Arthritis Pain: Can Supplements Help?

Do you suffer from arthritis? Are you tired of suffering? Do you want it to end and now? Immediate pain relief is possible with over-the-counter pain medications. Unfortunately, the pain returns as soon as the medication wears off. What can you do? You can try herbal and dietary supplements. Many have little to no risks. In fact, most have additional health benefits.

So, what dietary supplements can help you treat, manage, or relieve the pain of arthritis?

Note: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not approve most of these supplements. We all know that this approval is important, but lack of approval does not mean a thing. Perform a standard internet search with the supplements highlighted below and you will hear first-hand that they do work.

Ginger. This supplement comes from the root of a ginger plant. Depending on the form, it comes from either fresh or dried root. What is ideal about this supplement is your options. You can choose from capsules, powder, extract, and oils. Up to two grams a day are recommended. The extract can be added to tea for taste.

According the popular Arthritis Today magazine, ginger extract helps with inflammation. It has the ability to slow down the chemicals that cause inflammation, including COX-2. In addition to aiding in arthritis pain, this supplement is an ideal cure for motion sickness, as it not only subsides pain, but nausea and vomiting too.

Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables, otherwise known as ASU. Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU) not only provides pain relief, but it lessens joint swelling and inflammation too. Various studies, since 2002, have shown that ASU did stop inflammation. Not only that, it slows the break down of cartilage and in some instances worked to repair prior damage.

Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables is available in capsule format. It can be found for sale at most health and nutrition stores. Read all labels before taking, but most call for two capsules a day.

Fish Oil. Fish oil has long been known for its health benefits. Fish oil comes from cold-water fish. The Arthritis Today magazine recommends up to two three-ounce servings of fish a week. For those unable to stomach the taste and smell, capsules and tablets are available. This supplement is affordable and available for sale at most retail locations, including department stores, nutrition stores, drug stores, and grocery stores.

As previously state, it has long been known that fish oil is a healthy supplement. It helps to promote healthy blood circulation. Due to its ability to protect against high blood pressure and heart disease, you cannot go wrong with this supplement. The reduction of inflammation in your joints and decreased pain are only the beginning.

Devils claw. Although the name sounds frightening, this supplement is an herbal remedy that was and is widely used in South Africa. It is available in powder, liquid, and capsule formats. According to the Arthritis Today magazine, the active ingredient in devils claw is Harpagoside. Many claim it reduces both joint pain and inflammation.

Devils claw is shown to reduce the inflammation and relieve the pain associated with arthritis. Unfortunately, there are known risks involved with this supplement. Those who are pregnant, taking blood thinners, antacids, or diabetes medication should not take the devils claw supplement, regardless of the form.

Ginkgo, also known as ginkgo biloba. Ginkgo has long been touted as a memory-enhancing supplement. Although medical professionals have yet to agree on this benefit, there is more. For many, it improves blood flow and circulation. This improves the overall health and wellbeing of the body. Some studies have shown that it reduces disease flair ups, including arthritis.

Ginkgo is available for sale in most retail stores. It is available in liquid, extract, or capsules format. The Arthritis Today magazine recommends choosing supplements with 24% flavonol glycosides and up to 7% terpene lactones.

As you can see, many herbal and dietary supplements can reduce the pain associated with arthritis. The good news? These are just a sample of the supplements available for sale. Before trying any supplement, including the ones highlighted above, research or speak to your primary care physician. Some can counteract with common over-the-counter or prescribed medications.

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Using essential fatty acids for reducing arthritis joint pain

Using essential fatty acids for reducing arthritis joint pain
rudy silva

Essential fatty acids provide protection for the whole body. In particular it is effective in reducing inflammation as experienced in joint pain or arthritis.

Most people will have to deal with arthritis especially as they get older. One way to eliminate or minimize this pain is to supplement with the essential fatty acids.

Osteoarthritis, the most common arthritis, is not the only arthritis that affects so many people:

* rheumatoid arthritis

* arthritis from lupus

* gout

* psoriatic arthritis

* reiters disease

* infective arthritis

As you age, the constant movement of the joints creates wear and tear. Toxic wastes that circulate in the blood, dead cells, and liquid can accumulate in the various joints and cause inflammation and pain. Continual inflammation can cause damage to the joints. In some cases the cartilage that coats the bone ends, wears down and joints then rub bone to bone causing extreme pain.

