Synopsis of Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Infection Connection

By Katherine Poehlmann, Ph.D.

My goal in writing this book is to help sufferers of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) to understand the underlying causes of the disease so that they may better combat it and find relief from its effects. It is written for intelligent layperson at the high school graduate level, with enough scientific terminology to foster effective communication between doctor and patient.

The naturopathic methods described are intended to help all individuals with chronic illnesses—not just RA victims—who seek to improve their health and well being. The information applies to pets as well as to humans. It’s a shame that we Americans have trained ourselves to reach for a pill to get quick relief for our aches and pains. Treating symptoms has not just become acceptable and commonplace; it has become big business worth billions of dollars. In this book there are many approaches suggested to achieve pain relief without harmful or expensive drugs.

In this book there is no pretense to suggest a one-size-fits-all approach or magic bullet to combat RA. However, the scientific evidence of decades of proven success with Dr. Thomas McPherson Brown’s regimen centered on a low-dose, long-term course of tetracycline-type antibiotics is remarkable. This regimen, if diligently followed and coupled with lifestyle modifications, will train the body’s immune system to combat the microbial infection that is the root cause of diseases like RA characterized by joint pain, inflammation, and fatigue: Fibromyalgia, MS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lupus, Scleroderma, Lyme Disease, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Gulf War Illness, and many others. Arthritis can also develop after sports injuries that fail to heal properly.

Allergies play an important part in chronic illness, and can mimic arthritis symptoms or make them worse. Knowing which tests to request and what indicators to look for helps the individual work with the doctor to obtain a definitive diagnosis. If further tests reveal mycoplasmal infection, the next step should be a request to the doctor to try Dr. Brown’s low-level antibiotic approach. The regimen is akin to the benign treatment given to teens with acne.

The book includes tables of the best Internet sites to research health, food allergies, drugs, toxins, tests, and diseases. Readers can find support groups and practitioners to assist them with Dr. Brown’s treatment. Doctor-provided dietary guidelines have been used in sports therapy clinics to help those with trauma-induced arthritis improve their health and mobility.

Confrontation with the frightening prospect of being permanently disabled by Rheumatoid Arthritis was the impetus for writing this book. I am no longer an RA sufferer, thanks in large part to Dr. Brown’s insights.

The text is the product of extensive and careful research and thoughtful peer review by physicians, immunologists, science teachers, microbiologists, and by arthritis support group representatives. Appendix II contains a description of the antibiotic protocol written by a doctor for doctors providing specific medical guidance for patients who choose to embark on the regimen and to regain their health.

My intent is that others may benefit from what I have learned. This book brings together research findings from a wide variety of sources, posing significant questions that should be investigated further by the medical and scientific community. I wish to stimulate thinking across traditional boundaries and to suggest new research directions. My hope is that the proposed hypotheses regarding the actions of infectious microorganisms as a growing public health hazard will be investigated further by concerned scientists.

To that end, I am donating a percentage of the profits from the sale of this book to enable research directed toward the origin, testing, and treatment of mycoplasmas and other nanobacterial, parasitic infections.

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