On top of everything else -- arthritis

[Beckey]

I've been having terrible back pain, and a finger became wracked with pain and swelling. Naturally, I blame any and all symptoms on PD, ha! The doc ordered some X-rays and later concluded that I have degenerative arthritis. Does that mean I can't exercise anymore?? Are there "folk" remedies that anyone knows of? A good diet? I've read terrible things about Fosamax, and I'm loathe to take it. One more "degenerative" anything and I'm going to pop my cork!

[ParlePark]

Regarding the back. Look into an epidural. I have arthritic L4-L5. The epidural has been good for 6 months so far.

[Hidden in reply to ParlePark]

My epidural has been effective one year and six months. I hope forever more. The back and leg pain was extra excruciating.

[park_bear]

Are you having lower back pain? Do you lean forward when you walk? If so, this is a Parkinson's related problem and can be remedied by paying careful and ongoing attention to standing straight up when you walk.

[Beckey in reply to park_bear]

No, it's higher, right under my shoulder blades. Lateral.

[parkie13]

For pain you could try far infrared Jade heating pad. Also look into a good supplement for joints. Fosamax is bad news. Mary

[reedboat2]

Don’t pop that cork, or give up on exercise just yet. There are many painful symptoms that are linked to PD, and there are also many naturopathic treatments for arthritis. I could go into details of my particular story but in short I exercise, take supplements, am on a low carb diet, and many of my worst PD symptoms have reversed. I still have some back pain but I’m standing up straight and moving around pretty good, much better than when I was diagnosed. The point is there are many routes to healing. The MD’s do not know everything and IMHO are not particularly helpful In treating PD. Keep the faith and best of luck

on your healing journey.

[Jeansm]

Hi Beckey, I also have osteoarthritis (+ scoliosis & Scheuermanns disease). I keep the pain at bay with Pilates (+ Sinemet to reduce rigidity). The stretching and core strengthening works wonders. I also do NIA, gym, boxing etc for general PD help. The only supplement I take is calcium and vitamin D for bone strengthening.

[laglag]

Beckey, after reading your post, I read most of this attached thread and thought of you. I need to read it again and maybe a few times more to totally understand it, but thought you might find it helpful. I think pre & probiotics are helpful for your whole body but finding the right one has been a problem for me. Also, I've also read that, contrary to most people's belief exercising is good for arthritis, you just need to do some research on what kind is the best for your joints.

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

[Hidden]

Beckey, consider the information in the following links:

arthritis.org/living-with-a...

nutritionfacts.org/video/be...

nutritionfacts.org/video/di...

peoplespharmacy.com/2016/05...

There is also evidence that a vegetarian diet can effectively treat arthritis, this includes the common sense lacto-vegetarian diet, to extreme options such as the vegan diet. I personally have degenerative arthritis in my neck vertebrae and lower back vertebrae, and also had polio as a small child, but I do not have any pain because of it. I have been a lacto-vegetarian since about June 1973, for philosophical reasons, and arthritic pain is not a problem for me. I have a long list of other health issues, including PD, but much of it dates back to before I became a vegetarian. Some people use turmeric or curcumin, and some people avoid tomatoes, eggplant and capsicum/peppers.

[CDRsunnyvale in reply to Hidden]

some people avoid tomatoes, eggplant and capsicum/peppers.

Why.? Can you tell me more...

[Hidden in reply to CDRsunnyvale]

CDRsunnyvale, firstly, this has nothing at all to do with PD. There are conflicting claims made about a link between plants in the solanum plant family and arthritis pain. Some claim there is no scientific evidence for this, and some claim otherwise. This was originally a theory put forward by naturopaths, from memory. If you do a search on google, you will find a lot of links, see for example: noarthritis.com/research.htm

The conflict between those on different sides is very strong.

[M_rosew]

Hello Becky, sorry about your extra problem. No, it doesn't mean you can't exercise. And note park_bear's comment re posture.

'Degenerative' arthritis (aka Osteo Arthritis) is wear and tear of joint surfaces. Treatment depends on which joints are damaged and the pain level. My try-first home remedy is a daily cod liver oil capsule. Then Orthopaedic Physiotherapy can help. Other orthopaedic remedies (eventually) might be steroid injection into the joint, or surgery.

