Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic disease. Though medication is available, the side effects cannot be avoided. Fasting is found to be effective in healing this disease. This article tries to understand how fasting and rheumatoid arthritis are related.
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
- It is a disease which involves swelling of the joints primarily with pain. The pain appears time and again.
- The joints stop functioning and mobility of organs is affected with passage of time.
- It is found to be three times more common in women than men.
- Women in the age group of 40-50 years are worst affected by this disease.
Fasting as a Healing Mechanism:
It is suggested that the bacterial substances released during the process of fasting produce a healing effect on the inflammation of the joints. Not many research studies are available to substantiate this hypothesis. In 2005, one such study was conducted in Essen, Germany, at the department of integrative medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, to find out the relationship between dieting therapies like fasting and chronic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
What the Study Had to Say?
- The study involved a seven-day fasting program among the in-patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic pain conditions like migraine.
- They had 2-3 liters of mineral water, herbal tea and juice during the fasting period.
- From the fourth day onwards, vegetarian food was introduced in their diet. There was much relief from pain and swelling at this stage.
- When the patients were discharged 78% of the patients reported overall health status improvements.
There are a limited number of studies on fasting and rheumatoid arthritis, with positive results. Once the intake of normal diet starts, the pain is found to return within a week. But fasting provides short term relief from this dreadful disease without any side effect, which is definitely encouraging.
1 Comment
Make sure you get a high quality and high strength Glucosamine and Chondroitin.