Please note: A number of other websites refer to using bentonite clay. Please DO NOT substitute their guidelines or product for ours. Our clay is stronger in its action than a lot of other clays, different in its texture and the way it behaves. Our guidelines are designed to work with our products.

This guideline has been written by our practitioner Sarah Beesley (MHD Hons) to provide a comprehensive approach. The best result is gained when the whole guideline is followed. The best result is gained when the whole guideline is followed. Please be aware that results may vary and that if you have any pre-exisiting conditions, we advise working with a trained practitioner. 

The following information is not intended to diagnose any condition or to replace the advice of your doctor.  

Osteo-arthritis and Gout

In our experience, arthritis and gout are the result of an acidic body fluid pH, low silica levels, disturbed electrolyte balance in the tissues (not the blood) and in the case of osteo-arthritis, damage caused by the repetitive over-use of a joint.

Over-acidity, a lack of alkalising minerals and low silica levels can pave the way for osteo-athritis because the bone becomes more prone to wear and tear.  The same issues can result in gout in some people because the over-acid condition will create stress on the kidneys and allow uric acid crystals to deposit into joints causing pain – primarily in the hands or feet.

Osteo-arthritis and Gout are Mainly a Mineral Problem which Manifests as Over-acidity

There are certain things the body requires to keep tendons flexible and cartilages rubbery and flexible. These are predominantly water, the right fats, silica, zinc and vitamin C which are used to keep the collagen structures in the body in good shape. Silica is also an important mineral for the maintenance of bone tissue and the removal of uric acid. As we have discovered through doing hundreds of mineral tests, it is commonly low in New Zealanders.

The minerals silica, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium are the key minerals used in controlling the pH of the body. Most arthritis sufferers have low levels of, or an imbalance in these minerals. The pH of the body is an important factor in arthritis because the bones are a storehouse of alkalising minerals which the body will use to neutralise an acidic pH if it feels the need to do so. Constantly acidic body fluids will result in minerals being drawn from the storehouses, eventually depleting those tissues and causing structural changes.

When body conditions become acidic, minerals such as calcium and magnesium will be removed from the bones in order to neutralise the acid, with the intention of replacing those minerals when they become available again. When minerals are taken from the bone and not replaced to their original levels, it makes the bone weaker and more prone to wear. If there is also a deficiency of vitamin D, boron, magnesium or any of the other nutrients that work to assist the normal replacement of calcium into the bone, the calcium may be deposited abnormally, forming spurs which deform the joints, increase friction and limit mobility.

The things that increase the body acidity are poor digestion, not drinking enough water, shallow breathing and diets that include coffee, sugary foods, regular consumption of grain foods,  regular alcohol intake, lots of meat and dairy foods especially hard yellow cheese, and not enough vegetables. Yes, that is right; coffee, dairy, sugar, and red meat can make arthritis and gout (and osteoporosis) worse because of their acidifying effects. Dairy in particular contains a high level of phosphorous which competes with the calcium it contains for uptake into the body. Phosphorous also forms phosphoric acid as a by product of digestion and this increases the demand for calcium as a neutralising agent.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Many of the same principles apply as for osteo-arthritis and gout, but Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an auto-immune form of arthritis. More and more research is pointing to the driver for RA as being a low grade chronic infection within the joints themselves. Bacteria which would normally reside only in the urinary tract have been isolated from the joints of a large number of RA patients in some of the studies done and in these studies, antibiotic use improved the symptomology of many of these patients in effect proving the presence of the bacteria. This is a complex condition and should always treated by an experienced practitioner.

Reducing the Acidity

  • This is the first place to start. Do some pH readings using urine pH sticks using the first urine you do after 5am in the morning. If it is below 6.5 – 6.8 your chemistry is too acid.
  • Start using Purely Earth Clay internally. For information on how to do this Click Here.
  • Change your diet to include a lot more vegetables, less coffee, less sugar, less grain foods, less dairy and less red meat. If your condition is extreme, try removing processed foods, grains, red meat, sugar, alcohol and dairy totally for 4 weeks and see how you feel. Replace these foods with vegetables, a small amount of fruit, walnuts, ground flaxseeds, root vegetables (not potato) and herbs. For protein eat more white fish, chicken and vegetarian type protein foods.
  • Make sure you soak any legumes and grains for 24 hours prior to cooking. Drain the soaking water and use new water to cook.
  • Increase your water intake to 30 ml per kilo of body weight. Replace coffee with herbal teas, especially strong organic nettle tea which assists with the removal of uric acid.
  • Use Essential Detox Minerals and silica to provide the essential minerals that assist in the removal of uric acid, improve digestion and improve the health of the cartilages, tendons and bone.
  • Use a quality product containing calcium and magnesium. There should be twice as much magnesium in the product as calcium.
  • Use our Medicine Chest Smoothie recipe as an alkalising nutritive drink.
  • Use a quality fish oil product that provides 3000-4000 mg of active omega 3 essential fatty acid daily.
  • Get your vitamin D levels checked and if they are not in the middle to higher bracket of the test range, use a vitamin D supplement at 2000 – 3000 iu daily.

