Here’s a reminder that not every natural treatment is the best natural treatment.

Lately, you may have read about a Chinese herb called thunder god vine, as I did in the August issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. This study found that it outperforms a prescription med when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis.

In fact, 65 percent of the folks on the herb reported a 20 percent improvement in their symptoms after 24 weeks – double the number of folks on the med who had the same improvement.

Now, on its surface the research is promising. This study is one of several in recent years that all support that same general trend: This herb with the funny name beats meds, or is at least as good as them, when it comes to rheumatoid.

So you’re probably thinking, “Where can I get some of this?”

Right?

Not so fast.

In addition to being perfectly natural, thunder god vine is also perfectly poisonous. It’s been used as rat poison and has even been a component of some insecticides. Just about every part of the plant is poisonous, except for the skinned root – and I still wonder how they managed to figure that out.

Would you trust the manufacturing process to ensure that the skinned root – and only the skinned root – ends up in your supplement?

Even if you say yes, hold on – because there’s more.

Thunder god vine’s side effects include diarrhea and other stomach problems, hair loss, decreased sperm count and even infertility, headaches, rashes and changes to the menstrual cycle.

Yes, the side effects of this thing may be as bad as those of your meds.

And this is what we know about it now. Remember, there hasn’t been a lot of research on thunder god vine, so there’s always a chance what we don’t know could turn out to be worse than what we already know.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a safe and natural alternative. There is a real, proven cure for rheumatoid, one that can not only stop the progression of this painful condition but even reverse the damage, no risky drugs or poisonous herbs needed.

I wrote all about it in the June issue of Health Revelations, and if you subscribe now you can read it in the online archives.

I’m convinced that in just a few years, everyone will be treating RA this way, even your own doctor – and millions of people will be feeling better than they have in decades. But you don’t have to wait – the answer is there for you right now.

There’s nothing quite as bad as giving someone a med with side effects worse than the condition it treats.

Actually, there’s one thing worse – giving that med to a child who doesn’t need it.

A new warning from the FDA says that kids who take certain arthritis meds face an increased risk for cancer. These meds will get a “black box” warning after the feds found dozens of cases of cancer in the kids who take them – and some of those cases were fatal.

These arthritis meds are big-name drugs with multibillion-dollar sales. While they’re usually aimed at adults, some doctors give them to kids diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disorder or rheumatoid arthritis.

Now, many adults (and even some doctors) don’t understand that kids can get rheumatoid arthritis – yet they do, and some of them even end up in wheelchairs because of this condition.

And they end up on these meds – and that’s truly sad, because there’s a better answer, one they’ve been trying real hard to keep from you. After all, they have drugs to sell.

I don’t like to use those meds with my adult patients, so I certainly would avoid them when helping a child battle rheumatoid arthritis.

RA is an autoimmune disease, so the real answer is not a drug that can only help keep some of the symptoms in check. It’s thorough testing to determine which allergen is causing the reaction in the first place.

Identify and remove that allergen, and you’ll heal the condition. It works in kids and adults alike. In fact, I wrote all about the real cause of rheumatoid arthritis – and the real cure – in the June issue of Health Revelations, and if you subscribe now you can read all about it in the online archives.

The last thing you want is to take these meds, no matter how old (or young) you are. In addition to the increased cancer risk in kids, these meds also have the potential for serious side effects, including infections and lymphoma.

So the answer to rheumatoid and other autoimmune disorders is not a med with side effects – the answer is likely already somewhere in your home or your diet.

Find that answer, and you’ll find the real cure.

Big Pharma’s endless vicious cycle added another loop recently when the Food & Drug Administration approved a med to treat the side effects of another med.

The crazy thing is, most people didn’t need that first drug to begin with. But don’t expect to hear about that from the FDA.

Glucocorticoid medications are steroids commonly used by folks who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

But like most of these meds, using them comes at a price, and a pretty high one at that. Glucocorticoid medications are one of the leading causes of secondary osteoporosis. In fact, an estimated 50 percent of the patients on glucocorticoids will eventually end up with an osteoporosis-related bone fracture.

Enter Big Pharma, which is always ready to offer up a pricey solution to the problems it has created.

Their latest move expands the use of another steroid to treat this form of osteoporosis.

But you can avoid the need for any of these drugs and their side effects. What most people don’t know – what most doctors don’t even know – is that rheumatoid arthritis is most often caused by a food allergy.

I wrote all about it in the June issue of Health Revelations, and if you subscribe now you’ll get to read that article in our online archives, along with my simple three-step plan for reversing joint damage.

You won’t hear about this anywhere else because there’s no drug to sell here and no big money on the line – only a real cure for your condition, no strings attached.

The alternative is drugs, such as those glucocorticoid medications. If your doctor starts you on those, or if you’re already on them, chances are now he’ll encourage you to take this new drug to deal with the side effects.

But this drug comes with plenty of risks of its own.

Some of the folks who have used it developed bone cancer. Although there’s not enough data out there to say for sure if the drug caused the cancer, it does have enough established side effects to make anyone think twice: decreased blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, nausea, leg pain, cramps, joint aches and more.

And then, you can ride that endless crazy train of meds, side effects, meds to deal with the side effects and more meds to deal with the side effects of the meds you take for the side effects of the first med.

I can’t think of anything more unnecessary than that.

What would you do to rid yourself of rheumatoid arthritis?

Big Pharma is betting that you’d be willing to put up with three months of “mild to moderate” side effects, after which “the worst” of them would be over.

Now, you don’t have to put up with side effects from any drugs to fight rheumatoid arthritis, whether it’s three months or three years. In fact, you can stop and even reverse rheumatoid completely naturally, and I’ll tell you more about that in a moment.

The new drug being tested right now is supposed to stop activity by the cells believed responsible for rheumatoid arthritis. A study on 43 rheumatoid patients published in July in Arthritis Research and Therapy found that this drug appeared to reduce joint inflammation while offering only those “mild to moderate” side effects.

They’re banking on the fact that many patients are suffering so badly from their arthritis pain that they’ll try just about anything to get it under control.

And they’re probably right. After all, many arthritis sufferers already hit their painkillers pretty hard, and until recently no one has wanted to talk about how bad those are for you. Now, they’re finally starting to suggest limits on painkillers, including lower doses and stronger warnings. There’s even talk of taking some off the market altogether.

That’s been a long time coming.

But before you start worrying about how you’ll handle your RA with weaker painkillers, let me share a little secret with you, something your own doctor probably doesn’t know: You can take control of rheumatoid arthritis on your own, without drugs of any kind.

It’s true.

So many patients come to me as skeptics – but a few months later, they’re true believers when they see – and feel – the results for themselves.  Many of them tell me they didn’t believe it was possible to feel as good as they do.

I outlined my three-step plan for stopping and even reversing rheumatoid in the May and June issues of Health Revelations. If you subscribe now, you’ll be able to read all about it in our online archives.

So don’t rely on painkillers or surgery, and don’t wait for that new drug and its side effects. Take control now, and feel better as your body repairs your joints for you naturally.