Noni and arthritis

Noni and arthritis. I was first introduced to noni by a friend whose arthritis has benefited greatly from drinking a daily serving of 3 fl. oz. (90 mls) of noni juice. He has been able to stop all the anti-inflammatory drugs he had been taking previously. I tell his story later.

Arthritis means "inflammation of the joints." It results in pain, stiffness and immobility or difficulty in moving the joints.

There are many kinds and causes. But the most common two conditions are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Noni and arthritis: what is osteoarthritis?

It is typical for the pain to worsen as the day goes on. Large joints (knees and hips) tend to be worst affected. Sportspeople - and others who have put strain on the joints - are more likely to suffer from this problem.

It can also occur as a long-term consequence of injury to joints (which can be understood as increased wear and tear).

Healthy joints are "cushioned" by a layer of exceptionally slippery tissue called hyaline cartilage. Hyaline actually means "glassy". It comes from the Greek for "glass" - which gives some idea of the shiny and exceptionally smooth appearance of its surface when it is in a health state.

If the cartilage is worn or destroyed for any reason, bone meets bone and pain (and further joint damage) results.

Let's first reinforce the idea that the body is not just passively affected by illness. All parts of the body are designed renew themsleves. Cartilage, for example, contains cells that (in a healthy body) continually rebuild itshard, shiny surface. They are called chondrocytes.

These cells do not have a blood supply. They rely on the spread of nutrients through the cartilage itself. Nutrients have to pass through this hard tissue. Cells may not function properly if their supply of nutrition fails.

It is easy to imagine how the cells may become starved of nutrients and begin to fail in their task of rebuilding cartilage.

Noni and arthritis: It is possible that raising levels of nutrients circulating in the body as a whole means that these cells will be better supplied, and therefore able to carry out repairs.

Joints certainly can repair themselves. I once treated a young woman with advanced osteoarthritis of the hip usinghomeopathy. Her hip had been dislocated at birth. But this had not been detected for some time.

The joint was damaged and she was experiencing gradually increasing severity of pain and immobility.

When I saw her she was 25. We had "before and after" treatment x-rays of her hip joint. On her return to her consultant for a regular check up, he expressed his suprise that the hip joint had improved in condition considerably.

Her planned hip joint replacement operation was delayed indefinitely.

I mention this to emphasise the body's ability to heal and repair itself. The healing mechanism in this case was triggered by a homeopathic medicine ... but the general point is: joint repair can and will occur under the right conditions.

Noni and arthritis: it is likely that improved levels of antioxidants in the tissues account for the benefits seen with noni use.

Noni and arthritis: Kevin's osteoarthritis story

By 2001 he had had osteoarthritis for fifteen years. It possibly resulted - in part - from a motorcycle accident at age 19. He suffered fractures of arms legs and jaw.

His body also suffered the rigors of continuing to ride for years afterwards.

Five years ago, it was at its worst. Pain and swelling had gradually worsened over the years. By this time he was taking the maximum quantity of anti-inflammatories and painkillers. His knees, shoulders and wrists were particularly badly affected.

"At its worst, in winter, I could only walk with a stick. I couldn't do any exercise - I was in too much pain.

"A couple of months after starting the noni juice, I was able to start reducing the drugs I'd been prescribed. Now I haven't taken any for five years. Nobody would know I had arthritis. If I weren't so busy, I'd be back to riding the bike again."

Kevin takes approximately 60 mls (2 oz) of noni juice per day.

There is a clear association here between the use of noni juice and arthritis benefits. Kevin had made no other diet or lifestyle changes.

Noni and arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis

Several joints are usually affected. They become swollen, hot and red. Pain and stiffness are usually worse from rest, so problems are more severe on waking and on beginning to move after sitting.

Noni shown to equal or outperform arthritis drugs