Osteoarthritis: Natural Drugless Treatments That Really Work!

By George John Georgiou

Osteoarthritis is often a debilitating problem that decreases the quality of life. Many people are told by their doctors that they must “live with it!” Dr Georgiou has personally treated hundreds of cases of Osteoarthritis successfully using the Da Vinci Natural Osteoarthritis Protocol devised by himself. The underlying causative fac

• Language: English
• Publisher: Da Vinci Health Publishing
• Release date: Feb 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9789925569335

George John Georgiou

Dr. Georgiou, Ph.D.,D.Sc (AM).,N.D., is a chartered biologist, iridologist, naturopath, herbalist, homeopath, nutritionist, bioresonance specialist, acupuncturist, clinical psychologist and clinical sexologist. He has been a clinician most of his life and is the Director Founder of the Da Vinci Holistic Health Center in Larnaca, Cyprus (www.naturaltherapycenter.com) which specializes in the natural treatment of chronic diseases, heavy metal toxicity and Candidiasis, along with many other health problems. He is also the Founder Director of the Da Vinci Institute of Holistic Medicine (www.collegenaturalmedicine.com) as well as the Da Vinci BioSciences Research Center. He is the author of 23 books, a clinician and researcher.

Book preview

OSTEOARTHRITIS

Natural Drugless

Treatments

That Really Work!

Dr George J Georgiou, Ph.D.,N.D.,D.Sc (AM)

Dedication

First, I would like to bow deeply to the thousands of patients who have helped me understand the complexities of this disease process and who need to take credit for the time spent with them in refining this protocol over many years. 

All these patients over the years have been my laboratory for developing many treatment protocols through trial and error, backed by research.

I would also like to thank all the researcher scientists, lecturers and teachers who dedicate their life to helping others, and all the courageous health professionals who go against the grain of the establishment, while thinking outside the box.

A loving hug of gratitude to my wife and 4 children for their support and understanding during my professional endeavours throughout these years – they are all blessed.

Finally, I deeply embrace the Divine faith that I have been blessed with, that has helped me believe in the innate healing abilities of the body, through the power of Natural healing, without chemical intervention.

A profound blessing to you all and may your healing journey be fruitful and fulfilling!

Copyright © 2018 Dr. George J. Georgiou. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the written permission of the publisher.

For information contact Da Vinci Health Publishing – [e-mail].

Published by:

Da Vinci Health Publishing 

Panayia Aimatousa 300

Aradippou 7101

Larnaca

Cyprus

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The following information is intended for general information purposes only. Individuals should always see their health care provider before administering any suggestions made in this book. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is at the reader’s discretion and is his or her sole responsibility.

ISBN - 978-9925-569-33-5

Contents

Chapter 1: The Da Vinci Osteoarthritis Natural Treatment Protocol

Treating Osteoarthritis without Drugs!

Chapter 2: The Holistic Model of Health

Chapter 3: Toxicity: Underlying Cause of All Diseases

Chapter 4: Detoxification: The Health Secret of all Time

Chapter 5: Food Intolerances, Inflammation and Disease

Chapter 6: Candida: A Universal Cause of Many Diseases

Chapter 7: Curing with Energetic Medicine and Bioresonance

Chapter 8: Emotional, Psychological & Spiritual Roots of Disease

Disclaimer

Summary and Concluding Remarks

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

More Books written by Dr Georgiou:

Chapter 1: The Da Vinci Osteoarthritis Natural Treatment Protocol

Treating Osteoarthritis without Drugs!

The title of this book is based on the experiences that I have had treating Osteoarthritis naturally at the Da Vinci Holistic Health Center in Larnaca, Cyprus (www.naturaltherapycenter.com), based on scientific studies that will be discussed throughout all chapters of this book.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common chronic health conditions and a leading cause of pain and disability among adults (McDonough et al, 2010; Johnson et al, 2014). 

Based on a 72% response rate from over 26,000 adults in England who completed mailed surveys (Thomas et al, 2014), about half reported having osteoarthritis in at least one of four joint regions (hand, hip, foot, knee), and about 22% reported disabling osteoarthritis. So this is a big problem in many countries worldwide.

As part of the Global Burden of Disease (2010) study, a systematic review reported that the global age-standardized prevalence of knee osteoarthritis was 3.8%, and hip osteoarthritis was 0.85% (Cross et al, 2014). Of almost 300 health conditions studied, osteoarthritis was the 11th highest contributor to disability.

