ARTHRITIS in Traditional Chinese Medicine
From The Desk of: Dr. Sandra Testaguzza  -  Part 2

HOMEOPATHY:
- Use Rhus Toxicodendron in 30 C. Take 3 pellets 3 times a day.
- Lycopodium in 6X to activate digestion. Take 3 pellets 3 times a day.
- China in 6X for spleen problems and diarrhea and cold symptoms. Take 3 pellets 3 times a day.
- Let dissolve under the tongue and take 15 minutes to half-hour before meals.
- Arnica & Bryonia in 30ch as well.

JUICE THERAPY:
- Cleanse the liver: A drink made of raw ginger along with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon of virgin olive oil (optional)
- Black cherry juice: two glasses twice a day seems to benefit arthritis.

VITAMIN AND MINERAL THERAPY:
- 500 mg of glucosomine sulfate three times a day.
- 400 units of VitaminE twice a day.
- 200 micrograms of selenium twice a day.
- 1000 milligrams of Vitamin C twice a day.
- 50 mg of zinc twice a day.
- Two to three capsules of Bromelain (a digestive enzyme) three times a day between meals.

ASIAN HERBAL MEDICINE:
Rheumatic and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Aggravated by cold weather and humidity; cold foods, fatigue or depression, avoid creamy, rich, sweet, fat, or sour foods such as dairy products, cheese, red meats, sauerkraut, grapefruit, sprouts, white potatoes, pork, caffeine, alcohol, or pastry.
Warming Herbs:
- Ginger powder is very healing. Add to cup of green tea. Evening; add five heaping tablespoons of dried ginger to a bath to sweat out the cold. Cinnamon and tumeric make a spicy tea for stiff shoulders. Add to hot water and drink between meals.
- Prickly ash bark is used for arthritis, lumbago and rheumatism.
- Alfalfa pills for those who suffer from deformity and joint pain.
- Triphala churna, a balancing laxative and warming herb is wonderful for arthritic pain caused by cold & dampness.
- Xiao Luo Tong Pian: Recommended for wind and dampness arthritis. Take 8 pills 3 times daily

Inflammatory arthritis:
- For hot-numbness pain, avoid hot spices, anger, honey, fried foods and excess nuts, sesame oil, pepper, garlic, onions, pork, red meats, sesame oil, pepper, garlic, diary products, alcohol, tomatoes, green pepper, eggplant.
Cooling Herbs & Antibiotic Remedy:
- For rheumatism with inflammatory symptoms that include fever, swollen joints, red, hot limbs, red tongue with yellow coating. Simmer these herbs for 45 minutes and drink several cups a day:
- 30 grams honeysuckle.
- 30 grams dandelion.
- 30 grams viola ( Chinese violet).
- 15 grams wild chrysanthemum flower.
- 9 grams root (Radix semiaquilegiae).
- 12 grams achyranthes root.
- 24 grams plantain herb.
- 24 grams fu ling.
Will normalize body temperature, replace fluids reestablish electrolyte balance. Will clear toxins from the blood, promote circulation and stop the spread of bacteria.

CARE TO USE IT??
• One popular remedy in China is deer antler!!
It is quite effective in rebuilding bone marrow, contains calcium phosphate, protein and collagen. If you go through the trouble of simmering sliced deer horn for hours in a double boiler, you will find the benefits immediately. Ask for Cervus sika stag horn or Antelope horn. Fortunately, a less expensive substitute is available:
- Simmer one handful each of epimedium leaves and lycium fruit in a quart of water for 20 minutes, strain, and drink two cups a day.

Here’s your test. Do you have Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Do your joints hurt worse in cold damp weather?
Do joints feel better with warmth and movement?
Do you have a pale tongue with a white coating?
Do you have slow digestion, indigestion, or fatigue after eating?
Do you feel bloated in the middle?
Do you have joint pain that moves around or that comes and goes?
Do joints feel heavy, limbs dragging?

If you answer “yes” to these questions you have the beginning of wind damp joint pain. Whether it actually turns into rheumatoid arthritis depends on your habits as much as other factors such as your hormones or genes. The most severe joint aches, stemming from an accumulation of dietary toxins and emotional bad habits, are known as inflammatory arthritis.

Inflammatory Arthritis? Do you have red, hot swollen joints?
Are your knuckles getting wrinkled and larger, your palms drier?
Are your joints extremely sensitive to the touch?
Do your joints feel worse with heat and movement?
Do you have a reddish tongue with a yellow coating?
Are you often angry, anxious, nervous, feverish, or thirsty?
Is your energy fast or insomniac?
Did you answer “yes” to these symptoms? Inflammatory joint pain feels better with the application of ice. 

SEE YOU MEDICAL DOCTOR WHEN:
- Your joint is hot, red, swollen and very painful.
- You experience stiffness after an injury to the joints
- You have chills or fever as well as swollen joints. You have already been diagnosed with arthritis but notice a new or different type of swelling in your joints.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Eat more sulfur-containing foods, such as asparagus, eggs, garlic, and onions. Sulfur is needed for the repair and rebuilding of bone, cartilage and connective tissue, and aids in absorption of calcium. Consume foods containing the amino acid histidine, including rice, wheat and rye. Histidine is good for removing excess metals from the body. Eat fresh pineapple, frequently. Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple, is also excellent for weight reduction. Eat some form of fibre, such as ground flaxseeds, oat bran or rice bran, daily. Reduce the amount of fat. Do not consume milk, dairy products or red meat. Avoid caffeine, citrus fruits, paprika, salt, tobacco, and everything that contains sugar. Avoid the nightshade vegetables: peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, white potatoes. These foods contain solanine, to which people suffering from arthritis are extremely sensitive to. Avoid sodium if you are using anti-inflammatory drugs, they cause water retention. Do not consume iron supplements. Instead, use good sources of iron in foods, such as; blachstrap molasses, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, fish, lima beans, and peas.
Stop eating acidic foods!

 go back part one...

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Dr. Testaguzza is the new Women's Health Consultant Wellness Coordinator at York University's Wellness Center working in collaboration with Dr. Joseph Levy Ph.D. Sandra is dedicated to teaching health and wellness in a multi-faceted way integrating both the conventional and traditional fields.

Sandra is a practitioner of Chinese Medicine for 17 years, a published writer, teacher, herbalist and researcher and above all a "fully licensed" acupuncturist who obtained her private practice license from the Quebec Medical Association. (Government recognition from L'Ordre Professionel des Acupuncteurs). She is known for her hospital work in the area of childbirth by acupuncture.

In Ontario, Sandra is a member of The Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute. Featured in 1999 Edition of Chatelaine Who's Who Publication, Sandra was recently honored & awarded recognition for her notable work. Her articles have been published in - Etobicoke Living Magazine - The Toronto Star - Women's News Magazine - Confident - The Villager - and Medical Journals.
For more information: (416) 236-3488, Etobicoke, Ontario e-mail: stwell@yorku.ca

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