Arthritis is an umbrella term used to cover many types of pain and disease. It is a term many doctors use when they don’t know what is wrong and they don’t really want to check it out.

For instance, several years ago my doctor told me I had arthritis in my back and there was nothing that could be done about it. He gave me a prescription for pain pills and said I just had to make the best of the situation. He never did an x-ray or ran any other tests.

Several months later I could barely get out of bed.  I was 58 years old and felt at least 90. When I tried to get out of a chair I fell into the campfire and blistered my arm.

When the doctor saw my arm and I told him it didn’t even hurt when I fell in the fire he got a worried look on his face and said “Maybe we should see what’s going on there.”

Duh!!! I had so many pain pills in me I couldn’t feel anything except the excruciating pain in my back.

He scheduled me for an MRI and guess what? It wasn’t arthritis after all. It was a tumor in my spinal column and I was very close to becoming paralyzed.

A few years ago my favorite Uncle went to his doctor for back pain. His doctor said it was arthritis and there’s nothing we can do about it. Just take some pain pills and live with it. Finally he got so bad my aunt took him to the emergency room. A new doctor looked at him and said, “My God. You’ve got cancer . If you’d come in here six months ago we could have helped you. There’s nothing we can do now. You’re going to die.” He did.

These things happened to me and to people in my family. They shouldn’t have happened. I hope you can forgive me if I’ve lost all faith in doctors.

Yes, I know they’re human, just like us. I know they get lazy, just like us. They get tired and bored and overworked just like us. But if they’re going to be doctors and hold our lives and our loved ones lives in their hands, shouldn’t they be held to a little higher standard than the guy working on the assembly line at the local manufacturing company?

The message I’m trying to get out with this article is that we all have to take responsibility for our health. The doctors aren’t going to do it. When you leave their office, their attention focuses on the next patient to walk in.

When the doctor tells you that you have arthritis and there is nothing that can be done about it, don’t believe it.

You may very well have some arthritis. Most people over fifty do.  If you have any doubts or concerns insist that the doctor run some tests. Stomp, scream, cry, whatever you have to do but get the tests. You have the right.

Do some research. Find out what causes arthritis. Search for ways to alleviate the pain and reduce cartilage damage in the joints. Did you know that some of the pain medicine sometimes prescribed for arthritis can actually cause more damage to joint cartilage while relieving pain.

Dr. Mark Stengler, N.D. says in his book, The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies, “… there’s evidence that NSAIDs and aspirin actually  destroy cartilage by suppressing the cells and enzymes that should help to build it.”

There are nearly 100 types of arthritis and no one really knows exactly what causes it.  Research suggests poor digestion, toxins and nutritional deficiencies may be part of the problem.

I’ve found that herbs and nutritional supplements help to relieve the pain and stiffness that goes with arthritis. Since there are so many kinds of arthritis and because everyone’s body is different not every herbal remedy will work all the time. For this reason I take a variety of herbs and supplement  every day. It is rare that I need to take a pain pill. (Yes, I do have some serious arthritis. I just don’t take the doctors word for it anymore without tests to prove it.)

Dr. Stengler recommends glucosamine  for arthritis relief in his book. Glucosamine does not work immediately because it must build up in your system. Give it a week or two and it naturally relieves pain without damaging cartilage and  has even been known to help rebuild cartilage.I like to use a supplement that includes chondroitin and msm with the
glucosamine.

Boswella is a natural anti-inflammatory herb that works well with all arthritis. It does not accelerate cartilage degeneration and works well with glucosamine.

Bromelain, feverfew, and tumeric are also good. Take them along with boswella and glucosamine and within a few weeks you should notice a big difference in the way you feel.

Learn more about herbs and their healing powers at .