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects your joints. The surfaces within your joints become damaged so the joint doesn’t move as smoothly as it should. The condition is sometimes called arthrosis or osteoarthrosis. Older terms are ‘degenerative joint disease’ or ‘wear and tear’.

When a joint develops osteoarthritis, some of the cartilage covering the ends of the bones gradually roughens and becomes thin and the bone underneath thickens. All the tissues within the joint become more active than normal – as if your body is trying to repair the damage – there are other steps that the body takes in its attempt to repair:

The bone at the edge of the joint grows outwards, forming bony spurs called osteophytes.

The synovium may thicken and produce extra fluid, which then causes the joint to swell.

The capsule and ligaments slowly thicken and contract as if they were trying to stabilise the joint.

Sometimes your body’s repair mechanisms are quite successful and the changes inside the joint won’t cause pain or problems. In severe osteoarthritis, the cartilage can become so thin that it no longer covers the ends of your bones. The bones start to rub against each other and eventually start to wear away. The loss of cartilage, the wearing of bone and the bony spurs can alter the shape of the joint, forcing the bones out of their normal position.

Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint in your body, the disorder most commonly affects joints in your hands, knees, hips and spine.

Osteoarthritis symptoms can usually be effectively managed, although the underlying process is difficult to reverse when it reaches the final stage of degeneration. However, in the earlier stages, following the recommendations in this book will likely reverse your osteoarthritis, if you are ready to make the necessary lifestyle changes required to maintain optimal health.

Staying active, maintaining a healthy weight and the other natural treatments recommended may help to begin the reversal, slow the progression, and help improve pain and joint function.

What are the Symptoms?

Pain: Your joint may hurt during or after movement.

Stiffness: Joint stiffness may be most noticeable when you wake up in the morning or after a period of inactivity.

Grating sensation: You may hear or feel a grating sensation when you use the joint.

Swelling (either hard or soft).

Loss of Flexibility:  You may not be able to move your joint through its full range of motion.

The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and sometimes stiffness in the affected joints. The pain tends to be worse when you move the joint or at the end of the day, and it may make it difficult to get to sleep. Your joints may feel stiff after rest, but this usually wears off after a minute or two as you get moving. If you have severe osteoarthritis, you may feel pain more often.

The joint may not move as freely or as far as normal, and it may creak or crunch as you move. Sometimes it may give way because your muscles have weakened, or the joint structure has become less stable, although exercises to strengthen your muscles can help to prevent this.

You may notice that the affected joint looks swollen. The swelling may be hard (caused by osteophytes) or soft (caused by synovial thickening and extra fluid in the joint), and the muscles around the joint may look thin or wasted. This is more common in women.

Symptoms often vary for no obvious reason – you’ll probably have good and bad spells. Some people find that changes in the weather make the pain worse, especially damp weather along with falling atmospheric pressure. Others find the pain varies depending on how active they’ve been.

In more severe cases, the pain may be constant. It may prevent you from sleeping and cause difficulties in your daily activities; for example, osteoarthritis in the knee or hip can make it difficult to climb stairs or get up from a chair.

Risk Factors

Almost anyone can get osteoarthritis but it’s most likely if:

Age: you’re in your late 40s or older – increases with age

Gender: you’re a woman

Genetics: your parents have had osteoarthritis

Obesity: you’re overweight - increased weight puts added stress on weight-bearing joints, such as your hips and knees. In addition, fat tissue produces proteins that may cause harmful inflammation in and around your joints.

Joint injuries: you’ve had a previous joint injury - Injuries, such as those that occur when playing sports or from an accident may increase the risk of osteoarthritis. Even injuries that occurred many years ago and seemingly healed can increase your risk of osteoarthritis.

Occupation: you have a physically demanding job where you make repetitive movements.

Other diseases: your joints have been damaged by another disease, for example gout or rheumatoid arthritis.

Bone deformities: Some people are born with malformed joints or defective cartilage, which can increase the risk of osteoarthritis.

Prevalence of Osteoarthritis

The prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) increases with age; up to 80 percent in people over 65 in high-income countries (Fernandes 2013).

As the world’s population continues to age, it is estimated that degenerative joint disease disorders such as osteoarthritis will impact at least 130 million individuals around the globe by the year 2050 (Maiese 2016).

At least 15 percent of all adults over the age of 60 are believed to suffer from this disorder with women having greater prevalence of osteoarthritis than men (Maiese 2016).

