My wife, who is still battling Lyme, and I were on a call with her naturopath last month.
(She’s doing far better than she was, though still not out of it. Thanks for asking.)
The doc said something interesting that I hadn’t heard before.
Joint pain can be a symptom of detox, or lack thereof.
My wife’s Lyme is primarily neurological in that it wreaks havoc on her nervous system. Some people with Lyme have it much more in the body, including the joints. Some are unable to walk or move because it gets so bad. And that chronic pain that can go with it can be excruciating.
Fortunately, for my wife the joint issues haven’t been THAT bad. But recently they have been flaring up, worse than before, which is why we’re talking about the subject.
I asked if, perhaps because treatment was going fairly well, the Lyme bacteria were moving out of her nervous system and more into the joints. She said yes that was possible.
Interesting…
The conversation continued to talk about synovial fluid, how important movement is to the joints, getting nutrients in and getting toxins out.
I had never thought of this concept before like this…
That joint mobility can help your body to detox.
I’ve mentioned this several times before, but the more I’ve learned about health, the more important supporting your detoxification systems appears to be.
Now, Lyme disease is definitely a specific case. The bacteria, shaped like corkscrews, can burrow into areas such as the nervous system, organs, and joints and cause their problems there.
But how much of joint pain in general (for people without Lyme) may have a similar cause? Calcification in the joints can be looked at one sort of toxin. Are there other things like heavy metals or environmental pollutants that get in there too?
It seems that research backs this concept up to some degree. There is direct interaction between the synovial fluid in joints and the lymphatic system. Synovial fluid is a viscous fluid found in the cavities of synovial joints, serving primarily to reduce friction during movement. It also provides nutrients and waste removal for the cartilage cells.
The lymphatic system plays a role in the removal of waste products from various body tissues, including the joints. While synovial fluid itself is not directly absorbed into the lymph system, waste products and excess fluid from the synovial space can diffuse through the joint capsule into the surrounding tissues, where they are then absorbed by the lymphatic vessels. This process helps in maintaining the balance of fluid within the joint and removing cellular debris and other waste products.
As this paper says, there’s even the “synovial lymphatic system”, which “drains away fluid, macromolecules, and particles that have escaped from the joint cavity”.
Most importantly to all of this, dysfunction in this interaction can lead to or exacerbate inflammatory joint disease and issues.
Movement is going to aid in this process.
All this to say the obvious, if you want healthy joints make sure to move them well.
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