I often wonder about this taking of remedies - it just might be it causes other offending chemistry to be subdued, but I like to work towards removing that chemistry in the first place.
There just might be a connection with what I went through and arthritis, or there might be no connection whatsoever. Right now, I'd bet my last dollar on there being a connection.
History. Coming up to 60 I thought I was superman. Sadly, no one told my lower back, and it objected in a way that changed my life. Can't run anymore, so other things wind down, etc., etc. Age is a factor, but it all happened so suddenly. Four surgeons have said don't operate.
While this "is this the end of life as I know it?" period was going on, I became allergic to something or somethings. Very allergic - side of the road job on 999 call on one occasion.
Feeling ill a lot of days with mystery illness, I started to remove things from my diet, not try 'fixes.' I now don't touch wheat or washing up liquid. An odd mixture, but the results of eating/using either is dramatic. Now, real ale feels like acid running through my veins, and Scotch makes me ache like hell.
The link between these very different items just might be the stuff they spray on wheat, not the wheat itself. A professor down the road from us in Tx., can eat wheat in one state, (of America) but not in Tx. You get the gist.
Getting to the point. While all this was going on, I noticed a marked change in general arthritic characteristics. I'd had an increase of painful hip, and wrists etc., just general joint pain - not too bad, but walking was not fun. Occasionally, it was a stopper.
While I'm on full diet, there is almost no pain anywhere. I work on the house or garden a lot, and power-walk a mile or so every night to get the dinner away from my stomach. While the wife is on the other side of the Atlantic, I don't allow washing-up liquid near the kitchen. The affect is dramatic.
Break the rules, not only does the aching and feeling unwell return, but the arthritic pain comes back as well.
My pal here in the UK can't touch strawberries. Athletic until nearly 60, he's really suffering from S-A. I tried some lovely English strawberries, and joint pain seemed to start within a few hours. A few more tries this trip home, and 100% hit rate on the pain.
I know I'm being over analytical, but the first few years of this century had me looking at the rows of pethidine boxes in the medicine cupboard, in a very counter-productive way. It is perhaps my good fortune I became very allergic to that as well.
I think bodies (or minds - it doesn't matter ) can undergo some form of change for one reason or another. When this happens, it doesn't get better; you don't get used to the problem products, it just gets worse.
The horrible thing is, starting right back from a glass of water a day wouldn't have necessarily helped - if I'd washed the glass with washing up liquid.