Tag: Rheumatoid Arthritis

Arthritis News

Arthritis News
Thomas Recker

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis affecting 16 million Americans usually over the age of 40. This condition begins gradually with the deterioration of joint cartilage, the cushion between bones causing stiffness. As deterioration increases the bones rub causing spurs, then the spurs grind together causing pain. Osteoarthritis is considered neither preventable or curable but many advances have been made in efforts to slow the advancement of the disease.
Studies have shown Glucosamine as a major cartilage building supplement that has proven effective and the most popular. Often, MSM is combined with Glucosamine as an effective enhancement since MSM has been shown effective in slowing joint cartilage deterioration. Though not a cure this combination is by far the most popular and effective for most.
Chondroitin Sulfate is another proven cartilage builder as well as Niacin amide, a form of Vitamin B, is popular for knee pain relief. The combination of Glucosamine, MSM, Chondroitin Sulfate, and Niacin amide can be found in separate supplement form or often combined in a joint relief, or joint building, supplement formula.
SAMe (Sadenosylmethionine) is a cartilage builder from the Amino Acid Methionine. It has good anti-inflammatory properties and has proven very effective but it is the most expensive and out of reach for most people at this time. Hopefully the effective supplement will come down in price in the future.
In efforts to reduce joint pain the herbs Boswellia, White Willow, and Brome lain have anti-inflammatory affects and are available separately or often combined with the supplements listed above. Cayenne Cream applied to joints topically blocks the pain signals but the short duration time of 3 to 4 hours is the average expectation and fine if the discomfort is temporary.
A number of inroads surrounding diet and osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis as well have been recently coming around. Carbohydrates are being looked at closely; apparently reduced carbohydrate diets are showing some effectiveness as well as certain food sensitivity towards arthritis. Tracking suspected food in relation to joint pain, or a short term low carbohydrate diet as well, is easily accomplished and recommended in 8 week personal trials.
Suspected foods include sugar, grains, and highly processed foods. A diet high in Omega-3 Fish Oils may help arthritis sufferers. Moderate, low impact exercise is also highly recommended with emphasis towards stretching and strength training. Start slow, keep track of pain and changes, its not an overnight cure but effective stop to the degeneration is the first step.
Thomas Recker is a contributing editor for www.iwantvitamins.com http://www.iwantvitamins.com
About the Author
Thomas Recker Editor for www.iwantvitamins.com

Arthritis medications

Arthritis medications
Robert Kokoska

Patients suffering from arthritis have to undergo a wide range
of treatments which includes medication. There are over 100
medications that are presently being used to treat arthritis.
However medicines at this stage can only help people suffering
from arthritis, and not act as a cure. The medicines can be used
to reduce pain, improve joint mobility, decrease flare-ups and
reduce inflammations.

The aim of this article is to present an insight into 4 main
types of medicines that can be used by arthritis patients.

The first category is called pain-relieving medicines which
include aspirin, paracetemol and ibuprofen. As a matter of fact,
aspirin and ibuprofen are mainly anti-inflammatory drugs;
however they also contain small amounts of pain killing doses.
These pain relieving drugs are available at almost all chemists,
without subscription from doctor.

Anti-inflammatory medicines can be used to
decrease flare-ups and reduce swelling. It comes in two packages
which include Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and
steroids. NSAIDs need to be taken over an extended period of
time so to make it more effective. However its side effects
include stomach problems. It is the most common prescribed
medicine against arthritis. Some NSAIDs include naproxen
(Naprosyn), fenbufen (Lederfen), piroxicam (Feldene) and Cox – 2
inhibitors. However there have been concerns raised about the
safety of Cox-2. Steoids are very effectives against
inflammation. However they can cause harm to the body is used
for a long period of time. They are mainly used to bring severe
cases of arthritis under control before any further
prescriptions are given.

Disease-modifying medicines are used with cases
which involves damage to the immune system such as by rheumatoid
arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. They can be either
taken in by mouth or through injections and deals with the whole
of immune system, instead of the symptoms. Some types of this
kind of medicine are methotrexate, sulfasalazine and gold
(sodium aurothiomalate).

