If you suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis or Ankylosing Spondylitis, I’ve got great news for you. Both of these diseases share a common curable cause. The cause is so well documented in the literature that it boggles the mind that this is not common knowledge in the medical community.
Both Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) can be triggered by bacterial infections most often found in the intestinal tract. These bugs have names like Klebsiella, Citrobacter, Proteus, Porphyromonas and Yersinia.
Genetics determine who will develop RA or AS from these infections
Here’s the deal. Most people who get these infections don’t get Rheumatoid Arthritis or Ankylosing Spondylitis. People who have the HLA-B27 gene and get a Klebsiella infection can develop Ankylosing Spondylitis. A person with the HLA-DR4 gene who gets a Klebsiella, Citrobacter, Proteus, Porphyromonas or Yersinia infection can develop Rheumatoid Arthritis.
These bacteria trigger changes in the gene, which causes the person’s immune system to attack normal healthy cells, resulting Rheumatoid Arthritis or Ankylosing Spondylitis. As long as a person is fighting the bad bug, the influence on the gene will continue. However, if the pathogen can be eliminated, the negative effect on the gene will cease, and the immune system will stop attacking the body.
On a side note, this same sort of gene/pathogen relationship is what causes some people to become very sick from mold or Lyme.
Leaky Gut
Often these bad bugs will damage the intestinal tract and lead to a disorder called leaky gut syndrome. Even without the bad genetics, a damaged intestinal tract will lead to all sorts of inflammation and aberrant immune function. In my patients, I rarely find one of these pathogens without gut damage. With these infections it’s important to test for a leaky gut and treat it if it’s damaged.
SIBO
These pathogens can also cause Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth(SIBO). This is important to know because bacteria in the small intestine often do not show up on a stool analysis. So proper testing is key to diagnosis and treatment.
Frequently I find that my patients with SIBO also have a leaky gut due to the damage the bacteria causes. So again, testing is so important to getting a patient well.
A Comprehensive Stool Analysis
A Comprehensive Stool Analysis is one of the most important tests to run in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Ankylosing Spondylitis. This test will often not only identify the offending pathogen that is responsible for the RA or AS, but will also show what will kill that pathogen. How cool is that?!
In functional medicine we ask the question, “What caused the problem?”
If you suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis or Ankylosing Spondylitis, I’m sure the thought, “What caused this?” has crossed your mind. For years you did not have RA or AS and then one day BAM you got it. All the typical treatments of traditional medicine do nothing to treat the underlying causes of these terrible diseases. If you want to get to the root of Rheumatoid Arthritis or Ankylosing Spondylitis, I’d love to help. It’s what I love doing for my patients.
[1. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2670258]
[2. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6418259]
[3. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8835503]
[4. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7381924]
[5. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2545892/]
[6. www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/03009749709115825]
[7. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9194209]
[8. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3042077]
[9. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9002020]
[10. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9558179]
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