid arthritis did not improve with conventional medicine (which is similar to what happens today with rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with conventional medicine).

When I read Dr. Brown’s research, I immediately began thinking about my patients who were suffering from autoimmune illnesses, including thyroid patients. I began testing my patients for bacterial infections 8 years ago, and I discovered a significant portion of these patients had signs of an infection. In the case of thyroid patients (i.e., those with Graves, Hashimotos’ or thyroiditis), the infection was located in the thyroid gland.

In my experience, 80% of patients with autoimmune arthritic disorders (i.e., Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Sjogren’s, etc) and approximately 70% of those with autoimmune thyroid disorders (i.e., Graves,’ Hashimotos’, thyroiditis) have signs of an infection. This made perfect sense to me. Perhaps these individuals had a bacterial infection (e.g., Mycoplasma) that the body was not able to clear. Mycoplasmas are a very small bacterium that can actually get inside of the cells of the body. Because of this, the immune system cells are unable to directly attack the bacteria. In order to rid the body of the bacteria, the immune system cells will often resort to attacking the body’s own tissue, which has been infected with the organism.

In the example of thyroid infections, in order to get at the infection, the body will produce antibodies against its own thyroid gland. This would explain why the thyroid gland becomes inflamed in autoimmune thyroid illnesses, as well as why the body would produce antibodies against a particular gland. I believe this hypothesis holds true for many autoimmune disorders.

Mary Shomon: You talk about he use of antibiotics to tackle infectious aspects of these conditions. What type of antibiotic therapy have you found useful in your practice?

David Brownstein, M.D.: Mary I have been checking patients who have autoimmune illnesses for infections for years. When I isolate a particular bacterium, I will use very small amounts of an antibiotic that can effectively kill the bacterium. However, this is not like taking penicillin for a strep infection. The infections in an autoimmune illnesses are very deep in the tissues. The antibiotics cannot get directly at the infection. So, the antibiotics are not going to directly kill the bacterium, but, over time, will prevent the bacterium from reproducing.

By using nutritional support (i.e., vitamins, minerals, herbs) I have found very low doses of antibiotics can succeed in allowing the immune system to overcome the infection. In fact, I do not use the antibiotics every day. Usually 2- 3 days per week is sufficient. The bacterium that I most commonly isolate is Mycoplasma. The antibiotic that I have found the most successful are the tetracycline (or doxycycline) antibiotics, which effectively treat Mycoplasma infections. In my book, I talk about other infections that can occur, and treatments for such infections as well.

Mary Shomon: Personally, I have been on a fairly constant course of doxycline for a number of months, and have found that if I stop taking it, a few days later, I start having a variety of achiness like symptoms, including knee and elbow pain, carpal tunnel, syndrome, forearm and shin pain, and flu-like total body aches. My doctor suspects an underlying infectious agent, but my herbalist is also working to try and eradicate that agent from my body. In a case like mine, how long can one stay on an antibiotic? I’m reluctant to stop, but my doctor and herbalist are both concerned about long-term use, due to antibiotic resistance, yeast over-growth and other side effects.

David Brownstein, M.D.: Those are excellent questions. I have many similar patients in my practice. I believe all of the autoimmune illnesses are related. As previously stated, I also believe there is an underlying infection in many of these illnesses. The illness will manifest in the weakest point of the body. In some cases, it is the thyroid gland; in others it is the joints of the body.

So, how long can one stay on an antibiotic? Dr. Brown, who treated patients successfully for 50 years, had some patients on low dose antibiotics for this entire time. He did not report side effects of yeast overgrowth and other common problems associated with antibiotics. I take many precautions to prevent this, including the use of probiotic supplements as well as the use of acupressure (NAET) to help prevent side effects. When you treat the whole body, you are able to use lower doses of antibiotics and the risk of adverse reactions is minimized. I have a Scleroderma patient who has been on various antibiotics for over 25 years (she was a patient of Dr. Brown) and she shows no signs of yeast problems or other side effects from the antibiotics. In fact, if she tries to stop the antibiotic, her Scleroderma symptoms worsen. The antibiotics can periodically be changed to prevent resistance problems from developing. I have had patients come off the antibiotics when the immune system fully recovers. I think every patient must be treated as a unique individual and each therapy must be tailored to that unique individual. .

Mary Shomon: You are a proponent of natural hormones for some autoimmune disease and arthritis symptoms. Can you tell us a bit about how you would recommend patients get tested for hormonal deficiencies, and if deficiencies are found, what sorts of hormones you’ve found most helpful for these types of symptoms? .

