Case Study: Joint Pain And Fatty Liver

Hanna is a 28 year old Hungarian lady who came to my clinic seeking help for pain in her wrists, and fatty liver. The wrist pain started three months ago. First it was just in her right wrist, but a month later her left wrist started hurting as well. Hanna initially thought it was due to all the computer work she does, but when both wrists became painful and swollen she decided to see her doctor.

Hanna’s doctor referred her to a rheumatologist who decided to order some tests. An MRI of her wrists showed synovitis. This means inflammation of the synovial membrane, which lines joints. Several different types of arthritis can cause synovitis. Hanna was given a blood test for rheumatoid arthritis, which was negative. This type of joint pain can be present with lupus and her blood test showed a weakly positive result. It was not definitive enough to diagnose lupus though.

Hanna’s rheumatologist recommended she take fish oil and he gave her some information about medication that can be taken for arthritis. The product brochure about methotrexate frightened Hanna because of the numerous potential serious side effects listed. Hanna found our book about autoimmune disease, purchased a copy and read it. That’s what prompted her visit to my clinic. She wanted to do everything possible to eliminate the pain and prevent the progression of the disease.

In my patient questionnaire I ask some detailed questions about bowel and liver health. From that I learned that Hanna had been diagnosed with a fatty liver four years ago. She was very young to have developed a fatty liver; it’s much more common in people 40 years old and above. Fatty liver runs in Hanna’s family; her mother and grandmother both had the condition. In fact Hanna’s grandmother actually developed cirrhosis of the liver. She didn’t drink any alcohol. The fatty liver became so aggressive that it actually ended up causing liver failure.

My recommendations for my patient

• Hanna knew that too much carbohydrate wasn’t good for her liver or her weight because she had read that in my fatty liver book several years ago. However, Hanna found it extremely difficult to stay away from carbs. She actually said she didn’t think she could continue living life if she couldn’t eat bread and pasta. We came to a compromise; I explained that Hanna could eat smaller quantities of bread and pasta as long as they were gluten free. However she had to get rid of the biscuits, ice-cream and sugary breakfast cereal. I gave her Glicemic Balance capsules to help reduce cravings, and recommended incorporating a quality protein powder into her diet to help get more protein.
• I gave Hanna our Joint Eze, which contains MSM (methyl sulfonyl methane) and Glucosamine. MSM is a natural form of sulfur, which helps to reduce joint pain and swelling. Glucosamine is natural compound the body makes that helps build and repair cartilage, the soft tissue that cushions your joints. Our Selenomune would also be helpful to use as it is wonderful for reducing inflammation. Selenium is required by the body for the production of glutathione, which is the body’s detoxifier and it also reduces inflammation.
• Hanna experienced quite a bit of abdominal bloating, and her high sugar diet indicated that she had an overgrowth of all the wrong bacteria and Candida in her gut. I gave her Intestinal Parasite Cleanse capsules to help correct this.
• Fatty liver often doesn’t cause any symptoms at all, so a person often doesn’t know they have one. In Hanna’s case though, it was causing fatigue and foggy head and making her feel very sleepy after meals. I asked her to take 2 capsules twice daily of Livatone Plus. This would help to clear the fat from her liver and make it a more efficient fat burner.

Hanna is due to return for another appointment in three weeks.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.