Correcting Weak Digestion

  • You need good digestion to be able to absorb minerals properly. Poorly digested food produces toxic by-products when it ferments in the gut and these add to acid load as well. Poor digestion is usually evidenced by bloating, gas, burping or reflux. Trial using 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar (ACV) or the juice of 1 lemon in 100ml of water before each meal. You also have the option of using Betaine HCL at 1 cap with each meal as a means to increasing your digestive strength and the uptake of nutrients. For those with a history of reflux, stomach or bowel ulcers or who are using antacid medications, we recommend an appointment with our practitioner Sarah before you try any of these.
  • Check your pH after a month of making these changes. If it is not improving, you need help to correct your body chemistry and we suggest you make an appointment with Sarah who is skilled in mineral assessment.

To Reduce Inflammation and Swelling

  • Pack the affected areas with Purely Earth Clay. For how to make a clay pack Click here.
  • Follow with Purely Earth Vitamin E Cream and use this as a daily moisturiser and skin balancer. This is a non-chemical natural cream that nourishes and feeds the skin and will help to soothe and heal any stressed areas of the skin surface.
  • Use Purely Earth Clay internally to improve the health of the digestive system and to improve the pH. For information on using Purely Earth Clay internally Click Here
  • Use 1500 – 2000 mg of Vitamin C daily.

NB: In all of the arthritis patients we have worked with the level of alkalising minerals has been low and there have often been poor digestion and deficiencies of vitamin E, D and vitamin C. Many of them have also had high tissue levels of lead or other metals which prevent minerals such as calcium from being used correctly; issues which require further investigation and the right treatment through an experienced practitioner such as Sarah. This will necessitate getting a Metal and Mineral Test done.

Stress

Do not underestimate the effects of stress on your body. This can be stress due to a chronic inflammatory condition (think pain, tenderness, redness, swelling or aching), being over-busy, not breathing properly, eating foods that cause you problems, a lack of sleep, dehydration, infection, loneliness, or feeling emotionally vulnerable or unsupported.

Take Steps to Nourish Yourself

  • Assess what must stay in your life and what can go.
  • Assess whether the things that you think must stay, nourish you or deplete you and reassess if necessary.
  • Provide a quiet space in every day that does not involve electrical devices. This allows your nervous system time to unwind.
  • Seek out things, animals or people that make you laugh.
  • Eat mainly food that does not come in a packet. Nature knows best how to provide balance; manufactured food does not.
  • Eat regularly through the day and make good food a priority, not an inconvenience to be squeezed in amongst other activities.
  • Avoid inflammatory foods – things you know you are intolerant to, or which make you feel sluggish, moody, affect your bowel or cause flare-ups of a health condition.
  • Move your body without the exercise stressing it further. Exercise in a way that makes you feel good, not tired. Increase the exercise level gradually as your energy level builds.
  • BREATHE DEEP. Breathing deep sends a signal to your body that you are safe. Shallow or fast breathing does the opposite and allows carbon dioxide to build up in the blood. Carbon dioxide is highly acid-forming.
  • Go to sleep before 10pm and get up before 7am. Your body clock requires this of you even if your head says otherwise. 1 hour of sleep prior to 12am is worth 2 hours after 12am in terms of the rest it provides. Avoid interaction with electrical devices (phones, computers, TV, play station, X Box, iPad, iPod and the like) for 1 hour prior to sleep and remove as many electrical devices from your bedroom as you can. DO NOT sleep with a light on and cover all digital light displays in your room, or even better, remove them.

 

Note:

Using the above information may result in a reduced need for medication due to improved nutrition. We advise that appropriate monitoring be put in place. For example: If you have high blood pressure which is being controlled through mediation, get a cheap blood pressure cuff and monitor any changes at home. If your blood pressure drops, ask your doctor to reduce your medication accordingly. If you are on thyroid medication or cholesterol lowering medication, get your blood levels tested regularly.

© Purely Earth Ltd. This document may be copied and used as a patient handout in its entirety but is not to be replicated on any other websites or publishing media either in full or part without our permission.