Though this article is primarily about arthritis, there are many other ailments that may be helped by these products.

Arthritis is a painful, debilitating disease. Though there is no proven cure for arthritis there are products that worked for me, as well as others that I know. Since these are natural products they cannot be patented, thus millions can't be made by pharmaceutical companies. I don't guarantee any will work and don't encourage going off any medications you're currently taking. Check for negative interactions with your current medications before trying any of these products.

Noni or Tahitian Noni

Noni (Morinda Citrifolia) is a Polynesian medicinal fruit that's been used for centuries by Polynesians, but didn't enter the western market until several years ago. Noni grows all over Polynesia, but because of its bad odor is often cut down.

Here's a description from Noni, Prize of the South Pacific by Rita Elkins, M.H.

"Morinda citrifolia is technically called an evergreen shrub or bush with rigid, course-like branches which bear dark, oval, glossy leaves. Small white fragrant flowers bloom out of cluster-like pods which bear creamy-white colored fruit that is fleshy and gel-like when ripened, resembling a small breadfruit. The flesh of the fruit is characteristically bitter and when completely ripe, produces a rancid and very distinctive odor. The shrub can grow to heights of 15 to 20 feet. Noni has characteristic buoyant seeds which can float for months in ocean bodies. The wood of the Morinda tree is know for its hard, salt-resistant and very lovely grain."

Properties attributed to noni:

"Antibacterial, analgesic, anticongestive, antioxidant, anticatarrhal, anti-inflammatory, astrigent, emollient, emmenagogue (induces or hastens menstrual flow), laxative, sedative, hypotensive (lowers blood pressure), blood purifier, tonic."

Quite an impressive list. It got rid of intense pain and burning in my hands and feet (neuropathy) that was so bad I had to soak them in ice water to numb the pain. This was after seeing three doctors without help, besides telling me to take painkillers and checking me for diabetes, but the test came back negative. When I stopped taking noni to see if it was just acting as a painkiller the pain and burning didn't come back as nearly as bad as before, indicating it was helping the problem. It has essentially cured my arthritis (I also take gelatin and colloidal minerals) and helps my digestion and insomnia. Noni most likely helps by a combination of anti-inflammatory, analgesic (pain reliever) and auto-immune boosting properties.

Noni is available in health and natural food stores and the Internet. I buy mine from Vitamin World for about 17 bucks a bottle. It does have a pungent taste that people find palpable to awful (I mix it with fruit juice), but most medicines taste bad.

Vitamin C and calcium are also recommended for arthritis, at least 1000 mg of vitamin C, and 1000 mg calcium for men and 1500 mg for women a day. Calcium is also helpful for insomnia. It comes in several forms like oyster shell, calcium carbonate, etc. Some claim certain types are absorbed better than others, though I don't think it makes much difference and usually buy the cheapest.

Amazon.com: The Noni Phenomenon

Colloidal Minerals

Most people have one of two reactions when they hear about colloidal minerals. Either they never heard of it or have a negative view from it being sold through MLM (multi-level marketing) and some bad press it received. This is unfortunate, since colloidal minerals have helped a cornucopia of ailments from depression to hemorrhoids to tedonitis.

What is a colloid? A colloid is any substance whose particle size is small enough to keep it suspended in a liquid or gas, yet large enough to prevent or delay its passage through a semi-permeable membrane.

Due to over-farming and the use of synthetic fertilizers by agri-business our soil has been depleted of most of its nutrients. As far back as 1936 our government was warning us:

"The alarming fact is that foods (fruits, vegetables and grains) now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contain enough minerals are starving us - no matter how much of them we eat. No person of today can eat enough fruits and vegetables to supply his system with the minerals he requires for perfect health because his stomach isn't big enough to hold them."

"The truth is that our foods vary enormously in value, and some aren't worth eating as food....Our physical well-being is more directly dependent upon the minerals we take into our systems than upon calories or vitamins or upon the precise proportions of starch, protein or carbohydrates we consume."

Senate Document No. 264, 1936

Have you ever been to a mountain cabin and gotten yourself a glass of water and it had a milk-ish, or whiteness, to it? It was full of minerals.

Companies and people that market colloidal minerals have been lambasted for making false and unscientific claims. This information is readily available on the Internet, as well as sources to buy colloidal minerals. As is usually the case, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Mainstream medicine says only 11 minerals are needed by the body and our diet can supply them, though there may be other minerals and trace minerals needed they don't know about.

I can say from first-hand experience and reports from at least a dozen others who've taken colloidal minerals that whatever this substance is, it works. When I took colloidal minerals the first thing I noticed was an increase in energy. Then an amazing thing happened!

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