Inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or Hashimoto’s often have triggers that can be found: in the mouth, in the gut or in the diet.
Treating inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis with immunosuppressive drugs alone is like having a burst pipe at home and calling in the plumber. Instead of repairing the pipe, he merely turns off the water.
We therefore look for what keeps the inflammation going and treat it. The most important areas of the diagnostic work-up are:
- root-treated, dead teeth and amalgam
- food intolerances, especially gluten
- bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine
- a permeable small intestine (leaky gut)
- interference fields such as scars or tonsils
Teeth as a focus
Substances from bacteria in gum disease and in infected, dead, root-treated teeth are often a considerable burden on the body. The possible consequences include inflammation of the joints. Such a focus usually develops over many years, for a long time without symptoms.
The work-up uses a panoramic X-ray (OPT), which shows all the teeth, and the OroTox test. It detects the sulphur compounds from dead teeth in the fluid of the gum pocket, years before changes become visible on the X-ray. More on this in the entry Non-vital teeth.
Amalgam, too, can keep rheumatic complaints going. One patient suffered from polymyalgia and was supposed to take cortisone for the rest of his life. We found a marked mercury burden from his amalgam fillings. After metal-free restoration and detoxification with selenium, the pain receded and he no longer needed any antirheumatic drugs.
Patients' experiences
- Woman, aged 68. Diabetes, rheumatic complaints. Treatment: removal of the root-treated teeth that reacted in the OroTox test. Result: the blood sugar fell so far that insulin therapy became unnecessary; the rheumatic complaints have practically disappeared.
- Man, aged 43. Cardiac arrhythmia, soft-tissue rheumatism, total exhaustion; until then beta blockers, antirheumatic drugs and stays at health resorts. Treatment: removal of all non-vital teeth. Result: free of complaints.
- Woman, aged 75. Chronic exhaustion, rheumatism. Treatment: removal of the teeth in the upper jaw that were suspect in the OroTox test. Result: rheumatism markedly better, more energy.
- Man, aged 54. Polyarthritis. Statement by the rheumatology department of a university hospital in 1987: “You will soon end up in a wheelchair.” Shortly afterwards, treatment with us with dental clean-up and detoxification infusions. Result: at the age of 76 the patient still works full-time in his workshop on precision machines, absolutely free of pain. Walking distance 5 kilometres, he can hop and dance. Back then in hospital, the walking distance, in pain, was about 20 metres.
Food intolerances
Besides allergy, an immediate reaction via IgE, there is intolerance: a delayed reaction via IgG. Antigen-antibody complexes form, which trigger inflammatory reactions and can cause a wide variety of complaints even days later, including arthritis, rheumatism and fibromyalgia. Because of the delay, the foods responsible are often not suspected at all.
The IgG analysis (Food Detective) provides valuable starting information for treatment and shows how great the total burden is that the body has to deal with. It is followed by an elimination diet: the suspect foods are left out and later reintroduced one by one. More on this in the entry Allergies and intolerances.
Gluten
Gluten is a common trigger of autoimmune diseases, even when coeliac disease is not present. This can be investigated with the Food Detective and further analyses. Often, however, a trial of leaving it out is recommended.
An example from practice: a 45-year-old patient with fibromyalgia tested positive for wheat in the Food Detective. After leaving it out, her complaints disappeared.
The gut
Bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine
Normally there are hardly any microorganisms in the small intestine, because stomach acid destroys most bacteria. If they multiply nonetheless, this can lead to bloating, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea, but also to inflammation of the joints, chronic fatigue and anaemia. The causes include too little stomach acid, slowed bowel movements and autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma or lupus.
The overgrowth can be detected with a breath test: it measures hydrogen and methane, which arise when bacteria break down an indigestible sugar.
The permeable small intestine (leaky gut)
Increased permeability of the small intestine burdens the body with pro-inflammatory molecules and bacteria. It is promoted by inflammatory changes in the mucosa, by food intolerances, by the long-term use of certain drugs, above all antirheumatic drugs, and by smoking and alcohol. This can turn into a vicious circle: an intolerance increases permeability, which in turn promotes the intolerance.
In addition, bacteria of a disturbed gut flora sometimes carry surface structures similar to those of our organs. This can set off autoimmune processes (“molecular mimicry”) such as occur in rheumatism, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis and lupus.
For the permeability test, you drink a set amount of two sugars, lactulose and mannitol, at home; what is measured is how much of them appears in the urine. Treatment includes:
- leaving out the foods for which an intolerance has been shown
- Avoiding irritating medicines such as anti-rheumatic drugs
- promoting a normal gut flora and supporting digestion with enzymes
- L-glutamine, unsaturated fatty acids, zinc and selenium
More on this in the entry Stomach, gut and digestion.
Irritation zones
Scars, diseased teeth or operated tonsils, too, can act as an interference field and trigger complaints in distant places. The medical history gives clues, for example rheumatism after a tonsil operation. The triggering event often lies years back. An interference field can be traced and treated with neural therapy.
Treatment
The first priority is to remove the triggers found: restoring burdened teeth, leaving out foods that trigger the immune system, rebuilding the gut. Alongside this we use (a selection):
- omega-3 fatty acids, which have a focus in chronic inflammatory processes and rheumatism
- targeted use of bases, which have an anti-inflammatory effect and relieve inflammatory rheumatism
- ozone in rheumatic, inflammatory joint diseases
- detoxification infusions, as in the case of polyarthritis above
- plasmapheresis in chronic inflammation
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