RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS TREATMENT BY POTASSIUM,

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RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS TREATMENT BY POTASSIUM,

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RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS TREATMENT BY POTASSIUM, chapter I

by Charles Weber, MS

 

This document was contributed by:

Charles Weber, MS

http://members.tripod.com/~charles_W/arthritis.html

Email: isoptera

 

http://garynull.com/node/12742

 

Note: The informationon this website is not a substitute for

diagnosis and treatment by a qualified, licensed professional.

 

(This is from a series of articles about rheumatoid arthritis which

discuss potassium nutrition and physiology)

The word " arthritis " = rheumatoid arthritis = RA in these articles

 

CONTENTS of OTHER CHAPTERS: II. Arthritis Research -- III. Arthritis

and Potassium -- IV. Roles of Potassium in the Body -- V.

Electrolyte regulation (sodium and potassium) -- VI. Purpose of

cortisol -- VII. Copper nutrition and physiology -- VIII.

Nutritional Requirements -- IX. Potassium in Foods -- X. Processing

Losses -- X continued,. Losses in the kitchen -- XI. Potassium

supplementation -- Side effects and heart disease

 

PREFACE

 

It is my contention that potassium deficiency is either causing, or

greatly making worse, rheumatoid arthritis, which I will shorten

to " arthritis " in these articles. In assessing the possibility of

this hypothesis people have little to go on. Virtually any textbook

in the past would devote no more than a paragraph to potassium which

would state that potassium is never deficient in the diet, or give

one exception to the dozen or more known, or in some only under

clinical conditions.

 

The reason for this careless treatment of potassium is probably

because potassium is present in almost all foods as grown in large

quantities. Professionals think about it as if it were air or water.

However even air and water can be deficient and if voluminous texts

are not written about these deficiencies, it is because both of

those deficiencies can be detected by our senses. Extremely powerful

emotions and instincts impel people to correct those deficiencies

immediately and at any cost. Potassium is odorless, colorless, and,

in the usual concentrations, tasteless. There is no way to detect a

deficiency and cell content can not even easily be assessed in the

body by modern analytical procedures. Whole body cell content is

virtually " invisible " .

 

There is not any indication in the literature that potassium has

ever been tried by scientists as an arthritis corrective. A rather

exhaustive search of the medical literature has failed to disclose

any experiment. This includes Exerpta Medica 1947 to 1974, and a

computer search by the Central Library of the American Medical

Association from 1965 on back. In addition no search of mine since

has revealed an experiment. Even in the present, an extensive book

on arthritis fails to even mention potassium [Koopman]. Even

extensive books on electrolytes fails to mention arthritis [Halpern]

[Narins].

 

I will discuss potassium physiology and nutrition and what can be

done to remove an actual deficiency and thus heal any tissue that

has not actually been destroyed. Please keep in mind, though, that

potassium ramifies through every cell and process in the body, has

no storage, and has a dangerous dependence on its precise control

for nerve impulse transmission. This makes it a mineral to be

cautious about. In particular I recommend getting as much as

possible from food. Even food requires a little care because it has

a wide range of concentrations. You must take responsibility for

your own intake and I assume no liability for the correctness of

advice in this article. You use this information at your own risk.

 

Getting potassium from food is reasonably safe for normal people

with reasonably sound kidneys. Even if you doubt my thesis of a

connection between arthritis and potassium, you have nothing to lose

by getting all the potassium that was originally in your food. It

will even taste better. It will, in addition, help protect you from

potassium's known link to heart disease. As the 12th century

physician Maimonides expressed it: " A doctor should begin with

simple treatments, trying to cure by diet before he administers

drugs. No illness that can be treated by diet should be treated by

any other means " or as Hippocrates expressed it in 460 - 377BC " If

we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and

exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the

safest way to health. " A healthy lifestyle has been known for a long

time.

 

Anything a doctor or dietitian can learn about nutrition, you can

also. If you do not know the meaning of a word in these articles,

for a definition click on www.m-w.com (Mirriam-Webster), - or a

medical encyclopedia or better a search for abstracts of journal

references, " Gateway " . For those which have abstracts available,

click on " expand " or for definitions click on " find terms " may do

for unknown words.

