Healing Is a Joint Effort

If you are continually getting joint injuries, you may have some other issues going on that could be aggravating your problem. Consider a hair analysis to determine if you could have too much calcium in your body or some sort of great mineral imbalance that needs attention. Yes, too much calcium is possible.

• See your joint specialist, and get his or her assessment.
• If there is a misalignment in the joints, a chiropractor can help.
• If there is some significant deterioration in your cartilage or other joint

tissues, you may be having a problem with digestion that could be creating a problem in your structural system. Proper digestion is essential for absorbing the minerals and nutrients needed by our structural system.
Let me explain. Our internal chemistry lab is a very complicated system that requires balance for perfect health. One of these balances is our pH balance between acidity and alkalinity. If the body is too acidic, it can harbor the overgrowth of bacteria, parasites, and fungus—and it even can make a perfect environment for growing cancer. On the other hand, being too alkaline is just as dangerous—and being severely too alkaline means death. Needless to say, balance is important. Diet and physical or emotional stress can throw this pH balance out of kilter.
Pain usually results when the body is too acid, just like in fibromyalgia, arthritis, rheumatism, osteoarthritis, and recurring joint injuries. This is because the body tries to compensate for the overacidity in the body by neutralizing the acid with calcium. Calcium is alkaline and is stored in the bones.
So why are you overly acidic? Here are a few clues:

• Your digestion is poor (usually the cause for the overacidity in the first place).
• You are not getting enough calcium in your diet.
• There is a mineral imbalance in the body (minerals all work together in an intricate balance).
• Your absorption of minerals is poor due to mineral imbalance, improper diet, and poor digestion.
• You’re experiencing high levels of stress.
• You’re getting lots of physical exercise.

These factors can make it difficult for the body to properly utilize the calcium that you do ingest. In its attempt to compensate and keep you alive, your body takes its alkaline calcium from your largest storehouse of calcium: your bones. This process will eventually weaken your entire structural system, and you will see more injuries and displacements, such as back misalignments, stiff necks, injuries, and aching muscles and joints. I see this happen with the elderly too often; their hips finally give out and they fall, shattering the already weakened bones.
When this calcium-robbing business continues, the body also needs sodium to keep calcium in the blood stream. Guess where it gets the sodium? From your joints! Your joints contain one of the largest stores of sodium in the body. So, now you can see why you would want to support your digestion for the prevention of joint injuries—or any structural problems, for that matter.
Herbs and supplements that support digestion include:
➤ Papaya
➤ Peppermint
➤ Spearmint
➤ Liquid chlorophyll
➤ Food enzymes with or without hydrochloric acid
➤ Ginger
➤ Catnip
➤ Marshmallow
➤ Pepsin

Comfrey: Comfy for Them Joints

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) has been used for more than 150 years, both externally and internally, by probably millions of folks; it has been hailed as a miraculous herb for healing bones. Unfortunately, this miraculous herb is banned in many places, but you should understand its value and may want to secure some for yourself before it is gone everywhere. For our purposes, we will discuss the external application of comfrey only. If you cannot get comfrey, I will give you some useful substitutes that have also worked well for many. So make yourself comfy, and we’ll talk a little more about this herb.
First, take a look at some of comfrey’s values:

• It helps the body to promote new cell growth.
• It destroys and then prevents amoebic bacteria growth.
• It’s very rich in trace minerals, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamins A and C.
• It has also been used successfully for burns, wounds, open sores, ulcers, and gangrene, and has an amazing ability to basically weld tissues together.

Because comfrey seems to accelerate tissue repair, soak your injured ankle or wrist into a large bowel or bucket of comfrey decoction to heal injuries quickly. If you have a hip or knee joint injury, for instance, a fomentation or a comfrey poultice would be more appropriate. For all-over joints (an Evel Knieval type) you can certainly make a tubful and soak in the bath!
Other supplements to consider when comfrey is not available include:

• Glucosamine sulfite and chondroitin are supplements that have been used both together and separately to support the joints, with good results.
• Calcium with magnesium and vitamin D works as a team to help you absorb the calcium and aid in bone healing.
• Uña de gato (cat’s claw) or yucca both may help with any inflammation while you recover.
• Reducing the inflammation usually will alleviate your pain, but if not, use white willow bark in place of aspirin.
• A combination of yarrow (which reduces inner heat associated with injury), mullein, plantain, and rehmannia all have healing properties and support the structural system. If comfrey is not available, a mixture of any of the previously listed herbs will still support your recovery.

Cure for Joint Injuries

Joint injuries can happen to anyone due to a fall, playing vigorous sports, breakdancing, bungie-jumping the Brooklyn bridge, climbing the face of Mt. Rushmore, or during other normal activities. Our joints give us mobility, and when they are injured, we can feel very restricted and frustrated. You probably want to heal yourself as quickly as possible when you have an injured joint so that you can get back to those sports again.
But, slow down cowboy or girl—it is important to understand that if joint injuries are a common, recurring problem with you, there could be a deeper underlying problem to address. I know, you hyperactive sports types are now thinking, “Oh great, here we go again—she’s getting deep on me.” I’ll spare you the details this time around: If you just had your first joint injury and would like to help yourself fast-forward through the healing process, take a look at comfrey and the other supplements first. Then we’ll get back to the in-depth talk a little later.