Arthritis Basics

Arthritis Basics
Adam Waxler

Arthritis affects people in a variety of ways. Joints may be stiff and creak. For others who suffer from arthritis, joints might crack suddenly, like knees upon standing. For many arthritis sufferers, pain occurs, like when trying to open a jar.
Whats it all about? Lets take a look at the basics of arthritis and learn more.
Arthritis actually means joint inflammation and has over 100 related conditions or forms of the disease. If arthritis is left untreated, it can advance, resulting in joint damage that cannot be reversed. Therefore, early detection of arthritis and arthritis treatment are important.
The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although both type of arthritis have similar symptoms, both happen for different reasons. When joints are overused and misused, the results can be osteoarthritis (OA). What happens is that the cushioning cartilage that protects the joint breaks down, resulting in the bones rubbing together. This generally happens in the knees, but can be found in the hips, spine and hands as well. And, only in the later stages of osteoarthritis will a person most often feel pain, after quite a bit of cartilage is lost.
The second type, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), refers to the bodys immune system attacking joint tissue. Still not fully understood in the medical community, rheumatoid arthritis most often starts in a persons hands, wrists and feet. Then rheumatoid arthritis advances to shoulders, elbows and hips.
Similar symptoms include pain, stiffness, fatigue, weakness, slight fever, and inflamed tissue lumps under the skin. And both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis generally develop symmetrically, i.e. affecting the same joints on both the left and right sides of the body.
A difference in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to note is with swelling. With rheumatoid arthritis, people report soft and squishy swelling. While with osteoarthritis, people report hard and bony swelling.
Another difference between the two types of arthritis is that a person is more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis if a sibling or parent had it. While a person with a history of joint damage, either an injury or chronic strain, runs a higher risk for developing osteoarthritis.
Arthritis can affect any age group. However, while there is no specific age for arthritis sufferers, arthritis seems to focus on those over 45 years of age.
And, while neither gender is immune, a reported 74 percent of osteoarthritis cases (or just over 15 million) occur with women and a slightly lower percentage of rheumatoid arthritis cases occur with women.
Furthermore, your health, particularly your weight, plays a role in the development of arthritis. People with excess weight tend to develop osteoarthritis, especially in the knees when reaching over 45 years of age. However, losing weight can turn the odds around almost by half. Regular activity combined with exercise also reduces risk of arthritis, strengthening joint muscles and reducing joint wear.
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, the four main arthritis relief aids are gentle exercise, good nutrition, a positive attitude, and rest. Education also plays a huge role to dispel old wives tales and myths that nothing can be done about arthritis.
If you suspect you may have arthritis, it is advisable to seek medical advice. The sooner you detect the arthritis and the type of arthritis the better off youll be. Furthermore, your symptoms may not be caused by arthritis, but may be caused by something else like a virus or tendonitis or other similar problem that could potentially worsen if left untreated.
Copyright 2006 Adam Waxler

About The Author

Adam Waxler publishes a series of health & fitness information products and web sites including his new resource filled with with FREE articles and tips on Arthritis Pain Relief & Prevention @ http://www.1-800-health-teacher.com/arthritis.

Arthritis

Arthritis
Djehuty

Arthritis by Djehuty Ma’at-Ra

The first Western disease I was ever familiar with as a little
boy was arthritis. My beloved paternal grandmother, Bertha
Cooper, suffered from this pathology for many years. She had it
very bad in her wrists and joints. I remember her asking me if I
would go to the corner liquor store on the corner of 101st
Street and Avalon Boulevard in Watts, California, and buy her
some Ben Gay, a white pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory rubbing
cream. She would rub Ben Gay on her wrists and joints and her
tendons as well.

As a little boy, I didn’t understand disease. I didn’t know how
my grandmother developed arthritis. All I knew is that she had
it (and claimed it too).

However, when the Universe bestowed its Akashic Records of
health knowledge upon me in the late 1990s, I finally understood
why Grandma Sis (Bertha) developed and suffered from arthritis.
You see, my grandmother was originally from the South,
Mississippi to be exact. The ideal dinner was “soul food.” My
grandmother was an excellent cook and I never tasted any food
back in my deaf, dumb, and blind days and years that tasted
better than my paternal grandmother’s food/cooking. However,
while this so-called food, soul food, tasted good, I now
understand that taste is not the criterion or measuring stick
for what is healthy or nutritional. It was Grandma’s good
tasting soul food that did her in with arthritis and tendonitis.
Yes, all that cornbread, collard and mustard greens, salt pork,
candied yams, fried chicken, liver, catfish, pork chops, rock
Cornish hen, neck bones, ham, white rice, etc. eventually did
her (and the rest of my family members) in. Not to mention
eating all that white, refined Webber’s and Wonder bread, flap
jacks (pancakes), syrup and biscuits, bacon, sausages, jelly
cake, jelly sandwiches, saltine crackers, Vienna sausages,
potted meat, Spam, hog’s head cheese, liverwurst, etc. And what
about all that hot cocoa, coffee (laced with white sugar and
dairy cream), butter milk, pet milk, Kool-Aid, and soda pop that
she drunk?