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Arthritis or rheumatism is the number one crippling disease in

America, limiting activities for millions of Americans [from a CDC

article with graphs]. Those estimates probably include arthritis

like diseases other than rheumatoid arthritis and estimates

elsewhere are very variable, probably because the severity of the

disease varies very much, as do people's diets. It is estimated that

2.1 million people in the USA have rheumatoid arthritis. A Brazilian

study indicates that one half a per cent have rheumatoid arthritis

as opposed to about 4% for osteoarthritis in that country, and 2%

for rheumatoid has been estimated for the USA [Rasch] The CDC says

that at least 65 billion dollars are lost each year for medical

costs and loss of productivity, but that figure does not a even

begin to measure degradation of quality of life. There is an

estimate that individual costs average $5700. Two thirds of the

victims are women, most of them over 45 [Rodman]. The terrible pains

associated with arthritis, reminiscent of and similar to the

medieval torture racks must surely be among the top causes of

contemporary misery. These pains along with the actual physical

disability, weak joints, loss of energy, and other systemic symptoms

on this site that accompany them, cause an enormous loss of

productivity. Arthritis may be a considerable part of the cause of

increasing welfare roles. Even industrial accidents are related to

this monstrous and onerous burden that society carries. Small jolts

and falls which should do little more than bring out some colorful

language result in loss of hours and even months. It is more than

just the loss of time itself. It is also the super caution that

blocks even fairly healthy people from making fast, risky moves when

they see some of the debacles their friends get into.

 

Nor is arthritis confined to North America. Countries at such

extremes of latitude as Finland and Jamaica have even higher rates

than we do [Kellgren]. The simple life is not any guarantee against

misery either, nor is a simple life a guarantee of good nutrition.

The Masai tribesmen of Africa have high rates [best p768] and eat a

diet low in vegetables. Political or economic ideologies are not

barriers. Arthritis crosses the iron curtain, is also present in

nomadic hunters, and cave men, cave bears, and ancient Egyptians are

thought to have had it [bach][Crain]. It shows no obvious clear

association with any culture even though it is very variable, with

low rates in tribes near the Masai (including villages in Nigeria

[silman] ) and Laplanders near the Finns in Finland, as well as

insane people in Massachusetts [Allander p260] and an absence of

arthritis on the island of Triton da Cuhna [Kellgren]. There is no

evidence of rheumatoid arthritis among early Australian aborigines

[Roberts-Thompson]. The rates are very variable within regions of

North America, within ethnic and economic groups, and age groups

15.2% of white people. 15.5% of black people, 11.3% of Hispanics,

and 7.3% of Asian Pacific islanders have rheumatic conditions

[Helmick] (but not all rheumatoid).

 

A considerable fraction of the people who have pains in the joints

have them because of arthritis (but see symptoms of other types of

joint pains). The pains usually strike first in the outer joints

like wrists, carpels, fingers on both sides or joints with a history

of injury. If a patient completely lacks hand and wrist pain

involvement, a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is doubtful. Load

bearing joints are also vulnerable. Joints look much different in

rheumatoid than they do in osteoarthritis (diagrams here). The pain

is most likely in the early morning, possibly because increased

secretion of melatonin circadian hormone then. It is often

accompanied by stiffness. It is not to be assumed that the disease

is localized because the pain is, Arthritis is present throughout

the body and can affect kidneys, pericardium of the heart, and

connecting tissue [strukov][Ropes]. It is a disease largely

associated with humans [LaMont-Havers], probably partly because

animals can not talk (or in the case of rodents possibly because

they make no use of cortisol), but I suspect primarily because

animals usually do not have access to refined food.

