Cartilage regeneration after Ross River Virus
by Sue Kira, Naturopath & Clinical Nutritionist
Client name and identifying information changed
Jenny contracted Ross River Virus 10 years before she saw me, but had never fully recovered. The disease left her with creaking joints, poor mobility and pain in the joints she used the most.
It is thought the virus can stay in the body for many years, waiting for the body to be run down enough for it to flare up again. Although Jenny had stopped getting the recurring viral type symptoms, she was left with ‘bad’ knees, ankles, shoulders and wrist joints.
She visited me for recurrent headaches, but when we discussed her other symptoms, I couldn’t ignore her joint problems.
I felt that the joint problems were related to her headaches which appeared to be aggravated from her neck, although stress and mental exertion also made the headaches worse.
I suggested an anti-inflammatory diet plus lysine and vitamin C rich foods, an extra vitamin C supplement, and magnesium rich foods for her neck tension and stress support.
I also recommended to eat lots of fish and seafood to benefit from anti-inflammatory good oils, plus raspberries and blueberries for antioxidant nutrients.
I wanted her to make bone broth (for the gelatine-cartilage food) but she protested because she thought it was ‘yucky’ to boil up bones, so instead she agreed to make regular batches of home-made sugar free jelly from good quality, no additives gelatine, and add cherry juice concentrate (known to be good for arthritis).
I also advised her to go gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol and caffeine free for the duration for the treatment. I encouraged her to drink plenty of water and walk and swim for gentle exercise.
After only one month on this program, she noticed a remarkable change in the joints: no creaking, more mobility and a lot less pain. She could even go back to the gym to exercise with weights and stretching.
Another two months on the plan, she felt she was completely back to normal, including no more headaches, unless she did something silly like becoming dehydrated, over-doing the exercise or getting super-stressed about something.
What a huge change from the symptoms she had previously been carrying for ten years.