Rheumatoid Arthritis and Our Alternative Remedy
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, degenerative disorder of the joints in
the human body. The disease may develop in the body’s joints for
years. During the early stages, there may not be major symptoms
until the synovial membrane becomes injured and inflammation occurs
followed by damage of the cartilage between the joints. After onset of
the disease, disfigurement of the fingers may develop if the disease is
not treated intensively. However, treatment of the disease is not
always effective because it is very difficult to heal degenerative joints.
According to the American Medical Association, 3 to 5 percent of the
U.S. population may suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. This means
approximately 1.3 million Americans live with rheumatoid arthritis.
Major Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis:
The major symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are differentiated in the
development stages. In the early stage, patients may feel stiffness
and pain in their fingers’ joints and/or wrists when they get up in the
morning due to slower blood circulation while asleep at night. With
development of the disease, patients may experience swelling around
the joints and more severe pain. This is because of the inflammation
of the synovial membrane, the inner lining of the joint capsule which
surrounds the bones of the joints. One of the hallmark symptoms of
rheumatoid arthritis is the symmetrical occurrence of deformation of
the joints in both hands and/or heels. Some patients may experience
fever and fatigue or lose their appetite. The fever brought on by the
swelling and inflammation of the joints may last several days or even a
couple of weeks. During the later stage of the disease, the
deformation, swelling, and the pain in the middle joints of the fingers,
knuckle joints and wrists become more severe. Many patients may
see nodules growing out from the skin next to their joints. The
nodules are created by an accumulation of the damaged bone and
tissue debris caused by abrasion of the joints against each other. In
some cases, patients may develop rheumatoid heart disease in which
the membrane which covers the inner lining of the heart ventricles
become inflamed, similar to the inflammation of the synovial
membrane of the joints.
What Causes Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a very complicated connective tissue disease of
the body that we do not fully understand. However, there are several
theories about the disease’s cause. Most scientists believe that it is an
autoimmune disorder of the body in which our immune system
mistakenly attacks the bones and tissues of the joints, resulting in
inflammation, swelling and pain. With the continuing attack, the
tissues and bones of the joints may become damaged and abraded.
There must be a trigger for this autoimmune disorder that attacks the
patient’s own synovial membrane within the joints. One theory is that
the trigger may come from genetic or hereditary factors. Another
theory is that the disease may be triggered by cellular materials from
either the patient’s mother or the patient’s children during her
pregnancy: for example, the patient’s mother’s cellular materials may
be transferred to the patient when the patient was in the mother’s
womb, or a baby’s fetal cellular materials may be transferred to a
patient when the patient was pregnant. When this cellular material
accumulates in the joint area, the body’s immune system may identify
it as a foreign invader and start to attack the cellular material, causing
inflammation and flare up of the autoimmune disease. This
speculation may explain why women develop rheumatoid arthritis at 3
times the rate of men.
In our opinion, the triggering factor may come from a combination of
poor blood circulation and chemical toxins that enter the connecting
tissue. Poor blood circulation may result from blood loss or body fluid
loss events such as bleeding from an injury, or when a woman loses
blood during delivery of a baby. Particularly during a period of blood
or fluid loss, if the hands or feet are exposed to cold weather or
working with cold materials, such as cold water, for an extended
period of time, the synovial membrane of the joints may be affected
by the lower blood supply which may lead to a lower oxygen supply, a
condition that can cause minor, local cellular shock, resulting in injury
or damage to the synovial membrane’s cells. When exposed to cold
weather or cold conditions, to protect vital organs such as the brain
and heart which need a constant blood supply, the body automatically
reduces or shuts down the blood supply to less vital organs such as
the skin and connecting tissues that are distant from the heart. This is
because these organs can survive without blood supply for a certain
period of time. That is why in the winter or in cold conditions, people
tend to get frostbite in their hands and feet. For people with loss of
blood or body fluids or poor circulation, the blood supply may be more
severely reduced to the organs when exposed to cold conditions. For
people with poor circulation, the synovial membranes within the joints
of the hands and feet are more vulnerable to injury and inflamed when
working in the cold weather or in cold conditions.
At the same time, chemical toxins may play a role in the development
of rheumatoid arthritis, particularly when the body has poor circulation
which may be caused by loss of blood and body fluids as well as some
diseases such as diabetes, kidney dysfunction, etc. People may come
in contact with chemical toxins either through their hands or feet in
their daily lives. For example, people use detergents or chemical
cleaners almost every day to clean their dishes, clothes, floors,
bathrooms, furniture, etc. If the body has poor circulation, the
chemicals in the detergents or cleaners may enter into the joints
through the skin, and these chemicals may act like toxins to injure the
cells of the synovial membrane, cartilages and bones or make them
sick so that they eventually die. During this destruction process of
cells of synovial membrane, cartilages and bones, these dying cells
may release uric acid which in turn causes the immune system to
destroy them. As a result, the synovial membrane, cartilages and
bones of the joints become eroded if the attack continues.