 

Arthritis has few externally observable symptoms, especially in

early stages. There are no known consistent biochemical changes in

arthritis (which word in these articles will be equated

with " rheumatoid arthritis " or RA) except a lower cellular potassium

content than normal [LaCelle][sambrook], and a somewhat higher

plasma copper content along with a protein which binds the copper in

the serum [schubert]. However there are reports of some changes,

which show up in a high proportion of arthritics. There have been

reports of low potassium (the only consistent difference from normal

they found) [syrjanen], calcium, phosphorus, lysozyme, and IgA

peptide in the saliva of juvenile arthritics [siamopoulou et al]

(which form of arthritis could be similar to the adult form). The

sodium/potassium ATPase activity is lower in erythrocyte (red blood

cell) membrane [Masoon-Yasinzai] and lower than in normal,

osteoarthritis, or gout [Testa]. The steroid hormone

dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA) is statistically lower in

arthritics [Dessein] as is cortisol, pregnanediol and basal DHEAS

[imrich], even though ACTH is higher, as is aldosterone

[Khetagurova]]. The aldosterone being higher suggests that there is

something besides the low potassium itself that is involved in the

cause of arthritis since aldosterone stimulates excretion of

potassium and has a positive feedback. See ?History of Arthritis?

for proposals of what this something might be. There is a different

spectrum of amino acids in the blood serum of arthritics. The ratio

of IL6 peptide immune hormone to cortisol is statistically

correlated to number of swollen joints and low grip strength. There

has been an effort to use changes in some of the body's other

proteins in diagnosis, but with limited success so far, although

some of the other rheumatic diseases can be almost diagnosed from

blood proteins alone [Waller]. As nearly as I can tell most of the

above seemed to be the consensus for arthritis at the 1982 Pan

American Conference on Arthritis and largely remains so today. There

are significant correlations between IgM RF and IgA immune proteins

and a higher disease activity [Chen] but the correlations are not

perfect. There is lower glycosylation of immune peptides (addition

of sugar molecules) during arthritis [Axford]. I do not know what

the significance of this is although addition of sugars may prevent

the peptides from being normally active. C3 and C4 compliments are

said to be the best of the other discriminators [sari, et al]. In

epithelial sodium channels, alpha and beta subunits are higher than

normal in rheumatoid arthritis but not present in osteoarthritis

[Trujillo, et al]. There is high activity of collagenase and

elastase in the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid

arthritis, which is about 30 times higher than that found in the

synovial fluid of patients with osteoarthritis [bazzichi]. Arthritis

sometimes has fatigue associated with it. The settling rate of red

blood cells (erythrocytes) is different in arthritis, but is very

variable and unreliable. Adrenomedulin, a peptide hormone, is three

times higher in synovial fluid in rheumatoid arthritis than it is in

osteoarthritis [Matsushita]. Also there is a high level of human

leucocyte antigen in saliva of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus

erythmatosis, and none in normal saliva [Adamashvili].

 

In the past arthritis was associated with old age in people's minds

and there was a tendency to suffer it stoically as inevitable. It is

a serious disease, though, with a much reduced life span and a 27%

mortality at ten years. While the medical profession has

intellectually abandoned an assumption that only people in old age

are affected, many laymen still assume this is the case. The concept

that this is " old age " is pervasive, even creeping into common

cultural media as modern as " Star Trek " . This is not to indicate

that the victims did not often attempt to do something. Arthritis

has a long history of quack nostrums and screwball procedures. These

quack remedies were assisted by the numerous spontaneous remissions

that occur with arthritis or by pain deadening chemicals. It was not

necessary to cure everyone, since those who were " cured " were very

grateful and those who were not were fatalistic, since their doctors

could do nothing either.

 

It is my contention that arthritis is either a potassium deficiency

or is strongly affected by one. I suspect that some poison or some

infections or decline in kidney function with age degrades our

ability to concentrate potassium and thus makes it impossible to get

adequate potassium from food from which almost every processing

procedure removes potassium these days. Arthritics

characteristically have poor nourishment [Morgan et al] [stone]

including magnesium, which is necessary for potassium absorption

[Kremer]. One such poison, which I suspect, is the very poisonous

bromine gas, since it probably affected me that way 50 years ago. It

is possible that the glucocorticosteroid response modifying peptide

hormone (GRMF) to be discussed in the cortisol chapter may be the

system involved in the case of infection triggers.

 

One technique, which seemed to have some success, was the use of

spas. At least their popularity would seem to indicate some success.

