Archive for the ‘arthritis’ Category
There is a little-known natural solution to curing oneself of arthritis pain, which I discovered several years ago. During my nursing career I was never able to find relief for my arthritis pain until I turned to the field considered natural or alternative medicine.
To get the arthritis pain relief you’re seeking it’s helpful to understand how arthritis works. Arthritic joints appear to be larger, are stiff and painful, and usually feel worse the more they are used as the day progresses. Arthritis pain can be experienced whenever a stiff or swollen joint is used.
The cartilage is slippery tissue that coats the ends of the bones. In young people, cartilage is about 85% water and in older folks about 70% of cartilage is water. The ability to make repairs to cartilage becomes limited as cartilage cells age.
Researchers report a higher incidence of osteoarthritis between parents and children or between siblings than between husbands and wives. The cause of arthritis (osteoarthritis) and the factors leading to the deterioration of cartilage in osteoarthritis is still not understood. Possible causes of arthritis include lesser known: bleeding disorders, like hemophilia, which causes bleeding to occur in the joint; disorders such as avascular necrosis, that block the blood supply closest to the joint; and conditions like hemochromatosis, that causes iron build-up in the joints.
Some people swear by morning drinks of raw apple cider vinegar and honey for arthritis pain relief. Try avoiding the eight most allergic foods, wheat being the most allergenic; they are wheat, corn, eggs, milk, peanuts, fish, shellfish and some nuts, not all. Some people swear by glucosamine and/or chondroitin and others say it didn’t help at all.
Many have told me that going off dairy products and gluten containing foods relieved their arthritis pain entirely. Making a ginger tea, by adding a thin slice or two of fresh gingerroot to hot water, is helpful to many people I know. For snacks, choose raw nuts without salt instead of lifeless roasted nuts.
The first step in managing your arthritis is to change your diet; I think all experts would agree on this. Dried Montmorency tart cherries seem to be helpful for arthritis pain also.
Make smoothies with fruit only using a base of two bananas, adding a cup of frozen or fresh blueberries and mango chunks or substitute any other fruit and add an energy boost of two tablespoons of coconut oil; add one or two leaves of kale for another highly nutritional boost — no one will ever know. Many arthritis sufferers have changed their diets and noticed significant or total improvement.
Even the lightest exercise can go a long way to maintaining your joint mobility and overall health. Sign up for water aerobics classes at your local community center. If weight is an issue, try to use exercises that will help you in losing weight such as walking. A good exercise routine is the key to beating arthritis and arthritis pain.
Keep a bedside basket of arthritic aids for arthritic hands (theraputty, hand grips, Taiji chime balls, etc.) to be used at bedtime or while watching television. Fight arthritis through proper exercise! Stretching and warming up the joints should always be the first step in your exercise routine to make your joints more flexible.
Only you know which treatment option is best for you. Drugs commonly used for arthritis pain can cause ulcers, heart disease and liver or kidney damage.
Let your doctor and pharmacist know about any other drugs, herbs or other supplements you’re taking, to ward off any adverse drug reactions that might occur from the combining of different drugs or supplements.
Your treatment plan should include an anti-arthritis diet, exercise, and a positive mental attitude. I got rid of my arthritis pain years ago when I stopped eating dead food and changed my diet to all living foods; you can do it too. Begin your treatment program with a diet change, exercise and weight loss plan to see results and pain relief fast.
Helen Hecker
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/free-yourself-from-arthritis-pain-now-with-these-tips-133776.html
I got rid of my arthritis and arthritis pain forever by doing one single thing – read on. There is a little-known natural solution to curing oneself of arthritis pain that I discovered several years ago.
Arthritic joints appear to be larger, are stiff and painful, and usually feel worse the more they are used. Arthritis is usually found in the joints of the fingers, feet, knees, hips, and spine. Unlike some other types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis is not systemic – it does not spread through the entire body.
Joints are designed for normal and painless movement and are primarily supplied by the synovium and cartilage. Cartilage contains chondrocytes, water, proteoglycans and collagen; chondrocytes are the basic cartilage cells and are necessary for balance and function. The combination of the collagen meshwork and high water content tightly bound by proteoglycans creates a resilient, slippery pad in the joint, which resists the compression between bones during muscle movement.
Aging cells may be a factor in the development of arthritis. It’s generally thought that inflammation plays a minor role in osteoarthritis and is more likely to be a result, not a cause, of arthritis. As chondrocytes (the cells that make up cartilage) age, they lose their ability to make repairs and produce more cartilage; this process may play an important role in the development and progression of osteoarthritis.
Nutrition experts say it takes a combination of supplements, that no one supplement can relieve arthritis pain, build cartilage, etc. Try massaging your fingers or other affected joints with coconut oil twice a day. One natural treatment method involves avoiding all inflammatory foods.
If your osteoarthritis is affecting your load-bearing joints, keeping your weight within a normal range is important. Make smoothies with fruit only using a base of two bananas, adding a cup of frozen or fresh blueberries and mango chunks or substitute any other fruit and add an energy boost of two tablespoons of coconut oil; add one or two leaves of kale for another highly nutritional boost — no one will ever know. Dried Montmorency tart cherries seem to be helpful for arthritis pain also.
A study in Great Britain touted the beneficial effects of cod liver oil on osteoarthritis; relieving pain and stiffness, and reversing the destruction of joint cartilage within 24 hours. Watch your diet closely – load-bearing joints are affected by excessive weight; they are the hips, knees, feet and spine.
I eat a diet of living foods (fruits, raw veggies, raw nuts and raw seeds) to relieve my arthritis pain and this should be tried for at least 30 days, thus eliminating any foods that might be culprits. If you’re not already doing so, make a big effort to watch your diet.
To be on the safe side always seek your doctor’s advice before starting or changing your exercise program. Whatever you do, keep moving; don’t sit when you can stand, don’t stand when you can walk. For arthritic fingers, a good exercise is to put your finger tips together and press hard and release, then repeat several times. Use Taiji health balls, with the chimes, to strengthen the finger joints: hold two balls, move in a clockwise circle with your fingers to rotate them, then try counterclockwise and do throughout the day.
Try to keep painful joint areas in motion, even in a limited manner. Keep a bedside basket of arthritic aids for arthritic hands (Theraputty, hand grips, Taiji chime balls, etc.) to be used at bedtime or while watching television. Stretching and warming up the joints should always be the first step in your exercise routine to make your joints more flexible.
Be aware that the use of NSAIDs or Cox-2 inhibitors do not halt the progress of osteoarthritis and may even hasten the onset. If you’re planning to take any of the non-prescription NSAIDS for arthritis, make sure you understand what bad effects they can have on the stomach, liver and/or kidneys and discuss this with your doctor. At the very least, understand what the side effects and adverse reactions are for any drug you take.
Knowing more about arthritis and how it works will ultimately help contribute to your relief of arthritis pain. One should not only search for relief of arthritis pain but work on preventing it. Your treatment plan should include an anti-arthritis diet, exercise, and a positive mental attitude.
Helen Hecker
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/effective-arthritis-pain-relief-tips-and-treatments-133775.html