Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis is based on physical findings on examination of the patient by the physician, the pattern of symptoms presented, laboratory findings and X-ray findings. This may take multiple visits to the doctor or to a Rheumatologist who specializes in RA before diagnosis can be definitively made.
Physical Examination for Diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis
The first step in diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis is a physical examination and consultation with your physician. Your doctor will review your medical history and speak with you about your symptoms. He will examine the joints for deformity or inflammation, your skin will be examined for signs of nodules and the body checked for other signs of inflammation.
The doctor will look for symmetry of joint inflammation; usually in RA the joints on each side of the body are affected. Typically if the small joints of the wrists, hands, feet and knees on one side of the body are affected, they are affected on the other side of the body as well. When there are only a few joints affected or it is not symmetrical, diagnosis is difficult with physical examination and the doctor will then order laboratory or radiological testing to confirm the diagnosis.
Laboratory Testing for Diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis
Your doctor may order blood tests to aid in the diagnosis of RA.
Rheumatoid Factor – In 80% of patients with RA abnormal antibodies called the rheumatoid factor are present.
Citrulline antibody – also known as anticitrulline, anticyclic citrullinated peptide and anti-CCP is present in most people with RA. If you the rheumatoid factor is not present in your body, your doctor will test for the Citrulline antibody.
Antinuclear antibody (ANA) this antibody is frequently found in people with RA.
Sedimentation rate (Sedrate) this test measures how fast red blood cells sink to the bottom of a test tube. It is usually faster in people with RA.
C – reactive protein Measures the degree of inflammation in the body.
Some of these tests such as the rheumatoid factor, C-reactive protein, Sedrate and ANA can be abnormal in the presence of other systemic autoimmune conditions or inflammatory diseases and therefore these tests alone cannot definitively give a diagnosis of RA.
Radiological Testing for Diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis
X-rays of the joints in the early stages of RA may be normal or may show only swelling of the soft tissues. As the condition progresses bony erosions may be visualized. X-rays are helpful in monitoring the disease progression. MRI is used to identify bone damage and Bone scans which are radioactive nuclear procedures can demonstrate inflammation of the joints.
Posted by admin | Posted in News | Posted on 30-04-2010
UPDATE: 24 April, 2010 - While I am pleased to see this judge ruled with common sense and in keeping with the law I am baffled that the “health blogger”sourced in these articles failed to refer to Dr. Frank McCoy in regard to natural healing with food, especially raw milk. But them we are in the superficial zone these days as far as source material, too bad.
Judge sides with activist in raw milk dispute
Feds Serve Warrant on Dairy Farmer
UPDATE: 18 April, 2010 – The Raw Milk Debate: Don’t Have a Cow, Man UPDATE 29 March - FOOD POLICE AT IT AGAIN
FDA Alerts Consumers of Raw Milk Danger, By Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today, 23 March 09 WASHINGTON — An outbreak of campylobacteriosis has prompted the FDA and several Midwestern state health agencies to warn consumers against drinking unpasteurized, raw milk. The Michigan Department of Community Health had received at least 12 confirmed reports of raw milk-related illness as of March, 24, the FDA reported in its announcement of the alert. Unpasteurized milk may contain a variety of infectious bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. Coli, which can cause illness or death, the agency noted. Adverse events related to drinking the raw milk include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, and body ache. While most healthy patients recover quickly from milk-borne illnesses, the FDA cautioned that severe reactions may occur in some victims, particularly in pregnant women, older patients, infants, younger children, and patients with a weakened immune system. Although the FDA has required pasteurization of almost all packaged milk products (excluding some aged cheeses) since 1987, dairy disease is still a threat, according to a Dec. 2008 report in Clinical Infectious Diseases that cited an annual average of 5.2 outbreaks per year between 1993 and 2006. (See Raw Milk Remains a Health Threat) The FDA noted that from 1998 to 2008, 1,614 illnesses and two deaths related to raw milk were reported. Proponents of unpasteurized milk claim it’s more nutritious than treated milk and inherently antimicrobial. Not so, the FDA asserted. “There is no meaningful nutritional difference between pasteurized and raw milk, and raw milk does not contain compounds that will kill harmful bacteria,” the agency said. The FDA’s investigation into the outbreak is aided by the Michigan Department of Community Health, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, and the Indiana State Health Department. 2004-2010 MedPage Today, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
NB: High Doses of vitamin C have been shown effective in treating food borne illness.
The Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) that was first proposed in 1924 by the United States Public Health Service has been adopted, in its 2003 revision, by 46 out of 50 states. (The four non-adopting states have passed similar ordinances of their own.) The PMO calls for the pasteurization of milk as a way of killing any potentially disease-causing bacteria in the milk, including Campylobacter, Escherichia, Listeria, Salmonella, Yersinia, and Brucella. I would also like to note that in 32 states, it is legal to sell and distribute raw, non-pasteurized milk and that both forms of milk exist in the majority of states. Today there are more pasteurization options in the marketplace than there were in 1924; these options include high-temperature, short-time methods as well as low-temperature, longer time methods. The goal of all methods is the same: to kill potentially pathogenic bacteria that may be present in the milk or milk product (like cheese or yogurt).
Temperature
Time
Pasteurization Type
63C (145F)*
30 minutes
Vat Pasteurization
72C (161F)*
15 seconds
High temperature short time Pasteurization (HTST)
89C (191F)
1.0 second
Ultra Pasteurization (UP)
90C (194F)
0.5 seconds
Ultra Pasteurization (UP)
94C (201F)
0.1 seconds
Ultra Pasteurization (UP)
96C (204F)
0.05 seconds
Ultra Pasteurization (UP)
100C (212F)
0.01 seconds
Ultra Pasteurization (UP)
138C (280F)
2.0 seconds
Ultra-high temperature (UHT) sterilization
Note: * = These temperatures and times are appropriate if the milk does not contain added sweeteners, and if it has not been condensed. If either of those changes applies, then the temperature must be increased by 3C (5F). In addition, eggnog is an exception to these rules and must be pasteurized according to a different set of times and temperatures. There’s no debate about the effectiveness of pasteurization for killing unwanted bacteria. There’s also no doubt that pasteurization gives dairy products a longer shelf life by lowering the presence of bacteria that cause spoilage. But pasteurization also kills desirable bacteria found in fresh milk, and it denatures milk enzymes that may be active in the human digestive tract when fresh milk is consumed. There is little research, however, to determine what nutritional benefits are lost when milk is pasteurized. I’ve seen speculation about changes in protein structure, calcium, amino acid, and vitamin C bioavailability all being triggered by pasteurization, but I have not seen research that confirms or rejects these occurrences. As I mentioned earlier, in the majority of states, dairy farms are free to produce raw (unpasteurized) milk as long as they adhere to the conditions and restrictions set out in state law. The safety of unpasteurized milk depends on the quality of the cow’s life, including the immediate environment and feeding. It also depends on the quality of handling facilities once the cow has been milked. For these reasons, I recommend a very careful look at any dairy farm’s procedures, track record, and publicly available information before becoming a regular consumer of its unpasteurized milk. Producers of raw milk should be carefully monitoring the milk for the presence of microorganisms and will be able to certify that the milk meets all federal and state regulations in this regard. Because freshness is at a premium, and the product shelf life is greatly shortened (which is not necessarily bad) the dairy should be within driving distance of your residence so you can visit it in person. In some states, like Indiana, where it is illegal for a local dairy to sell unpasteurized milk, cows from the dairy may be leased in order for consumers to obtain a regular supply of raw milk. In the absence of a very high-quality dairy farm in driving distance from your residence, I recommend purchase of pasteurized milk. Even though it’s one step further from natural milk (which I would prefer), the health risks-however small-don’t seem like a worthwhile trade-off in exchange for the potential benefits. If a high quality dairy farm, producing certified organic milk in unpasteurized form is available in your area, I would recommend considering this option. Courtesy: WHFOODS.ORG
Original Post 23 March 2009 : A few years ago I was able to get some delicious raw milk from a cow down the road. I loved it each time I received my big glass gallon jar of this liquid. It brought back memories when I saw the rich, uncooked, deep yellow cream floating on top.
Some years ago I drove down the big long hill from my home back then and stopped at the Wagon Wheel to buy raw milk.
Before that I drove out to Willapa Valley for fresh liquid delight from Verna Kuttle’s cows.
Before Washington, when my children were quite young, I walked next door to the farm each afternoon at milking time and drew a gallon of freshly collected raw milk from the big stainless steel cooler.
And even before that, as a small child I recall in delight on a day out at the farm, getting fresh creamy milk, still warm from the cow.
I am happy to say that my children probably had more raw, uncooked and non-homogenized milk than I did. None of us are the worse for it.
Sadly over the years Washington has been under the Olympia gestapo for any effort to have access to raw milk.
For year’s you had to find a farmer to sell it too you and even then it was only sold as “pet” milk. I’m glad I had pets.
It’s just the insanity of lack of knowledge that government workers seem to fall into, lock step.
No one dare ask if it might be good for you.
Funny too because one of the very first books I had when I was studying naturopathy in the 1960s had pages of treatments based on consuming raw milk.
Maybe times are changing.
Got Raw Milk?By Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.
Welcome to the largest underground food revolutionthe raw milk movement. As a nutritionist I have been a part of this underground movement since 1999 and have been amazed at how this creamy-colored substance has brought together Republicans and Democrats, as well as liberals and fundamental Christiansall for a common cause. Who knew that milk, that stuff that you put on your cereal, could have such power?