The Dead Sea water has a reputation for healing arthritis and has

been successfully investigated with healing lasting up to three

months [sukenik]. It has two and a half to ten times as much

potassium chloride by weight as sodium chloride (which is almost

equal number of molecules) and an even greater ratio of magnesium

chloride by weight. One would think that warming the water high

enough to open sweat gland pores would increase the speed of the

affect if most of the potassium was entering through their mucous

lining. That king-sized spa, the ocean, has been given credit for

anti-arthritic tendencies also. This is plausible because the ocean

contains potassium in about the same concentration as normal blood

fluid. Sea mud is also given credit for curative properties

[Veinpalu]. The spa at Bath, England, has potassium content less

than one tenth that of ocean water [Riley]. If it is typical of

spas, then unless they were drinking the water, it is hard to see

how it could have helped.

 

There have been closer associations with potassium. At one time

sulfurated potash was used to combat arthritis [Osol p1092]. It is

not surprising that it fell into disfavor associated with such a

poisonous anion. An anion is a negatively charged substance which

neutralizes the positive charge of an ion like potassium. The first

person to definitively link potassium to arthritis in no uncertain

terms was DeCoti-Marsh in a book published in England in 1957

[deCoti-Marsh]. He claimed numerous case histories. He recommended a

whole pot-pouri of anions to go with the potassium, some of them not

nutritional, and some even poisonous. He attributed magical

properties to these anions. His approach was reminiscent of the

writings of ancient alchemists. More recently potassium supplements

in connection with other drugs gave a good response [Casatta].

 

A more successful technique was the raw vegetable diet described by

Holbrook in Europe during the forties [Holbrook]. This diet became

quite popular, even though most people must have found it fairly

unpalatable. Eppinger hinted that the success of this diet might

have been due to its high potassium content [Eppinger]. It might

have become more popular if a recommendation to use fried

vegetables, soup, or to drink the boil water had been made, which

would have permitted the same potassium intake as raw. It would be a

good idea to find out what in raw vegetables was responsible,

especially since it has been found that cooking some food increases

the growth rate of animals, probably because interfering materials

are destroyed in some of the vegetables by the cooking, something

that would be especially important for children. There have been

experiments with vegetarian diets in recent years but they have been

changed merely by removing meat from the diet which is probably why

only moderate success has been attained. However recently

improvement has been noted using a diet that had increased amounts

of vegetable juice and unpolished rice [Fujita]. There also has been

a study which showed a strong negative correlation with cooked

vegetables in Greece [Linos] and in Italy [[LaVecchia]. Dr. Saul has

described a case in which vegetable juice and vegetables healed a

woman. Kjeldsen-Kragh explored the affect of a vegetarian diet

[Kjedsen-Kragh]. He found that fasting followed by a vegetarian diet

has a favorable influence on disease activity in some patients with

rheumatoid arthritis. This effect cannot be explained entirely by

psychobiologic factors, immunosuppression secondary to energy

deprivation, changes in the plasma concentration of eicosanoid

precursors, or changes in antibody activity against dietary antigens.

 

That diet is deeply involved in arthritis seems almost certain since

when people migrate from areas with very low arthritis rates and

start eating processed food, they come down with arthritis.

 

At the present time there are several books relating diet to

arthritis. Jarvis stresses honey and vinegar in his book [Jarvis].

Since honey is extremely low in potassium, it would be counter

productive. The vinegar could be very beneficial if well fed people

are failing to metabolize [Winegrad] all of the acetate ion or the

acetate is being excreted by the kidneys before it has a chance to

enter the cells, because the acid hydrogen ion interferes with

potassium at the excretion site as will be developed later. I know

of no tests reported in the literature testing this concept. Jarvis

hints at other dietary changes also, which if followed, would

increase potassium intake inadvertently. Kombucha, a vinegar like

ferment, is said to be helpful for arthritis.

 

Dong and Banks prescribe a diet free of chemicals, milk, meat and

sugar, and low in fat [Dong]. If his diet were followed it would

definitely increase potassium intake, especially since he stresses

unprocessed vegetables. However, he attributes its success to

freedom from allergens and chemicals, so that philosophically he

tends to be in the same general physiological category as the

autoimmune hypothesis is in, to be discussed in History of

Arthritis, Chapter II. I am fairly certain that those who have

success with his diet do so because of the lucky quirk that

potassium increases at the same time. I think a good case could be

made for keeping chemicals out of food. Some, like sulfite, which

destroys vitamin B-1, are known to be harmful (except to people low

in potassium, where it is protective against heart and kidney

disease [Folis] ), some like dyes are fraudulent and/or harmful. I

doubt if removing them would have more than a small affect on

arthritis though. Alexander recommends vitamin D against arthritis.

