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

What Is Arthritis?

What Is Arthritis?
Michael Russell

Arthritis is probably one of the most misunderstood of all diseases.
Quite honestly if you ask the average person in the street exactly what
arthritis is you won’t get an answer that’s even close. All they know is
that something hurts but don’t have a clue as to exactly what or why.
Before I go into the types and causes of arthritis I’m just going to throw
some facts at you. All of this can be gotten at the official web site if you
look hard enough for it.
1. In 1985 about 35 million people were diagnosed with arthritis.
Twenty years later the number is up to over 65 million.
2. Arthritis is the most common disability of Americans over the age of
15. Yes, young people can get arthritis.
3. Only heart disease is a greater cause of work disability.
4. The cost for treating arthritis in the US alone is over 86 billion
dollars each year.
5. Over 300,000 children have arthritis.
6. Half the people who have arthritis think there is nothing that can be
done for the condition.
7. There are actually over 100 different diseases associated with
arthritis.
8. Woman are more affected than men. The current numbers are 26
million women and 16 million men with doctor diagnosed arthritis.
How many of us knew all this? I certainly didn’t until doing some
research. Oh I knew about the poor lady in my church who’s about to
go in for knee replacement surgery and lives on pain killers. But I had
no idea this disease was this common.
So what IS arthritis?
A book can be written on the various forms of arthritis but the most
common MYTH of what arthritis is, aches and pains associated with
getting older, needs to be dispelled with quickly if people are going to
understand the disease. As I stated earlier, arthritis has nothing to do
with age as many children get it. Yes, it is more prevalent in older
people but it is not restricted to the elderly. Arthritis is a disease of the
skeletal system, mostly the joints which is where two or more bones
meet. Joint problems include pain, stiffness, inflammation, and
damage to the joint cartilage, which is the tough, smooth tissue that
covers the ends of the bones so that they can glide against each
other. It is the deterioration of this tissue that causes the pain because
what happens is you get bone rubbing against bone. The pain can
become so bad that it can interfere with everyday activities such as
walking or even trying to stand up from a chair.
However this is only one form of arthritis and only part of the problem.
Some forms of arthritis, called Rheumatoid arthritis effects the body’s
immune system and can ultimately end up damaging the heart,
lungs, kidneys, blood vessels and skin.
This is the most serious form of arthritis.
In my next article I am going to cover various treatments for arthritis
and their side effects.

About the Author
Michael Russell provides an online guide to arthritis which includes useful articles and resources for humans and pets.

Pains during Growth in Children

Growing pain is part and parcel of the growing phase in a childs life. When the child stops growing so will the growing pain and when adolescence is reached, they disappear completely. Growing pain can occur between three to five years or eight to twelve years of age. Growing pains are usually experienced in the legs usually in the calves, in the area in front of thighs and behind the knees. The pain starts either in the afternoon or night, just before bedtime. The child can go to bed pain free, but can wake up in the middle of the night complaining of throbbing pain in the legs. But the good part is that these pains vanish by morning. About twenty five to forty percent of the children are known to experience growing pain.

Growing pains are experienced in the muscle region and not around the bones or joints. One of the major reasons of getting growing pains is because of the strenuous activities of the kids during the day. All the jumping around, running and climbing make the muscles tired. But no evidence has been collected which can prove that the growing pain is caused by bone growth. Growing pains are also known to be caused by spurt of growth. This happens because the tendons or the muscles are too tight and do not synchronize with the growing of the bones. As a results muscle spasms are caused which last for less than fifteen minutes. The child usually gets pain in both the legs and not just one. And usually, growing pains do not get accompanied with redness, swelling or fever. The pain should be over by morning and if it is still persisting after the awakening of the kid, the problem could be related to something else and more serious.

