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Medical data is for informational purposes only. You should always consult your family physician, or one of our referral physicians prior to treatment.

Supplement to

The Art of Getting Well

Boron and Arthritis

Sources are given in references.

Authors of contributions\quotations are alphabetically arranged;

major author, if any, is underlined.

Professor Bentwich, Robert Bingham, M.D., Dr. Mark Hegsted,

Dr. Herbert, Hunt, Professor Jeffries, Professor Jack Loneragan,

Loughman, Professor O.O. Myers, Ploquin, Dr. Hans Neiper, Rex

E. Newnham, Ph.D., D.O., N.D., Nielsen, Gus J. Prosch, Jr, M.D.,

Dr. Paul Pybus, Professor Verbeek, Dr. Bridges-Webb, Jeff E.

Young, M.S., Zittle/Responsible editor/writer Anthony di Fabio.

Foundation for Eradication of Rheumatoid Disease

AKA The Arthritis Trust of America

7376 Walker Road, Fairview, Tn 37062

Rex E. Newnham, Ph.D., D.O., N.D.

Part 1 of 2 Parts

In 1986 The Rheumatoid Disease Foundation received

information on Boron and Arthritis from Rex E. Newnham, Ph.D.,

D.O., N.D. of Leeds, England.

Dr. Newnham demonstrated demographic evidence for the

usefulness of Boron in treating or preventing Rheumatoid Arthritis

and Osteoarthritis. His article follows:

"In countries where there are minimum amounts of available

boron in the soil there is much more arthritis. In most developed

countries there are about 20% of people with some musculo-skeletal

disease, which is generally arthritis. In places where there is more

than usual boron in the soil there is much less arthritis.

"Jamaica and Mauritius have more than usual arthritis, and

there is very little available boron in their soils. Most or all of the

food and other crops show severe boron deficiency in these soils.

Soil or plant analyses in these countries support the visual signs of

deficiency.

"Fiji is another tropical sugar producing country, and there

the Indians have much more arthritis than the Fijians. The Indians

eat mostly rice which is a monocotyledon plant, and these require

much less boron than do the dicotyledons. The Fijians eat mostly

starchy root vegetables, which are dicotyledons. Actual figures

were not available.

"There is an area in Northern Thailand where there is a

considerable boron deficiency, and Professor Jack Loneragan of

Murdoch University is supervising work that will rehabilitate

this soil. It has also been established from Thais who live in the

USA that there is considerable arthritis in these parts of the country,

but there has so far been no cooperation with the university or the

Health Department in Bangkok. No visit is planned unless there can

be some cooperation.

"Dr. Bridges-Webb recently completed a survey in southern

Australia which showed that about 20% of the population suffered

from a musculo-skeletal disease, and this is typical of the people in

the other Western cultures

"Israel is an advanced country that has less than 0.5%

arthritis, according to a survey conducted by Professor

Bentwich

. It is interesting to note that there are no known

shortages of boron in their soils. The soils of the Jordan Valley even

have excess boron, so much so that in places only the very tolerant

date palm will grow.

"At Carnarvon in Western Australia there was 0.35 ppm of

boron in the water supply. This was reduced to 0.2 ppm a few years

ago because there was some toxicity to legume crops. In this tropical

environment the transpiration rate is high so that all minerals are

soon concentrated in the plant. A survey was conducted there in

1981 which revealed that there was only 1% arthritis in that

community. It was even found that some people went there from

1000 miles away so as to enjoy the good climate and get rid of their

arthritis. It was the good water more than the climate that was the

important factor in their health. Similarly in New Zealand there is

a place called Ngawha, where spa pools contain 300 ppm of boron.

This is a well known curative pool for arthritics

"Over 60 years ago Dr. Herbert, the government

balneologist, or specialist on spa

water treatment, recommended

certain pools as beneficial for arthritis. All of these had a high boron

content, but he did not know what the reasons for their curative

properties were

. It is now being shown that it is the high boron

content of the water. People used to bathe in these waters and they

also drank some of the water.

"Professor O.L. Meyers recently supervised a survey in South

Africa that showed how the Xhosa tribal people had 2% Rheumatoid

Arthritis in their native state, but when the same people went to the

big cities, they soon developed the prevalance for arthritis as was

shown by the rest of the city population

. This is assumed to be about

20%. An experiment was devised to give the reason for these rather

startling figures.

"In 1985 efforts were made to collect samples of mealies or

maize or corn from the native gardens and from commercial farms.

"It took until 1986 to collect all the required samples. The

Xhosa people live in Transkei, and one cannot just go there and

get cobs of mealies. A pharmacist from Uitenhage tried and failed

to get any on his first effort. Later he did get some, from some sort

of stall. A Xhosa man from Durban who goes home to Transkei

every month got some samples grown from truly native gardens.

These were analysed by Professor Verbeek in the Department of

Chemistry, University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, (Republic of

South Africa)

"See Table I, Analysis of Mealies From Various Sources. Of

the four samples shown in Table I and collected in Transkei, the first

two came from land that had never had chemicals added, it was

truly a native garden. Information about the last two from Transkei

is being obtained. Transkei is the traditional home for the Xhosa

tribe.

"This table supports the hypothesis that was made four years

ago in Aberdeen in which the boron intake of national groups was