David Brownstein, M.D.: Balancing the hormonal system is absolutely necessary for the immune system to function properly, as well as necessary for the individual to achieve their optimum health. I believe we should use hormones that are as closely related to the body’s own hormones. Natural hormones, those that mimic our own hormones in structure, are preferred over synthetic versions of hormones. Examples of natural hormones include, natural progesterone, natural testosterone, melatonin, human growth hormone, DHEA, pregnenolone and others. I cover each of these hormones in my book. I test patients via serum (blood) testing and use different forms of natural hormones for the individual. Again, not one size fits all. This therapy needs to be individualized for the best results. I also believe the entire hormonal system needs to be balanced. Therefore, I will often use combinations of hormones instead of using the hormones individually. This is a much more effective treatment plan and allows the use of much smaller doses of the hormones. I include much more information about the use of natural hormones in my book, The Miracle of Natural Hormones, 2nd Edition.

Mary Shomon: Where does diet fit in to the equation? Is there an optimal “autoimmune diet” for patients with autoimmune diseases and/or arthritic symptoms?

David Brownstein, M.D.: A healthy diet is paramount to achieving one’s optimal health as well as allowing one to overcome chronic illness. I included a whole section on diet in my book. It is impossible to achieve your optimal health eating the Standard American Diet. There is no optimal diet for every patient. I believe that getting the nutritionally deficient foods-trans fatty acids, refined sugars and flour and others-out of the diet is absolutely necessary for one to allow the healing process to begin. In addition, all artificial sweeteners (especially Aspartame) must be removed. I have seen many patients improve their health considerably by removing artificial sweeteners, such as Aspartame.

People with chronic illnesses must remove all processed foods from their diets. Examples of processed foods include cookies, cakes, donuts, etc. I think that autoimmune problems and infections may begin by ingesting poor diet. A poor diet leads to nutritional deficiencies and immune system problems, which can set the stage for infections to occur. One must eat whole foods, foods that contain healing agents (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc.) and drink adequate amounts of water. Examples of whole foods include fruits, vegetables, meat (hormone and pesticide free), fish, etc. Organic food should be eaten.

Mary Shomon: You mention the importance of water in your book. Do you think most of us are drinking enough water?

David Brownstein, M.D.: Mary, I believe that dehydration is the number one health problem affecting Americans today. Our bodies are made of over 70% water. Without drinking enough water, the immune system cannot function normally and this will set the stage for infectious problems and autoimmune problems to develop. People (and even children) drink too much non-water sources such as soda and coffee. I can’t tell you how many patients who complain of joint pain improve when they increase their water intake. In my experience, over 90% of those patients suffering from a chronic illness have had a long history of dehydration. The first step to providing the body with the necessary raw materials to heal itself is to hydrate it.

Mary Shomon: What sorts of nutritional supplements do you recommend for patients with arthritis symptoms? Many people who have arthritic symptoms, along with their thyroid conditions, have asked about glucasomine and chondroitin, and whether they are helpful. What are your thoughts about these popular supplements?

David Brownstein, M.D.: Nutritional supplements should be individualized. I don’t think one size fits all. I evaluate each of my patients for their nutritional status. By looking at blood, urine and hair analysis combined with kinesiology, you can individualize one’s nutritional regimen. I recommend people work with a doctor skilled in nutritional supplements. Helpful items can be Vitamin C, Niacinamide, Vitamin B6, Flax Seed Oil, Magnesium, Zinc, essential fatty acids, herbs, Transfer Factor and many others.

There is not one single nutrient that is helpful for everybody. These items have to be individualized. Glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin can be very helpful natural agents to help with inflammation and the rebuilding of injured cartilage in the joints. It is very important to take nutritional supplements from reputable companies. Many products sold over-the counter are of very poor quality. However, nutritional supplements do not take precedent over drinking adequate amounts of water and eating a healthy diet.

Mary Shomon: Is there anything else you’d like to touch upon?

David Brownstein, M.D.: Mary, I would like to impress upon those that suffer with autoimmune problems, that you don’t have to suffer with your illness. By giving the body the basic raw materials (vitamins, minerals, water, etc), true healing can occur. The reliance on drug therapies has been a failure in treating many of these ailments. Many drug therapies (i.e., NSAID’s) actually cause autoimmune and arthritic illnesses to worsen over time. By using a holistic approach, one can overcome these illnesses and achieve their optimum health. I always tell my patients, “Don’t give up hope.” Patients need to take control of their health care decisions. They need to educate themselves and make their own informed decisions.

To get Dr. Brownstein's books, contact Medical Alternatives Press, at 888.647.5616, or visit www.drbrownstein.com.

You can also get both books at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble online.

If someone is interested in making an appointment for an office visit with Dr. Brownstein, call his office at: 1-248-851-1600.