The prevalence of OA of the knee in Western Europe has been estimated as 18-25% in men and 24-40% in women between ages 60-79 in Holland (van Saase et al, 1989) and 28-34% in Spain (Carmona et al, 2001).

There are estimates of 100 million people with osteoarthritis in the European Union. The estimated direct cost of osteoarthritis in France in 2001 was 1.64 billion Euros (Le Pen et al, 2005).

In the United States, the burden of arthritis was 69.9 million people in 2001 (Bolen et al, 2002).

It is estimated that worldwide, 9.6 percent of men and 18.0 percent of women over the age of 60 suffer with osteoarthritis (Maiese 2016).

Osteoarthritis is thought to be the most prevalent of all musculoskeletal pathologies, affecting an estimated 10 percent of the world’s population over the age of 60 (Pereira 2011).

Osteoarthritis ranks fifth among all forms of disability worldwide (Murray 2012).

Hip and knee osteoarthritis represent a substantial cause of disability worldwide and are responsible for approximately 17 million years lived with disability globally (Cross 2014).

How Does a Normal Joint Work?

A joint is where two or more bones meet (see Figure 1). The joint allows the bones to move freely but within controlled limits. The knees have additional rings of cartilage between the bones and between the joints there is synovial fluid to lubricate and cushion them. If you are dehydrated, the body cannot produce enough synovial fluid and the pain will increase – so drink 1.5 – 2 litres of clean mineral water daily, winter and summer.

The cartilage between the knees is called menisci – it acts a bit like shock absorbers to spread the load more evenly across the joint.

Fig 1. Normal Joint

What is Cartilage?

Cartilage is a connective tissue found in many parts of the body. Although it is a tough and flexible material, it is relatively easy to damage. This fine, rubbery tissue acts as a cushion between the bones of joints. People with cartilage damage commonly experience joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation (swelling).

Cartilage has several functions in the human body:

Reduces friction and acts as a cushion between joints and helps support our weight when we run, bend, and stretch.

Holds bones together, for instance, the bones of the ribcage.

Some body parts are made almost entirely of cartilage, for example, the external parts of our ears.

In children, the ends of the long bones are made of cartilage, which eventually turns into bone.

Unlike other types of tissue, cartilage does not have a blood supply. Because of this, damaged cartilage takes much longer to heal, compared with other tissues that are supplied by blood.

There are three types of cartilage (Fig 2):

Elastic cartilage (yellow cartilage) - the most springy and supple type of cartilage. Elastic cartilage makes up the outside of the ears and some of the nose.

Fibrocartilage - the toughest type of cartilage, able to withstand heavy weights. It is found between the discs and vertebrae of the spine and between the bones of the hip and pelvis.

Hyaline cartilage - springy, tough, and elastic. It is found between the ribs, around the windpipe, and between the joints (articular cartilage).

Fig 2. Different Types of Cartilage

Elastic cartilage, fibrocartilage, and hyaline cartilage can all be damaged. For example, a slipped disk is a type of fibrocartilage damage, while a hard impact on the ear can cause elastic cartilage damage.

When cartilage in a joint is damaged, it can cause severe pain, inflammation, and some degree of disability - this is known as articular cartilage. According to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), one-third of American adults aged over 45 suffer from some type of knee pain due to articular cartilage.

Symptoms of Cartilage Damage

Patients with damage to the cartilage in a joint (articular cartilage damage) will experience:

Inflammation - the area swells, becomes warmer than other parts of the body, and is tender, sore, and painful.

Stiffness.

Range limitation - as the damage progresses, the affected limb will not move so freely and easily.

Articular cartilage damage most commonly occurs in the knee, but the elbow, wrist, ankle, shoulder, and hip joint can also be affected.

In severe cases, a piece of cartilage can break off and the joint can become locked. This can lead to haemarthrosis (bleeding in the joint); the area may become blotchy and have a bruised appearance.

Which Joints are Affected?

Almost any joint can develop osteoarthritis, especially if it’s been badly injured, but it most often affects the knees, hips, hands, spine and big toes. Osteoarthritis of the knee is very common. This is probably because your knee must take extreme stresses, twists and turns.

Osteoarthritis can affect the main surfaces of the knee joint and the cartilage underneath your kneecap (patella). You’re most likely to feel pain at the front and sides of your knee. If the osteoarthritis is severe, your knees may become bent and bowed. Your knee joint may also become unstable so that it gives way when you put weight on it.

