Aging is not a natural process. Contrary to popular belief, aging is not a consequence of time. Aging is a disease, and therefore should be treated as one.

As you add on more years to your life, the symptoms of the disease of aging become more acute, manifested in ailments and problems commonly attributable to aging. One of them is arthritis.

Arthritis is common among the elderly; if you live long enough, you can expect some stiffness in your joints. Wear and tear of your joints is normal. Osteoarthritis may develop in the joints that you work hardest, such as your spine, knees, hips and hands, resulting in inflammation.

In addition to usage and abusage, inflammation in your joints may be aggravated by toxins from the environment, such as pesticides, and from your foods that may contain known cancer-causing agents. The chemicals in the form of food flavorings, coloring, and enhancers may contribute to the elevated toxicity level in your body.

In addition, highly refined and processed foods immobilize your immune system, while tap water loaded with toxic industrial chemicals stress your body cells to the extreme. Believe it or not, you may be ingesting more than one hundred chemicals in your body every day. To make matters worse, DHEA - your body's hormone machine - gradually grinds down, as you grow older.

All these accumulative effects of the symptoms of the disease of aging may ultimately lead to the onslaught of arthritis, immobilizing your longevity living. The first step to control your arthritis begins with your body detoxification. Remove all chemicals from your body. Detoxify your body through fasting and EDTA chelation therapy to remove toxins accumulated over the years.

Fasting is one of the simplest and most effective ways of removing toxins, and may relieve some of the symptoms of arthritis. But fasting alone may not be a long-term solution.

EDTA chelation therapy employs intravenous drips of certain man-made amino acid to bind heavy metals and take them safely out of your body. EDTA chelation therapy is instrumental in removing calcium from your soft tissues, such as arteries, joints, and muscles, but not the calcium in your bones.

You should detoxify your body of toxins on a regular basis. Use herbs - such as dandelion, licorice root, milk thistle, and black walnut hull - and foods - such as burdock and beets - to facilitate the detoxification process.

After your body has been detoxified, a proper diet should help the rejuvenation process. A vegetarian diet or a balanced acid and alkaline diet may help you control some of your arthritis symptoms if you have already developed them. To find out your toxicity level or the pH level, use test strips (obtainable in most drug stores) to determine your body's acid-alkaline level. Avoid all processed foods in the supermarket. Avoid all non-foods, such as sugar, artificial sweeteners, food dyes and colorings, additives.

Reduce all dairy products; especially you may not have adequate lactose enzymes to digest milk proteins, leading to allergy reactions which may aggravate your arthritic symptoms.

Cut down, if not eliminate, meat from your diet: the very process of converting animal proteins into energy is itself a toxic metabolism process, producing an acid that promotes inflammation. Animal fats harbor toxic chemicals in your bones and joints.

Take anti-viral and anti-bacterial supplements, such as Echinacea. Also, take a dose of 25-50 milligrams of DHEA.

Eat healing foods, such as figs, berries (blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, and cherries) fresh greens (celery, cucumber, kale, parsley), whole grains, oats, brown rice, seeds and nuts, and beans and sprouts. Sprinkle flaxseed in your soup, salad, or just about anything you eat. Eat at least 30 grams of flaxseed a day.

Include cold water fish in your diet to get your omega-3 fatty acids to fight inflammation in your arthritis.

Use olive or flaxseed oil in your cooking. You already have too much bad oil in fast food, restaurant food. Don't use safflower and sunflower oils, and salad oils.

Drink green chlorophyll juices: barley or wheat grass juices. Drink one glass each day for one week, and then gradually increase to five or six glasses a day. Other juices include aloe vera with cabbage, and raw potato juice, which is especially good for arthritis.

Use common herbs to treat arthritis: Aloe vera (already used medicinally for thousands of years); avocado/soybean oil (for relieving osteoarthritis pain); cayenne or red pepper (blocking osteoarthritis pain of the knee); ginger (a potent anti-inflammatory agent); glucosamine (recommended by most doctors); and green tea (containing anti-inflammation polyphenols).

Drink shitake mushroom (not just any type of mushroom) soup once a week: •½ cup of shitake mushroom, di-stemmed and sliced; lb. of tofu (firm);1 kelp leaf;1 Tbs. of barley miso;4 green onions, sliced;2 cups of vegetable stock

Boil all ingredients, except miso and green onions, and simmer before adding the rest of the ingredients.

To relieve pain from osteoarthritis, apply cold compresses, an ice bag, or ice cubes in a plastic bag wrapped in a towel will help numb your pain. Or, alternatively, use heat to relieve both pain and stiffness of your joints. Sitting in a warm bath water for 10 minutes will do just that.

The long-term effect of arthritis is not just the pain inflicted but the immobility, which may lead to other far-reaching effects as you continue to age. Mobility is the closest thing to an anti-aging pill.