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

Can Diet Help to Cure Arthritis? Or Can it Make

Can Diet Help to Cure Arthritis? Or Can it Make it Worse?
Wendy Owen

The medical profession mostly rejects the idea that there is any connection between diet and arthritis (with the exception of gout), but many naturopaths and holistic practitioners disagree.

There are many factors to consider with regards to arthritic diets and nutritional healing, and no hard and fast rules can be applied. For example, some people are allergic to certain foods, and these allergies can indeed worsen some types of arthritis.

Eating foods that contain sodium nitrate or tartrazine can worsen the inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis, while ingesting foods containing a substance called hydrazine can contribute to systemic lupus erythematosus, an arthritic condition connected to lupus, Eating black walnuts can cause flare-ups in people with a rare type of arthritis called Behcet’s Disease.

These are just a couple of examples of foods which could negatively impact on people with certain types of arthritis so as you can see the whole topic can get very complicated!

The term arthritis covers over 100 different diseases and conditions. Since it would be impossible to cover all of them in one article such as this, we will look at the most common condition: osteoarthritis and tackle rheumatoid arthritis and gout in future articles.

Osteoarthritis is mainly a disease of wear and tear. However there is one thing to avoid. Don’t take large doses of Vitamin A, since there is some evidence that it contributes to cartilage deterioration. Cartilage deterioration is the main cause of osteoarthritis.

There are holistic healers who will swear that a good diet can alleviate many of the painful symptoms. A diet high in fish is recommended as it contain high levels of Omega 3 which helps reduce inflammation and also has many other health benefits.
However if you live in an area where the sea has a high concentration of mercury, fish oil capsules are a better bet. Buy a known brand name to ensure maximum bio-availibility.

Including vegetables and sufficient low fat protein in the diet ensures optimal health and avoids weight gain which puts a heavy strain on arthritic joints

Some osteoarthritis sufferers benefit from the food supplements glucosamine and chondroitin in relieving symptoms of pain and stiffness. As above buy a reputable brand.

The National Institute of Health is currently studying glucosamine and chondroitin, so more should soon be known about the effectiveness of these products for osteoarthritis. People taking blood-thinners should be careful taking chondroitin as it can increase the blood-thinning and cause excessive bleeding.. Seek medical advice first.

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

Copyright Wendy Owen – http://www.insomnia-connection.com