Since ancient times, an exclusive raw-milk diet has been used to cure many diseases. In the early 1900s, the Milk Cure was used at the Mayo clinic to successfully treat cancer, weight loss, kidney disease, allergies, skin problems, urinary tract problems, prostate problems, chronic fatigue and many other chronic conditions. However, after 1947, raw milk became very difficult to obtain due to pasteurization laws.
Pasteurization, heating foods to a minimum of 161.5?F and holding that temperature for at least fifteen seconds, is done to kill bacteria. Currently, many raw foods are viewed as dangerous and laws enacted in the name of public health and safety require more foods to be sterilized by pasteurization. Pasteurization was implemented in the 1920s to combat tuberculosis, infant diarrhea and other diseases caused by poor animal nutrition and dirty production methods. However, refrigerated trucks, stainless steel tanks, milking machines and inspection methods make pasteurization unnecessary for todays world. As Sally Fallon states in Nourishing Traditions, pasteurization destroys the enzymes needed to digest dairy and diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6, and kills beneficial bacteria. Pasteurized milk can promote pathogens because the beneficial bacteria naturally found in milk provide protection against invading pathogens. When milk is pasteurized, the protective bacteria is destroyed.
What is happening locally?
In Washington, due in a large part to the efforts of local activist, Emmy McAllister, raw milk sales are legal on the farm, through home delivery and retail stores, if local health ordinances permit. So take advantage of being one of only eleven states that allow raw milk to be sold retail, taste the magic and feel the difference for yourself.
Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures, the largest raw dairy in the United States, boasts about his companys safety record. McAfee has inoculated pathogenic contaminants such as E. coli 0157:H7, Listeria and Salmonella into his raw milk and pasteurized milk. In the raw milk, none of the pathogens survive because the natural bacteria protect the milk. In the pasteurized milk, in which the bacteria and enzymes have been destroyed, the pathogens take over. Even Louis Pasteur, the man credited with inventing pasteurization, in his later years stated that pasteurization was not the panacea once touted. In addition, raw milk never goes rancid, it just changes from milk to curds and whey and so on. Pasteurized milk goes dangerously rancid without refrigeration.
Is raw milk dangerous? It can be. Food can be the perfect vehicle for pathogens and disease. However, the reason pathogens in food are so prevalent may have more to do with factory farming and industrial food. Raw milk is not inherently dangerous. As Sandor Ellix Katz puts it in his book The Revolution will not be Microwaved, food is most often contaminated in the course of its processing, handling and storage, or as a result of diseased animals. Healthy plants and animals produce safe, healthy food worthy of a revolution.
Why has raw milk become such a huge health movement? The reasons range from culinary to health to political. On the health side, I have seen numerous incidences of people with dairy sensitivities finding themselves able to consume raw dairy without problems. Raw dairy contains the enzymes necessary for digestion; amazing how brilliant nature is. On the culinary side, raw milk tastes like real milk: delicious, creamy and satisfying on a core level. I have gone to great lengths over the years to procure raw dairy because once exposed the real stuff, I cant go back. Politically, I along with many other activists, use my dollar to vote for the world I want to see. My vision is a land that promotes sustainable, small-scale farms with healthy, happy animals grazing freely on the grass they were meant to eat. Where I can go to a farmer I know by name to pick up my milk, along with other culinary delights. Where I can compare the milk from Iris to the milk that Lupita provides to see which suits my palate. Pasteurization laws conveniently put milk in the hands of large, industrialized, faceless, dairy operations that provide less than excellent living accommodations for their four-legged inhabitants.
Posted by admin | Posted in News | Posted on 29-04-2010
I’ve got baby spinach left over from last year coming up in my raised bed garden, and I’m now picking a bunch of leaves every day. I eat tomatoes, berries, and every food on this list, except for pineapple to which I am allergic.
I prefer seasonal food, and organic. When I can’t get organic I rely on the methods found in my updated e-publication, FOOD SAFETY: CLEANSING OPTIONS
Hope you’ll start adding these foods to your food plan too…..
