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Allergies Linked to Arthritis (Article by Connie Rogers, CHHC)

As a Nation-we tend to think of heart and bone health as a major reason to keep physically fit and keep our weight in check.  But we need to consider another good reason for keeping fit and healthy-and that is preventing arthritis!

Rheumatoid arthritis is considered an allergic reaction disorder - an allergy to foods, pesticides and chemicals causing chaos for the immune system.  Common everyday foods such as chocolate, corn, coffee, rBGH dairy, white and wheat flour, fried, red meat and sugar can be the sweet beginnings of allergies, inflammation and arthritis. Inflammatory foods such as these can be linked with Leaky Gut which can cause an inflamed intestinal lining.

“A widespread syndrome caused by the absence of beneficial flora that normally thickly line the intestinal walls, called "leaky gut," has long been associated with arthritis and allergies as described by Mr. Garcia, New York-based nutritionist and author of "Look and Feel Fabulous Forever.”  “When undigested particles begin to pass through the compromised GI lining into the bloodstream, the body may begin to treat such particles as foreign invaders and stage immune responses that can wreak havoc in the form of new allergies, rashes, eruptions as well as more serious auto-immune syndromes.”

Eating inflammatory foods causes the body to be acidic and can disrupt our delicate pH balance.  These can leave us with the uncomfortable painful symptoms from arthritis.  What the body does in arthritis is store toxic debris (including calcium-urate crystals) within the joints as a life-preserving measure until the can be safely removed.

As we continue on the improved lifestyle and higher quality diet, the body continues this process known as Retracing. The finer nutritive materials consumed are used to clear the body of poorer quality materials, and to improve the body’s structure and functional capacity.

For instance, excess bile is purged from the liver and gallbladder and is sent to the intestines for elimination. Plaque and cholesterol are moved out of the arteries, veins and capillaries.  Accumulated fecal deposits and bowel masses are removed; arthritic deposits in the joints and calcium deposits in the kidneys and gallbladder are broken down and eliminated. Fat deposits are slowly dissolved.  All this continues until the body is rebuilt and purified.
 

Valuable lifestyle information so you can prevent further damage from arthritis:

1-The first step is to eliminate foods from the diet that create allergies or sensitivities.  By eliminating these 7 common food allergens- caffeine (includes coffee) gluten, dairy, fried, corn, red meat, sugar (includes Aspartame and Alcohol)  you can make quite a difference in your own health.  Why?  Because these are inflammatory foods.  Commit for 30 days, you will notice a big difference in the way you feel!

2- Add exercise to your day-work out regularly and stay active.
3- Maintain a healthy weight and eat plants first.

4- Choose organic foods- these do not use any harmful chemicals, fluorides or pesticides in the production of these products and that makes them much safer to consume.

5- Allergies, inflammation in the body, autoimmune disorders and even cancer can be caused by and abundance of toxic foods and an everyday toxic lifestyle. Work to get the toxins out.

6- You can eat to alleviate pain. According to Dr. Mark Stengler the pain of osteoarthritis can be alleviated with adding in Sulphur rich foods. These include Fennel, Ginger & Garlic!   Other herbs that are useful are-Coltsfoot, eyebright, mullein, meadowsweet, plantain leaves, shepherds purse, stinging nettle and watercress. 
7- Remember to hydrate with pure clean filtered water. Get the fluoride out!
 

There is only one way back to good health.  A healthy body seeks to preserve itself with healthy foods and non- toxic products.  A sick body is an intoxicated body which hurtles toward self- destruction through unhealthful lifestyle behaviors, negative thought patterns, and incoherent actions.

The Auto-Immune Protocol Diet

The Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Lupus

How Lupus Can Effect the Heart

Do You Have Lupus? Take a Stand For your Health

What is triggering your lupus flares? It may be sugar

Sugar suppresses the immune system  

• Refined sugar is not a nutritious food. It contains only calories with no vitamins, minerals, fiber or other health promoting nutrients

• Contributes to a weakened defense against infections.
• Stimulates immune cells to release inflammatory molecules causing damage and inflammation.
• Interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium and promotes bone loss, tooth decay and hair loss.
• Acidifies the blood, destroys B vitamins, and depletes the body of minerals

"Like heroin, cocaine and caffeine, sugar is an addictive, destructive drug, yet we consume it daily in everything from cigarettes to bread" ~ William Dufty, author of Sugar Blues

What is Sugar?  

• Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that occurs naturally in foods such as grains, beans, vegetables and fruit
• By “sugar”, we usually mean the syrup form as well as the granulated table sugar

Why is sugar useful?

• When unprocessed, sugar contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and proteins.
• These become fuel for the muscles, nerves, and brain and the principal source of energy for all bodily function
• Read labels: Anything that ends in ose contains sugar. Such as Dextrose, Raw sugar
• Sucrose (table sugar)
• Brown Sugar
• Frutose
• High Frutose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
• Latose
• Maltose

 

Natural sweeteners

• Honey
• Stevia
• Birch Sugar (also referred to as ‘xylitol’)

Healthy sweet snack examples

• Freshly squeezed veggie juices
• Sweet vegetables: yams, sweet potatoes, squashes (acorn, butternut)
• Dates
• Organic dark chocolate
• Fruit salad, blackberries, apples, kiwi, Strawberries.. you get the picture.

If you have an auto-immune disease know that eating processed sugar can cause inflammation in the body, and cause you to have low energy and feel unbalanced. Sugar impairs the ability of white cells to destroy biological agents which reduces immune function by 50%. Let's stay healthy together by getting rid or using a healthier alternative to sugar. You'll be happy you did!  

What's Triggering Your Lupus Flares?

Goal Designing for 2015