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http://johnscorner.blogspot.com/2009/07/something-more-about-rheumatoid.html

WEDNESDAY, JULY 01, 2009

Something more about rheumatoid arthritis treatments

Dr. David Brownstein (in the article I referenced back on June 5th) mentions a bacterium, mycoplasma, that was

first described as an underlying cause of arthritis in mice in 1938 by Dr. Albert Sabin [yeah, the guy who is most famous for having developed the oral polio vaccine]. In 1939, Dr. Thomas Brown published a study in which he isolated mycoplasma bacterium from the joints of rheumatic patients.

Brownstein notes that, by combining a low-dose antibiotic treatment with modified diet, he has been able to see remarkable results with a woman who had been suffering from the disease for over 20 years, despite one failed "conventional" treatment after the other. (She was on 8 mg of prednisone at the time she came to Brownstein.) --Today, the woman is up and about and out of her wheelchair.

I have now done some further research on Brownstein's mention of mycoplasma and it sounds as if he's not just talking through his hat. There's additional research behind both the link between mycoplasma and arthritis, and behind the idea that tetracycline can clear it out. As the About.com article on the subjectstates, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored studies in 1993 and 1994:

The preliminary results of the clinical trials, known now as MIRA or Minocycline in Rheumatoid Arthritis, were promising and the NIH requested grant applications for studies of mycoplasma and other infectious agents as causes for rheumatoid diseases in 1993, and a pilot study for intravenous antibiotics for rheumatoid arthritis in 1994.

The result of the MIRA clinical trial stated, "Patients who suffer from mild to moderate RA now have the choice of another therapeutic agent. Not only did the antibiotic significantly reduce symptoms, but side effects were minimal and less severe than observed for most other common rheumatoid treatments".

And yet,

Many physicians remain skeptical and still do not suggest antibiotic treatment to their patients. The Arthritis Foundation was seemingly unimpressed even after antibiotic therapy was deemed as safe and effective. The foundation's medical director reportedly said he did not view the treatment as a breakthrough and more study of dosages and long-term use of minocycline is needed.

Okay. Be skeptical. But can our doctors at least hold an open mind?

Oh. And then there's this 2001 article from the Agora Publishing group's Health Sciences Institute (HSI):German enzyme therapy targets autoimmune disorders, reducing the need for side-effect laden drugs:

In autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and MS, the immune system goes “haywire.” Instead of serving its normal protective function, it produces abnormally high levels of antibodies called circulating immune complexes (CICs). In a healthy person, the pancreas naturally produces enzymes that break down CICs so they can pass through the kidneys for excretion. But in people with compromised immune systems, CICs begin to accumulate in the body’s soft tissue and organs-causing serious inflammation and, in extreme cases, organ failure.

If you suffer from an autoimmune disorder, you can clear your system of excess CICs by supplementing your body’s stockpile of enzymes. This can lead to a dramatic reduction in inflammation and many of your most debilitating symptoms.

And so, the article urges, consider supplementing with something called Wobenzym produced by a German company called Mucos Pharma GmBH. Wobenzym, they say, is "the leading over-the-counter drug in Germany and is used primarily to treat injury and inflammation. Unfortunately, because the majority of the published research is in German, it hasn’t received the attention it deserves in the United States." But from the research HSI was able to uncover,

Studies have shown that Wobenzym can prevent RA flare-ups and help to lower levels of CICs. In one German study published in Zeitschr. F. Rheumatologie in which patients took eight Wobenzym tablets four times daily, sixty-two percent of patients showed improvement in symptoms [emphasis mine--JAH].

In another study, researchers at the Ukrainian Rheumatology Center in Kiev tested Wobenzym on 78 patients with severe RA who were using other traditional drugs. Patients showed a decrease in CIC concentrations of up to 42 percent. All RA patients showed an improvement of morning stiffness and nearly a quarter of patients reduced their NSAID doses by 50 to 75 percent. . . .

. . . I am going to contact my rheumatologist to get his perspective. I wonder if he is willing--or even able (since he is in the Kaiser-Permanente system)--to consider these kinds of "alternative" therapies.

I am glad, at least, that he said I could follow the "food hypothesis."

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wobenzym source:

http://www.iherb.com/Mucos-Pharma-Wobenzym-N-Healthy-Inflammation-and-Joint-S...

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And one more link on food intolerances(incl gluten). I love DogtorJ:)

http://dogtorj.com/?page_id=96

What Is Food Intolerance?

This critically important health issue of food intolerance is finally coming out of the closet and into its own. But what is it and why have we not heard of it before. The former is pretty easy to understand. Grasping the answer to the latter takes some serious effort and is not for the faint of heart.

The term “food intolerance” has been applied to both immune-mediated (involving the immune system) and non-immune related disorders (e.g. to food additives) that result from the consumption of certain foods to which an individual is sensitive. Here is the Wikipedia definition offood intolerance. This is a pretty good starting point. But things are not always that clear-cut as we are finding in the study of celiac disease (gluten intolerance), the condition that catapulted me into this mission.

