"I’m a changed person," Gaby says, "I do things now I thought I’d never do again." She’s one of many rheumatoid arthritis sufferers to benefit from a revolutionary new treatment.

Arthritis is an auto-immune disease. The painful joints are caused by the malfunctioning of the immune system. Now the cause, instead of the symptoms is treated with sterols and sterolins which regulate the immune system and are used in the treatment of Aids and cancer.

The pain started in Gaby’s fingers. At first she thought it was because she was using her hands to do all of the household chores. Then her knees also became painful. Relatives and friends said she could have arthritis. "That’s for old people," Gaby argued.

When she started limping in pain she went to a doctor. At first he thought she had a magnesium deficiency. "You’re too young to have arthritis," he said. When the pain increased, Gaby sought a second opinion. A blood test confirmed she had rheumatoid arthritis.

A rheumatologist told her she’d probably have to take medication for the rest of her life. If she didn’t her condition would deteriorate. "I was very depressed and cried a lot," says Gaby. She was terrified at the side effects of potent medication, but also terrified of landing up in a wheelchair without it.

She was so sore and stiff in the mornings she couldn’t get out of bed. She could no longer drive her car and depended on her sister for lifts. Her mother also had to help take care of Bianca. "I was miserable and made my husband miserable too," she recalls.

Gaby started using tissue salts and changed her diet. She ate more fruit and vegetables and less red meat. This increased her mobility, but pain was still part of her life. "Pain changes your life," she says, "I didn’t want to go out any more, I didn’t feel like socializing." Not even a trip to Madeira could cheer her up. She was uncomfortable on the flight there and back. And the pain in her legs meant she couldn’t walk up and down the island’s steep streets. When she fell pregnant with her second child the pain suddenly disappeared. But three months after Dylan’s birth it was back with a vengeance.

One day, paging through a health magazine, Gaby came across an article about Pretoria businessman Norman Nell, who’s arthritis had been cured with pant sterols and sterolins. She thought it was to good to be true but decided to try the remedy nonetheless.

The first week the pain in her fingers, joints and knees was worse than ever and she developed blood blisters on her hands and knees. She called the manufacturer of the medication and they advised her to persist with the treatment for at least three weeks. After the second week the pain subsided. "By the end of the third week all of the blisters and redness were gone. My pains disappeared and I was no longer stiff in the mornings," Gaby recalls. "I have always prayed for a cure, I think this is it."

Today, three months after starting the remedy, she can run after Bianca again like any young mother and take care of her six-month-old baby. She can drive again and easily lifts and carries bags of groceries. And she can’t wait for the family’s next trip to Madeira. "This time I’m going to enjoy it," she says.

The greatest advantage of treating rheumatoid arthritis with sterols and sterolins is that these plant fats are natural, non-toxic and don’t have any side-effects, says Professor Patrick Bouic of the University of Stellenbosch Medical School. The sterols and sterolins are active ingredients in a remedy originally developed from the African potato or Hypoxis plant. Last year YOU told you about this wonder remedy which boosts the body’s immune system and helps fight Aids, cancer, TB, psoriasis and arthritis. "International medical and scientific interest in this breakthrough has been overwhelming." Says Professor Bouic, who is conducting research on the effect of the remedy on the immune system. The arthritis trust in America has, for instance asked for permission to publish an article he wrote on sterols and sterolins on their internet web site.

Plant sterols and sterolins occur in all plants. In their natural state they are linked to plant fibres, making it difficult for them to be absorbed by the body during digestion. This is especially the case with older people, whose digestive systems become less efficient. Professor Bouic and his research team have proved sterols and sterolins increase the functioning of T-cells which control and regulate the immune system.

Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the malfunctioning of the sufferer’s immune system. Instead of attacking only bacteria, viruses and parasites in the body, the synovial membranes, which facilitate the movement of joints, are also attacked. Eventually the cartilage is destroyed and the bones eroded.

Rheumatoid arthritis is more common among the aged whose immune systems are no longer that efficient. When it occurs in young people it is usually a result of stress or some trauma such as a major accident. Osteoarthritis or arthritis of the bones is found mainly in the elderly whose cartilage has been worn away. It also manifests as chronic inflammation of the joints, but is mostly the result of injuries. Osteoarthritis sufferers can also benefit from the use of sterols and sterolins says professor Bouic, but it may take longer to see any results.

Sterols and sterolins cannot remedy the damage already caused to the joints and bones by arthritis. They can, however, prevent further damage and relieve the pain, but must be used for a long period of time. "This revolutionary approach to the treatment of auto-immune diseases will certainly be the approach of the future," says Professor Bouic.

At 63 Norman Nell is an active property businessman with no intention of retiring. Yet 30 years ago he was in such agony from rheumatoid arthritis he feared he wouldn’t be able to provide for his wife and two young sons. "One morning I woke up and it felt as if I had been scrumming against the entire Springbok front row," he says. "My whole body ached." His condition deteriorated to such an extent he was unable to button his shirt or tie his shoelaces. To get out of a chair he had to heave himself up with his arms. "The pain was terrible," he recalls. "In the mornings I prayed God would just lift my feet then I would put them down again. I often had to walk with the aid of a stick or with my wife’s support. It may have looked very romantic but I was using her as a crutch."

His doctors promised to keep him out of a wheelchair as long as they could, but warned him not to listen to quacks. So he was at first reluctant to take the capsules with plant sterols and sterolins an acquaintance had brought him. He’d been given the capsules by a businessman who was sponsoring research into the curative effect of the African potato after a family member had taken an extract of the plant and recovered from cancer. At the time the product was not for sale, but the businessman dished out handfuls of the remedy to willing guinea pigs. Norman was desperate enough to try it. "I stuffed the capsules into my mouth like mealie kernels," he says.