ABC News Article - 'Healing Foods That May Fight Pain'

HEALING MEALS: FOODS THAT MAY FIGHT PAIN
Certain Foods May Fight Chronic Pain Experts Say
by LAUREN CAHOON
ABC News Medical Unit

April 9, 2008

Ten years ago, Sandy Guerriere of North Carolina was crippled with pain and nearly bedridden from her rheumatoid arthritis.
"I was scared......I couldn't do anything, I lay in bed," she said. "The disease is horrible."
That was then! Now, Guerriere is up and walking, enjoying her career and looking decades younger than her actual age.
Her remedy, she claims, is not due to any drug or medical treatment -- but a diet and lifestyle.
Guerriere eats strictly a Mediterranean diet -- rich in olive oil, vegetables and whole grains and avoids dairy, processed flour and sugar. She also swears by juicing -- blending up fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs for a daily, healthful concoction. * She eats Salmon 3-5 times a week from the Pacific Northwest, never farm raised. She buys organic and never eats processed or packaged food.
However, people like Guerriere still stand out as a mysterious example of a food-based treatment for pain from inflammation.

Finding a Balance

In general, most doctors recommend a typical healthy diet for chronic pain sufferers, with an emphasis on fish oils.
"I personally suggest getting Alaskan salmon," said Sherman. "I always tell my patients that fish don't have back pain.
Bottom line, get your weight down and eat a healthy fish-vegetarian-type diet. It's just a basic cardiac diet."
"I still have flares every now and then -- I am not cured by any means," Guerriere said. "I have my ups and downs. But I'm on no drug therapies. I found my own way."

ABC NEWS ARTICLE - 'COMMENTS'

"Thank you for your support, everyone! The comments on this article will help get the word out."
Ways to fight chronic pain and inflammation naturally are in a following article, 'Chronic Pain - Inflammation Busters'

* My comments which were left out of article per my phone interview with Lauren.


'Good Health To You'

© Copyright 2010 Sandy Guerriere. All Rights Reserved.

Antibiotic Therapy For Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis can be treated in it's early stages with antibiotics which seem to help relieve pain in some sufferers.
Scientists report that an antibiotic used to treat acne has improved swollen painful joints in some people but admit therapy should begin in the early stages of this crippling disease.
Some Rheumatologists treat patients with minocycline but admit it isn't a cure, and when the antibiotic is discontinued the problems come back.

Antibiotic therapy has been controversial. Science hasn't proven that an infection causes Rheumatoid Arthritis and studies with minocycline show modest effects.

Antibiotic therapy utilizes low dose antibiotics, particularly those of the tetracycline family, to attack the disease at its source. This therapy is based on the belief that rheumatic disease is caused by an elusive organism called a mycoplasma, similar in some ways to both a virus and bacterium, but much smaller. The antibiotic can be taken in low dose without building up a tolerance to the drug and without serious side effects of conventional medications.
Usually Minocin is the antibiotic of choice. It is prescribed at very low dose, one or twice a day three days a week.
Other antibiotics like Tetracycline or Doxycycline are frequently substituted for Minocin and both have proven to be effective.
Many doctors feel there is an advantage in using Minocin over other antibiotics. Minocin has an extended spectrum of activity and stays in the system longer and at higher levels than tetracycline.
Side effects from using antibiotics can cause yeast infections, especially in women. Minocin, however, seems to have some anti-yeast activity. Some people experience a heightened sensitivity to sunlight.
In children who have not yet cut their permanent teeth, tetracyclines can cause staining of the teeth. Food can impair the absorption of some antibiotics (not as true of doxycycline or minocycline) so they are to be taken on an empty stomach.

© Copyright 2010 Sandy Guerriere. All Rights Reserved.