This is usually because of muscle weakness in the thigh but sometimes because of damage to the ligaments. Osteoarthritis of the knee is twice as common in women as in men and it usually affects both knees. It causes most problems from the late 50’s onwards.

Several factors can increase the risk of osteoarthritis of the knee, for example:

being overweight

having nodal osteoarthritis (particularly in women)

a previous sporting injury (such as a torn meniscus or ligament)

an operation to remove torn cartilage (meniscectomy)

Hip Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis of the hip involves a sclerosis or hardening of the bone, a lack of joint space and sometimes cysts present in the bone of the femur (Fig 3). It is very common and can affect either one or both hips.

The pain is most likely to be deep at the front of your groin, but you may also feel pain at the side and front of your thigh, in your buttock or down to your knee (this is called referred pain). If you have severe hip osteoarthritis, you may find the affected leg seems a little shorter than the other because of the bone on either side of the joint being crunched up.

Men and women are equally likely to develop hip osteoarthritis, and it usually starts from the late 40s onwards. The risk may be greater if you had hip problems at birth (congenital dislocation) or abnormal hip development in childhood, such as Perthes’ disease. Physical work such as farming may also increase the risk; however, there’s often no obvious cause.

Fig 3. Arthritic vs. Normal Hip

Hand Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis of the hands usually occurs as part of nodal osteoarthritis. This mainly affects women and often starts in your 40s or 50s, around the time of the menopause. It usually affects the base of your thumb and the joints at the ends of your fingers, although other finger joints can also be affected.

At times, these joints become swollen and tender, especially when the condition first appears. Over several years, firm knobbly swellings form on the finger joints. These are caused by osteophytes and are known as Heberden’s nodes when they’re at the end joints of your fingers, or Bouchard’s nodes when they’re at the mid-finger joints (Fig 4).

Fig 4. Heberden and Bouchard’s Nodes

Once the nodes are fully formed, the pain and tenderness often improve. Although the fingers are knobbly and sometimes slightly bent, they usually still work well. Arthritis at the base of your thumb may cause longer-lasting problems. Having nodal osteoarthritis in middle age means you’re more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knee, and possibly other joints, as you get older.

Nodal osteoarthritis tends to run in families much more than other forms of osteoarthritis and it’s especially likely to be passed from mother to daughter. It’s not yet known which genes are involved so it’s not possible to test for this.

The back and neck changes that affect the bones of your spine and the discs between the bones are often called spondylosis, but they’re very similar to the changes caused by osteoarthritis in other joints. X-rays show that spondylosis is extremely common, but it’s not the most common cause of back or neck pain and often doesn’t cause any problems at all.

Foot Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis of the foot generally affects the joint at the base of your big toe. Eventually your toe may become stiff (hallux rigidus), which can make it difficult and painful to walk or bend (hallux valgus), which can lead to painful bunions.

Osteoarthritis of the mid-foot is also quite common, especially in older people, and may cause an obvious bony swelling (osteophyte) on the top of your mid-foot. Ankle osteoarthritis is least common and may cause your heel to move to an unusual angle.

What is the Prognosis?

From my clinical experience, the less advanced the osteoarthritis, the better the chances of alleviating a lot of the symptoms by helping the cartilage between the bones to regenerate. I have even seen cases where deformities of the hands have literally straightened out after prolonged natural treatments, including Bioresonance treatments with the DETA ELIS Bioresonance devices that we will talk about later in the chapter on Curing with Energetic Medicine and Bioresonance – it took about one year approximately.

Having said that, it’s literally impossible to predict how osteoarthritis will develop for any one person as there are many factors involved.

It can sometimes develop over just a year or two and cause a lot of damage to a joint, which may then cause some deformity or disability. But more often, osteoarthritis is a slow process that develops over many years and results in fairly small changes in just part of the joint. This doesn’t mean it won’t be painful, but it’s less likely to cause severe deformity or disability.

Sometimes the condition reaches a peak a few years after the symptoms start and then remains the same, or may even improve, particularly if you have made lifestyle and dietary changes that we will talk about later.

Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis doesn’t affect other parts of your body – it’s purely a joint disease. Also, because there’s very little, if any, inflammation in osteoarthritic joints, the condition doesn’t make you feverish or unwell. However, some people with osteoarthritis will develop other illnesses purely by chance.

What Are the Possible Complications?

