You may have been told that if you develop arthritis, then it is just something you have to live with or that it is a by-product of the ageing process. Not necessarily, according to Dr Susan Blum and the research she has discovered that is transforming the lives of patients in her own clinic in America.

 

Dr Blum is a key driver of change when it comes to patients and healthcare practitioners understanding key drivers of chronic illness. In fact, in her own clinic, she is regularly helping people with arthritis, but when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), she is seeing a reversal in many patients.

 

According to Susan Blum, there is a ton of research out there on the different arthritis types and what drives them, as well as ways to improve symptoms, not just with pharmaceutical drugs. This kind of research is just not getting to the healthcare practitioners that need it - or they are not going looking for it. 

 

I help a lot of people in my own clinic with arthritis who are truly suffering from the different types, and last month I featured an arthritis series on my social media pages sharing important health information. This is why it is of interest to me the work that Dr Blum is doing in her own clinic using up-to-date research. I hope this highlights there is not just one approach to helping support people with arthritis as we are often told. 

 

Dr Blum's approach is based on understanding on a molecular level just what is driving RA, and this is important for all patients living with the condition, including doctors. The research is stating that increased inflammation drives oxidative stress levels to rise very high, and this mechanism is the driver behind causing RA for a lot of people.

 

Also, this research has found that in RA, there is a connection with high levels of reactive oxygen species on the synovial surface, which is one of the foundational causes of the damage to the joint and the synovial membrane, hyperplasia and damage in the joint capsule.

 

What Dr Blum says is important is to then address in each individual with RA the reason why oxidative stress levels have risen so high in the first place. Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants. But Dr Blum states a person cannot just simply take an antioxidant supplement and expect a resolution. The issue needs a more comprehensive approach.

 

Listed below are just some of the points Dr Blum addresses when it comes to helping her clients with RA:

 

Testing - Some tests can be overrated, but some can be useful and should be monitored throughout a patient's time with their health practitioner. Some of the important tests Dr Blum uses include lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, DNA damage, glutamine levels and levels of vitamin C. 

 

Supplementing with Antioxidants - Studies show that the higher the levels of oxidative stress, the lower the levels of antioxidants. This then causes more symptomatic RA.

 

Reversing Gut Dysbiosis - Sometimes, the cause of high oxidative stress levels in some individuals is poor gut health: namely, gut dysbiosis. According to Dr Blum, everyone with RA has a degree of gut dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is where the gut has an imbalance of good and bad bacteria, namely with higher levels of bad. Research also suggests that people with RA have a different pattern of gut bacteria, usually not as diverse as healthy guts. Sometimes Dr Blum will order a stool test to monitor improvement, but she states that diet is the number one way to improve gut health and the microbiome. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet can help, but she notes that a lifetime commitment to keeping the microbiome in the gut healthy is needed, as opposed to a quick "21-day fix" as is sometimes suggested. 

 

Stress - Diet alone may not be enough to change the pattern of the microbiome and may not be enough to reverse gut dysbiosis. This is why Dr Blum states managing stress is so important, as stress levels also disrupt the microbiome just as a poor diet does. So Dr Blum advises all her patients with RA to do daily de-stress practices such as yoga, deep breathing, meditation or walking in nature without technology.

 

Herbs - Sometimes, Dr Blum has found herbs can be useful in rectifying stubborn gut dysbiosis when diet changes and stress management alone are not doing enough to rectify gut dysbiosis. Herbs are also much better at dealing with gut dysbiosis than antibiotics because they do not wipe out the good bacteria, which is crucial in helping reverse gut dysbiosis. Dr Susan Blum has also shared research coming from Australia that has demonstrated how certain herbs can help treat and prevent RA.

 

I hope you enjoyed learning about what other experts are doing to advance the field of holistic healthcare for chronic issues such as arthritis by understanding the root cause and using that information to help patients feel better long term. Dr Susan Blum has highlighted that bigger-picture thinking is most definitely needed when it comes to treating and reversing RA, and I concur.

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