Tag: Arthritis

Arthritis Management Through Diet

Arthritis Management Through Diet
Kathryn Whittaker

The term arthritis refers to the chronic inflammation of joints throughout the body. Arthritis is one of the most rapidly growing chronic conditions in North America. Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is also known as wear and tear arthritis and degenerative joint disease. This form of arthritis classically affects the knee joint, the hips and other weight bearing joints. Other forms include rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis.

New treatments for arthritis are constantly researched. The most common arthritis medications are non-steroid or steroid anti-inflammatory drugs which, although effective, have serious side-effects. They can have unpleasant side effects: cause weight gain, acne, osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, cataracts and infections. The side effects of steroids impact on almost every system of the body, and the more steroids you take, the more side effects you are likely to experience.

The newest findings link arthritis not only to poor diet and obesity, but also to the overall state of the immune system. Quite recently, researchers have found a protein in the immune system that malfunctioned in patients who have arthritis or other inflammatory diseases. Doctors believe they can block this protein to reduce the need for steroids.

As the general population ages, the number of people with arthritis is growing. Today arthritis medications are aimed at baby-boomers who have spent more years living with obesity than the previous generation. Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have found that there are more cases of obesity-related arthritis among baby boomers compared to the previous generation.

What we eat often plays a large role in setting the stage for the start of arthritis. There are a few changes anyone can make to their diet to successfully offset arthritis even without using arthritis medications.

The typical North American diet contains an overwhelming amount of cooked, processed and other acid forming foods. A healthy diet should be 70lkaline and 30cidic. Unfortunately, the average North American diet has reversed this ratio.

Instead of eating cooked foods that are acid forming, a diet of mostly raw, fresh vegetables, fruits and reducing the consumption of meats are an excellent way to help reduce inflammation throughout the body.

To ease your arthritis symptoms without succumbing to arthritis medications, avoid foods that form acid in your body. These foods include bread, coffee, corn, honey, oatmeal, peanuts, rice, soy, pasta and wheat. When treating arthritis, stay away from saturated fats, such as butter, cream, and margarine.

Antioxidants in brightly colored fruits and vegetables offer substantial protection against arthritis. By eating more yellow and orange fruits and vegetables you will consume antioxidants called carotenoids, which can lower your chances of developing inflammatory arthritis. Some dietitians suggest that night-shade vegetables are unsuitable for arthritis patients, which means you should think twice about eating peppers, (red, green and yellow), potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants.

Build your arthritis diet around such alkaline-forming products as most berries, bananas, dates, figs, prunes, raisins, almonds, asparagus, avocado, fresh beans, beets, carrots, grapes, plums, spinach, apricots, broccoli, all kind of cabbage, cantaloupe, celery, cherries, chestnuts, chicory, coconut milk, fresh sweet corn and cucumbers. Focusing on vegetables instead of proteins will ease many other symptoms and help you reduce weight too.

Proper hydration is a must. Drink half your weight in ounces that would be 75 oz of water for a person weighing 150 pounds. If you must drink alcohol, coffee or soda, drink an extra 16 oz of water for every alcoholic drink and cup of coffee or soda you consume in addition to the water you would normally drink.

Arthritis is a condition that takes years to develop. In many cases, arthritis can be avoided or effectively managed through the use of alternative methods that include proper nutrition, hydration and specific nutritional supplements that can reduce the damage done to aging joints.

About the author:

Kathryn writes articles on a number of different topics. For more information on Arthritis please visit http://www.arthritis-resource.comand for additional articles on Arthritis http://www.arthritis-resource.com/arthritis-articles/