Using the essential fatty acids provides lubrication for the joints as the move against each other. This reduces the wear that can occur at these joints and this results in less inflammation.

There are several conditions and lifestyles that contribute to arthritis,

* Obesity

* Diabetes

* Heredity

* Poor nutrition

* Poor digestion

* Lack of water

* Allergies

* Repetitive use of fingers, hands, legs or arms

* Body injuries sports or accidents

Arthritis is a difficult disease to treat because there is usually more than one cause. Just working on one cause may not help enough to give pain relief. But it always helps to know the many things that contribute to arthritis so that different nutritional and lifestyles changes can be made.

The use of flax seed oil, omega-3, is known to provide anti-inflammatory benefits. Omega-3 breaks down into prostaglandins. It is the prostaglandins that provide the anti-inflammatory results.

So by using the omega-3, GLA, and EPA/DHA supplements, you can get some relief from arthritis. These oils reduce inflammation and pain and provide lubrication, thereby preventing some damage from occurring in your joints.

It is recommended that you use a good dose of,

* Borage oil

* Primrose oil

* NKO oil

Using these oil spread across the day, provides the benefit of feeling reduce joint stiffness and pain in the morning. Use the different oils one bottle at a time. This gives you the health benefits that these different oil provide.

One additional benefit to using these oils is the coating protection that GLA has in the stomach lining.

The standard treatment for arthritis is the use of NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors. These, however, have undesirable side effects such as attacking the stomach lining. Thousands of deaths and visits to the emergency are associated with the use of NSAIDs.

You can benefit greatly if you use NSAIDs by adding GLA oils to your diet and help to prevent the serious side effects of the NSAIDs.

There you have it. Eat the essential fatty acids and provide your body with what it needs to build strong and healthy joints.
Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He is the author of Constipation, Acne, Hemorrhoid, and Fatty Acid ebooks. He writes a newsletter called “Natural Remedies Thatwork.com”. For more information on arthritis go to: http://www.arthritis-remedies.for–you.info

Acne – Possible Link to MRSA

There is growing evidence that the major cause of MRSA is the inappropriate over prescribing of antibiotics by general practitioners. This is not news and it is common knowledge that most infections are viral and do not require antibiotics.

Also it is well known that antibiotics upset gut bacteria and lead to overgrowth of the intestinal tract with fungi such as Candida which is present in everyones guts, but normally kept in check by the probiotic bacteria surrounding it and which also produce chemicals to keep it in check. Antibiotic use can reduce the probiotic bacteria and allow the fungus to grow which over time can lead to inflammation and misdiagnosis of IBS later in life and open another chapter in prescribing.

A downward spiral we dont want to promote. Candida overgrowth and dysbiotic guts probably affect millions of 20 something’s who have just had years of antibiotics for acne, or million of 40 somethings who have been put on antibiotics for rosacea. We have clever ways of restoring the normal bacterial balance and reducing Candida without harsh antifungals.

However the use of antibiotics for skin infections such as acne and rosacea often at low doses and often for 3 to 6 months at a time is possibly a cause of MRSA in some patients (multi resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in hospitals.

It doesn’t matter whether oral or cream antibiotics are used they cause the same problem. In acne if you have many blocked pores (pilo sebaceous ducts) then the anaerobic bacteria propiobacterium acnes can start to colonise the area under the plug and cause inflammation and damage. This bacterium only survives in normal skin at very low levels as it likes to live in an environment where there is little or no oxygen. When you create a blockage as with acne, you create the environment for acnes. So antibiotics can help to reduce it, but they also hit other friendly skin bacteria and herein lies the problem.

Staphylococcus epidermidis lives on our skin and helps keep other nasty bacteria away. It likes an oxygen rich environment. The same antibiotics that reduce acnes often hit the staphylococcus epidermidis as well.

Now Staphylococcus epidermidis is related to Staphylococcus aureus. It lives inside the body and staphylococcus epidermidis lives on the skin. They meet at places such as the nose and other entrances into the body. They can pass information to each other through the use of things called plasmids and it is highly likely information for developing resistance is transferred.

Hey presto we have started the super bug development. The acne sufferer ends up in hospital for an operation. They get a wound infection either from their own bacteria but also through other bugs already there. S.aureus is a typical bacterium that infects wounds. The antibiotics used for wound infections are often the same or similar to the one that has been used for the patients acne, and it is not surprising they find the antibiotics dont work as the bugs are already resistant. This resistant strain becomes the dominant resident s.aureus in the hospital and is extremely difficult to remove and can go on to infect many other patients.