Biologic response modifiers (BRMs) are
increasingly being used in the treatment of arthritis. They were
used to treat severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis, however now
they have assumed a new role and are used to treat patients in
the early stages of arthritis, so to prevent profound damage to
the joints. Although many people with rheumatoid arthritis find
BRMs effective, it is still not suited for everyone with
arthritis. The downside of these products is that they are
expensive and can only be given through injections or infusion.

All medicines contain some side effects. Also these side effects
may vary from patient to patient. Many patients undertaking
arthritis related medicines experience certain side effects such
as stomach pain. Nevertheless arthritis medicines can be very
powerful and can have a profound effect on the body. There are
certain approaches in order to reduce minimize the side effects.
It is important to take to take medicines according to
instructions such as 2 times in the day. Your doctor must be
constantly supervising you so that he or she can see whether the
intake is going according to the plan. Another important aspect
to be taken into account is that the benefit of taking the
medicine shall be weighed against the harm of not taking them.
Arthritis can get worse if no medication is taken.

The reason so many medicines for arthritis has been produced is
to meet specific demand of arthritis patients. Also using one
can have side effects. Therefore the range of medicines allows a
person to choose ones that gives least side effects to him or
her. Before you start taking any medicine, it is essential for
you to contact your family so to great a grip of the actual
situation and choose the medicine that best caters to your
needs. Additionally, it is very important for pregnant women to
consult their doctors. Some medicines contain strong side
effects and can be harmful to the baby. Therefore it is
essential to adjust medication in such cases.

About the author:
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Arthritis Management Through Diet

Arthritis Management Through Diet
Kathryn Whittaker

The term arthritis refers to the chronic inflammation of joints throughout the body. Arthritis is one of the most rapidly growing chronic conditions in North America. Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is also known as wear and tear arthritis and degenerative joint disease. This form of arthritis classically affects the knee joint, the hips and other weight bearing joints. Other forms include rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis.

New treatments for arthritis are constantly researched. The most common arthritis medications are non-steroid or steroid anti-inflammatory drugs which, although effective, have serious side-effects. They can have unpleasant side effects: cause weight gain, acne, osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, cataracts and infections. The side effects of steroids impact on almost every system of the body, and the more steroids you take, the more side effects you are likely to experience.

The newest findings link arthritis not only to poor diet and obesity, but also to the overall state of the immune system. Quite recently, researchers have found a protein in the immune system that malfunctioned in patients who have arthritis or other inflammatory diseases. Doctors believe they can block this protein to reduce the need for steroids.

As the general population ages, the number of people with arthritis is growing. Today arthritis medications are aimed at baby-boomers who have spent more years living with obesity than the previous generation. Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have found that there are more cases of obesity-related arthritis among baby boomers compared to the previous generation.

What we eat often plays a large role in setting the stage for the start of arthritis. There are a few changes anyone can make to their diet to successfully offset arthritis even without using arthritis medications.

The typical North American diet contains an overwhelming amount of cooked, processed and other acid forming foods. A healthy diet should be 70lkaline and 30cidic. Unfortunately, the average North American diet has reversed this ratio.

Instead of eating cooked foods that are acid forming, a diet of mostly raw, fresh vegetables, fruits and reducing the consumption of meats are an excellent way to help reduce inflammation throughout the body.

To ease your arthritis symptoms without succumbing to arthritis medications, avoid foods that form acid in your body. These foods include bread, coffee, corn, honey, oatmeal, peanuts, rice, soy, pasta and wheat. When treating arthritis, stay away from saturated fats, such as butter, cream, and margarine.

Antioxidants in brightly colored fruits and vegetables offer substantial protection against arthritis. By eating more yellow and orange fruits and vegetables you will consume antioxidants called carotenoids, which can lower your chances of developing inflammatory arthritis. Some dietitians suggest that night-shade vegetables are unsuitable for arthritis patients, which means you should think twice about eating peppers, (red, green and yellow), potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants.

Build your arthritis diet around such alkaline-forming products as most berries, bananas, dates, figs, prunes, raisins, almonds, asparagus, avocado, fresh beans, beets, carrots, grapes, plums, spinach, apricots, broccoli, all kind of cabbage, cantaloupe, celery, cherries, chestnuts, chicory, coconut milk, fresh sweet corn and cucumbers. Focusing on vegetables instead of proteins will ease many other symptoms and help you reduce weight too.

