What is Arthritis? A Definition

What is Arthritis? A Definition
Wendy Owen

Copyright 2006 Wendy Owen

Arthritis is known to affect around forty percent of the
Americans and over fifty percent of the people globally. This is
one disease that is responsible for the maximum amount of pain
worldwide and thousands of dollars have been spent on pain
relief medications because of this.

Arthritis is one of the oldest diseases known to mankind which
could date back to thousands of years – in fact the Romans were
believed to have built the roman baths for therapeutic reasons
other than hygiene – as the hot water baths were used by ancient
Romans to ease the pains associated with arthritis.

The word ‘arthritis’ is a blend of the ancient Greek word
‘arthron’ which translated literally means ‘joint’ and the word
‘it is’ which means inflammation – the disease being
inflammation of the joint.

Arthritis is an autoimmune disease disorder, which causes
inflammation, pain and stiffness of the joints and connective
tissues. This may be accompanied by redness, swelling and warmth
of the joints, which are medically identified as signs of
inflammation of the joints.

Connective tissues are a set of supporting tissues for the
joints – typical examples of connective tissue being –
cartilages, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Arthritis is a wide
spectrum of disease conditions that include well over one
hundred diseases – predominantly those of ‘Rheumatoid Arthritis’
which can occur at any age and ‘Osteoarthritis ‘ which usually
occurs after sixty years of age.

Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that is known to occur due to
a disorder of the immune system and usually continues throughout
life with periods of remission (characterized by total absence
of disease symptoms) and exacerbation (with increasing severity
of disease). The disease is known to occur more often in women
as compared to men.

Arthritis is known to present in a variety of ways such as some
arthritic conditions are chronic while others are intermittent
such as Gout. The arthritic conditions are either inflammatory
or degenerative. The inflammatory form of arthritis is
characterized by the presence of swelling, redness and warmth of
the involved joints while the degenerative form of arthritis is
best identified as having a small element of inflammation and
being predominantly degenerative – which is best known for the
wearing out of the cartilages lining the joints.

Simply put, arthritis can be defines as any inflammation of the
joint and could either be chronic or short term in duration.
There is no simple cure for arthritis, however there are many
natural remedies available which can ease the severity of
arthritis symptoms and effect a repair on cartilage,

About the author:
Visit http://www.natural-arthritis-medication.com your resource
for information on natural remedies for arthritis. The author
Wendy Owen is a health writer and researcher. Join our list and
receive a free 6 part arthritis mini course

About Adult Acne

Acne is often thought of as a teenage dilemma, and while it is true that acne appears most often during the teenage years, it is arguably just as true that there are a growing number of individuals that suffer from adult acne.

Adults in their twenties, all the way up to their fifties can still experience acne flare-ups. And adult acne can have just as many negative effects on a person as teenage acne. Possibly even more so, as the stress of career and family adds to the strain of living with an unsightly skin problem.

Mental stress can be one of the major causes of acne in adults. It is not a surprise in the slightest that women are often more likely to suffer from adult acne than men, as it has been shown that women have much more stress in their day to day lifestyle, not to mention that they are prone to hormonal imbalances, especially during times such as their menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Just as in teens, hormones play an important factor in the onset and exacerbation of adult acne.

The environmental factors that surround a person, paired with the individual’s lifestyle can also play a huge role in the appearance of adult acne. An improper diet or behaviors such as smoking and drinking affect the skin’s condition and resistance to acne, as well as other diseases.

Prevention is the only obvious way to go when dealing with adult acne. A proper diet, paired with plenty of water and rest is a good start. Trying to relieve stress and maintaining proper skin care and hygiene can also help to prevent acne from occurring.

But what about the pimples that you may already have? There are many treatments available for people who have adult acne.

Anti-acne medications, certain skin care products, and even laser surgery are just a few of the many treatments available for acne on the market today. Visiting a qualified doctor or dermatologist is the only way to determine how severe your acne really is and to find the proper treament available for you.

Acne affects almost everybody at least for some part of their life. It is common during adolescence though it affects many into late adulthood. It causes much disturbance and may sometimes cause depression and low self esteem. The individual affected by acne usually frequently washes the affected area, tries different soaps and other home remedies which rather than reducing acne may worsen it. Following are few tips to be followed for control of acne.

Consult your dermatologist in case you are affected with acne. Do not wait for acne to aggravate. Many over the counter drugs are available for treating mild to moderate acne. Benzoyl peroxide is considered to be the best over the counter product.