Using a product such as Aknicare which has 4 antibacterial agents which control p.acnes by changing conditions in the area under the plug rather than directly destroying it means you can prevent damage and inflammation without breeding resistant bugs. Aknicare can reduce p.acnes and all the other key causes of an acneic skin, such as inflammation, oil production, cell turnover all without breeding resistant bugs.

As a final thought the main treatment for rosacea recommended is rosex creams and gels. Rosex contains the antibiotic metronidazole. Rosacea patients often use it for months and years.

It works in a few. Metronidazole is also a powerful antioxidant and it is these properties that help with rosacea symptoms, not the antibiotic properties. Rosacea is not caused by bacteria. It is a sobering thought that the antibiotic most used in theatre to prevent infections during and shortly after surgery is metronidazole. Imagine if you had been using it for months or years before that operation.

Acne – Possible Link to MRSA

There is growing evidence that the major cause of MRSA is the inappropriate over prescribing of antibiotics by general practitioners. This is not news and it is common knowledge that most infections are viral and do not require antibiotics.

Also it is well known that antibiotics upset gut bacteria and lead to overgrowth of the intestinal tract with fungi such as Candida which is present in everyones guts, but normally kept in check by the probiotic bacteria surrounding it and which also produce chemicals to keep it in check. Antibiotic use can reduce the probiotic bacteria and allow the fungus to grow which over time can lead to inflammation and misdiagnosis of IBS later in life and open another chapter in prescribing.

A downward spiral we dont want to promote. Candida overgrowth and dysbiotic guts probably affect millions of 20 something’s who have just had years of antibiotics for acne, or million of 40 somethings who have been put on antibiotics for rosacea. We have clever ways of restoring the normal bacterial balance and reducing Candida without harsh antifungals.

However the use of antibiotics for skin infections such as acne and rosacea often at low doses and often for 3 to 6 months at a time is possibly a cause of MRSA in some patients (multi resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in hospitals.

It doesn’t matter whether oral or cream antibiotics are used they cause the same problem. In acne if you have many blocked pores (pilo sebaceous ducts) then the anaerobic bacteria propiobacterium acnes can start to colonise the area under the plug and cause inflammation and damage. This bacterium only survives in normal skin at very low levels as it likes to live in an environment where there is little or no oxygen. When you create a blockage as with acne, you create the environment for acnes. So antibiotics can help to reduce it, but they also hit other friendly skin bacteria and herein lies the problem.

Staphylococcus epidermidis lives on our skin and helps keep other nasty bacteria away. It likes an oxygen rich environment. The same antibiotics that reduce acnes often hit the staphylococcus epidermidis as well.

Now Staphylococcus epidermidis is related to Staphylococcus aureus. It lives inside the body and staphylococcus epidermidis lives on the skin. They meet at places such as the nose and other entrances into the body. They can pass information to each other through the use of things called plasmids and it is highly likely information for developing resistance is transferred.

Hey presto we have started the super bug development. The acne sufferer ends up in hospital for an operation. They get a wound infection either from their own bacteria but also through other bugs already there. S.aureus is a typical bacterium that infects wounds. The antibiotics used for wound infections are often the same or similar to the one that has been used for the patients acne, and it is not surprising they find the antibiotics dont work as the bugs are already resistant. This resistant strain becomes the dominant resident s.aureus in the hospital and is extremely difficult to remove and can go on to infect many other patients.

Using a product such as Aknicare which has 4 antibacterial agents which control p.acnes by changing conditions in the area under the plug rather than directly destroying it means you can prevent damage and inflammation without breeding resistant bugs. Aknicare can reduce p.acnes and all the other key causes of an acneic skin, such as inflammation, oil production, cell turnover all without breeding resistant bugs.

As a final thought the main treatment for rosacea recommended is rosex creams and gels. Rosex contains the antibiotic metronidazole. Rosacea patients often use it for months and years.

It works in a few. Metronidazole is also a powerful antioxidant and it is these properties that help with rosacea symptoms, not the antibiotic properties. Rosacea is not caused by bacteria. It is a sobering thought that the antibiotic most used in theatre to prevent infections during and shortly after surgery is metronidazole. Imagine if you had been using it for months or years before that operation.