Proper hydration is a must. Drink half your weight in ounces that would be 75 oz of water for a person weighing 150 pounds. If you must drink alcohol, coffee or soda, drink an extra 16 oz of water for every alcoholic drink and cup of coffee or soda you consume in addition to the water you would normally drink.

Arthritis is a condition that takes years to develop. In many cases, arthritis can be avoided or effectively managed through the use of alternative methods that include proper nutrition, hydration and specific nutritional supplements that can reduce the damage done to aging joints.

About the author:

Kathryn writes articles on a number of different topics. For more information on Arthritis please visit http://www.arthritis-resource.comand for additional articles on Arthritis http://www.arthritis-resource.com/arthritis-articles/

Arthritis Its Debilitating and Detrimental Effects

Arthritis Its Debilitating and Detrimental Effects
John Robben

Arthritis: Its Debilitating and Detrimental Effects

Did you know that Arthritis is one of the most disabling
diseases? It’s true! Arthritis currently affects more than 40
million Americans and that figure is expected to rise to 60
million by the year 2,020. It is imperative that you read this
article and find out what this devastating disease is truly
about.

Arthritis: What it Is

Basically, Arthritis is inflammation of the joints. There are
currently over 100 forms of Arthritis and remarkably, that
number continues to rise. The most common forms of Arthritis
include: Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Gout (see our
next article, “Symptoms of Arthritis” for more information).
Osteoarthritis is the result of degenerative joint disease, or
simply “wear and tear” on the joints. Rheumatoid Arthritis is
the result of an over active Immune System that results in
inflammation. Gout is the oldest form of Arthritis and is the
result of too much Uric Acid. The Uric Acid deposits crystals in
the joints, leading to “Gouty Arthritis”. The joint pain,
inherent to all Arthritis sufferers, is referred to as
“Arthralgia”. Not only are the joints susceptible to attack, but
the surrounding muscles, tissues, and organs are vulnerable to
the effects of Arthritis as well. In fact, Arthritis has been
known to attack the heart, kidneys, lungs, and liver.

Many people mistakenly believe that Arthritis is a disease that
only affects the elderly. This simply isn’t the case. Yes it’s
true that seniors, especially senior women, are effected the
greatest by Osteoarthritis, yet the average age for onset of
Arthritis is 47 years old, and sufferers are generally afflicted
between the ages of 20-50. Sadly, even infants have been
diagnosed with forms of Arthritis.

One of the most devastating effects of Arthritis has to be that
it is a chronic condition. Arthritis is so weakening that it
only grows worse with time. In fact, Arthritis is so detrimental
that of the diseases that instill chronic physical disabilities,
Arthritis is second only to Heart Disease.

The cost of Arthritis is not only measured in the loss of
quality of life, but it is also measured by dollars and cents as
well. It is estimated that over $150,000 is lost by an
individual over the course of a lifetime due to the debilitating
effects of Arthritis. This is totaled by lost wages, medical
treatments, and the cost of medically based needs and care.

The overall conclusion is that Arthritis is a seriously
unbearable condition that causes chronic pain and weakness. It
does not only affect seniors, but forms of Arthritis also
plagues children. There are over 100 forms of Arthritis and all
Arthritis sufferers share one thing in common, chronic joint
pain. The top three common forms of Arthritis include
Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Gout. We have seen
that Arthritis isn’t cured, but managed. Some steps
and treatment plans used by Arthritis sufferers include:

Losing Weight (thereby reducing stress and strain on the
joints) Increasing their Nutritional
Intake Reducing Stress (both physical and
emotional) Participating in Gentle Stress Free
Exercises such as Stretching Using both Hot and
Cold Therapies Protecting Joints by use of
Splints and Braces Drug Therapies
Surgery

If you suffer from Arthritis, don’t give up. There are many
people who are discovering that with the proper management and
health care provisions, they can live better, healthier, and
pain free lives.

Stay tuned for the next article in our series on Arthritis,
Symptoms of Arthritis”.

About the author:
Written by John
Robben of Ultimate Water Massage, Inc.

Providing Massage Services and Pain Relief products. Visit our
Arthritis Information
Center