| Arthritis Treatment |
| 1 Year Money Back Guarantee |
| Alphabetical Product Index |
Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation; plural: arthritides) is a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints of the body. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people over the age of 65. There are many forms of arthritis, each of which has a different cause. Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are autoimmune diseases in which the body is attacking itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection. Gouty arthritis is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint that results in subsequent inflammation. Additionally, there is a less common form of gout that is caused by the formation of needle shaped crystals of calcium pyrophosphate. This form of gout is known as pseudogout. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease and occurs following trauma to the joint, following an infection of the joint or simply as a result of aging. There is emerging evidence that abnormal anatomy may contribute to early development of osteoarthritis.
If you suffer from rheumatoid, juvenile, or osteoarthritis, you’ve probably tried everything you can think of to ease the pain from arthritis. Pain relievers, anti- inflammatories, heating pads, ice packs – they all may provide temporary pain relief. But have you ever thought that your diet could make a difference? One obvious way diet can impact arthritis pain is if you are overweight. It’s simple…excess body weight puts more strain on already-painful joints, leading to even more pressure and pain. For example, for every pound you’re overweight, you actually add 3-5 pounds of extra weight to each knee when walking. Think about that. If you are 10 pounds overweight, you are adding 30-50 pounds to every step. No wonder your knees hurt! Not only does being overweight increase the pain from arthritis, but people with more body fat may have higher blood levels of substances that cause inflammation. The solution? Lose weight…reduce the pain. But, while exercise is an important factor in weight loss, you might be in too much pain to get even started. Therefore your diet becomes even more important. Well-balanced meals have always been touted as a natural way to a healthy lifestyle. In the case of arthritis sufferers, there are actually certain foods that can make a noticeable difference. For example, you want to make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants, such as beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin carotenoids found in yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, have been shown to reduce the likelihood of developing arthritis, and are a great source of Vitamin A, which is important for bone health. And Vitamin C has been shown in studies to prevent rheumatoid arthritis. Indeed, people who eat the least amount of fruits and vegetables were twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis. Calcium is also important, and milk, cheese and yogurt are the best sources for it. However, your body also needs Vitamin D to be able to absorb calcium. While Vitamin D is formed when sunlight falls on your skin, you can also get it from eating oily fish or taking vitamin supplements and, as there is evidence that arthritis gets worse faster in people who are low in Vitamin D, making sure you have enough is a must. You also want to increase your fiber by eating more bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. You may have thought that eating those foods wasn’t good for you. On the contrary, many starches are low in calories and fat. The problem comes with you slather your bread with butter or your potato with sour cream or your pasta with fattening sauces…and then eat too large a portion. By choosing starches instead of fatty foods, and not overeating, you can fill up and lose weight at the same time. Since there are specific nutritional requirements your body needs to help you heal naturally, making sure you’re getting the right vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants is vital to your health. If you want to reduce the pain of arthritis or slow its progress, eating healthy will make a difference.
Through Diet Sometimes dealing with the pain of arthritis has side effects that have the potential to make the pain worse. For example, some arthritis medications, such as prednisone, list weight gain as a known side effect. Indeed, taking steroids makes losing weight harder because they increase your appetite and can also cause fat to accumulate in your body. Considering that, if you are 20 pounds overweight, you are putting an additional 60-100 pounds of weight on your knees with each step you take, putting on weight when you suffer from arthritis is not good. Granted, the benefits of steroid arthritis treatments can often be amazing, but swapping pain reduction for weight gain that then increases the pain…well, there’s got to be a better way. Now that you are aware of the side effects of such powerful pain medications, you are also now able to do something about it. While you may not feel ready or able to exercise, you certainly can change your eating habits to not only avoid gaining weight (or even lose some) but also assure that you get the right vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to meet the specific nutritional requirements needed to deal with your arthritis pain. The fact of the matter is, too many of us eat too many empty calories and don’t get enough nutrients. We don’t eat enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and eat far too much saturated fat, salt, and sugar. Basically, we simply don’t eat in a healthy enough manner to positively provide arthritis relief. So, what should we do about it? By reducing our calorie intake by as little as 50-100 calories per day, we can avoid gaining weight while taking steroids. (And, by cutting out 500 calories a day, we can lose weight in a safe and effective manner.) So, the first step to arthritis pain relief through diet is to simply eat smaller portions. But, if you can’t bring yourself to do that quite yet, simply changing what you eat can often have the same effect. For example, you could eat more starches (like bread, baked potatoes, rice, and pasta) and less fat, feel just as full, and yet be eating fewer calories. Now, it doesn’t work if you load that baked potato with a heaping tablespoonful of butter and another of sour cream. But, if you substitute in fat-free sour cream and margarine, you’ll save 80 calories right there…and it’ll still taste great! Or, instead of eating #016EBB bread, try whole wheat. It’s got fewer calories and has more of the vitamins, minerals and fiber you need. Or how about trying smaller portions of just high-calorie foods and adding vegetables to your plate to fill you up? Vegetables such as carrots, squash, corn and sweet potatoes are a great source of Vitamin A, which is important for bone health. And try drinking water or skim milk with your meal, not sugary soft drinks. Adding milk to your diet will increase your calcium intake, while cutting out even one 16-ounce soft drink will reduce your calorie intake by 240 calories. Cut out two, and you’re on your way to losing weight! Relieving your arthritis pain naturally through diet is a great way to deal with the side effects of arthritis pain treatments, so why not give it a try? You have nothing to lose but some weight…and your pain!