Arthritis & Joint Health

Arthritis & Joint Health
StarHerb

Arthritis & Joint Health :Many millions of people are affected by pain and suffering from Arthritis and research has shown that Glucosamine and Chondroitin sulphates combined have given these people new hope and relief from their painful ailments. Arthritis it causes pain, stiffness and sometimes swelling in or around joints. This can make it hard to complete simple movements you rely on every day for work or taking care of your family. But you can take steps now to avoid arthritis or to reduce pain and resume normal daily activities.There are more than 100 different types of arthritis and the cause of most types is unknown. Scientists are currently studying what roles three major factors play in certain types of arthritis. These include the genetic factors you inherit from your parents, events which occur during your life and how you live on a day-to-day basis. The importance of these factors varies by type of arthritis.Even though there is a lot of mystery surrounding arthritic joint pain, there is also a tremendous amount of research that points to certain nutrients that help nutritionally support this condition.Both short and long term studies have been performed with a nutrient called Glucosamine Sulfate. Glucosamine works to stimulate joint function and repair. It is most effective in treating osteoarthritis, the most prevalent form of arthritis. A number of studies over the last 20 years have shown this to be true. For example, a 1982 clinical study compared usage of the NSAID ibuprofen with glucosamine sulfate, for osteoarthritis of the knee. The over-all results showed that 44% of the glucosamine group had pain relief compared to 15% for ibuprofen.A long-term effects study was done with glucosamine and arthritis reported in the Lancet. the authors concluded that, “Glucosamine sulfate prevents the progression of osteoarthritis of the knee, in addition to relieving the symptoms.” The health supplements carry by StarHerb for Arthritic and Joint Pain not only contain all of these nutrients; it utilizes the exact forms that were shown in the studies to be effective. The forms which are the best to look for are:Glucosamine Sulfate 2Kcl which is the exact form used in most of the studies showing benefit.It is hard to enjoy your family, friends, hobbies or even money without your health and joint pain is definitely one of the big contributing factors to a poor quality of life. StarHerb Health Nutrition products formula brings these great joint nutrients to nutritionally support the body along with 100% of your daily needs of the essential nutrients all in one formula. About the Author
http://www.starherb.com

Arthritis Information and Help Is Only a Click Away

Arthritis Information and Help Is Only a Click Away
Paul Heath

Keeping up to date with the latest arthritis information is
vital for anyone that lives daily with the pain and suffering
arthritis can cause. Research continues to make progress mainly
in finding the basic causes for the key types of arthritis, as
arthritis at his moment in time cannot be cured. However you
must stay alert and watchful, as an arthritis cure will
certainly be found before long.

There are a variety of Internet sites you can visit that will
keep you updated on all of the most up-to-date news and
arthritis information. A great place for arthritis information
is the Arthritis Foundation which you can go to at:
arthritis.org. Here you can learn about osteoarthritis,
rheumatoid arthritis and all various forms of arthritis. You can
also take a quiz to see what kind of health your joints are in.
The Arthritis Foundation is full of arthritis information,
including drug treatments, alternative therapies, how to
understand your lab tests, and more.

Another great Internet site to visit is UW
Medicine/Orthopaedics’ and Sports Medicine. This site can be
accessed by going to: orthop.washington.org. You can read many
articles at this site which were written by medical
professionals. These articles will give you information on
aspirin and related drugs, fatigue and lots of other articles on
arthritis information.

One website you should check out is the Arthritis National
Research Foundation. This website will give you much arthritis
information at: curearthritis.org. If you are interested in
supporting arthritis research, this is a great place to start.

If you are newly diagnosed with arthritis, nothing beats going
to the library. The library is full of arthritis information.
You can read stories of other osteoarthritis and rheumatoid
arthritis patients and learn about various alternative
treatments and medication. You should also contact your local
hospital to see what services they offer your community in way
of arthritis information and support.

Only a doctor knows how to identify whether or not you have
Arthritis. Therefore your best resource of arthritis information
should always be your doctor. Your doctor has the knowledge and
experience to answer your questions, so don’t hesitate to ask.
That is what he or she is there for. Many patients do not want
to take up their doctor’s time and avoid asking questions for
fear of sounding foolish or naive. Any good doctor will
encourage you to ask questions and he or she will do everything
they can to keep you abreast of all the latest arthritis
information.