[Beckey]

Thanks, all! Plenty of good information here and I plan to click on each and every link. I'm very grateful.

[enjoysalud]

Hi Beckey, I do NOT have PD, but do have arthritis. I use Swanson Full Spectrum Chinese Chinese Skullcap....one 400 mg capsule each evening as I go to bed. It took about 2-3 weeks for it to fully kick in...............BEYOND EXCELLENT for inflammation.

[Hidden]

Beckey,

I have been able to keep my athritis in remisson for over a decade using the laundry booster 20 Mule Team Borax or just Borax. Google borax and arthritis and you will see I am far from the only one doing so! One of the cheapest remedies I have ever found as one box costs about $5 and lasts for years!

Art

[Beckey in reply to Hidden]

I will!

[ParlePark in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Art!

[parkie13 in reply to Hidden]

Art, thank you for mentioning borax. When you mentioned it last time I remembered WalterLast and his article on borax. Walter Last also talks about Parkinson's.

[Hidden in reply to parkie13]

I like what Walter Last has to say!

Art

[ion_ion in reply to Hidden]

Art, I have arthritis in my right hand plus some stiffness cause by PD I think or both.

Last week after an intense exercising I woke next day with a very intense pain in my upper back which did not go away but has less intensity. It seems to be more likely muscle pain while in the hand is joint pain.

I read about borax but it was not clear how I should use it.

That's a cleaner and I assume it is toxic if it is ingested or not!?

[Hidden in reply to ion_ion]

ion_ion,

Yes, borax is a cleaner or laundry booster, I believe is how it is referred to. There are a few ways that are described by people using it for multiple forms of arthritis. I chose one of the simplest ways for myself to try and make it easy to stick to. With this method, men take a 1/4th teaspoon measuring spoon and women take an 1/8th teaspoon measuring spoon. I take my 1/4th measuring spoon full of borax and drag a knife across the top of the spoon to make it "level full" as opposed to a "heaping" 1/4th measuring spoon. I add this to a quart or liter water bottle and shake til dissolved. I drink this bottle throughout the day and I drink one of these bottles each day of the week, but I don't take it on Saturday or Sunday to allow any excess to be eliminated as borax is absorbed and eliminated quickly.

It is important to note that My 1/4th teaspoon dose is based on using a baker's measuring spoon set from the USA since this forum has members from other countries and spoon measurements vary from country to country. The 1/4th teaspoon I use delivers approximately 970 mg of Borax and the 1/8th teaspoon delivers approximately 485 mg of Borax. To be exact, Borax is 11.36% boron so the 1/4th teaspoon delivers approximately 110 mg of boron while the 1/8th teaspoon delivers approximately 55 mg of boron.

Borax has a toxicity level that is slightly lower than table salt.

I will repeat here that some people can not tolerate borax and if that is the case, you should not take it. You can read some of the links in the post that I linked to that will explain more or you can read further about this aspect on the web.

When I first started taking borax, I started noticing improvement in my psoriatic arthritis pain within the first two to three weeks, but I notice that like thiamine, different people improve at different speeds with some people noticing benefit within the first week while others may need 5 or more, but from what I have read and seen in others, 2 to 3 weeks seems typical and I suspect it may depend on how severe you are. When I started I was severe and in a lot of pain 24/7. It was difficult to be able to find a comfortable or at least reasonably comfortable position to lay in bed. If I laid flat on my back, the pain would build up to the point where it would wake me so I was getting terrible sleep. I could no longer go for daily walks because of the pain. Most of my joints hurt and I was just miserable. I could not stand in one place for more than a minute or my lower back would become unbearably painful. Now, it is like I don't have arthritis. The original doctor who discovered this use of borax and conducted a study on it, said that maximum benefit is seen within 3 to 4 months for severe cases and I feel this is a fairly accurate statement. I would say at just over two months, I was pain free.

I also use borax mixed with sugar and water to kill the little black ants that sometimes try and come into my house. Borax has other health uses, but arthritis is the one that it is most commonly used for. Borax is an antifungal and some people use it as a foot soak for athletes foot. Some people claim it is helpful for mites, especially when combined with hydrogen peroxide. I believe rosacea is another one that is mentioned, but this information is abundant on the web. Googling arthritis and borax is going to generate a lot of reading material! Bacterial vaginosis is another popular use as is angular chelitis and osteoporosis to name just a few.