There is no doubt that natural arthritis pain treatments and alternative medicine can complement more traditional arthritis therapies. It used to be that such treatments were written off by Western medicine as worthless, but not anymore. Fortunately, doctors are far more open-minded and receptive to alternative treatments than at any time in the past. They have begun to see the value of complementary medicine as well as realize that their patients’ interest in alternative treatments is not just based on desperation, but from awareness that natural treatments simply make sense. Even the American Medical Association (AMA) has realized this. And, as more and more people with chronic conditions chose alternative treatments when conventional therapies didn’t provide them with acceptable results, the medical evidence has grown that natural alternative treatments for the relief of arthritis pain actually work. For example, the practice of yoga assists in developing strength and flexibility through various gentle, low-impact poses. Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial arts exercise whose fluid circular movements help improve range of motion and mobility. And meditation allows your mind and body to find the quiet time it needs for the purpose of healing as well as decreases the heart rate, blood pressure, and stress levels. In addition, there are natural nutritional supplements that meet the vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant requirements that have repeatedly been proven to have a positive effect in arthritis pain treatment. Indeed, scientific research is increasingly discovering real therapeutic potential in many herbs, chemical compounds and other substances sold as dietary supplements. Doctors have recognized that glucosamine with chondroitin can lessen the pain in people suffering from osteoarthritis as well as reduce the breakdown of cartilage. (And, as anyone who has had cartilage damage can tell you, lost of cartilage can result in unbearable pain as the bones rub against each other without the protection cartilage provides.) Doctors also recognize that proper amounts of Vitamins A and D can make a difference in the treatment of arthritis, as does Vitamin C and collagen treatments for people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. And they have found that antioxidants, such as those found in green tea, fruits and vegetables, can significantly reduce cell damage. Today many supplement formulas are created to meet specific health needs, such as for arthritis pain relief. Such specially designed formulas save arthritis pain sufferers the trouble and expense of taking multiple pills to accomplish the pain relief they are seeking. In addition, certain combinations of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs just work better when taken together. There are many natural arthritis pain treatments that can provide pain relief. In addition, when used to treat the early symptoms of arthritis, they can even slow down its development. It’s in your best interests as an arthritis pain sufferer to check them out.
While being careful about what you eat and making sure you meet the specific nutritional requirements your body needs to cope with arthritis, exercise can also help arthritis sufferers in managing their pain. Gentle to moderate exercise has long been proven to help reduce joint pain and stiffness, the primary cause of arthritis pain. This doesn’t mean you should just go out and start exercising. You need to be careful to exercise appropriately so as to avoid causing harm. The amount and type of exercises you can safely do varies depending on the type of arthritis you have as well as the joints involved, the level of inflammation, and the stability of the joints. Plus, if you have joint replacements, that’s another factor to be taken into consideration. Bottom line… you should talk to your doctor before you start any kind of exercise program. However, before you discount exercise as something that sounds good, but you aren’t interested in, because you hurt too much and just aren’t convinced that it will help, think about these other benefits of gentle to moderate exercise to arthritis sufferers.
Decreasing bone loss is particularly important for people suffering from rheumatoid or juvenile arthritis. The best exercises for dealing with bone loss are weight-bearing exercises such as walking, climbing stairs, and dancing.
can increase the pain of arthritis. The fact of the matter is that more weight equals more pain. Any exercise done regularly will burn calories and, therefore, help you lose weight.
But sleeping well is part of the healing process. And not sleeping well can actually aggravate pain. Aerobic exercise in particular has been shown to have effects similar to sleeping pills in people who don’t sleep well.
even though they deal with it on a regular basis. That’s the mental health aspect of pain. Chronic pain changes your life. You may have to give up doing things you’ve always loved to do, such as playing softball. Or you can’t push your grandkid on a swing for more than a minute or so…if that long. Giving up things you love and worrying about what else you’ll have to give up can often lead to depression and anxiety. But, besides the fact that making the decision to exercise…and then actually doing it…puts you back in control of your life, the endorphins released by exercise provide you with a sense of well-being, a sense of hope…as well as actual relief from the pain of arthritis. As you can see, not only is exercise effective in the treatment of arthritis, it also gives you control over your arthritis pain treatment.
|