About the author:
For Osteoarthritis &
Rheumatoid Arthritis Information Please visit us at
http://www.keyarthritis.com

Arthritis-Hypnosis Connection

Arthritis-Hypnosis Connection
Paul Gustafson RN, BSN, CH

Did you know that we all have the ability to enhance self-healing, increase comfort and improve nutrition, exercise, communication and flexibility? This article explains clinical hypnosis and how it can bring relief to clients suffering from arthritis. Hypnosis is easy to learn, you can do it on your own and it empowers you to take an active role in your healthy well-being.
The subconscious mind has many jobs. It quietly and effectively regulates our bodily functions and stores all of our values, beliefs and memories. It also balances our blood pressure, heart rate and co-ordinates each step we take everyday of our life. The negative effects of arthritis extend into many areas of a clients life, as does the positive resolve and relief of hypnosis. Hypnotherapy is the simple process of accessing and directing the subconscious mind to support certain positive changes. It is the language of the mind, it access the most powerful level of awareness and down loads new applications of freedom and relief.
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It causes a deterioration of the protective lining of cartilage in our joints. This deterioration occurs due to a breakdown of the chondrocytes that form cartilage. Osteoarthritis affects men and women equally. Most people over 30 years of age have some features of early osteoarthritis. The degree of limitation depends on the location of the inflammation. The major areas of concern are hips, knees and spine. The development of osteoarthritis may be related to trauma, aging or heredity.
The symptoms of stress play a big role in exacerbating the situation. Communication with family and friends plays a key role in managing stress and hypnosis makes this a lot easier. Suggestions offered to a client during a hypnosis session encourage them to share whats on their mind enabling them to offload concern and frustration, giving them more time doing things they enjoy.
It takes energy to deal with any physical or emotional burden. Hypnosis creates ideal sedation allowing for sound sleep. We all follow the path of our most dominant thoughts and if the last thoughts a client has at bedtime involve deep restful sleep, they are in a much better position to recharge their body and mind for tomorrows challenges.
For those suffering with arthritis its often difficult just keeping up with the fast pace of day-to-day life. Hypnosis helps individuals adjust to a more appropriate pace and also to release the frustrations and anxiety associated with any limitation. Clients who routinely relax with hypnosis are more centered, balanced and less affected by things they can not control.
Increasing muscle tone reduces stress to affected joints, which increases mobility and comfort. Low impact activities like swimming; walking and range of motion exercises are commonly recommended to clients with arthritis. With hypnosis its easier to integrate new regimes and to establish positive subconscious connections between healthy activity and improved mobility, comfort and freedom.
The more protection in your joints, the more comfort and mobility you create. Since the subconscious controls the multitude of our bodily function, hypnosis can direct it to increase the production of chondrocytes, which increases the growth of healthy new cartilage. Pain is often the biggest issue with arthritis. Some pain, however, is necessary; it acts as a warning system telling us that something isnt right. The responsible approach with hypnosis is to only reduce unnecessary pain, leaving intact the bodys ability to signal us and protect us from further complications.
Hypnosis can also be used to regulate the flow and distribution of endorphins, which are the feel good chemicals the body uses to create comfort and relaxation. Using hypnosis to regulate endorphin production plays a big role in putting the client in control. Hypnosis can also alter the perception of where the pain is located. By redirecting sensitivity away from key areas such as hips, knees and vertebrae to a less critical part of the anatomy like a finger tip, the client has much more control.
The same approach can be used to attach a different quality to pain. A sharp pain can be perceived as dull; burning pain can be perceived as cool. Involving other senses is one of the distinct advantages hypnosis offers in managing the symptoms of arthritis. Another technique involves using one color to represent pain and another to represent comfort, and then blending the two offering instant relief.
Lastly, by attaching a number value to pain creates the option of change. By imagining a yardstick during hypnosis a client can pick the number that best reflects their current level of pain, and then they are directed to different numbers which changes their perceived level of discomfort.
With hypnosis arthritis sufferers gain a distinct advantage in managing and even reversing the limitations of arthritis. Hypnosis is simple, empowering and extremely effective. A few sessions with a hypnotherapist gets you started and with a little practice you begin to effect healthy positive changes in your life. We all have remarkable self-healing abilities and hypnosis is an excellent way to jumpstart a return to a healthier more active life.

About The Author

Paul Gustafson RN, BSN, CH runs HealthyHypnosis.com of Burlington, Massachusetts. His 11 years of acute cardiac and hospice experience offer a solid foundation supporting his clinical approach to hypnotherapy. Visit HealthyHypnosis.com or call toll free at 888-290-3972.
[email protected]