If the pain is unbearable, the parent or caretaker should administer pain relieving medications which are available over the counter such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Aspirin should not be given to children as they have a tendency to develop a very serious illness known as Reye Syndrome. Heating pads can be placed on the region that is hurting to ease the pain. Massage can also be given by the parent or the child can do stretching exercise to help the muscles relax. If the child develops fever, redness, swelling, tenderness, limitation in movement, or if the child limps while walking, the doctor should be approached. Before that the parent can do a little diagnosis of the intensity of the pain by feeling around the area and observing the pain experienced by the child. The pain shouldnt be so intense that the child is abstained from normal routine such as walking, running or playing.

The doctor conducts the diagnosis of exclusion to understand the problem. According to this diagnosis, it is not made until all the conditions are checked before considering growing pains. The doctor studies the childs medical history and conducts a physical examination. In some serious cases, the doctor advices to go for X-ray or blood test before the final decision is made.

Children can prevent the growing pains by doing stretching exercises on a daily basis. The exercise need not be complex. Even if the pain subsides, the exercise should be continued so as to keep the tendons and muscles relaxed and to adjust with the growth spurt. Fluids, when taken in good quantity, decrease the cramping. For this reason, the child should be given tonic water or quinine before going to bed.

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Male Menopause Enlarged

There are currently numerous debates in the medical community on whether menopause really exists in men.

Menopause in women is defined as the time when the menstrual periods cease. Based on this, men cannot have menopause. But, as the doctors have argued, they can undergo andropause the male equivalent of menopause in women. Male who have andropause manifest the same symptoms as those women with menopause.

Male menopause is used to refer to the condition in which men experience a decrease in their hormone levels. But unlike the case of women whose hormone levels drop dramatically, male menopause takes place with a gradual fall in hormone testosterone. Medical reports show that many men in their 70’s have almost the same testosterone levels as those in their 20’s.

Men with menopause manifest symptoms that include irritability, sweating, memory problems, concentration difficulties, and hot flushing.

Other common complaints of men with menopause consist of low sex drive, hair loss, fatigue, generalized pains, and body shape changes as they tend to become more rounded and less brawny.

Analyzing the symptoms, it becomes clear why male menopause is compared with that of women. Women may manifest some or all of the symptoms listed.

It is important to note, however, that the symptoms listed may be caused by other physical illnesses other than menopause. Thyroid gland dysfunction, depression, or anemia may be the underlying roots.

Some doctors, however, claim that male menopause is caused not by the hormonal changes but by psychological reasons. The realization that they are ageing is underlined by the signs of physical changes such as the occurrence of wrinkles, fat and waning hairline.

Men in their middle age usually weaken their self-esteem as they begin to question themselves as to whether they still have a role in their homes and the society. An example is when their children mature and leave home; they start to feel empty and futile in the family.

Other possible psychological triggers of menopause in men include financial problems, job dissatisfaction, and marital conflicts.

It is important to note, however, that the symptoms listed may be caused by other physical illnesses other than menopause. Again, thyroid gland dysfunction, depression, or anemia may be the underlying causes.

The diagnosis of male menopause is done by running a physical exam, the doctor will inquire about the symptoms the male is experiencing. He may conduct necessary diagnostic tests to discard other medical problems which may be affecting the condition. Series of blood tests will then be carried out to analyze the patient’s hormone levels, as well as the blood testosterone status.

Testosterone replacement therapy is applied if the testosterone levels are found to be low. This process also helps to minimize the symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and low libido, or poor sex drive.

Hormone replacement therapy has as well been tied to the development in the brain functions, bone density and night sweats.

Testosterone replacement comes in oral medication, implants, or injections.

The oral drugs are given to those who cannot bear implants or injections.

On the other hand, implants are placed in the lower hip or abdomen. This method provides cure that keeps going for up to six months.

The testosterone injections are typically given about once every two weeks.

If you are considering testosterone replacement therapy, it is important that you talk to a doctor to learn more about it. Your physician may also advise some changes in your lifestyle, such as an exercise program, proper diet, and medications to help alleviate the symptoms caused by male menopause.