Many doctors have refused to accept that both arthritis and rheumatism, are either caused, or at the very least seriously affected, by diet. Most people over the age of thirty, will notice a twinge or an ache somewhere, if they persist in eating something that is bad for them. In actual fact, both rheumatism and arthritis are classic examples of masked food allergies at their rampaging worst. There is a mass of evidence throughout the world to support this fact.

One example, in many, is research done during a three and a half year clinical trial, conducted by Dr D.M. Carroll of North Carolina. In 300 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, 98 per cent were found to be severly allergic to different foods, and some to several foods. The analysis showed 37 per cent allergic to wheat, 27 per cent to corn, 23 per cent to milk, 19 per cent to eggs and 12 per cent to tomatoes. Once the offending foods were removed from their diets, they all showed marked improvement. That is very conclusive evidence in one study.

The influence of arthritis on our society is significant. In 1981, according to the Bureau of Statistics, it was responsible for 25 per cent more lost work time than industrial disputes. It is known to affect 1,250,000 Australians, many of them children. Common sense must eventually dictate that the diet and environment of these people, should be thoroughly examined for food and chemical intolerances.

At present the most widespread medical treatment for arthritis is the administration of large daily doses of aspirin, over a prolonged period. Aspirin is made up of acetylsalicylic acid which is a salicylate derivative. It is well documented that salicylates are a potent allergen, affecting many people. Could this not then be a case of masking the disease with the very substance which is causing it?

There is virtually no part of the body which may not be affected, either directly or indirectly, by an allergic reaction - particularly with respect to food and chemical intolerances. It is important to understand that the effects of an ongoing allergic condition, on the body, can ultimately be catastrophic, by virtue of the cumulative effects over months or years. These effects certainly go much further than the general, discomforting symptoms discussed in previous chapters and can lead to serious degeneration and disease in major organs if allowed to persist undetected.

Unfortunately, few doctors understand that allergy illness affects the body as a whole. This problem is well described in a passage from the Complete Book of Homeopathy by Michael Weiner and Kathleen Goss.

Yet perhaps the most destructive effect of modern orthodox medicine lies in the changes that have taken place between physician and patient... The general practitioner (in the traditional sense) is almost a thing of the past, and each specialist treats only that organ system that comes within his area of expertise. No wonder we feel that our doctors are not really looking at us as whole beings. Common sense tells us that many symptoms appearing in different organs systems may be related - that they at least constitute a whole picture of our state of health. Yet our trips to the doctor's office must often result in a sense of frustration when we feel that the specific organ-directed treatment we receive is not based upon the doctor's assessment of our entire symptom picture.