Pain from Arthritis Affects Millions of Americans
Joint pain due to the 100 forms of arthritis such as gout, rheumatoid, and osteoarthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affects about 46 million people. The most common form of arthritis, especially among older people is osteoarthritis affecting more than 27 million. Women are at higher risk for this form which accounts for most of the knee and hip replacements in the United States. According to the Arthritis Foundation it is second only to cardiovascular disease as the cause of chronic disablity in adults and responsible for more than seven million physician visits per year.

A Nation in Pain
America has become a nation in pain due to arthritis. Unfortunately, many people have sought relief that has been in the form of man-made drugs that have a proven track record of being toxic and deadly, hospitalizing and killing thousands of Americans every year. Please read The Dangerous Side Effects of Pain Killing Drugs. While these drugs may offer some pain relief, they also speed up the destruction of the joint itself so that in a few years people who use them regularly will have to have some sort of joint replacement, usually a hip or knee, which is major surgery. Joint replacements typically have to be redone in ten to twenty years. Surgery to redo a joint replacement is even more complicated. And, if the drugs for pain and lifestyle that contribute to the destruction of the joint are continued, many people will eventually have another joint replacement. These drugs are advertised on TV, radio, in magazines, and on the internet. They are presented by actors as something normal and safe to use. However, the advertisements quickly gloss over the dark side of the drugs and the deadly statistics.

How to Promote Healthy Joints and Back
Drugs may help with inflammation and pain, but they only hide the symptoms, produce negative side effects, and do not help to restore and rebuild healthy joints. Researchers and scientists have learned over the years what promotes inflammation and pain. Through this research they have discovered what can be done drug-free to safely and effectively promote healthier joints and back improving their structure and function, alleviating inflammation and pain and improving quality of life.

Healthy Joints Require Proper Nutrition
Healthy joints that are pain-free and flexible must have the required nutrition to support them throughout their lifetime. Consistent exercise is also vital because it transports nutrients to the joints and helps to keep them strong, flexible, and functional. Young bodies are more flexible and functional because the cells that make up the cartilage, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are healthier. However, as people age they begin to notice that their joints become stiffer, have reduced range of motion, and hurt more due to reduced lubrication, wearing away of the cartilage, weak connective tissues, and inflammation. Besides the lack of exercise and other factors, the joints begin to break down due to nutritional deficiencies, especially of minerals.

Americans Are Mineral Deficient
As far back as 1936, a research report revealed to a senate subcommittee of the 74th Congress, 2nd Session that one of the main reasons why so many American’s were suffering from poor health such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and various forms of arthritis is that they are mineral deficient due to "modern commercial farming methods" depleting the soil of minerals. The Senate Report was based on a study conducted by Dr. Charles Northern. It was further supported by research completed at Yale, Rutgers, John Hopkins, Columbia and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Northern demonstrated "that countless human ills stem from the fact that impoverished soil of America no longer provides plant foods with mineral elements essential to human nourishment and health."

Please note other excerpts from this report;

"Our physical well-being is more directly dependent upon minerals we take into our systems than upon calories or vitamins, or upon precise proportions of starch, protein or carbohydrates we consume."

"Do you know that most of us today are suffering from certain dangerous diet deficiencies which cannot be remedied until depleted soils from which our food comes are brought into proper mineral balance?"

"Laboratory tests prove that the fruits, the vegetables, the grains, the eggs, and even the milk and the meats of today are not what they were a few generations ago"

"It is not commonly realized, however, that vitamins control the body’s appropriation of minerals, and in the absence of minerals they have no function to perform. Lacking vitamins, the system can make some use of minerals, but lacking minerals, vitamins are useless."

Since 1936 Mineral Deficiencies Have Only Worsened The Earth Summit Report of 1992 revealed declining mineral content in farm and range soils during the last 100 years for the following countries: North America 85% South America 76% Europe 72% Asia 76% Africa 74% Australia 55%. The report shows that North America has the worst mineral depletion. This is made worse when we include America’s consumption of chlorinated and fluoridated water, sodas, coffee, fats, alcohol, sugar, and processed foods.

Healthy Pain Free Joints Require Proper Nutrition
Healthy and pain-free joints must have the required nutrients to maintain healthy cells of joint components. These consist of synovial fluid which lubricates the joint, cartilage which provides a cushion acting as a shock absorber, and muscles, tendons, and ligaments which support them. Eating more natural unprocessed food is important but difficulties arise because of the hectic pace of modern life and the reduced nutrient content of our food due to commercial farming and cooking.