Osteoarthritis [Paperback]

Osteoarthritis is one of those disorders which, like hypertension, you don't notice until a lot of damage has already been done. So for many this book will come too late. The word healing appears in the title so maybe in cases that are not too far advanced it is possible to arrest and/or reverse the damage.
As I read the chapter on metabolic syndrome, I got to thinking that symptoms associated with it: 1. increased abdominal fat 2. increased blood fat -- triglycerides greater than 150 mg/dl 3. decreased HDL 4. increased blood pressure 5. increased fasting blood sugar -- greater than 110 mg/dl may be too high to warn of impending arthritis. Instead, it might be better to tighten those readings and use them as alarms that go off when they even approach the high end of "normal". For abdominal fat, for instance, getting down to one half inch or less should be the goal rather than below forty-inch waistline. Bales doesn't say that, but I just did. Bales is a physician and maybe it would be difficult for him to go against the establishment by recommending revisions to the "normal" readings. I'm thinking earlier warnings are better than waiting for the pain when severe damage has already been done.
What Bales tries to show is how diet and some supplements can prevent osteoarthritis. Many of his recommendations are similar to those of author Joel Fuhrman, author of Eat to Live. But, the word osteoarthritis does not even appear in the index of Eat to Live and Bales goes into depth about how a bad diet actually causes reactions in the body that lead to destruction of cartilage. It is this detail that makes his case so convincing. He presents it, as much as possible, in a fashion that should be understandable by the layman. If more detail is desired, one can look up the terms he uses on the internet for a much more scholarly discussion.
Bales recommends 20 supplements. I would research them more. For glucosamine and chondroitin, for instance one recent study indicates that each by itself is effective, but taking them simultaneously seems to have no effect. Also, with fish oils which Bales recommends, Joel Fuhrman says in Eat to Live page 171 "Though a little more expensive than fish oil, plant-derived DHA is less rancid. High-dose fish oils are still much safer than the medications used for autoimmune illnesses, so if they help I would not discourage their use." In general, I like to see multiple sources for information regarding health issues -- the second opinion if you will. So researching each supplement would be in order for me.
By the end of the book when he summarizes his dietary and supplement recommendations he has made it abundantly clear that the increase in the incidence of osteoarthritis is mostly due to bad eating habits and an irresponsible food industry. Recently I saw the movie Food, Inc. which shows how the food industry creates a bad diet and then convinces us to eat it. My current reading also includes Foods to Fight Cancer by Richard Beliveau. I highly recommend it. It complements Bales' book nicely. There is a sort of synergy in reading them both. It increases the likelihood that one will make dietary changes for the good.
Bales' book has an appendix with a List of Inflammatory Compounds, a Glossary, Chapter Notes with references, and an index.
While Bales does mention exercise there are no specific recommendations beyond the usual half hour a day, five times a week of cardio and strength training. So if you're looking for an exercise book that is suitable for osetoarthritis sufferers, look elsewhere. Strong Women and Men Beat Arthitis by Miriam E. Nelson et al is one such book. But while I agree with much of what they say, they omit some things I have found helpful. Reviewing it is on my to do list.
All in all, Osteoarthritis Preventing and Healing Without Drugs is an excellent read for anyone interested in improving their diet as well as for arthritis sufferers.

This book was helpfully in educating me on what was happening with my situation. My back began to ache a few months back and I have been in physical therapy as well as had a shot for the pain. This book explained what was happening and helped me change some things in order to help my situation.

Peter Bales, MD, MHSA's OSTEOARTHRITIS: PREVENTING AND HEALING WITHOUT DRUGS discusses everything from how joints become destroyed to how nutrients can combat osteoarthritis. Dietary recommendations accompany surveys of drugs, surgeries, and how nutritional intervention affects genes. Health collections will find this a wonderful guide.

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