More than 2 million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis, and now doctors are debating which form of therapy preserves hand function, surgery or drugs.

This is a ludicrous question. The bottom line is that drugs and surgery are both terrible options for most RA patients as they in no way, shape or form solve the problem. If the problem is caught prior to permanent irreversible joint damage, neither therapy is needed.

Although I don't agree with most traditional medical approaches, at least most specialists occasionally provide authentically useful care. ER docs are great examples of course. However, I have never seen the need for rheumatologists, and I never refer any patients to them.

Since 1989 I have treated over 3,000 patients with RA and most have done quite well. In the early days I used antibiotics to treat what Dr. Brown believed to be an underlying mycoplasma infection. More recently, I have used a variety of natural therapies to help the person's body resolve the infection.

Interestingly, the recommended diet may be completely different for each person. Recently, I saw two severely crippled patients with RA who were on multiple pain meds, anti-inflammatories, prednisone, methotrexate and interferon.

They both received extensive emotional therapy and an individualized diet based on Metabolic Typing. Interestingly, one patient received a near vegetarian diet, and the other was told to eat plenty of fat and meat and very few vegetables.

At their two-month follow-up appointments, they both were off of nearly all their meds and were pain free. It was remarkable and convinced me that I had reached a new threshold in the plan for RA, as now most do not even need the antibiotics that I have used for the past 14 years.

So this study is ridiculous as neither drugs nor surgery are needed to preserve hand function. The only thing that is needed is to address the underlying cause of disease. If you know any patients with RA who are struggling with this devastating disease and they are seeking a real solution you would serve them well by contacting our office.

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