“The second most common inflammatory autoimmune rheumatic disease is PMR with a lifetime risk of 2.4% for women… The overall lifetime risk of inflammatory autoimmune rheumatic disease was 8.4% for women… One in 12 women and 1 in 20 men will develop inflammatory autoimmune rheumatic disease during their lifetime.” From the March 2011 issue of the medical journal Arthritis & Rheumatology (The Lifetime Risk of Adult-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases)
“Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an autoimmune disease that causes an inflammatory reaction affecting the lining of joints, especially the shoulders and hips, and sometimes the arteries and some major branches of the aorta. It’s the second-most common rheumatic disease after rheumatoid arthritis, and is the most common inflammatory disease in the elderly.” Filed under “Polymyalgia Rheumatica” on the Vasculitis Foundation website by Dr. Eric L. Matteson of the Mayo Clinic.
Dealing with Polymyalgia Rheumatica Naturally
The facts about Polymyalgia Rheumatica are many. The people who tend to get it are women over 50 who live in a rural setting. Although there is no definitive test for Polymyalgia Rheumatica, suffers often have high sed rates as well as a high CRP — both markers for Chronic Inflammation. The only effective treatment mentioned in the medical literature is Cortisone pills (or something analogous). Oh; and one more important thing. There is a strong link between Polymyalgia Rheumatica and DEPRESSION as well.
In some ways Polymyalgia Rheumatica is similar to FIBROMYALGIA, at least as far as some of the symptoms are concerned. The word Fibromyalgia can be broken do into Fibro (fibrous or knotted), my (muscles), and algia (pain). The problem with this definition (as I have previously shown you — HERE), is that disease names too frequently describe the symptoms, when they should be describing the cause of those symptoms (Adrenal Fatigue as opposed to Fibromyalgia).
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (or PMR) can be broken down into bite-sized chunks as well. Poly (many or multiple), my (muscles), algia (pain), and Rheuma (river, flowing, movement — joints and connective tissues). Most of the time, folks with problems such as this are sent to an Arthritis Specialist we refer to ‘officially’ as a “Rheumatologist”. Being the curious bird that I am (and wanting an ‘official’ definition), I looked up the word “Rheumatologist”. Wikipedia came up first on the Google Search and provided the following.
“Clinicians who specialize in rheumatology are called rheumatologists. Rheumatologists deal mainly with clinical problems involving joints, soft tissues, autoimmune diseases, vasculitis, and heritable connective tissue disorders (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc, etc). Many of these diseases are now known to be disorders of the immune system, and rheumatology is increasingly the study of immunology.”
If you want to understand how to conquer this and other similar problems naturally, you have to understand what this paragraph is really telling us — you’ll have to read between the lines. The first thing you need to notice is how many times the word “itis” is used. Why? Because “itis” is the Latin word for Inflammation. Believe me when I tell you that not one person in a thousand really understands what INFLAMMATION is, what drives it, or how to squelch it without drugs such as NSAIDS and / or CORTICOSTEROIDS). If you cannot get a handle on Inflammation, you will be hard-pressed to truly conquer INFLAMMATORY PROBLEMS naturally (click for a list I put together nearly two years ago that includes PMR).
Secondly, I am hoping you picked up on the fact that “Rheumatic” Diseases are diseases which are largely diseases of the Immune System. Inflammation is considered to be an Immune System response, and the drugs people are given for Inflammation are, in essence, Immune System suppressors. Furthermore, many of the diseases on the list are AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES as well (click here for a short list). AUTOIMMUNITY occurs when for reasons we don’t completely understand (HERE is a theory that has been around for at least 75 years), the body develops something called LEAKY GUT SYNDROME and begins making antibodies against it’s own cells, organs, tissues, or chemistry. In other words, you end up being attacked by your own Immune System.
How do we typically treat Autoimmunity here in America? Simple. Doctors prescribe the same things used for Inflammation, only now they throw in some stuff that’s even harsher — like old chemotherapy drugs that really suppress the Immune System (Methotrexate is one of many). What part of this makes any sense — especially once you figure out that your Gastrointestinal Tract houses 80% OF YOUR ENTIRE IMMUNE SYSTEM? This is why drugs are rarely ever the long-term solution for Chronic Inflammatory Degenerative Diseases and Autoimmune Diseases. So let’s get down to the brass tacks of fixing this problem (please understand that because of FDA regulations, the word “fixing” is being used metaphorically in this context).
I am not going to re-invent the wheel here. If you are interested in solving your problems, you need to take a look at THIS POST. The doubly cool thing here is that whether you have PMR or PMS — Rheumatism or RIB PAIN —- Diabetes or Dippydoodlitis, following these recommendations can help you. In other words, there is tremendous upside and no real downside to following this advice. Worst case scenario, you get healthier in the process of trying to solve your problem.
Your health is up to you. Not your parents who gave you “BAD GENES“, and certainly not your doctor who has had you on the MEDICAL MERRY-GO-ROUND until you are so dizzy (and broke) that you no longer know which way is up. It’s a new year folks — time to take the bull by the horns and be proactive about your health! Why not get started today?
