A Natural Approach To Health
Living With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
I had a question the other day about juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a childhood disease causing inflamed, swollen joints.
This makes joints stiff and painful.
The term “juvenile idiopathic arthritis” is replacing the American “juvenile rheumatoid arthritis” and the European “juvenile chronic arthritis.”
Some children with JIA grow out of it after they get treatment.
Others will need ongoing treatment as adults.
There are several types of JIA.
1. Oligoarticular (formerly known as pauciarticular) is the most common form and usually the mildest.
In this type, 1-4 joints are affected in the first 6 months of the disease.
Your child may have pain in the knees, ankles, fingers, toes, wrists, elbows, or hips.
2. Polyarticular affects 5 or more joints in the first 6 months of symptoms and tends to get worse over time.
It can be severe.
It may be more like rheumatoid arthritis in adults.
3. Systemic can be the most serious.
It causes pain in many joints.
It can also spread to organs.
4. Enthesitis-related most often affects the areas where tendons and ligaments attach to bones.
The joints may also be affected.
5. Psoriatic usually combines joint tenderness and inflammation with psoriasis of the skin or problems with nails.
Researchers don’t really know what causes the disease.
But there are a number of things they think can lead to it.
These things include:
>An overactive immune system attacking joint tissues.
>Viruses or other infections
>Certain genes.
Children can have one or many symptoms.
In some cases symptoms can be mild and difficult to see.
A young child may be more cranky than normal.
Or a child may go back to crawling after he or she has started walking.
Your child’s joints may feel stiff in the morning.
Or your child may have trouble walking.
Children with this disease can also get inflammatory eye disease.
This can lead to permanent vision problems or blindness if it’s not treated.
Your child’s treatment will be based on the type of JIA he or she has, and how serious it is.
Even when JIA isn’t severe, your child may still need long-term treatment.
To deal with juvenile idiopathic arthritis it’s beneficial to:
*Drink 6-8 cups of purified water every day to hydrate your cells.
*Discover and avoid triggers; check for possible food allergies.
*Get regular moderate exercise.
*Breathe deeply to oxygenate cells.
*Alfalfa is extremely helpful for inflammation; take throughout the day; try as a tea.
*Boswellia is an herb important for reducing inflammation. It also helps to restore blood vessels around inflamed connective tissue.
*Ginger is a powerful antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory effects.
*Noni, known as “the sacred plant” to Polynesian peoples in the South Pacific, has been used for more than 2,000 years for pain, arthritis, and other health problems.
*EFAs (Omega 3, flaxseed oil, fish oil) help lubricate joints and decrease inflammation.
*Eat more sulfur-containing foods, like asparagus, eggs, garlic, and onions.
*Other beneficial foods include fresh vegetables, nonacidic fresh fruits, whole grains, oatmeal, brown rice, fish, soybean products, and avocados.
*Eat about 20 tart red cherries each day to relieve pain and inflammation.
*Avoid nightshade vegetables, like peppers, tomato, eggplant, and potato.
Reduce the amount of fat in your diet. Don’t consume milk, dairy products, or red meat. Also avoid caffeine, citrus fruits, paprika, salt, tobacco, and everything containing sugar.
*Try Epsom salt baths.
*Consider hydrotherapy.
*Try hot castor oil packs (apply white cotton dipped in warmed castor oil, cover with plastic wrap, cover with heating pad if desired for up to 2 hours).
*For relief of pain, try using cold gel packs. These keep cold for long periods when frozen. Place them on inflamed joints. Alternate with applications of heat.
*Test for heavy metal toxicity.
*Eat foods containing the amino acid histidine, including rice, wheat, and rye. Histidine is good for removing excess metals from your body. Many people with arthritis have high levels of copper and iron in their bodies.
*Eat some form of fiber, like ground flaxseeds, oat bran, or rice bran, daily.
*Try Kombucha Tea.
*Ensure proper footwear.
*Fresh, raw pineapple and papaya contain bromelain, an anti-inflammatory enzyme.
*Avoid MSG and artificial sweeteners because they’re neurotoxins.
*EZ-Gest between meals may be helpful to ease inflammation.
*Have chiropractic or osteopathic evaluation/treatment.
*Spend time outdoors for fresh air and sunshine. Exposure to the sun prompts the synthesis of vitamin D3, which is needed for proper bone formation.
If you’re dealing with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, use these products (100% money-back guarantee):
It’s essential to use: Incredivites or Vita-Lea, Protein, Pain Relief Complex, Joint Health Complex, Alfalfa, B-Complex, OmegaGuard, Calcium/Magnesium.
It’s important to use: Vitamin D, Vivix, Optiflora, Vitamin C, VitalMag, Zinc, CarotoMax and/or FlavoMax.
It’s beneficial to use: Stress Relief Complex, Gentle Sleep Complex, DTX, Herb-Lax, EZ-Gest (between meals), Joint and Muscle Pain Cream, Performance (maintain electrolytes).
email: lenay@dickandlenay.com
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