She didn’t smoke cigarettes like her five sons, but she would
roll up her own smokes with Prince Albert brand tobacco and Zig
Zag paper. My childhood friends thought my grandmother smoked
marijuana. It was a little embarrassing until they found out
what it was she was really smoking.

I mentioned all of the above to let you all know that my
grandmother’s arthritis was caused by what she ate and drank on
a daily basis through ignorance, tradition, and habit.

All that meat converted into uric acid in my grandmother’s
joints and ligaments. The starches broke down into carbonic acid
and also made its way into her joints. And so did the lactic
acid from the brake down of the dairy products she consumed.

The smoking also created an over acid condition in my
grandmother as well. She also had bouts with gout, which is
nothing but arthritis in the ankle area.

You see, arthritis is a condition of inflammation of the joints.
That’s all it is. The Latin word “Arth” means “joints,” and the
English suffix, “it is” means “inflammation.” What is
inflammation? A burning! What causes this burning or
inflammation? ACID!!! Plain and simple!

Grandma Sis was lucky, eventually dying from degeneracy (that
doctors call natural death). However, her sons (and
daughter-in-laws, nephews, nieces, and grandchildren) were not
so lucky, dying from the insidious cancer, including my father
from lung cancer in 1994 and my mother from pancreatic cancer in
1999.

My family could not, would not, and to this very day, still will
not believe that what they put into their mouths cause their
pathologies and eventually kills them. It was easy to write me
off when I was a Muslim and member of the Nation of Islam in the
early 1990s, simply saying “that boy is mad at white folks and
the world!” But today as a Naturist, what’s their excuse?
Nothing but ignorance and traditional paralysis! Soul food is a
tradition, Djehuty! Yes, a tradition that leads to an early
grave!

One of the greatest contributors of arthritis is collard and
mustard greens. Sorry Black folks, Negroes, and soul food
lovers! But this is true! Greens are laced with “oxalic” acid
and this oxalic acid is greatly produced when you cook the
greens. This is true! And for you rat feces-laced chocolate
lovers out there, your precious chocolate also contains oxalic
acid.

Now, I don’t want you thinking soul food is the cause of
arthritis, because a lot of white folks, Mexicans/Latinos, and
Asians also suffer from arthritis. Like soul food, the Standard
American Diet will also cause arthritis. Arthritis is an
American disease!

If you understand arthritis, you should understand tendonitis
and gout. They are acidic fluid build up problems in the joints
that cause inflammation (pain).

Most modern day suffers of arthritis (and tendonitis and gout)
are fighting the symptoms of these inflammatory diseases with
pharmaceutical grade drugs. Even though God instructed Bible
believers to heal themselves with herbs (Revelations 22:2,
Ezekiel 47:12, and Pslams 104:14), in their strange obedience to
God, they take the enemy’s pharmaceutical drugs that prolong the
arthritis. Why and how? Because pharmaceutical grade drugs,
though made from alkaloids, eventually break down into ACID
(especially ascetic acid, which eats your red blood cells up) in
the body, and acid produces inflammation, so how intelligent is
it to take something to target the symptom which eventually
lengthens and worsen the initial condition?

Mother Nature has provided healing for arthritis and other
inflammatory diseases. To heal from arthritis, all one needs to
consume is certain herbs. Herbs that are anti-inflammatory in
nature are the best to heal from arthritis. These herbs include
Meadowsweet, Peppermint, Wintergreen, Birch, White and Black
Willow Bark and Balm of Gilead.

However, other certain herbs work synergistically with the herbs
supra. Personally, no healing from arthritis can take place
efficiently without the following herbs: Devil’s Claw, Boswellia
(Frankincense), Uva Ursi, Mullein leaves, Saffron, Cayenne
pepper, Feverfew, and Guaiac wood.

Devil’s Claw, Boswellia, Uva Ursi, and Mullein are the paramount
arthritis herbs. They greatly counteract mucus, which is the
byproduct of acid, which causes inflammation.

Organic sulfur, commonly called MSM Sulfur, is also great in
healing arthritis. So is Noni juice!