Once I get my box of borax home I put it into a large plastic or glass jar for storage as high humidity can potentially degrade it. I keep a smaller jar in a kitchen cabinet for ease of use. I also keep a 1/4th bakers measuring teaspoon in the jar to make it easier for me to measure out my week day dose. I have weighed the amount in a quarter teaspoon on a digital scale and it seems to vary between 940 to 990 mg, so a woman or smaller person would be using half of that in an 1/8th teaspoon dose according to information on the web. Keep in mind that when I talk about measuring spoons, I am referring to US measuring spoons as I believe other countries may have slightly different measuring standards and that is why I mention the milligram dose so it can be double checked and confirmed for accuracy.

Lastly, I use borax as opposed to a boron supplement simply because it is dirt cheap, easy to use and take. Borax is 11.3% boron and you can use boron also if you prefer to leave the "laundry booster" for the washing machine! So if I were going to use boron, and borax is 11.3% boron, I am taking roughly 975 mg of borax of which 11.3% is boron. 975 * .113 = 110.175 or approximately 110 mg of boron and about 55 mg for women or smaller people. This falls in line with what Dr. Flechas recommends in his boron/borax videos when you are trying to treat as opposed to being preventative. Some people can get by with less, but I can not. I have tried the 1/8th teaspoon dose and while it did offer some relief, it was not the complete relief that the 1/4th teaspoon gives me, but I have read of people who get relief with just 10 to 20 mg per day of boron in a supplement form. Recently, I believe two manufacturers have come out with higher dose boron supplements in the 75 mg range. Typically, 3 mg is what is commonly available.

Art

[ion_ion in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, Art!

[Hidden]

Here is a link to another post where I wrote about using borax for my arthritis:

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

Art

[Blackfeather]

The mineral Boron is amazing for arthritis. And very inexpensive.

[parkie13]

Also, Google Walter Last and borax

[Beckey]

You guys, this is so amazing to me!!

[jeeves19]

My suggestion is that you read Gundry’s The Plant Paradox and give it a go. Tough to adhere to but I’m beginning to experience some success with it.

[NRyan]

Remove all sugar and arthritis will dissipate.

[CDRsunnyvale in reply to NRyan]

What do you eat then? As there is sugar in everything!

[DianeF]

Hi Beckey,

I am 58,diagnosed 3years ago. For the upper back pain(which can be unbearable and for me happens when my levodopa levels are off),I saw a PT who did deep muscle work, dry needling and gave me specific exercises. I also have had 2 knee replacements (which started this Parkinson’s mess) and have arthritis in my lower spine. I have had several nerve ablations in which they burn out the nerves and that has been very helpful. I walked every day, did a little cardio, lifted some light weights. Then, last fall, while hiking in the woods, my foot caught a rock and I felt a pop in my glut. The pain was incredible, but idiot that I was, I kept hobbling to exercise, as the doctor I saw told me it was sciatica, even though I told him it felt different, like my hamstring. Fast forward 8 months , 2 ruined trips due to my inability to walk and 3 doctors later, a sports medicine doctor finally ordered an MRI and discovered a severely torn hamstring. She was amazed I had been walking at all. Since I am not a candidate for surgery due to all my other problems, I am having an experimental plasma injection procedure next week. I was basically told not to do much this summer(I am a gardener)and the inability to move is hell for me. There is also up to a 30 month recovery for this injury! I really did it up right. The point of this long ramble is that I empathize with the whole “can one more thing go wrong”? I retired when I found out I had Parkinson’s so we could travel and now I can’t walk , the pain is incredible and I have gained 25 pounds. I think I am supposed to be learning something like patience? Best wishes to you!

[Beckey in reply to DianeF]

Once again,I wish there was an emoji for laughing AND crying, ha.

[healthabc]

ACUPUNCTURE!

[Beckey]

Oh, Diane. What can I say? Let me know how that plasma injection goes.

I *was* a gardener but boy if there's one thing that aggravates back pain, it's gardening!