This site focuses on the immune-mediated forms of food intolerance, which include those reactions to gluten, casein (dairy), soy, and corn. I also now have a small section onnightshade intolerance. In my G.A.R.D. diet, I emphasize the need to eliminate MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartate (NutraSweet), two food additives that are neurotoxic, with some individuals having much more dramatic reactions to their consumption than others. Some would call this a food intolerance. Like many other “intolerances”, these items affect everyone negatively to some extent but produce serious reactions in those who are already in a downward spiral from others factors.

The most serious food intolerances are those to the gluten grains (wheat, barley, and rye), casein (dairy products), soy and corn, with the first three being the most common. Celiac disease (gluten intolerance) is finally making its way into the public eye. At the time of my diagnosis in the year 2000, it was considered a “rare disorder in the US, affecting less than 1:5000 Americans.” In 2006, it was declared to be one of the most common conditions in the country, with Johns Hopkins and The Mayo Clinic stating that the official number of celiacs in this country was 1:120 people. However, the unofficial number by celiac researchers is a whopping 1:30. Other papers on this site address this obvious and unsettling discrepancy.

Celiac disease, which serves very well as the example of the immune-related food intolerances, is caused by the reaction of the cells that line the intestinal tract to the presence of gluten, a sticky glycoprotein (part carb, part protein). This reaction to the lectins in gluten leads to the classic lesion of villous atrophy, the destruction of the tiny finger-like projections of the intestinal tract that are responsible for the absorption of nutrients. The main area of intestinal damage is the duodenum, that first stretch of intestine after the stomach. As the condition progresses, the next section- the jejunum- is also involved. This progression of villous damage along the length of the small intestine helps to explain the variability in symptoms among affected individuals, both in severity and age of onset.

The destruction of the intestinal villi results in a number of serious complication, including the malabsorption of essential nutrients, the entry of undesirable proteins, and the leakage of certain important elements into that damaged gut. These things are often described as the “leaky gut syndrome”.

The most important thing for the novice to grasp is the malabsorption issue. It is this part of the mechanism of food intolerance that helps people to see the potentially devastating aspects of this important health issue. The duodenum and jejunum are responsible for the absorption of the vast majority of our calcium, iron, iodine, B complex, C, and trace minerals (zinc, magnesium, boron, chromium, lithium, manganese, etc.). Immediately, one should be able to see the potentially catastrophic effects of damage to these areas: Osteoporosis, iron deficiency anemia, thyroid problems, immune system failure, and a myriad of symptoms related to trace element deficiencies. All tissues of the body can suffer from such malnutrition. So, we should not be surprised to learn that celiacs have a much higher rate of the illnesses that plague mankind…and his pets.

But gluten intolerance is only one of the “big 4″ or what I like to refer as “the four horsemen of the apocalypse” when I am writing more melodramatically. I have good reason to do so. Gluten, dairy products, soy and corn are doing an incredible amount of harm to a phenomenal number of people and animals. We covered the incidence of celiac diseases above. What is the true incidence of casein, soy and corn intolerance? No one really knows for sure. But I can tell you that wheat is “only” the number two human food allergen, with cow’s milk being number one. That fact combined with the amount of research information linking dairy products to many of the common medical conditions from which we all suffer has led me to the conclusion that true dairy intolerance (to casein and other glycoproteins in cow’s milk) will be found to have a higher incidence in people than celiac disease.

The bad news is that over 75% of the calories in the standard American diet (S.A.D.) are derived from the “big 4″. Once we grasp the true incidence, the devastating consequences, and all of the common food sources of these food intolerances we will have a much better view of the big picture of medicine. The origins of the downward spiral in our health and that of our pets will be so clear that we should all wake up to what we have done to ourselves.

And then we can embrace what I like to call the “gospel of medicine”: We do have our health destinies more in our own hands than we have ever believed, certainly more than we have ever been told. Miracles can occur when we identify and eliminate the foods that are driving our bodies (and the viruses and bacteria they contain) crazy. I am a living example. Many others are experiencing profound results as seen in my Testimonials section.

The rest of this Website is dedicated to helping the reader grasp the vital nature of this information as well as covering other topics that contribute to the decline in our health (e.g. air quality issues,sleep, and “genetics”). When taken as whole, these issues should lead the reader to the same conclusion that I have came to a number of years ago: We are doing all of this harm to ourselves. That is an unsettling but true realization. But that same conclusion should give us hope for the future. This situation is still within our control. We can change things, in our household and beyond. It is not easy but it is “simple”. All we have to do is stop doing to ourselves what we know to be harmful and then reap the benefits. Yes, in our medical lives, we also reap what we sow.

Dogtor J

~I have about a zillion other links at the ready, let me know if some of this resonates with you~ :)