These three supplements can mean the difference between arthritis agony or relief
Trying to control the pain and symptoms of arthritis without taking your nutritional needs seriously is like trying to water your lawn while standing on your garden hose…
In other words, if your body’s not getting the nutrients it needs, your body can’t heal itself properly, and thus, arthritis pain persists.
But if you do properly nourish your body, not only will your pain subside, but your body’s dependence on medication to control painful symptoms may decline — or stop completely.
That’s a big win for sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a notoriously debilitating autoimmune disease.
Today I’ll tell you about three easy ways you can help your body douse the fires of inflammation and ease your RA pain.
Cleaning out joint “rust”
Let’s start by talking about a daily supplement you’re probably already taking. Like many other people, you might not be taking enough to notice a profound difference in your health.
I’m talking about good old, reliable vitamin C.
The Arthritis Foundation’s website indicates the following: “The USDA’s recommendation of 75 milligrams (mg) per day for women and 90 mg per day for men remains the golden mean for vitamin C consumption.”
The Arthritis Foundation might do wonderful work, but their vitamin C advice is seriously lacking. In fact, it’s short by several hundred milligrams!
A recent case study illustrates just how effective a large dose of vitamin C can be. In the study, a 47-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis rated her pain and fatigue on a Quality of Life Questionnaire at 100 percent. In other words, she had hit her threshold and could no longer deal with the pain.
But after receiving intravenous vitamin C (IVC) in doses of 50 grams, two times a week for four weeks, she rated her pain and fatigue at 0 percent. She went from being completely engulfed in pain to having none, with just a few simple mega-doses of vitamin C.
For most RA patients, four weeks of IVC isn’t practical (most insurance plans don’t cover IVC). However, sufficient oral doses can make a real difference too.
In Dr. Marc Micozzi’s Arthritis Relief & Reversal Protocol, he emphasizes the powerful benefits of oral vitamin C — some that most people are sadly unaware of.
He explains, “While vitamin C is strengthening your immune system, it’s also strengthening your bones and connective tissue, helping you prevent or ease arthritis.
“In fact, research shows that people with arthritis have high levels of oxidative stress, a kind of internal rust of joints and other organs — and that antioxidants such as vitamin C can stop or even reverse that oxidative process.”
He cites an International Journal of Preventive Medicine study where 40 RA patients were given 125 mg of vitamin C daily. Every one of the patients reported “less disease activity,” which is an impressive result for such a low dose.
Those patients would likely have reported even more relief if they’d used Dr. Micozzi’s recommended dose of 500 mg, twice daily. At that level, C is powered up to do its best work. However, he notes that the doses need to be divided since your body quickly metabolizes this water-soluble vitamin.
Are you getting “E”-nough?
Our next featured nutrient is another antioxidant superstar: vitamin E.
Dr. Micozzi cites a study where researchers compared 59 people with rheumatoid arthritis and 60 people without. Results showed that RA patients had “significantly lower” levels of vitamin E.
But simply boosting E levels with a supplement can make all the difference.
In one clinical trial, RA patients who took 400 IU of vitamin E per day along with an RA medication regimen found that their symptoms were more effectively controlled than with the medications alone.
And in another test, when an E supplement was combined with RA drugs, the inflammation-reducing effect of aspirin was doubled.
And Dr. Micozzi adds that vitamin E might even be able to prevent rheumatoid arthritis. He continues… “In a 16-year study by Finnish researchers, women with the lowest blood levels of alpha-tocopherol were 44 percent more likely to develop RA than women with the highest levels.”
Dr. Micozzi recommends taking 400 IU of vitamin E daily. Look for a formula that contains all eight different forms of the vitamin, called mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols. These natural forms of the vitamin are superior to the synthetic and ineffective form, dl alpha-tocopherol.
A “tonic” for pain relief and heart support
Dr. Micozzi stresses one more key reason why vitamin E is so important for arthritis patients: your heart.
He explains that vitamin E lowers the inflammatory compounds that drive heart disease. This is a critical point if you have osteoarthritis (OA) or RA because both conditions significantly boost heart disease risk.
Which brings us to our third featured nutrient: Omega-3 fatty acids, which Dr. Micozzi calls “a tonic for inflamed arteries and a threatened heart.” And it also happens to be a highly effective pain-reliver — but only at the correct dosage, which is critical.
His recommendation: 3 to 10 grams daily, based on how much fish and seafood you’re eating on a weekly basis. (He conveniently maps this out in his Arthritis Relief & Reversal Protocol.)
And he adds, “You should also be getting omega-3 from your diet, from foods like wild-caught (not farmed) salmon, sardines and other fatty fish…grass-fed beef and free-range chicken…and plant sources like flaxseeds, chia seeds, cauliflower and walnuts.”
Dr. Micozzi stresses the importance of eating wild-caught, fresh fish. He explains that farmed and Atlantic salmon contain just a small fraction of the nutrients you’ll get from wild-caught Pacific salmon, which is also less likely to be contaminated with heavy metals.
Beyond these three must-have nutrients, you can read all about one more essential nutrient for OA and RA relief in Dr. Micozzi’s Arthritis Relief & Reversal Protocol.
SOURCES
“The Right Amount of Vitamin C” Arthritis Foundation, 8/12/19. (arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/treatments/natural/vitamins-minerals/vitamin-c-amount.php)
“Parenteral vitamin C relieves chronic fatigue and pain in a patient presenting with rheumatoid arthritis and mononeuritis multiplex secondary to CNS vasculitis.” Case Reports in Clinical Pathology 2015; 2(2): 57-61. DOI: 10.5430/crcp.v2n2p57