By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
People often confuse OSTEOPOROSIS with RAYUMA, thanks to aggressive advertisement of milk. When I advise people not to drink milk as part of getting well, they ask “But I need it for my arthritis!” or they say “But where will I get calcium to prevent osteoporosis?”
OSTEOPOROSIS is PAINLESS. It silently weakens your bones gradually until they become spongy and soft and easily fracture. The word “osteoporosis” literally means “porous bones”. Brittle bones. And you won’t know you have it until you fracture a bone or start shrinking in height due to painless spinal fracture. Or you undergo bone scanning.
Normally, our bones continue to increase in strength and thickness until age 35 and then the process reverses itself gradually losing small amounts of bone mass or calcium each year, especially in women after menopause.
Studies show the following as risk factors for osteoporosis:
1) Sedentary lifestyle
2) Early menopause
3) Long-term use of steroids
4) Cigarettes, caffeine or alcohol
5) Diet rich in animal protein and salt
So what to do to prevent or delay the onset of osteoporosis?
1) Regular physical activities, like walking, strengthen the bones. Bones need to be pressed, pushed, pulled and twisted against gravity to retain their minerals. Carrying weights will also strengthen our bones.
2) Reduce intake of animal protein, salt and caffeine. Osteoporosis is an epidemic in America which has the highest intake of calcium-rich dairy products and calcium supplements in the world. Animal protein, salt and caffeine are acid-forming foods and the body responds to these by leaching calcium from your bones so the effect is opposite of what we want. Animal protein comes from meat, milk and eggs. Vegetarians have less problems with osteoporosis. So will you still say you need milk?
On the other hand, ARTHRITIS or RAYUMA is PAINFUL. It is a general term for joint disease. It causes pain and stiffness in the joints. Sometimes there is swelling also. There are many kinds of arthritis and the most common is OSTEOARTHRITIS, usually present in older people. However, at present, it even occurs in the young. Rayuma occurs when the blood circulation of the joint is compromised because of thick blood and/or narrowed arteries because of fatty deposits. Rayuma also occurs when uric acid crystals get stuck in the joint because of too much sugar and fat in the joint fluid. Beans don’t cause rayuma, otherwise, our elders then who ate bukel three times a day would have complained of rayuma. Even now, a lot of people in the Cordillera eat beans often and don’t have arthritis. It is the added meat/fat and sugar/milk and artificial chemicals in our food that causes the waste products from beans and meat and eggs to stick to the joints.
Osteoarthritis of weight-bearing joints like the spine, knees and hips is aggravated by obesity.
How then can “rayuma” be prevented or treated? Not by painkillers, definitely. Painkillers will only numb your pain sensors but will not remove the cause. More alarming is that they are irritating to the stomach. We have patients who got bleeding stomach ulcers from taking painkillers for a long time. Too much painkillers also can damage the liver and kidney. So to prevent rayuma, try the following:
1. Decreasing weight is the first step. Just like a bridge, our joints have a load limit.
2. Eat healthy – simple, whole natural foods. Eliminate milk and all other dairy products from your diet and you will be amazed at the results.
3. Regular physical activities- these will keep the muscles strong and the joint cartilage healthy. Even arthritic joints need to be exercised to improve blood supply and prevent further degeneration.
So there you are, let us not wait for our joints to start complaining or our bones to get fractured before we start eating healthy and walking and gardening.***
“Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Collosians 3:23
