Arthritis Treated with Alternative Medicine

Apium graveolens, this cooling sweet-bitter vegetable offers so much for not only sufferers of arthritis, but also those who have high blood pressure, kidney problems, cystitis, gout,  and muscle spasms .

Celery is a cleansing and diuretic vegetable,  celery seeds are used specifically for arthritis and gout, in order to remove waste products. The diuretic properties of celery seeds, help the kidneys to dispose of excess urates, and other waste products.

Raw celery improves digestion, and if eaten both between and with meals can prevent overeating. Ayurvedic medicine lists celery as being beneficial for earth types( Kapha), and fire types( Pitta), but it is not recommended for air types( Vata).

Raw celery is an alkalysing vegetable, because of this property, it  is a most important addition to a meat eater’s diet. It brings the ph of the body into balance, from the more acidic, as a result of meat eating, to a more alkaline.

Celery  is high in silicon, which is a very valuable mineral to promote the renewal of joints, bones and arteries, and to help maintain all connective tissue.

Celery leaves are high in vitamin A, whilst the stems are an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C and dense in potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and sodium  . I must add that I am referring to raw organically grown celery as being a rich source of the above vitamins and minerals.  Hard to say what vitamins and minerals may be left in the supermarket version.

Neptune Krill Oil offers a significant source of phospholipids, powerful antioxidants and essential Omega-3 PUFAs (EPA and DHA). QOL-NKO is also a good source of choline, natural carotenoids, vitamin A and vitamin E and is non-oxidized with an excellent omega-6:omega-3 ratio.

The following abstracts form 2 studies confirm the efficacy of Krill oil for arthritis and heart disease.

Evaluation of the Effect of Neptune Krill Oil on Chronic Inflammation and Arthritic Symptoms
Luisa Deutsch, MD, MSc

Department of Behavioral Science and Health Research, University Health Network Toronto, Sciopsis Inc. Evidence Based NutraMedicine, Richmond Hill, Ontario, CANADA

The journal Alternative Medicine Review reported that “krill oil is effective for the management of hyperlipidemia by significantly reducing total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides, and increasing HDL levels. At lower and equal doses, krill oil was significantly more effective than fish oil for the reduction of glucose, triglycerides, and LDL levels.”

* Arthritis symptoms were assessed using the WOMAC arthritis score assessment. Researchers found that “NKO reduced pain scores by 28.9%, reduced stiffness by 20.3% and reduced functional impairment by 22.8%”.

Title:    Effects of Krill Oil on serum lipids of hyperlipidemic rats and human SW480 cells
Author:    Zhu Jia-Jin ; Shi Jia-Hui ; Qian Wen-Bin ; Cai Zhen-Zhen ; Li Duo
Abstract:

Abstract

Background

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and colon cancer incidence are known to be closely related to dietary factors. This article evaluated effects of krill oil (KO) on serum lipids of hyperlipidemia rats and human colon cancer cells (SW480). Serum lipids of rats fed with high fat diet (HFD) and different doses of KO were measured by automatic analyzer. Effect of KO on viability of cells was determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay.

Results

Except for higher dose group, body weights decreased significantly. Total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) of all dose groups, Triglycerides (TG) of low and mid dose groups descended significantly, while there were no significant differences of HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), compared with control group. Treatment of colon cancer cells with KO also resulted in time-dependent inhibition of cell growth.

Conclusion

Our findings indicated that the consumption of KO may provide benefits to control serum lipid levels in certain diseases and inhibit growth of colon cancer cells. Therefore, KO may be a good candidate for development as a functional food and nutraceutical.