The Simple Ingredient You Need to Overcome Joint Pain

If you’ve ever witnessed someone living with arthritis, you know how debilitating it can be. Gnarled fingers… slow shuffling steps because pain and stiffness in the joints make walking almost unbearable… it’s a heartbreaking sight.   And the CDC tells us approximately 70,000,000 people will fall victim to this crippling disease.

The conventional treatment for arthritis is anti-inflammatory drugs and pain medication. However (not surprisingly), there are problems with these mainstream arthritis drugs. While non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs do alleviate pain and inflammation, they’ve been shown to cause a whole host of other problems.  Gastric ulcers and perforations develop in as many as 50% of patients who take them.  What’s more, some of these prescription medications are biochemically engineered and can cause really serious problems such as kidney failure, heart attacks and even death.

The Good News? There Is A Better Solution

A healthy lifestyle based on a foundation of sound nutrition can significantly decrease the possibility of developing arthritis in the first place. Some experts suggest natural arthritis remedies such as cayenne pepper, black strap molasses, and apple cider vinegar.

And though the studies are inconclusive, there’s a strong case that the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D, protects against rheumatoid arthritis as well. Most people don’t give vitamin D much thought and just assume they get what they need from the sun or their diet. However, that’s just not the case.

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Vitamin D

Studies show a direct correlation between vitamin D deficiency and rheumatoid arthritis.
According to the Iowa Women’s Health Study, women with a diet high in vitamin D were less likely to develop the condition. On the other hand, women with an intake of less than 200 international units (IU) of vitamin D were much more susceptible to the onset of arthritis.
 
So, what’s the best course of action?

First of all, vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin” because sun exposure is necessary for vitamin D sufficiency. If you don’t get enough sunlight, you don’t get enough vitamin D. People who live in northern latitudes are at a much higher risk for vitamin D deficiency because there is less sunlight. And even for people living in southern latitudes, using sunscreen (as you should) means your skin doesn’t absorb enough sunlight to ensure the manufacture of vitamin D in your body.

The bottom line is the vast majority of people simply don’t get enough vitamin D from the sun and diet alone can’t make up the shortage.

A “Vitamin D Cure”

Dr. James Dowd from the Arthritis Institute of Michigan has devised a “Vitamin D Cure” in his book by the same name.  This remedy includes a vitamin D supplement and simple dietary changes that include a variety of lean protein, fruits and vegetables.   According to Dr. Dowd, his patients exhibited vast improvements in their conditions.

Typically, the recommendation is a supplement containing 400 to 600 IU of vitamin D each day. According to Dr. Dowd, this is the only way to get the vitamin D blood levels up to a point where the true benefits come into play.

However, the FDA recommends 200 IU of vitamin D daily for those under 51 and 400 IU for those older.  Conversely, researchers say the recommendations should be around 1,000 IU and perhaps as high as 2,000 IU.

It’s important to keep in mind that vitamin D isn’t like a pill you can pop four times a day and assume everything is taken care of.  In order for vitamin D to work most efficiently, you also have to have a diet rich in potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

Should You Give Vitamin D a Try?

When you consider Vitamin D therapy has been associated with a positive influence on other conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, and cancer, having your vitamin D levels checked could be your first line of attack for safeguarding against disease.  Then you may want to supplement your diet with Vitamin D, being careful to monitor you blood levels to avoid over dosage.