Attacking the Seven Causes of Inflammation
by Jordan Rubin, N.M.D., C.N.C.

Al·che·my ('al-k&-mE): a power or process of transforming something common into something special. -Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary

There is an alchemy that all of us seek in life. Perhaps it will not be the discovery of a universal cure for disease or discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life or even transmutation of the base metals into gold, but, nevertheless, if we accept a more modest definition of this wonderful fourteenth century term, I believe that with FYI™ we have achieved a certain alchemy.

I always try to study a problem thoroughly and then go about solving it in a comprehensive fashion. That's why I formulated FYI™ (For Your Inflammation) to attack the seven major causes of inflammation. I think the seven questions I've posed in this article, will help you to see why FYI™ can play a key role in alleviating your inflammation.

Are old-fashioned soup stocks missing from your diet?
Do you consume soup stocks regularly? Perhaps you should. Wonderful health benefits are to be derived from our traditional recipes. We are missing the gelatinous substances in stocks. "A lamentable outcome of our modern meat processing techniques and our hurry-up throwaway lifestyle has been a decline in the use of meat, chicken and fish stocks," note Sally Fallon and Mary J. Enig, Ph.D., authors of Nourishing Traditions (New Trends Publishing 1999). "In days gone by, when the butcher sold meat on the bone rather than as individual filets and whole chickens rather than boneless breasts, our thrifty ancestors made use of every part of the animal by preparing stock, broth or bouillon from the bony portions." The authors add that stock "is also of great value because it supplies hydrophilic colloids to the diet. Raw food compounds are colloidal and tend to be hydrophilic, meaning that they attract liquids."

When cartilage deteriorates, we are left with bone against bone. But one of the beauties of traditional diets is that soup stocks made from whole chickens aid in rebuilding and maintaining cartilage health by supplying high quality collagen.

Collagen draws water to the joints, which, in turn, helps with cushioning. So do eat chicken and beef stock (organic whenever possible). But also therapeutic amounts of collagen have been captured in FYI™. The uniqueness of the Type II chicken collagen that we use in FYI™ is that it comes from the chicken's entire body, not just the sternum, as with many other collagen products. In fact, I went to France to source our collagen because I wanted to work with farmers who don't farm chickens the way we typically do in America. Their chicken flocks receive no antibiotics or mammalian remnants in their feed. The collagen in FYI™ contains high amounts not only of chondroitin sulfates, but also large amounts of other related sulfated compounds, ideally structured for maximum absorption. What's more, because this is a whole food concentrate, the collagen in FYI™ will not cause adverse immune reactions.

Is your body overly acidic?
Overacidity is one of the major seven causes of inflammation. While the body can only tolerate a small imbalance in blood pH, we also know that alkalizing the body can be important for arthritis (especially gout) sufferers. That's why I put fermented alfalfa grass juice in FYI™, which contains alkaline-forming minerals to help reduce acidity. Such greens also oxygenate the body. Otto Warburg, who won the Nobel Prize in the 1930s, demonstrated that cells with abnormal fermentation (in the absence of oxygen) are more likely to become cancerous. But cancer cannot develop in an oxygen-rich environment, which is often associated with healthy alkalinity. Thus, users of grass juices may reduce their cancer risk. Rhodoendron caucasicum, also in FYI™, helps to reduce acidic deposits, particularly in gout. Rhodoendron has long been an effective treatment for gout in the former Soviet Union.

Do you suffer from any types of chronic low-grade infections?
The arthritis-infection connection is now well established. Infections are clearly associated with the body's inflammatory levels, which can be measured with a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein test. But many infections do not manifest themselves as frank disease conditions such as the flu or common cold. They may simply cause minor symptoms like skin eruptions or fatigue. That's why FYI™ contains wild oregano concentrate and bayberry bark extract, both premiere infection-fighting herbs that aid the body's health against pathogens.

Is your immune system overactive?
FYI™ contains specially harvested cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa) because this herb, when harvested for its proper chemotype, has an almost intuitive ability to harmonize the body's immune system, helping to quell an overactive immune response, and to stimulate the underactive system. Many types of autoimmune arthritis or related conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, result from immune system overactivity.

Are you taking arthritis drugs?
We've all heard of Celebrex, Vioxx and other so-called COX-2-inhibiting drugs- the latest medical drugs to help people with arthritis. Unfortunately, the COX-2 drugs were promoted as safer alternatives to the stomach-harsh typical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). But, as investigative reports in this magazine demonstrate, the initial enthusiasm for these drugs by medical doctors has lost some of its luster.

Natural COX-2 inhibitors, on the other hand, are safe and effective. Besides its infection-fighting properties, oregano contains rosmarinic acid, which has been reported in laboratory studies to have significant COX-2 inhibiting properties comparable to medical drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. Ginger and turmeric are also natural COX-2 inhibitors.

"In experimental studies, [ginger] has been shown to inhibit both the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways and the production of prostaglandins, thromboxane, and leukotrienes, just as the NSAIDs do," says James B. LaValle, R.Ph., N.M.D., C.C.N, author of The COX-2 Connection (Healing Arts Press 2001). "Yet its clear advantage is that no significant side effects have been reported, unlike the NSAIDs, which can have quite serious side effects associated with their use."

Turmeric, closely related to ginger, is traditionally used to treat systemic inflammation. Researchers have shown that one of the major phytochemicals in turmeric has potent COX-2-inhibitory factors.

Do you eat raw foods regularly?
Raw foods are an excellent source of enzymes, but most of us no longer consume adequate amounts of raw foods. Of course, only the overly brave or foolhardy would consume raw meats, due to potential bacteria contamination. The downside of this precautionary approach to eating raw meats is that we thereby miss out on enzymes. Yet, enzymes can help to reduce circulating antibodies and have been shown to aid in all types of inflammatory processes. That's why FYI™ includes a wide array of inflammation-fighting enzymes.

Have you taken the saltwater cure?
Sea vegetables such as laminaria and ulva are rich in the collagen-building amino acid proline, as well as glucuronic acid, and offer the body infection-fighting polysaccharides.

Disclaimer: These Articles and or information are not intended to mitigate the symptoms or cure the specific diagnosis of cancer or cancer related disease states.