Arthritis

[henryboyt]

I have recently been diagnosed with osteo arthritis, which is due to wear and tear. I have never done hard manual work (!) but I finished over 14,000 helicopter hours two years ago. Just wondered if any other old rotorheads were similarly affected?

Henry Boyt

[Canadian Rotorhead]

Osteo-Arthritis can be controlled partially by diet. I was told by my uncle (a physician) many years ago that tea, nuts, tomatoes, and many other foods can cause the symptoms that manifest themselves into arthritis and one of the few foods that really help you is avocado. We make a lot of home made guacamole here as I have a solid history of arthritis in my family. Omega 3 supplements work as a natural anti-inflammatory and also reduce your intestine's sensitivity and immune system being over reactive which is a primary cause of arthritis.

Western doctors will want to fill you full of pharmaceuticals but in my experiences around the world, what you eat is just as important.

Best of luck.

CDN RH

[HeliComparator]

Henry, it is an old fashioned idea that Osteo Arthritis is due to wear / hard work. Early use of the appropriate drugs will help to slow the progress. Also as CR says, diet can help. There is an interesting article here (http://www.arthritis.co.za/treatment_of_rheumatoid_arthriti.html):

I have an inflamatory arthritis (not rheumatoid, but something similar) and once it was diagnosed, the drugs have meant that I have suffered no further joint deterioration in the past 10 years as well as pretty much removing the symptoms.

Best to see a Rheumatologist, not a GP who inevitably has little in-depth knowledge.

HC

[OvertHawk]

Sorry to hear that Henry!

Like the guys have already said - speak to a specialist rather than just your GP and do some research / experimentation as to diet - it's easy to be sceptical but it can make a huge difference for some folk.

Personally - I find caffein and tomatoes are big irritants.

There is a lot of diet related info out there - but you have to figure out for yourself what works for you - it is worth looking at though because it can make as big a difference as the meds.

Take care

OH

[EX-PJ]

Henry~

I too share your pain, although only 10,000+ hours, at 51 years of age I suffer as you do.
I have found diet a great help. Additionally I found Mila to be a great help. It's $50.00 @ month, worth ever cent!
Mila is not a supplement, it's a whole food. You can locate it online.

Good luck,
ADM~

[Whirlygig]

many years ago that tea,... , and many other foods can cause the symptomsAaarrghhh ... as someone who can turn tea-drinking into an extreme sport (and represent my country at it, to boot), this is not good news.:{

What the heck are people supposed to do? Tea is full of anti-oxidants and hence supposed to be good for one; avocados are extremely high in calories and therefore will not help weight maintenance. As someone with a wheat allergy, I eat quite a lot of nuts and I love my home-grown toms (which contain a lot of potassium and hence good for hangovers).

From the article quoted by HeliComparator ...

There is no specific diet for arthritis. Red meat is reduced and fish and vegetable intake is encouraged. In some patients aggravation by certain foodstuffs may be noted and advice is given to avoid these in individual cases.Maybe my nut roast washed down with a cup of tea is safe after all and my banjo playing will not suffer (which may not be good news to everyone :p)

Cheers

Whirls