Reverse Rheumatoid Arthritis Part II

Lessons Learned From Forty Years of Reversing Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Rheumatoid Disorders

Paul A. Goldberg, BA,BS,MPH,DC,DACBN,DCBCN
The Goldberg Tener Clinic
Chronic Disease Reversal

Click here to read Part I of this article.
Click here to read Part III of this article.

The Medical and Alternative Medical Fields have long “treated” the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis as opposed to identifying and addressing the causes behind them. They have made perpetual patients of persons with Rheumatoid Arthritis rather than reversing their disease and restoring their health.

Those who bandy about phrases such as Functional Medicine, Holistic Medicine and Natural Treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis are also to be avoided, as they are still all forms of treatments (see our article The Facade of Functional and Alternative Medicine). We do not need more Alternative Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments or “treatments” of any kind. We need to understand and address causes and build health.

To define Rheumatoid Arthritis as a “chronic disease” implies the patient can never recover their health… a bleak and dismal forecast.  The many patients we have brought back to excellent health using the Goldberg Bio-Hygienic Re-Creation System™ (discussed in Part III of this series), who had been previously labeled with Rheumatoid Arthritis and treated by Rheumatoid Arthritis Specialists, bears witness that this need not be the case. The video interview below with one of our patients is one of fifty examples posted on our website illustrating the excellent results that are possible through our unique approach.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Origins

Rheumatoid Disorders stem from two primary components; A Genetic Component and Environmental / Lifestyle Components.

Genetic Component

The majority of Rheumatoid Disease Patients have a genetic tendency towards their problem. Some cases can be difficult to track yet a genetic link in ancestry is common. The medical diagnosis given to a family member may have been under a different name (or not named at all) but often someone in the family will have had an autoimmune related illness…e.g. Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, Psoriatic Arthritis, Lupus, R.A. etc. and/or an allergic type of disorder that also intimately involves the immune system.

Possessing a genetic link increases the chances of developing a Rheumatoid Problem but does not make it a certainty, as environmental / lifestyle factors are required to make the disease problems surface.  It also does not make it impossible to regain ones health simply because it “runs in the family.”

Environmental / Lifestyle Components

Environmental / lifestyle components merit primary attention since this is the area in which we can take direct action and bring about positive results. The astute clinician willing to thoroughly investigate the patient’s history can uncover these factors. Other factors require more detailed investigations such as toxin exposures, diet and nutrition habits, digestive studies and other hygienic aspects. Most Physicians have little inclination to investigate these areas and little if any training and experience to merit doing so.

Contributing Environmental and Lifestyle Factors

1. Nutritional Factors: A wide variety of nutritional factors can trigger Rheumatoid Diseases including poor nutrient content of the diet, excessive use of refined sugar and other processed foods, excessive consumption of food in general, the nature of fatty acids consumed, dietary fiber intake, food allergies, digestive capabilities, etc. Each patient has individual dietary needs requiring evaluation. The evidence is clear that the health depleting and excessive food intake in many American Diets can contribute to Rheumatoid Diseases. There is frequently the need for the patient diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis to not only eat the right foods but to eat considerably less. In many cases a period of gastrointestinal rest is important to begin a recovery program. This is to assist the body in clearing out wastes / antigenic materials and restore optimal function of the gastrointestinal tract which when malfunctioning can be a potent breeding ground for Rheumatoid Disorders as discussed below.
2. Toxicity – Today’s World exposes us to a vast number of environmental toxins including those from the food supply, the air we breath, the water we drink, pharmaceuticals and recreational drugs taken over the years, errors in metabolism and occupational exposures. Heavy Metals, Organophosphates, Glyphosate, toxins from cosmetics and many other sources can accumulate and significantly contribute to Rheumatoid Conditions. Our experience and background in public health, toxicology, clinical nutrition and hygiene affords us the ability to help identify such issues and instruct the patient how to safely eliminate these poisons from the body if present (see our article Clinical Toxicology and the Reversal of Chronic Disease).
3. Sleep and Rest Patterns – In many cases Rheumatoid Diseases are triggered by the patient having a history of too little sleep and rest. Many stay up long into the night turning it into day. This extracts a deep price on our health over time. For the Rheumatoid Disease Patient working on renewing their health, getting sufficient rest and sleep is critical.
4. Sunlight Exposure: Rational exposure to the sun not only supplies us with the precursor to the hormone cholecalciferol (mistakenly referred to as “Vitamin D”), but also lifts our moods, relaxes our bodies, activates our glands and helps to balance the immune system, which in most Rheumatoid Patients is over-reactive.
5. Pure Water Intake: The R.D. patient should drink sufficient clean, purified, water, which is required for numerous metabolic processes. The amount needed varies from patient to patient.
6. Allergens (diet and atmospheric): Allergies to foods, pollens and other environmental materials can greatly aggravate the condition of any Rheumatoid Patient. Allergy testing is useful if done appropriately and used in conjunction with other needed tests.
7. Gut Microflora Involvement: Gut malfunctioning and “dysbiosis” (a disordered microbial imbalance of the gut) can contributes to Rheumatoid Diseases and should be evaluated. Klebsiella Pneumonia and Proteus Vulgaris among other pathogens have been found in greater frequency in R.D. patients. Protozoa and Helminths may also play a role in some patients and should be identified and addressed appropriately if found.
8. Emotional Stress: Severe and ongoing emotional stress disrupts hormonal balance, creates dysbiosis and disturbs the immune system. Periods of prolonged stressors commonly precede the onset of Rheumatoid Disease in many patients as well as perpetuating it. This has long been recognized[1] yet it is ignored or simply not bothered with by Physicians hurrying to the next patient to write the next drug prescription. Long term marital stress, loneliness, divorce, death of loved ones, financial hardship, loss of career/employment and other life stressors can precipitate and accentuate Rheumatoid Diseases. For a clinician to overlook this is a grave error.
9. Glucose Regulation– Poor dietary habits, emotional stress and hormonal imbalances contribute to glucose dysregulation, which in turn greatly exacerbates Rheumatoid Disorders. Bringing it back to balance in some cases is essential to the patient’s recovery.
10. Hormonal Balance– Disturbances of thyroxin, cortisol and other hormones can trigger and perpetuate some cases of Rheumatoid Disease and should be identified and addressed where they exist. We often see patients, particularly females, where the use of “bio-identical hormones” prescribed by many called “Integrative, Complimentary and Functional” Medical Physicians has significantly contributed to the patient’s chronic health issues and Rheumatoid Disorders (see our article discussing the problems with Bio-Identical Hormones). Shown below is a case study from our clinic illustrating the relationship between the use of Bio-Identical Hormones and Rheumatoid Disease. Click here to read the full case write up.

