Tips for hips (and other joints too!)
PAID CONTENT
When your hips, shoulders, knees and other joints start to hurt enough to interfere with life, it’s time to take some action. Maybe you already have. You may already be taking an anti-inflammatory drug or a steroid or immune-suppressing medication. Maybe you’re afraid to get started on those or don’t want to spend the rest of your life on them. Perhaps you just want to handle it a different way.
For those wanting a different way, you have to first ask “why do I have arthritis?” “Why has it progressed to a state of an auto-immunity?” “Why aren’t my joints healing” “Is there anything I can do to stimulate healing, or am I stuck with this for life?” These are all really good questions.
For decades we were told that once you have arthritis that it will be a lifetime of pain and you “may as well accept your fate.” That there was no healing it. We now know that that is not always the case. I’m reminded of an employee of mine some 25 years ago with severe arthritis. She hid her hands during the interview, knowing that being on the computer was an important part of her job. When I first started to teach her the computer program, I was alarmed when I saw her hands. Her hands were extremely deformed with very red, swollen, gnarled up joints. She only had one crooked finger that was straight enough to hit the key on the keyboard with. It was as painful to watch as it was for her to function. As with all my employees that so desire, we went to work to improve her health. We didn’t focus on her arthritis — that is not the way we treat. We work on the whole body at the same time.
Arthritis in all forms is a complex issue. Deficits in digestion, immune function, hormones, inflammatory response, nutrition and certain lifestyle factors all need to be considered. To address the underlying mechanism of arthritis, in all of its complexities is essential in reversing this degenerative disease.
Back to my employee — we went to work on her health. We addressed all of the issues with her health, the arthritis just being one of the red flags. Three years later, as we were preparing for a staff party, this employee pulled out a picture of a similar party we had had three years prior. She was holding something. Neither of us noticed what she was holding. What stood out were her crippled hands. Then we looked at her hands currently and there wasn’t the slightest indication of arthritis. They were normal, functioning properly and not hurting. Because we were focusing on her health, not her hands, we hadn’t noticed the dramatic change. It happened slowly, over time. Yes, she knew they were feeling better and reported that, but it wasn’t until we saw the picture that we could appreciate how much healing had indeed taken place.
This too can happen to you. But first, it is helpful to know which factors are involved, and what you can do about it. To learn more, attend tonight’s health class, Natural Remedies for Rheumatoid Arthritis Relief, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene. Fee: $10. RSVP: 208-765-1994.
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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with nearly four decades of experience. Carling is a “Health Detective,” she looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’Alene clinic. Visit Carling’s website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.