Arthritis Joint Pain - Ways to Manage Pain

Arthritis is often considered as a single condition. The fact is that arthritis is the name given to a set of conditions which leads to swelling up (or more technically inflammation) of the joints of the body. There are over a hundred rheumatic conditions and a few other non-rheumatic conditions which are collectively known as arthritis.

It is likely to affect people who are involved in physical or manual labor. Due to the wear and tear of the various joints in the body one could develop arthritis. This is more commonly known as Osteoarthritis. This affects hips, hands, knees and spine leading to chronic pain. One other important variant of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis. It is similar to some of the autoimmune diseases like lupus. The body starts attacking the cells that are present in the joints mistaking them for foreign agents!

Arthritis in theory can affect people of all ages. The statistics suggest that people above the age of 50 have a high likelihood of getting this disease. Early detection of arthritis is absolutely necessary as they could lead to debilitating and fatal medical conditions, if left untreated.

It is not difficult to identify arthritis early. Symptoms usually include fatigue, joint pain, muscle stiffness and weight loss. But these symptoms could be indicators of other medical conditions as well. A combination of these issues usually warrants a check up with your physician who is likely to identify an arthritis condition easily.

It is very important to understand that arthritis is neither fatal by itself nor curable completely. The first thing that you should do if you have arthritis is to understand your limitations and adjust your lifestyle accordingly. You should be ready to acclimatize yourself to chronic pain!

There are a lot of medications for reducing pain. Biological response modifiers, non steroid pain killers, selective inhibitors and glucocorticoids are some of the options. Almost all of these medications involve deadening or inhibiting the transmission of pain impulses. But there have been a lot of concerns raised over the side effects of these drugs. They are said to cause increased vulnerability to heart diseases at a later stage.

As an alternative to medicine you could try out some exercises with chiropractors. Some even like to resort to topical medicines like balms which greatly help to alleviate the pain by a substantial degree. Most of these medicines contain glucosamine and chondortin, both of which are used by the body to create cartilages which are the most important part of joints. The wear and tear faced by joints cause pain. If these two drugs are used they help to repair the torn cartilages making your joints healthy!

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12 Foods That Fight Arthritis Joint Pain

#1 - Cantaloupe
#2 - Mangoes
#3 - Papaya
#4 - Apples
#5 - Grapes
#6 - Fish
#7 - Anchovies
#8 - Nuts
#9 - Garlic
#10 - Curry
#11 - Chile peppers
#12 - Water

It's long been accepted by people all over the world that food has many more benefits that just nourishing our body and delighting our taste buds. Various foods have been used for millions of years, in every country in the world, to treat a variety of health issues, from gout to arthritis. These days, food is still used to treat conditions like arthritis, with the main difference being that these days, science can tell use exactly why certain foods work for treating the painful symptoms of arthritis. And it turns out that grandma was right about the following foods making her bones and joints feel better!

So let's talk fruits. Cantaloupe contains large amounts of Vitamin C and the plant version of Vitamin A, known as Beta Carotene. These vitamins have been found to control free radical damage that contributes to certain conditions in the body, including arthritis.

Mangoes also have Vitamin C and Beta Carotene, and also contain Vitamin E. And a benefit of mangoes is that they contain almost the entire recommended daily allowance of all three of these vitamins!

Papaya contains even more Vitamin C, at three time the recommended daily allowance, as well as Beta Carotene. Between these three tropical, sweet fruits you should be able to find one that delights your taste buds and fights arthritis!

And those aren't the only fruits that play a role in treating and/or preventing arthritis. Apples and grapes contain a mineral called boron, which is known to reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis. And by itself, boron has been shown to help build strong bones and reduce the pain of those who already have the disease.

So what else helps the symptoms of arthritis? Fish and nuts, in a nutshell! Nuts are another great source of boron, and fish and anchovies contain Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which as we know do a whole host of good thing for the body, including reducing joint pain and inflammation.

There are also certain spices that are shown to help with arthritic conditions. Garlic, for example, contains sulfur, which has long been used to treat arthritis. Curry contains quite a few powerful antioxidants that fight pain and inflammation, and chile peppers have capsaicin, which is commonly found in over the counter joint pain relievers.

And last but not least, water! Drinking eight glasses a day is the recommended amount, which in the case of arthritis, flushes uric acid from your body, thereby reducing pain.

Juicing is one of the most efficient ways to get a large amount of nutrients and vitamins into your diet. To learn more about this powerful health tool and to find out which stainless steel juicer is best visit Juicer Advisor and discover the benefits of juicing.

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How Does the Food We Eat Affect Our Arthritis?

Does the Food You Eat Affect Arthritis Symptoms?