In summary, the combination of poor circulation and chemical toxins
may be one of the major factors triggering the immune system’s
attack on the synovial membrane and the tissues of the joints. The
body’s poor circulation or loss of blood volume in a cold condition may
result in local cellular shock of the synovial membrane and tissues of
the joints. Subsequently, the cells of synovial membrane and tissues
experience a lower oxygen supply, losing the vital function to protect
themselves, thus becoming vulnerable to injury. Oxygen or air mixes
with joint fluid (hyaluronic acid) within the cavity of the joints to
support lubrication between the two bones of the joint. A lower
oxygen supply to the cavity of the joints may reduce the amount of
lubrication fluid, resulting in conflict between the two bones of the
joint. At the same time, when coming in contact with chemical toxins,
the toxins may enter the cells of synovial membrane and tissues of the
joints since they are vulnerable to chemical attack. The destruction of
the cells of the synovial membrane and tissues of the joint causes a
response from the immune system that results in inflammation of the
synovial lining and tissues of the joints. If this immune system
response continues, the synovial lining and tissues of the joints will
become thicker, and the cavity within the joints will be shortened; this
increases the rubbing action of the cartilage of the joints. Finally, the
cartilage will be destroyed, the bones of the joints become eroded, and
the joints of the fingers and toes may become deformed. Therefore,
the combination of the body’s poor circulation and a chemical toxin
invasion may cause the flare up of a rheumatoid arthritis attack and
lead to the development of rheumatoid arthritis.
The opinion expressed above on the cause of rheumatoid arthritis may
explain why there are 3 times as many women as men that have a
chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis. This is because women
have a greater chance of losing blood volume during their lifetime than
men. For example, women will lose blood volume in monthly
menstruation or after labor. Also, women have a greater chance than
men to come in contact with chemical detergents with their hands.
For example, women will handle cleaning dishes, washing clothes and
household cleaning for their families.
Traditional Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis:
Since we do not fully understand what really causes rheumatoid
arthritis, so far there are no drugs that can directly cure the disease.
Therefore, treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is based only on reducing
the symptoms and controlling its development. The traditional
treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is to relieve its major symptom,
pain. Doctors will treat patients with painkillers to relieve the pain. In
general, 2 major types of painkillers are used for treatments. The first
type is a non-steroid, anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID, such as
aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. The second type is a steroid
painkiller such as the corticosteroid drugs, Prednisone and
Methylprednisolone (Medrol).
Although the painkillers can quickly relieve the pain and discomfort for
patients, they cannot prevent the development of rheumatoid arthritis.
Also, these painkillers generally have side effects, particularly if taken
for a long period time. Major side effects include internal bleeding if
the patients have stomach ulcers, and constriction of the blood vessels
that may result in high blood pressure, harm the heart, or cause
stroke.
For controlling or modifying the development of rheumatoid arthritis,
doctors use drugs to suppress the immune system since the
development of the disease is caused by the patient’s immune system
repeatedly attacking the connective tissue of the joints. Major drugs
suppressing the immune system, also called Disease Modifying AntiRheumatic Drugs (DMARDS), include Azathioprine (Imuran),
Methotrexate (Rheumatrex), Penicillamine, Leflunomide (Arava),
Etanercept (Enbrel) and Infliximab (Remicade). They are used to
control the development of the disease. In general, these drugs target
the immune system’s cells, such as T-cells and B-cells, or tumor
necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), to prevent inflammation, the immune
system’s response. These drugs normally take 4 to 6 weeks show
results.
Treatments with DMARDS in the early stage of rheumatoid arthritis
may modify the development of the disease. However, they can cause
serious side effects, including harming the liver, loss of bone, and
weakening of the patient’s immune system which may lead to difficulty
in fighting diseases and infection and in healing wounds, and may
make the patient vulnerable to cancer if the drugs are taken for a long
period of time.