The changes in cartilage that occur with osteoarthritis can encourage crystals to form within the joint. Gout is a common type of inflammatory arthritis, which is caused by high levels of uric acid that lead to sodium urate crystals forming in and around joints (Fig 5). If you have both osteoarthritis and a high serum uric acid, you’re at an increased risk of developing gout. The base of the big toe is a very common site for a painful attack of gout. This is partly because this joint is the most common joint in the foot to be affected by osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis can also encourage calcium pyrophosphate crystals to form in the cartilage. This is called calcification or chondrocalcinosis. It can happen in any joint, with or without osteoarthritis, but it’s most likely to occur in a knee already affected by osteoarthritis, especially in older people.

The crystals will show up in x-rays and they can also be seen under a microscope in samples of fluid taken from the joint. Osteoarthritis tends to become more severe more quickly when there are calcium crystals present. Sometimes the crystals can shake loose from the cartilage, causing a sudden attack of very painful swelling called acute calcium pyrophosphate crystal arthritis (acute CPP crystal arthritis), which was sometimes previously called ‘pseudogout’.

Fig 5. Gout in Foot

How is Osteoarthritis Diagnosed?

During a physical exam, your doctor will closely examine your affected joint, checking for tenderness, swelling or redness, and for range of motion in the joint. Your doctor may also recommend imaging and lab tests. Osteoarthritis is usually diagnosed based on your symptoms and the physical signs that your doctor finds when examining your joints. The signs your doctor will be checking for are:

tenderness over the joint

creaking or grating of the joint (crepitus)

bony swelling

excess fluid

restricted movement

joint instability

thinning of the muscles that support the joint.

What Tests Are There?

Imaging tests

Pictures of the affected joint can be obtained during imaging tests. Examples include:

X-rays - Cartilage doesn't show up on X-ray images, but cartilage loss is revealed by a narrowing of the space between the bones in your joint. An X-ray may also show bone spurs around a joint and any calcium deposits within the joint. Some people may have X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis before they experience any symptoms. However, X-rays can’t really show how much pain or disability you’re likely to have. Some people have a lot of pain from minor joint damage, while others have little pain from more severe damage.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - An MRI uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce detailed images of bone and soft tissues, including cartilage. An MRI isn't commonly needed to diagnose osteoarthritis but may help provide more information in complex cases. This will show the soft tissues (for example cartilage, tendons and muscles) and changes in the bone that can’t be seen on a standard x-ray.

Lab Tests

Analysing your blood or joint fluid can help confirm the diagnosis:

Blood tests - Although there is no blood test for osteoarthritis, certain tests may help rule out other causes of joint pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Joint fluid analysis - Your doctor may use a needle to draw fluid out of the affected joint. Examining and testing the fluid from your joint can determine if there's inflammation and if your pain is caused by gout or an infection.

Causes of Osteoarthritis: The Holistic Perspective

We have already looked at some of the more classical-medicine proposed causes of osteoarthritis, but now we will flip the coin and look at some other causes from the holistic medicine perspective, that are also important to investigate and remove.

1. Toxins

Now, for the first time, there's evidence that exposure to chemical toxins could, in fact, trigger osteoarthritis.

A new study just published in Environmental Health Perspectives, is the first to look at the associations between perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and osteoarthritis. This is a potentially huge discovery because these chemicals (when referred to together, known as PFCs) are widespread in the environment and known to contaminate humans and wildlife. PFCs are used in more than 200 industrial processes and consumer products including grease-proof paper, food containers, stain and water-resistant fabrics and personal care products.

We found that PFOA and PFOS exposures are associated with higher prevalence of osteoarthritis, particularly in women, a group that is disproportionately impacted by this chronic disease, Sarah Uhl, who authored the study along with Yale Professor Michelle L. Bell and Tamarra James-Todd, an epidemiologist at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, said in a press statement.

The researchers investigated data from six years of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2003-2008), which allowed them to account for factors such as age, income, and race/ethnicity. When they looked at men and women separately, they found clear, strong associations between chemical exposure and osteoarthritis for women, but not men. What's more, more exposure meant a higher risk for osteoarthritis. Women in the highest percentile of exposure to PFOAs had about twice the odds of having osteoarthritis compared to those in the lowest percentile of exposure.

Uhl and her team noted that more studies are needed to establish the possible biological mechanisms that could cause PFCs to trigger osteoarthritis. The mechanisms are unclear, but we know that toxins of this nature can cause a tremendous amount of free radical damage in the body, including in the joints.

