Tag: osteoarthritis

Killer Arthritis Relief Tips!

Killer Arthritis Relief Tips!
Mike Corrado

The most common type of arthritis is a condition affecting the joints called osteoarthritis. This is a degenerative disease in which the cartilage gradually becomes thinner. After time, the bony surfaces come into contact with each other and then they begin to become misshapen. This kind of arthritis most commonly occurs from a previous injury or wear and tear on the joint.

Most commonly, in arthritis patients, one of the large weight bearing joints are affected such as hips, knees and ankles. There can be a lot of pain and stiffness. Most people find that it is worse in damp or cold weather and a hot bath or a hot pad can help a lot.
It is important for arthritis sufferers to avoid weight-bearing exercises such as jogging, and instead to try things like swimming, yoga, Tai chi classes or cycling. Anything that stresses the joints is bad for OA sufferers.

In its more mild forms, arthritis is a condition that will respond to herbal medicines. Herbs to consider include Devil’s Claw, Ginger and Willow bark. Most people with arthritis are prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to help with pain and any inflammation. Still, many people find that these drugs can upset their digestive systems. Anther herbal medicine that can help is meadowsweet herb, especially as a tea.

Rheumatoid arthritis is another kind of arthritis that also causes joint problems but the cause is very different. It is a chronic, inflammatory disease affecting the synovial membrane inside the joint. RA is characterised by periods of remission and exacerbation. In severe cases, most joints may be affected. Other body systems and organs may also be affected and flare-ups can be accompanied by general malaise. This problem is usually best treated by a qualified herbalist in conjunction with orthodox healthcare.

If you think you have either type of arthritis, you should consult a physician to determine the best treatment. Arthritis is a serious condition that will only worsen if you do not seek medical advice.

About the author:

Mike Corrado brings you smoking arthritis solutions at www.quickandeasyarthritissolutions.com

Interesting Facts about Arthritis

Interesting Facts about Arthritis
J. Zorro

What exactly is arthritis?
The term arthritis literally means joint inflammation, but it also is used to refer to more than 100 rheumatic diseases. These diseases can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints and may also affect other parts of the body. Some common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, gout, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis.
How many Amercians suffer from chronic symptoms of arthritis?
40 million!
Are there several forms of arthritis?
Yes, there are more than one hundred forms of arthritis and the causes of many are unclear. The two most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis (commonly referred to as simply arthritis) and rheumatoid arthritis. Gout is a less common form of the disease.
When does arthritis appear?
Rheumatoid arthritis — one of the many forms of arthritis — typically begins at 20 to 50 years of age, although it can develop in childhood.
Does arthritis affect more women than men?
Rhemathoid arthritis is two to three times more common in women than men. Men, however, are at greater risk than women of developing gout.
What kind of cause can trigger arthritis?
While genes appear to be a contributing factor to arthritis, there are other causes. Researchers believe that environmental agents — a virus, or even stress, can trigger the disease in people who are genetically predisposed to it.
About the Author
J. Zorro owns http://www.epharmacypremium.com

Acupuncture’s Acceptance in America

Acupuncture has been used in China and Japan for centuries, and was introduced into Europe in the 1700s by Jesuit missionaries. However, it has been popular in the United States for only the past twenty or thirty years. Initially, its most dramatic and effective results here in America were to reduce or eliminate pain, where some patients undergoing surgery had no anesthesia whatsoever. Their pain was eliminated during the surgery by use of acupuncture needles.

The National Institute of Health has been interested in both the use and the growing interest in acupuncture, and has had a number of conferences whose main subject is the use of acupuncture. Interestingly, thousands of traditional physicians, dentists, and other health practitioners now use acupuncture for pain relief and other symptoms. Also, currently more than 10 million adults in the U.S. have used acupuncture at some time in the past, or are using it currently. (Though acupuncture is also perfectly safe for children, and frequently children respond more quickly to the treatments than adults.)

The National Institute of Health has looked at many studies on the effectiveness of acupuncture to relieve a specific set of symptoms. There are some outstanding successes, but making any sweeping statement is difficult because many of the studies are not easy to design. Or, more properly, there is some heated discussion on what studies have been so carefully designed that the results are beyond question. But there is general agreement that acupuncture is highly effective for a wide range of symptoms, including pain and nausea after operations, headaches, menstrual cramps, asthma, osteoarthritis, etc. Research is continuing and new results are coming out quite often. One of the best ways to keep up is to search the Internet for your symptom of interest together with the key word “acupuncture”. Also look for websites sponsored by NCCAM, a branch of the National Institute of Health that investigates alternative medicines.