Prevention of Rheumatoid Arthritis:
First of all, one of the best ways to deal with rheumatoid arthritis is
prevention. One important factor in prevention is to avoid physical
injury. Physical injury to the joints can be caused by being overweight
or even overworking of the joints. Normally, people overlook the fact
that overusing the joints can cause injury to the connecting tissue of
the joints in certain conditions. One of the major conditions is when
the body has poor circulation that may be caused by loss of blood or
fluids, as seen during a female’s menstruation and labor, and some
related diseases such as diabetes or kidney disorder. In this condition,
the body always tries to protect the heart and the brain with a
constant supply of blood and may sacrifice the hands or feet by
reducing or shutting down the blood supply to these areas. As a
result, when the joints are overused, especially in a cold condition, the
tissue of the joints can become injured, causing pain in the joints.
When cells of the connecting tissue are in a lower oxygen condition,
they are very vulnerable to injury; for example, we see this when
people need to catch their breaths while running hard. Actually, pain
is not always a bad thing. It alerts people that something is wrong in
the area of the pain and warns them that a disease may be the cause.
In the case of joint pain, the pain warns people to stop working and
take a rest; otherwise, more severe injury may occur. Therefore,
when the body has poor circulation, people need to avoid overusing
their joints, hands or legs; try to avoid contact with cold water; and
keep their bodies warm to prevent injury to the joints.
Secondly, patients need to improve the body’s blood circulation;
otherwise, tissues of the joints may become vulnerable to injury.
Patients also need to manage diseases such as anemia, diabetes and
kidney disorders which may cause poor circulation.
Thirdly, avoiding direct contact with chemical toxins is another way to
prevent development of rheumatoid arthritis. Particularly if the body
has poor circulation, direct contact of the hands and feet with chemical
compounds such as various detergents, cleaners and other harmful
chemical agents should be avoided. This is because in the body’s poor
circulation condition, the tissues of the joints are most vulnerable to
chemical toxins and become easier to injure.
Alternative Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis:
Our alternative treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is to use a
combination of two Chinese herbal medical formulas. The first one
focuses on reducing the symptoms of the disease, such as swelling in
the joints, and relieving the inflammation and pain. A traditional
Chinese herbal formula called Vine Essence Pill is used for this therapy.
The Vine Essence Pill herbal formula was first developed to treat the
illness of the first Emperor of China more than 2,000 years ago, and
since then, the formula has been modified to improve its effectiveness.
The herbal pill is made in China’s Beijing Medical Manufacture
Company by using ingredients consisting of Geranium Herb, Erycibc
Stem, Chinese Angelica Tree Herb, Futokadsura Stem, Oriental
Ginseng, Pipefish, Ilicis, Kadsura A.C. Root, Epimedium Aerial Parts,
Dong-Quai Root, Homalomeana Rhizome, Chinese Licorice Root,
Sichuan Lovage Rhizome, Morinda Root, Ligusticum Rhizome,
Gastrodia Rhizome, Sichuan Teasel Root and Fo-Ti Root. This herbal
formula primarily works on the connecting tissues and the bones of the
joints by relaxing the tissues and strengthening the bones. It also
reduces the stiffness and swelling of the joints and relieves pain due to
its anti-inflammatory function. To reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid
arthritis, patients take 4 pills per time, 3 times daily, and may show
effective results from the treatment in 1 to 2 weeks. So far,
thousands of patients have taken this formula through our retail store.
The feedback from many patients has been positive, and there have
been no reports of any major side effects from the pills.
The second herbal formula tries to control the development of
rheumatoid arthritis by targeting the cause of the disease since we
believe one of the major causes of the disease may originate from the
body’s poor circulation which may be caused by the loss of blood
volume or fluid, complications of diabetes, as well as kidney disorders.
For this reason, we use a traditional Chinese herbal formula, Gejie Bu
Shing Wan, to tonify the kidneys and improve blood circulation. Gejie
Bu Shing Wan primarily works on the kidneys to improve one of its
important functions, releasing the hormone called Erythropoietin. The
Erythropoietin hormone, released by the kidneys, promotes production
of the red blood cells in the blood’s circulation. Weakness of the
kidneys may affect their ability to release enough Erythropoietin,
resulting in lower production of red blood cells and in turn causing
poor circulation. Gejie Bu Shing Wan are capsules made by China’s
Yilin Medical Manufacture Company by using ingredients consisting of
Gejie, Cordyceps Fungus, Oriental Ginseng, Epinedium Aerial Parts,
Broomrape Herb, Astragalus Root, Lycium Berries, Atractylodes
Rhizome and Polyporus Sclerotium. This herbal formula is popular and
well known for improving kidney function and has been used in China
for hundreds of years. Patients taking 3 to 4 capsules per time, 3
times daily, may show effective results from the formula in about 2 to
3 weeks. Thousands of rheumatoid arthritis patients have used this
formula from our retail store. There have not been any complaints of
side effects, and many patients feel improvement in their body’s blood
circulation, as well as the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.