2. Heavy Metal Toxicity and Osteoarthritis

Lead (Pb) is known to affect bone and recent evidence suggests that it has effects on cartilage as well. As osteoarthritis is a highly prevalent disease affecting bone and cartilage, then there is likely a link between lead and osteoarthritis.

One study found a correlation between lead levels in the blood and the severity of arthritis (Nelson et al, 2011).

Approximately 95% of the total body Pb burden in adults is stored in bone and it has a half-life of decades, which contributes as much as 65% of measured whole blood Pb levels. Pb deposition has been observed in cartilage and bone in osteoarthritis and is measurable in the synovial fluid of individuals with knee osteoarthritis without a history of excessive metals exposure. 

Pb stored in bone is released chronically into the blood pool, especially during times of increased bone turnover, such as menopause, and potentially during bone remodelling as seen in osteoarthritis. This makes bone both a target tissue for Pb toxicity and a persistent endogenous source of Pb.

Interestingly, there are studies that have looked at the levels of lead in lipsticks and found these to be quite high in some brands – could this explain why women have a higher prevalence of osteoarthritis? (Stejskal et al, 2013).

Mercury from amalgam fillings or fish is also another culprit as it is a serious neurotoxin that can cause tremendous free-radical damage and the destruction of cartilage and other tissues in the body.

At the Da Vinci Center, we often give our patients natural chelators that can mobilize and eliminate these toxic metals from the body such as:

HMD™ - 45 drops x 3 times daily for adults

HMD™ LAVAGE – 25 drops x 3 times daily – an important drainage remedy that helps to open-up the detoxification channels to facilitate the elimination of the toxic metals

ORGANIC CHLORELLA (475 mg) – 2 caps x 2 times daily – helps to grab toxic metals in the mesenchyme and the gut, preventing their reabsorption.

These three combined is called the HMD ULTIMATE DETOX PACK

A-LIPOIC ACID – a water and fat soluble antioxidant to help protect the body against free radical damage from circulating toxic metals.

L-GLYCINE – this can help in eliminating other organic toxins such as PFC’s, PCB’s, Bisphenol A and the like – take 1 cap x 3 times daily.

3. Free Radical Damage – Oxidative Stress

You have probably heard of antioxidants that can help us to protect against free radical damage. But what exactly are free radicals and how can these do us harm and cause osteoarthritis?

Our bodies produce free radicals every hour of the day and there are various reasons for doing so. Free radicals can help eliminate some of the bad microorganisms that may be present in our bodies.

One of the factors that keeps free radicals in check to prevent them from destroying the body are antioxidants that we get from a number of different foods and nutritional supplements. The problem begins when our antioxidant levels in the body are lower than those of free radicals. When this happens, the free radicals begin damaging tissues and organs of the body, including the joints, therefore developing osteoarthritis.

A recent epidemiological study reported that antioxidants are correlated to a drop in progression of osteoarthritis in the knees of 640 patients, independent of diet/food allergies (McAlindon et al., 1996). 

Vitamin C had the highest correlation (70%). It was associated with reduced cartilage loss, followed by beta carotene and vitamin E, so these are important supplements to include in your natural treatment protocols.

Our bodies produce free radicals as by-products of cellular respiration, metabolism of foods, breathing, exercising and other vital functions (Cheeseman et al, 1993). The liver produces and uses free radicals for detoxification, while white blood cells send free radicals to destroy bacteria, viruses and damaged cells.

Free radicals ultimately harm and age the body over time because they damage DNA, cellular membranes, lipids (fats) stored within blood vessels and enzymes.

The damage done by free radicals in the body is known as oxidative stress – let us examine what this means:

When we leave a piece of fruit or a metallic nail exposed to the atmosphere, they will brown or rust respectively – this is the process of oxidation. This rusting process can also take place in the body and the amount of oxidation in the body is a measure of oxidative stress.

High levels of oxidative stress affect every organ and system in the body and have been linked with everything from Alzheimer’s disease, osteoarthritis, arteriosclerosis, cancer and heart disease to accelerated aging, asthma, diabetes and many other chronic diseases.

Antioxidants counteract free radicals and keep them in balance, preventing them from destroying organs and tissues.

Free radicals have an important role in the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis. The excessive production of oxidative stress can damage proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and matrix components (Sutipornpalangkul et al, 2009).

What Are Antioxidants? 

One definition of antioxidants is: any substance that inhibits oxidation, especially one used to counteract the deterioration of stored food products or removes potentially