We are bombarded with so much health information nowadays that sometimes it is hard to know what to believe. With arthritis you hear about food that help such as, fish oils, ginger and cayenne pepper and then we have the other side that people have reported being detrimental for their disease such as red meat,deadly night-shade vegetables, such as potatoes and tomatoes. However, I've concluded from recent research, there is no real answer between the relationship of food and arthritis. There is no scientific evidence that eating certain foods will cure or aggravate arthritis and even rheumatologists will not agree that there is a case to confirm a link.

Sometimes people will experience a remission of arthritic symptoms while they are trying out a new diet approach. However, experts say this probably is not a cure but only a coincidence. Apparently spontaneous remissions can occur for 30% of arthritis patients whether permanent or temporary happen, without any special foods or supplements. Another phenomenon that scientists caution us about is the "placebo effect" or "mind-over-matter "effect, where you belief that a certain food will cure you or relieve arthritis symptoms. Pain may reduce, but if the underlying disease has not been cured, it will eventually return, practitioners are convinced there is not a cure and the only relief is a continual trial and error of medication. In saying this holistic practitioners have a very different view and believe the link to food does contribute to the disease, not only the food but the contaminants in the food itself, such as pesticides and additives, So what can we do for ourselves when there is such conflict?

We have nothing to loose in eating the very best we can, even if it is not a cure, good food in high quality will contribute to our well being in other ways. By removing or eating less of processed and chemical laden toxins will increase the immune system and overall wellness. Maybe this is the increase in wellness or pain relief people experience when they are talking about a food link or special diet.

However, the allergy theory will continue to be investigated and in desperation people will continue to try all methods available for pain relief. In Arthritis Today an e-newsletter produced by the the Arthritis Foundation, recently reported that researchers in Norway found preliminary evidence that intestinal fluids of people with RA have above average levels of antibodies for certain foods-such as cow's milk, eggs, wheat and pork and antibodies involved in allergic reactions can cause inflammation throughout the body. Given that there is some evidence to support a connection between food allergies and arthritic inflammation and some people choose to try an elimination diet.

Let's say you suspect that milk is aggravating your symptoms, eliminate milk and other dairy products from your diet for three weeks and observe what happens. Then slowly reintroduce the dairy products into your diet, one at a time and note the reaction. To know for sure whether there is a direct relationship between the food and any changes in symptoms, you need to repeat this experiment a few times. Some people choose a full elimination diet, starting with a fast, if you are thinking about this type of plan, consult with a health professional first. Although your diet might not provide a cure, there are benefits to good nutrition plan, helping to keep stress levels down as well as a healthy weight not to put extra weight on your already swollen joints and tissue.

Remember, there are so many types of arthritis and people with arthritis are so unique, we have to look into what may or not work for us. By taking some responsibility for our care we may feel we have some control and contribution towards improving our wellness, we cannot rely on medical information we are given alone, everything in the medical field as in most areas of life is just trial and error, even in the well meaning medical field. Check out alternative health practitioners and gather all of the information you can and see what works for you. You are an individual person with a disease, that may although falls under a common name is a disease unique to you.

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Know the Causes and Types of Arthritis

Arthritis is frequently heard among adults who are experiencing joint pain. Arthritis majorly affects the joints and the musculoskeletal. Arthritis is considered as one of the leading causes of disability among population above 50 years of age.

The term Arthritis refers to a group of diseases and cannot be limited to single disease Osteoarthritis is one of the most common type of arthritis, which affects the elderly. Osteoarthritis is degenerative in nature and therefore affects the elderly.

There are various causes of arthritis and they vary depending upon the type of arthritis that one has. To understand the etiology of arthritis it is important to understand the physiology and anatomy of the joints.

Joints are the connectors between bones were as the ligaments keep bones in place and the muscles allow us to move freely. The cartilage is a stiff yet flexible connective tissue between bones, which helps in preventing friction and makes sure that our bones do not rub against each other. Cartilages have a covering, which help in moving the bones smoothly without pain. There is capsule, which produces a fluid known as synovial fluid that surrounds the joints and lines the cavity of the joints.

If you have joint pains it means that there is something wrong with your joints and you may have arthritis.the reason of the pain may vary depending on what kind of arthritis you have. It could be because the synovial fluid production is insufficient, or because the cartilage is wearing off or to whatever it is that is here could be various other reasons.

Apart from osteoarthritis, there are several other types of arthritis the most common once are rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and infectious arthritis. Juvenile arthritis although not degenerative like osteoarthritis is autoimmune and rheumatoid arthritis an inflammatory disorder and causes swelling and pain in the affected area.

Body weight is also known to affect the onset of arthritis and it is therefore recommended the overweight people should try to lose weight through regular exercise and controlling diet. Treatment for arthritis involves physiotherapy and occupational therapy, which helps the patients maintain joint mobility.

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