The Gastrointestinal Tract

Careful examination of the gastrointestinal tract and those factors that influence it is an important area of investigation in Rheumatoid Disorders.

It often surfaces that the patient suffers from some level of chronic indigestion and/ or poor elimination. There is commonly gas, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea, or other signs of poor gastrointestinal function. Until the causes of the impaired gastrointestinal function have been identified and corrected, good results are unlikely. Patients with Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, and Whipple’s Disease all have a high incidence of arthritic syndromes illustrating the close relationship between gastrointestinal function and the Rheumatoid Diseases. The case study from our clinic shown below of a patient with Ulcerative Colitis and Rheumatoid Disease is an excellent example of this. Click here to see the full case write up and before / after lab studies.

Mal-digestion of carbohydrates, fats and/or protein can occur for many reasons. Malabsorption is frequently part of the picture behind the suffering of many Rheumatoid Disease Sufferers. Often the patient has a history of going from diet to diet to diet following popular dietary programs on the Internet not understanding the unique nature of each person’s biochemistry and functional capacity (see our article Diet Mania, Diet Confusion, Diet Frustration). Analyzing nutrient utilization is an important part of any Rheumatoid Evaluation.

GI dysfunction can lead not only to nutritional inadequacy but also to body-wide toxicity as metabolic wastes are eliminated by the body in an inefficient manner. A thorough case history, physical examination and appropriate testing can identify such problems after which appropriate steps can be taken to restore better function.

Many patients ask about “leaky gut syndrome”. Current research supports the notion that arthritic syndromes can occur when the intestines become excessively permeable.[2] When the intestines are “leaky”, protein molecules of high molecular weight may permeate into the bloodstream and cause an antigen/antibody response. It is not enough, however, to simply say the problem is one of permeability for the causes of the permeability must be uncovered and addressed and they can be diverse and numerous. Allergies, poor diet, parasites, SIBO, excessive stressors in daily living, nutrient depletion, and other inter-related factors all can play a role. When proper functioning of the GI tract is restored the permeability issues go away as well.

The vast majority of patients with arthritic syndromes have overall poor health. Digestive and bowel complaints, fatigue, depression, skin problems, Ulcerative Colitis, anxiety, spastic colon, intolerance to cold etc., are all common accompanying problems. The patient’s general state of health and resistance must be addressed along with specific individual factors if the patient is to return to an improved state of vitality and comfort.

Click here to read Part III of this series which explores the Goldberg Bio-Hygienic Re-Creation System™ in successfully overcoming Rheumatoid Arthritis and other Rheumatoid Disorders.

[1] Selye, Hans, Stress, (Montreal: Acta, Inc. Inc. 1950), p. 393.
[2] See Goldberg, P.A.,” The Effects of Gastrointestinal Dysfunction”, Todays Chiropractic, March /April 1993

Related Articles

1. Reverse Rheumatoid Arthritis: Part I
2. Reverse Rheumatoid Arthritis Part III
3. Interview with Clint Paddison Part I and II: Rheumatoid Arthritis
4. Ankylosing Spondylitis and Other Autoimmune Disorders
5. Reversing RA
6. Reverse Rheumatoid Disease and Other Autoimmune Issues
7. Problems with Prednisone
8. The Dangers of Biological Drugs (part I)
9. The Dangers of Biological Drugs (part II)