The first thing that any doctor should discuss with an arthritic patient is his or her diet. In fact, I have seen many arthritic patients completely overcome their symptoms simply by improving their diets.

All arthritic patients should have a thorough workup for food allergies, which create and fuel inflammation in the body.

If arthritic patients eliminate and/or treat food allergies, they will experience far less joint pain.

The most common food allergies I see are dairy and gluten. I have tested thousands of patients for food allergies, and more than 80 percent of adults exhibit high antibodies for casein — the most prevalent protein in cow’s milk.

A simple blood test for IgG antibodies to casein can identify a dairy sensitivity. IgG testing is more clinically reliable than IgE testing. There are many labs that conduct tests for food allergies.

NAET is an acupressure program designed to diagnose and treat food and environmental allergies. I have been doing NAET for more than 15 years in my practice. It is a very good treatment for many conditions, including arthritis.

You can find a NAET practitioner at www.naet.com.

Finally, removing refined foods such as sugar, oils, salt, and flour will bring relief to arthritic patients.

Refined foods lack basic nutrients. If the body does not get the proper nutrients, it cannot heal itself of any illness — arthritis included.

Arthritis does not have to be a chronic, debilitating disease. A holistic approach, which searches for underlying infectious causes while correcting nutritional imbalances, can provide relief and help the body overcome arthritis.

More information about this holistic approach can be found in my book, Overcoming Arthritis.