Relief from pain (Part 2)
There are three components of any Nutritional support programme I create. There is diet; making sure that foods help not worsen the problem. There are supplements; these help us target specific nutrients and other compounds that can help the body heal the problem.
The vital third component is time. I regularly am contacted by people who have a problem and want to ‘try a bottle’ to see if it would help. My advice is fairly blunt. If you want to try a bottle you are better off saving your money as you will likely be disappointed. While the product may be fit for purpose, it eliminates the important element of time.
Your body heals
It is worth remembering that no supplement or food can ‘heal’ anything. It is our bodies that heal. What we do is add compounds from food and supplements that help to activate our healing processes whilst helping to shut down destructive processes such as inflammation and oxidation.
A builder’s story
As an example, I have been helping an ex-builder for several years. When we first spoke, he had significant pain from osteoarthritis in his knees and hands. He described the knee pain as debilitating and severely impacted his mobility and quality of life. He was told he needed a knee replacement.
I put him on my osteoarthritis programme but also added my Cell eXtra multi-mineral and antioxidant complex because of other health issues. Last time I spoke to him his knees had improved to the point where he had decided not to have surgery, and his hands had much less pain. He also noted his overall health had significantly improved.
The supplements and the dietary recommendations have clearly helped. But he had engaged a tool that was even more powerful. He was prepared to give it time. In doing so he allowed the nutrients and other compounds to activate his healing processes and to help shut down the faulty processes that cause disease.
Specifically, we targeted the health of his cartilage producing cells called chondrocytes. These amazing cells are the key to healthy cartilage. They constantly maintain damaged cartilage therefore maintaining the integrity of cartilage. The key nutrients were antioxidants, especially those from the trace minerals selenium, zinc, copper and manganese in my Cell eXtra formula. These protect chondrocytes from oxidative stress- a technical word for free radical damage.
Adding therapeutic levels of high-grade chondroitin is critical. In this case we used doses as high as 1600mg daily. Glucosamine of course helps as does curcumin from turmeric to reduce inflammation. Adding extra Omega 3 from fish oil is a great idea as it helps tip the body into an anti-inflammatory state.
The key ingredients then of any nutritional support programme are helpful foods, helpful supplements and time. Miss any one of these three and you may well be disappointed.
John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv.Dip.Nut.Med.) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health. If you have questions or need help you can contact John 0800 423559. You can email John at john@abundant.co.nz.
Please note that the health advice given through this column is for general educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any health problem. © John Arts 2025