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Summer 2000

Dedicated To Eradicating Rheumatoid Disease From The Earth

The Arthritis Trust

Dedicated To Eradicating Rheumatoid Disease From The Earth

POTASSIUM DEFICIENCY AS A CAUSE OF

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

By Charles Weber

Email: weber@brinet.com

(A more complete discussion of the potential role of

potassium in arthritis may be found at Weber’s homepage

http://members.tripod.com/~charles_W/arthritis.html.)

his discussion of potassium is presented in the hope that one of

its readers will consider performing an experiment establish-

ing the effect of potassium on rheumatoid arthritis. There is no

report in the literature going back to 1914 of such an experiment.

Every essential nutrient should have been explored before this.

In view of the way hormones which are regulated by or regulate

potassium, such as cortisol and deoxycorticosterone (DOC) are in-

volved with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the low whole body

potassium content in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), potassium espe-

cially should have been investigated before now.

INTRODUCTION

Since the most serious aspect of the diarrheas is wasting po-

tassium, cortisol has acquired the attribute of conserving potas-

sium by moving it into the cells when cortisol declines. Cortisol

(but not corticosterone) is reduced during a potassium deficiency,

ARTHRITIS TRUST RECEIVES

TROPHY FROM THE MYCOPLASMA

RESEARCH FOUNDATION

In a surprise package, Harold W. Clark, Ph.D., head of

the Mycoplasma Research Institute in Beverly Hills, Florida,

awarded the trophy (right) to this foundation, along with a

signed and sealed certificate as follows:

Dear Dr. Clark:

Many thanks for the trophy and commendation on behalf

of this foundation and its board of directors. You, however,

are the one that should receive the award! You know, a lot

of things in this world can sadden one, but one of the

glowing spots is when people appreciate your work, and

show kindness.

One of the things that always saddens me is the “not-

discovered-here” syndrome, based, I believe, on greed and selfishness. Too many discover-

ies in medicine are left unknown because of this syndrome. Arthritis is no exception. We have

too many foundations unwilling to recognize one another, or one anothers’ interests and

knowledge because of the “not-discovered-here” syndrome. What you do helps in some small

part to push across that horrible barrier.

Again thanks!

Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr.

and this reduction accounts for many of the symptoms of RA.

Cortisol shuts down most of the copper enzymes when it de-

clines so that excretion of copper is increased and Lysil oxidase

inhibited. These last two attributes are proposed to account for most

of the mortality from aneurysms and infections during rheumatoid

arthritis (RA).

Thus the urgent necessity to survive during virulent diarrheas

has set people up in the course of evolution for some of the worst

symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

DISCUSSION

Judging by the drastic decline of mortality in babies suffering

from a virulent strain of diarrhea by potassium supplements,

po-

tassium loss in those diseases which force cyclic AMP to excrete

water into the intestines

must be the most serious effect of the

diarrheas. I suggest that this is the reason why cortisol has acquired

the attribute of moving potassium out of cells

and therefore into

the cells upon declining. It is also undoubtedly the reason why the

adrenal's cortisol secretion is inhibited by low serum potassium in

vitro (in the test tube) but not corticosterone.

The body thus has a

way of signaling for a decrease in cortisol secretion during a seri-

ous intestinal disease independently of ACTH. Thus the body in-

versely mobilizes defenses.

Endotoxin bacterial diseases force the body to secrete cortisol

by increasing ACTH

probably an adaptation by the bacteria to

force the body to inhibit the immune system. Glucosteroid response

(continued on page 5)

Trophy rendition of M.

gallisepticum, one of the known

causes of more than 80 forms if

rheumatoid disease including

rheumatoid arthritis.

(continued on page 4)