Taking food supplements like acuzine is beneficial for the skin as well as body. Its ingredients include anti-oxidants, Vitamins E&C, hydrolyzed collagen, ALA, DMAE, Aloe vera, Bioperine etc. The effect of these ingredients is to strengthen the skin.

About Adult Acne

Acne is often thought of as a teenage dilemma, and while it is true that acne appears most often during the teenage years, it is arguably just as true that there are a growing number of individuals that suffer from adult acne.

Adults in their twenties, all the way up to their fifties can still experience acne flare-ups. And adult acne can have just as many negative effects on a person as teenage acne. Possibly even more so, as the stress of career and family adds to the strain of living with an unsightly skin problem.

Mental stress can be one of the major causes of acne in adults. It is not a surprise in the slightest that women are often more likely to suffer from adult acne than men, as it has been shown that women have much more stress in their day to day lifestyle, not to mention that they are prone to hormonal imbalances, especially during times such as their menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Just as in teens, hormones play an important factor in the onset and exacerbation of adult acne.

The environmental factors that surround a person, paired with the individual’s lifestyle can also play a huge role in the appearance of adult acne. An improper diet or behaviors such as smoking and drinking affect the skin’s condition and resistance to acne, as well as other diseases.

Prevention is the only obvious way to go when dealing with adult acne. A proper diet, paired with plenty of water and rest is a good start. Trying to relieve stress and maintaining proper skin care and hygiene can also help to prevent acne from occurring.

But what about the pimples that you may already have? There are many treatments available for people who have adult acne.

Anti-acne medications, certain skin care products, and even laser surgery are just a few of the many treatments available for acne on the market today. Visiting a qualified doctor or dermatologist is the only way to determine how severe your acne really is and to find the proper treament available for you.

Acne affects almost everybody at least for some part of their life. It is common during adolescence though it affects many into late adulthood. It causes much disturbance and may sometimes cause depression and low self esteem. The individual affected by acne usually frequently washes the affected area, tries different soaps and other home remedies which rather than reducing acne may worsen it. Following are few tips to be followed for control of acne.

Consult your dermatologist in case you are affected with acne. Do not wait for acne to aggravate. Many over the counter drugs are available for treating mild to moderate acne. Benzoyl peroxide is considered to be the best over the counter product.

Taking food supplements like acuzine is beneficial for the skin as well as body. Its ingredients include anti-oxidants, Vitamins E&C, hydrolyzed collagen, ALA, DMAE, Aloe vera, Bioperine etc. The effect of these ingredients is to strengthen the skin.

Understanding IBS in Children

Irritable bowel syndrome is a dysfunction in the digestive system particularly in the large intestine or in the colon. There is actually no known cause of this problem. Although there are some factors that do trigger its exacerbation such as stress, certain food items and milk. Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome include constipation or diarrhea, abdominal pain and feeling of fullness or bloating.

As irritable bowel syndrome affects all ages and all genders, children are not free from the problems it may bring on. In fact, it is even more a problem with children as they may feel severe abdominal pain because of their inability to excrete their body waste. Still, the same set of criteria that the Rome II Diagnostic Criteria System prescribed is used with children. There is no age distinction as well as gender differences. In fact, irritable bowel syndrome affects girls and boys equally.

Children suffering from irritable bowel syndrome may also experience headaches and nausea just like their adult counterparts. They may also find mucus threads on their stool. Mucus is a substance that helps moisten the passage of wastes out of the body. Most often, irritable bowel syndrome occur during periods when they are on the throes of growth milestones such as teething or some serious illness such as a flu. Some children may also develop irritable bowel syndrome if they are stressed in class. Despite this, it must be noted that stress does not cause irritable bowel syndrome. Rather it triggers the effects of irritable bowel syndrome to the body.

Diagnosis in children will also involve accounts of symptoms as well as examination of the medical history. As with diagnosing adults, physicians may conduct tests that will rule out the possibility of other diseases before reaching a full diagnosis.

Treatment in children involves more on the natural diet side as they are much too young to take in medications. Often, they are asked to eat food items that are rich in fiber to help ease constipation and get rid of the pain in the abdomen. Training is also recommended especially to children who do not empty their bowels often.

Medications like laxatives may also be prescribed but as last resort as children are more susceptible to addiction to the drug compared to adults. If laxatives however is badly needed, doctors provide detailed procedure to the parents to endure that the medication will be properly taken in.