Tag: Hips

What You Need to Know about Arthritis

What You Need to Know about Arthritis
Rudy Silva

Arthritis signals people in a variety of ways. Joints might crack when you suddenly stand up or move. Other joints may be stiff and creak. Maybe pain occurs, when you’re trying to open a jar, or type on your keyboard.
Arthritis means “joint inflammation” and has over 100 related conditions or types of disease. Untreated, it can advance, resulting in joint damage that is difficult to undo or reverse. So early detection and treatment are important.
The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although both have similar symptoms, both happen for different reasons. When joints are overused and misused, this results in OA. What happens is the cushioning cartilage that protects the joints breaks down, resulting in bones rubbing together. This generally happens in the knees, but can be found in the hips, spine and hands.

In RA the body’s immune system attacks joint tissue. Still not fully understood by doctors, this condition often starts in a person’s hands, wrists and feet. Then it advances to shoulders, elbows and hips.
Similar symptoms include pain, stiffness, fatigue, weakness, slight fever and inflamed tissue lumps under the skin. And both OA and RA generally develop symmetrically, i.e. affecting the same joints on both the left and right sides of the body.
A difference in OA and RA is in the way you swell. With RA, people report “soft and squishy” swelling. While with OA, people report “hard and bony” swelling.
Another difference is you are likely to develop RA if a sibling or parent had it. If you have a history of joint damage, either an injury or chronic strain, you run a higher risk for developing OA.
There is no specific age for arthritis sufferers. While it can affect every age group, it seems to occur more frequently on those over 45 years.
And while neither gender is immune, a reported 74 percent of OA cases and a slightly lower percentage of RA cases occur with women.
People with excess weight tend to develop OA, especially in the knees when reaching over 45 years. However, losing weight can turn the odds around almost by half. Regular activity combined with exercise also reduces risk of OA
Although there are no cure-alls for arthritis, there are a variety of pain relief treatment strategies. Aside from medications, remedies, replacement alternatives and other helpful treatment options and alternatives, the five main arthritis relief aids are gentle exercise, good nutrition, special herbal and other nutrients, a positive attitude and rest.
Today, only a small percentage of those afflicted with arthritis become crippled. And most never need canes, wheelchairs, or other ambulatory devices.
If you suspect you may have arthritis, it is advisable to seek medical advice from your doctor or alternative practitioner. Look to reduce pain and inflammation using natural remedies before you decide on using doctor prescribed drugs. About the Author
Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He writes a newsletter call “Natural Remedies Thatwork.” For more information and remedies on arthritis and essential fatty acids, visit his web site at http://www.arthritis-remedies.for–you.info http://www.fatty-acid-remedies.for–you.info

Relieve Sciatic Nerve Pain-Shooting Pain Is No Fun

Ouch! There it goes again. Your sciatic nerve just sent a shooting pain through legs, hips and back. Now you feel like you can hardly move, and even breathing seems difficult. “There must be a way to relieve sciatic nerve pain,” you say to yourself. Living with this kind of pain is hard to describe to someone who has never experienced it, but there is hope. There are a few things you can do to get the pain under control.

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body. That means that it can cause pain just about anywhere, but it also means that there are more points along the nerve for problems to occur. What happens is that when it’s irritated in some way or has pressure applied to it, it causes pain or tingling; neither of which is very pleasant.

Before you do anything to relieve sciatic pain on your own, it is absolutely vital that you see your doctor. There may be more serious issues causing the pain, and you need to get a thorough check up to see if anything else is going on. Your doctor can also give you additional suggestions for treating the pain.

Anti-inflammatory medication taken each day can help keep the nerve from getting inflamed, and it can keep surrounding tissue from getting inflamed and putting pressure on the nerve. There are over-the-counter medications you can take, or you can have your doctor prescribe something.

If you don’t like the idea of taking medication, then you can eat foods that help to reduce inflammation. In fact, it’s a good idea to eat such foods to relieve sciatic nerve pain even if you do take medication. Wild salmon, sweet potatoes, broccoli, papaya, turmeric, and olive oil are some of the best anti-inflammatory foods.

Basic exercises and gentle stretching can sometimes bring relief. Lie on your back on a firm surface and put a pillow underneath your knees for support. This takes the pressure off and brings temporary relief. While in the same position, grab one of your knees with both hands and move it toward your chest. Don’t overdo it, just hold it for a few seconds then switch to the other knee.