However like Dong he also speaks of low sugar and raw vegetables

[Alexander]. It has been proposed that vitamin D has an affect

dampening the immune system [Cantorna]. This concept has been

followed up on and oral vitamin D in the form of alphacalcidiol

improved most of a group within 3 months. Those using Alexander?s

diet must have had less trouble with tooth decay, tuberculosis

[Wilkinson], muscle cramps, and rickets. Also vitamin D is necessary

for magnesium reabsorption in the kidneys [Ritchie], which magnesium

in turn is necessary for powering some of the electrolyte pumps, so

it could easily be having an indirect affect on potassium in many

cases, and perhaps explain why it took so long to have an effect.

This may be the reason why women taking vitamin D have less

arthritis than those who do not. [Merlino].

 

Allergy has been proposed as a possible cause but stressing

allergens naturally present in food. It is quite conceivable that

allergens damage the kidneys' ability to retain potassium. However,

no one has established this yet. More likely is that the decline in

cortisol during a potassium deficiency [Mikosha (in guinea pigs) ]

stimulates the allergic response. It is also suggested by an

experiment in which cortisol was increased by potassium chloride

given to people [ueda]. There is good evidence, though, of

beneficial results from defeating allergy in specific cases. It is

possible that allergens affect that part of the immune system

involved in arthritis.

 

Evidence from individual case histories that I have seen myself and

the known characteristics of potassium physiology supports the

proposal that arthritis is either a potassium deficiency or that a

deficiency is its most important symptom. The replete body contains

about 75 times as much potassium or more as is usually in the

processed diet, so if it is increased, it will still take quite

awhile to come up to normal if it as much as 30% low. However there

should be satisfying initial results in a month or two or even less

if the other nutrition is adequate, especially magnesium [Kremer]

[schoner] and maybe inositol [Charalampous] and probably less time

yet if potassium is taken as the chloride (potassium as the chloride

is probably not a good idea if you have high blood pressure or

suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or CFIDS).

 

I have been almost alone in proposing potassium as being central to

rheumatoid arthritis (but see Dr. Jan de Vries' article). Also Das

has recently suggested that glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) therapy

might suppress tumor necrosis (TNF) which is thought to produce some

of the symptoms of arthritis [Das]. However there is no substitute

for an experiment, which has never been reported in a journal, since

scientists are specialized and sometimes have trouble being

interested in simple approaches, as are their funding agencies. A

doctor has reported to me that potassium and magnesium had

inconclusive results, but it is possible that the subjects had

osteoarthritis or chronic fatigue syndrome so I am unwilling to

accept this as negative evidence yet. While you are waiting

patiently for such an experiment there is nothing stopping you from

eating nutritious food and making sure you do not lose any of the

potassium by your own preparations. I am virtually certain that you

will be healthier and will certainly have less risk of stroke, high

blood pressure, and kidney stones.. I wish you good health.

 

Chapter II, will describe current and past research.

 

Other chapters will follow after that, which discuss potassium

nutrition and physiology, derivation of requirements, etc., links

for which as shown at the beginning of this site. The Potassium in

Food chapter is especially practical.

 

REFERENCES are below

 

EPILOGUE

 

The author, Charles Weber, has a degree in chemistry and a masters

degree in soil science. He has researched potassium for 45 years,

primarily a library research. He has cured his own early onset

arthritis (33 years old). He has published articles on allied

subjects in; The Journal of Theoretical Biology (1970, 1983), The

Journal of Applied Nutrition (1974), Clinical and Experimental

Rheumatology (1983), and Medical Hypotheses (1984, 1999).

 

While it is not the policy of this author to use testimonials, you

may, if you wish, tell of the outcome of health strategies to a site

which archives such experiences. Also, you can rate the efficacy of

potassium at this site.

 

All printed rights to this article are reserved. Electronic rights

are waived.

 

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