Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Dear Terry, “I am 29 years old and have rheumatoid arthritis. I have been hearing that glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate are good for arthritis. Should I be taking these supplements, and if so, which ones? Are there other supplements that might help? My rheumatologist gave me the go ahead to add supplements as long as I told him which ones. Thanks for your help.” — Ben S., Green Bay, WI

A. Dear Ben, First, I am sorry that you have to deal with this disease, and second, I am delighted that your doctor is open minded to the idea of using natural interventions to try to make your situation much better. I am not sure that glucosamine and chondroitin are the best choices for rheumatoid arthritis. You may not know this, but I introduced glucosamine sulfate to the US market, but all the studies are on OSTEOarthritis. The idea is that you consume the raw material from which cartilage is made is able to help repair old, damaged, worn out cartilage. Chondroitin sulfate is the same principle. However, it has one additional concern—if the chondroitin molecule is too big, it will not absorb. Very few companies address this issue and state on the label that the size (usually measured in Daltons) has been controlled so the product will absorb. Again, it is for old, damaged, worn-out cartilage. You don’t have old, worn-out cartilage. You have an autoimmune disease in which the body has decided to erroneously attack parts of your joints as if they were an invader. This causes a great deal of pain and inflammation in and around the affected joints. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the three most important items to address are quieting down the overactive immune system, addressing inflammation, and reducing or eliminating whatever is irritating the immune system. The best thing I have seen for quieting down an overactive immune system is an herb called cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa). There is an excellent study showing great effectiveness against RA on a special form of cat’s claw that is standardized to be free of a substance called TOAs (tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids). You want the POA -form (pentacyclic oxindole alkaloid) if you want to use the kind that was used in the RA study. The most powerful ingredient I have ever seen for inflammation is curcumin, but plain curcumin is hard to absorb. I recommend you use a form that is micronized, then blended with turmeric essential oil to enhance absorption. Make sure you use one that has published human studies showing up to 10 times the absorption of plain curcumin, or you will not have optimal effects. I also like formulas that blend this special curcumin with boswellia, another potent anti-inflammatory herb. The boswellia should have a minimum of 15% AKBA (the most potent boswellic acid) and be screened to reduce beta boswellic acid to less than 5%. I know this is a lot to remember, but I want to make sure you use only safe and effective supplements. You can discuss with your local health food retailer for assistance as well. This brings us to the third point: reducing or eliminating whatever is irritating the immune system. This can be the most difficult to address, but with patience and perseverance, you can make tremendous progress in getting rid of your RA pain and flare ups. The food you eat directly impacts this disease. You may have issues with something called “intestinal permeability,” nicknamed “leaky gut,” and sometimes the foods that make this condition worse don’t show up on allergy tests. In leaky gut, food is not broken down to its proper size and larger molecules are absorbed by mistake. These larger molecules are mis-identified by the immune system as invaders, and it revs up into hyperactivity–like a dog on a chain that can’t get at an intruder and barks furiously, creating all kinds of havoc. I believe two of the biggest offenders are dairy products and grains—ESPECIALLY gluten-containing grains. Our digestive system does not handle gluten well, even in people who don’t have celiac disease. Unfortunately, wheat is probably the most commonly used grain in the U.S. I would eliminate both grain and dairy (this does not include eggs) for a few months and evaluate how you feel. You will know without a doubt that food influences rheumatoid arthritis. The healthiest diet for this or virtually any health condition is available on this link: Terry’s Traditional Diet. Good luck to you! Please write again and let me know how you are doing.

Healthy regards!

Terry . . . Naturally