Changing the temperature around the problem area will often ease the pain. Everybody is different, so if a heating pad doesn’t work then try an ice pack. Be careful to not make it too hot or too cold as you don’t want to suffer a secondary injury while trying to treat your sciatic nerve.

Make regular appointments with your doctor or chiropractor if your sciatic nerve continues to give you trouble. The doctor can do a full medical history and do tests to see if there is something else going on. A chiropractor can make adjustments to your spine that may be able to take some of the pressure off. Whatever you decide, it’s important to remember that there are things you can do to relieve sciatic nerve pain.

Spotting the Difference between Low Back Pain and Kidney Pain

Spotting the Difference between Low Back Pain and Kidney Pain

Questions frequently arise when pain in the back occurs. Oftentimes, the sufferers and even the physicians themselves are not certain of the actual site of the pain’s origin. Since lower back pain radiates into the other sections of the body, people tend to become unsure of how to provide initial relief on themselves and how would doctors diagnose the condition. This is quite misleading and physicians who cannot find the exact location of the pain dismiss the case and assume that it is more of psychological rather than physiological.

To further complicate things, we may never really find the actual site of pain and the primary cause that triggered the pain. Let us assume that it really is a back pain, say in the lower back. We could have given treatment on this but what if it really was not originally a lower back pain. What if it rooted from the kidneys? What if the pain is actually a manifestation of kidney complications? How then would you tell the difference?

Though this may seem like an oversimplification, let us establish still that lower back kidney pain is more concentrated on the areas where the kidneys lie. That is located slightly above the hips and positioned next to the spine. Any injury created on the surface of the back that is directly covering the area where the kidneys are founded may have adverse effect on the kidneys themselves. This is the reason why trauma or any excessive force over the area is betterly recognized as “kidney punch” rather than lower back pain.

Kidney pain is directly linked to the organ itself but may usually manifest as lower back pain. It is acute in origin because the pain typically starts rapidly but may develop into chronic pain over time. However, the pain will only last as long as the kidney is infected. Chronic pain on the other hand is usually caused by the trauma on the back.

If initial symptoms will be used as the basis for diagnosing lower back kidney pain, evidences are clear that they show similarities with lower back pain. Yet a traumatized back is not relatively painful when pushed directly on the region of the kidney. But there are other indications that may show clear distinctions between lower back kidney pain and kidney pain alone. These may include painful urination, chills and fever, and presence of blood in the urine.

With the initial signs of lower back kidney pain, it is commonly advised that the patient sees his or her doctor immediately. To provide treatment plan as early as possible

How to Maintain Normal Estrogen Level

Estrogen is the most essential hormone in the body in women. Estrogen is produced by the ovaries, which is responsible for the physical appearance that distinguishes women from men. It gives the identifying figures of women, which are smaller hips, bigger chest as well as menstruation.

Estrogen is also essential to normal body function, which is why women should maintain normal estrogen level in the body.

Old age can be one of the reasons why women experience irregular estrogen production. Usually, when women reach old age, their body can no longer produce normal estrogen, which may lead to some bothering body malfunctions.

Most of the women develop body irregularities due to inadequate production of estrogen. However, women should supply their body with estrogen to maintain normal functions and prevent some damages in the body. How are you going to fill your body with the needed amount of estrogen? Is it possible?

To maintain a normal estrogen in the body, there are several ways you can do in order to fill the required level of estrogen in the body. These are the effective methods to supply normal estrogen level in the body. Here are the different ways.

Hormone replacement therapy these is a method used to supply the needed amount of estrogen in the body. It regulates the amount of estrogen to normal in the body so it will function effectively.

Estrogen supplements – these are drugs that are taken orally to maintain the normal estrogen level in the body. These drugs are available over all the leading drug stores in your area. However, you will need to consult your doctor first for further medical management. They will educate you about the function of the normal estrogen level in the body and all the information you need regarding this matter.

You can also eat estrogen-containing foods. There are many foods that contain estrogen. Some of which are apples, licorice, eggplant, cucumbers, peas, pomegranates, clover, carrots, garlic, pumpkins, soybeans and soybean sprouts, barley, papaya, dates, potatoes, alfalfa, eggs, fennels, plums, oats, yams, wheat, rice, and many more. With regular intake of these foods, your body will maintain normal estrogen level.

These are the different ways to maintain normal estrogen level in your body. However, before you try these kinds of estrogen maintenance, it is advisable that you consult a doctor regarding this matter. These professionals are willing to give you information and knowledge about this matter.