Fixing one problem creates another in this vicious cycle

Sometimes in life you feel you are trapped in a vicious cycle. You have a problem that becomes a new problem which then worsens the original problem.

A man in his 70s called me with such a story. He had a seriously deteriorated back. Orthopaedic specialists said it was inoperable. He was prescribed long-term anti-inflammatory medication which unfortunately had caused kidney damage.

It can take three months before the body’s healing processes are stimulated to start healing the problem. It is like the healing processes are dormant — suppressed by the disease process and unable to heal.

One of the major issues with joint problems is that the body initiates an inflammatory assault on the damaged joint. Unfortunately the inflammation does little to heal and over time can itself become a new problem.

I created a comprehensive programme for him. We used both diet and supplements to help bring calm to inflamed joints and to help his immune system to revert back to normal function. The supplements included my multimineral/antioxidant/vitamin complex at maximum doses.

I included 6000mg of Omega 3 fish oil to a diet already high in Omega 3. Magnesium can really help stressed tissue around spinal arthritis. This also helped him with a more comfortable night. We added a double dose of my joint formula.

This is a different from many joint supplements as it is high in chondroitin sulphate (CS). Studies confirm the benefits of high doses of CS. I started him on 1600mg of CS, with 1600mg of glucosamine and 400mg of a high potency, rapid absorption curcumin (from turmeric) complex.

His back is much better. Degeneration is still there but he is more comfortable and back to physically demanding tasks.

John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv.Dip.Nut.Med) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health Ltd. For questions or advice contact John on 0800 423559 or email john@abundant.co.nz. Join his full weekly newsletter at www.abundant.co.nz