Pineapple Speeds post-surgery Promotes joint health Reduces asthma inflammation
Cranberries Alleviate prostate pain Fight lung, colon and leukemia cancer cells Prevent urinary tract infection
Green Cabbage Promotes healthy blood clotting Reduces risk of prostate, colon, breast and ovarian cancers Activates the body’s natural detoxification systems
Kale Counters harmful estrogens that can feed cancer Protects eyes against sun damage and cataracts Increases bone density
Mushrooms Promote natural detoxification Reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer Lower blood pressure
Orange Reduces levels of “bad” cholesterol Lowers risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, breast and stomach, and childhood leukemia Pectin suppresses appetite
Papaya Enzymes aid digestion Reduces risk of lung cancer Enhances fat burning
Plums & Prunes Counter constipation Antioxidants defend against DNA damage Protects against post-menopausal bone loss
Pomegranate Enhances sunscreen protection Lowers “bad” cholesterol Fights prostate cancer
Pumpkin Protects joints against polyarthritis Lowers lung and prostate cancer risk Reduces inflammation
Raspberries Inhibit growth of oral, breast, colon and prostate cancers Antioxidant DNA defense Lower “bad” cholesterol levels
Strawberries Protect against Alzheimer’s Reduce “bad” cholesterol Suppress growth of colon, prostate and oral cancer
Sweet Potato Reduces stroke risk Lowers cancer risk Protect against blindness
Watermelon Supports male fertility Reduces risk of several cancers: prostate, ovarian, cervical, oral and pharyngeal Protects skin against sunburn
Banana Increases Fat Burning Lowers risk of colorectal and kidney cancer, leukemia Reduces asthma symptoms in children
Posted by admin | Posted in News | Posted on 29-04-2010
UPDATE: 29 April, 2010 – More on the health benefits of sulfur bearing foods and compounds -
Lower levels of ‘rotten egg’ gas (hydrogen sulfide) in blood linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes and poorer circulation
ScienceDaily (2010-04-28) — Researchers have for the first time identified a link between blood levels of the gas hydrogen sulfide (a gas more commonly associated with the smell of rotten eggs), obesity and type 2 diabetes. … > read full article
Originally posted in 2008 For several decades I’ve offered clients a garlic supplement that is known for reducing blood pressure. Now it seems that we need to wait for some new recombinant drug because of another medical study that overlooks the natural and known natural remedies.
Sulfur is one of the most important healing molecules we have known of and used in natural therapies for eons. It is mentioned in this ‘special form’ in my book, “Blood Pressure Care Naturally“.
Oh, for the day when these folks get to recall all of the pharmacopoeia that first came from Mother Nature.
‘Fart gas’ link to blood pressure The gas best known for being used in many stink bombs may also control blood pressure, say US researchers.
Small amounts of hydrogen sulphide – a toxic gas generated by bacteria living in the human gut – are responsible for the foul odour of flatulence.
But it seems the gas is also produced by an enzyme in blood vessels where it relaxes them and lowers blood pressure.
The findings in mice may lead to new treatments for high blood pressure, the Science journal reported.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, in Maryland, found that the gas is produced in the cells lining blood vessels by an enzyme called CSE.
We know hydrogen sulphide is not good for us at high levels but it seems that at the lower levels in the body it is essential Professor Amrita Ahluwalia
In mice engineered to be deficient in this enzyme, levels of hydrogen sulphide were almost depleted compared with levels in normal mice.
The CSE-deficient mice also had blood pressure measurements about 20% higher than the normal mice, comparable to serious hypertension in humans.
When the engineered mice were given a drug which relaxes normal blood vessels – methacholine – there was no difference, indicating the gas is responsible for the relaxation.
Treatments
Another gas, nitric oxide, is already known to be involved in control of blood pressure.
Researcher Dr Solomon Snyder said: “Now we know hydrogen sulphide’s role in regulating blood pressure, it may be possible to design drug therapies that enhance its formation as an alternative to the current methods of treatment for hypertension.”
Professor Amrita Ahluwalia, an expert in vascular pharmacology at Barts and The London Medical School, said: “This study shows that smelly hydrogen sulphide is also likely to have a role in regulating blood pressure and it will be a bit of an impetus for scientists to develop more specific tools to work out what’s going on.
“We know hydrogen sulphide is not good for us at high levels but it seems that at the lower levels in the body it is essential.”
Dr Allan MacDonald, a reader in pharmacology at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “Treatments based on hydrogen sulphide could become important in a variety of cardiovascular diseases,” he said.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7686911.stm Published: 2008/10/24 BBC MMVIII
Posted by admin | Posted in News | Posted on 29-04-2010
32 + articles about liver health concerns can be found in Natural Health News
Our Liver cleansing and Liver care products have provided excellent results to hundreds of clients over the years…contact us for more information.
This is one indication of the need for detoxification. Colon cleansing IS NOT detoxification. Our decades of experience with detoxification products and programs offers much more to our clients than found elsewhere.
Cigarette smoking, fructose consumption exacerbates liver disease, study finds
ScienceDaily (2010-04-27) — Recent studies suggest that modifiable risk factors such as cigarette smoking and fructose consumption can worsen nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). With NAFLD, fat accumulates in the liver of overweight individuals despite drinking little alcohol, causing in some cases liver scarring that can lead to liver failure. Identifying modifiable factors that contribute to disease severity and progression is essential in improving patient outcomes. … > read full article