Since the main equipment of an acupuncture practitioner are needles, the needles in an acupuncture office are regulated by the government to ensure safety of the needles. The FDA approves their use by licensed practitioners in acupuncture clinics. The requirements are that the needles are sterile needles and one time use only, so no one need be concerned about the problem with needle contamination. The acupuncture needles are regulated by the same rules as those in your doctor’s office. To avoid any concern, watch carefully that the acupuncture practitioner opens a new, sealed package for each patient and swabs the insertion sites with some kind of disinfectant before inserting the needle (such as alcohol, traditionally used by nurses).

This survey is intended to give an overview of how the traditional medical community and also the institutes of the government have given credibility to the use of acupuncture. Acupuncture has evolved from an interesting import from China to an established technique that many doctors recommend, or have even become trained in the technique themselves. Acupuncture clinics and practitioners now have standards set up and regulated by the government in order to ensure the safety of the clients. It has become an accepted part of the mainstream American health system.

Inflammatory Arthritis, Alternative Treatments

Inflammatory Arthritis, Alternative Treatments
Daniel DeReuter

There are two main types of arthritis: inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis. Inflammatory arthritis can be treated naturally without drugs. Inflammatory arthritis’ symptoms (such as Rheumatoid Arthritis) are exactly what they sound like: inflammation, redness and swelling in the joints. Sometimes there will even be a temperature change in the area affected. Also, in the hand, you may notice that some fingers may look like they are turning away from the thumb (ulnar deviation).
This type of arthritis is primarily an auto-immune response. This means that the body believes it is under attack by an invader, such as an infection of some kind. However,this is not the case and the body ends up “attacking” the toxins that have built up in the joint capsules. Alternative treatment for this type of arthritis is fairly simple. Since the problem is caused by toxins in the joints, then the solution is to remove these toxins.
There are actually several ways to detoxify the body. One of these is fasting. Using juice fasts,fruit fasts or other types of fasts can be very effective. However, it takes a very disciplined individual to actually finish one of these programs. There are several good books to help you if you planon doing a fast, one of my personal favorites is “Dr. Jensen’s Guide to Better Bowel Care””, by Bernard Jensen.
Another way to detox is cleansing the colon with a colonic irrigation or similar procedure. This procedure should be done by a professional since there are some minimum hygiene standards that should be followed. In this procedure, a tube is inserted into the rectum and filtered water is constantly irrigated into the colon-and fecal matter and other wastes flowing out at the same time.People that have this performed often report they see waste products from foods they have not eaten in years.
A third way to cleanse is by supplementing your diet with large quantities of fiber and herbal supplements. This method is probably best for most Americans. Not because it is more effective than the other two, but because of it’s ease of execution.
One good way to see if this type of treatment will help is to buy an inexpensive psyllium supplement and take it three times per day for two days. If you do notice an improvement in your symptoms,then go ahead and purchase a complete cleanse program of some kind.
If you are performing a cleanse you should modify your diet in several ways: increase the consumption of leafy green vegetables, decrease the consumption of dairy, red meat and other mucus-producing foods. And probably the most important-increase your intake of clean filtered water to at least a gallon per day.
One note of caution: when doing any type of cleanse, you may experience a healing crisis. On the third or fourth day or a cleanse regimen, you may experience symptoms such as sore throat, headache, lightheadedness, bad breath or pimples. Don’t panic! this is a normal response and indicates that the cleanse is working and the toxins are beginning to leave your body. Depending on your toxicity level, you may experience some relief by simply having a bowel movement.
If the healing crisis becomes too uncomfortable, then be sure to discontinue the program and consult a health care professional. The goal is to find the type of treatment that is correct for you and see it until the end. You will find that these treatments are more successful in helping arthritis than the traditional medical solution of pain killers and drugs.
© 2000 Daniel DeReuter, D.C.

About The Author

Daniel DeReuter is a chiropractor and author practicing in Georgia. He operates various websites including http://www.deepdownwellness.com and http://www.healthfultips.com. He writes about natural methods for improving health.
dereuter@yahoo.com