You can make your own healing salve as well from a base butter
or oil such as shea or cocoa butter, coconut, olive, or almond
oil (or any other good oil) and add in a few drops (10-15 drops)
of the following essential oils: Peppermint, Clove, Wintergreen,
Eucalyptus, Birch, and/or Spearmint.

You can rub this salve directly on your joints or other problems
area. It is very soothing and healing.

And of course, as an herbalist, I have formulated my own Joint
Formula that consists of all the herbs mentioned above that is a
powerful little formula that works wonders for me when my wrists
start to hurt from excessive typing (typing up all that legal
pleading).

I can’t forget about magnet therapy as well for arthritis.
Magnets make a problem or injured area alkaline and also
enhances circulation to the problem area so that healing can
begin.

My good friend and brother, Mark Lomax, a musician, healed
himself from serious bouts of gout, another acid condition. It’s
been a few years now since he had gout. What did he do? First,
he detoxified his body on our Full Body Detox. Then, he did a
daily regimen of our Electric Greens Cell Food (pure
alkalinity), Joints Formula and Black Cherry Juice Concentrate.
You wouldn’t recognize this brother if you knew him 3 years ago.
He also lost more than 70 lbs on these herbs. This man is a
walking example of healing!

I should also mention the importance of pineapple enzymes called
Bromelain for the healing of arthritis and other acid
conditions. Bromelain or pineapple enzymes are anti-inflammatory
in nature and effect and therefore provide healing for
arthritis. They taste just like candy and are chewable and you
can chew as much as you like, although 3-6 tablets after dinner
ought to get the job done. You can find Bromelain at most good
health food stores.

Soaking inflamed body parts in hot water and essential oils of
Peppermint and Eucalyptus is also beneficial for arthritis.

But most importantly in fighting arthritis is modified diet. Cut
out or cut down on meat and dairy products. These are two of the
biggest culprits in causing arthritis. A vegetable cocktail
consisting of celery, parsley, apple and/or carrot (for
sweetness and base) 3-4 times weekly will greatly remove acid
buildup in the joints. By all means, avoid all acidic beverages
(beer, soda pop, milk, orange juice, wine, coffee, etc.).

Man, life is so wonderful when you know how to heal and prevent
disease. The understanding of diseases is just as important.
Sometimes I’m full of grief and sorrow from my knowledge and
knowing that people suffer from a lack of knowledge (and
insanity too). See Ecclesiastes 1:18 and Hosea 4:6

However, the children of the future, including my son, Asim, and
daughter, Layla, and other Conscious Minds offspring – Nadya,
Najee, Elijah, Asar, Sunshine and the newest edition from Melia
and Obea, and the others (out here on the West Coast in Los
Angeles) will all benefit from this profound knowledge of proper
diet as well as from my suffering and grief, as well as their
parents. I’m also quite sure that many children around the
nation will also benefit from their parents’ reading and
applying this health information and knowledge that is freely
distributed.

As much as I loved soul food and my relative’s cooking back in
my death (Negro) days, you couldn’t put a gun to my head and
compel me to eat a piece of chicken or pork today, and I mean
that! I love myself too much to harm my temple of God. My
children are beautiful (and highly astute and precocious)
because of what their parents ate before and while conceiving
them. You can do it too!

Make the change people! Taste is not the criterion for what is
healthy. Nutritional content is!

Peace and love, readership!

This article was compliments of www.DHERBS.com and Djehuty
Ma’at-Ra, the People’s Herbalist!

MSM Sulfur-
http://www.dherbs.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_
id=73

About the author:
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MASSAGE THERAPY FOR SENIOR CITIZENS

With the baby boomers aging and with the help of higher technology and greater innovations in medicine and geriatric science, life is not merely being prolonged but more and more senior citizens today have the opportunity to take advantage of more quality life than ever before. This translates into a generation of more senior citizens of more advanced ages living among us, and that is, in my opinion a very good thing. National demographic studies tell us that nearly 40 million Americans are currently 65 years of age or older and over 2,000 more reach age 65 every single day. To accommodate the ever grown demand for massage therapy among senior citizens, many massage therapists are choosing to expand their expertise by studying the art of age-specific massage therapy which is often referred to as seniors massage or geriatric massage.

For the most part, massage therapy for senior citizens is extremely beneficial and of utmost importance to relieve the aches, the pains, the stiffness and the great number of health condition which are so often associated with aging; such as inflammations in the joints; arthritis; skin discoloration and other dermatological conditions; deteriorating muscles and bones; fading eyesight and loss of hearing, reduced appetite and therefore weight loss, poor blood circulation; sleep disorders; weakened mental capacity, tendonitis; bursitis; asthma; emphysema; high blood pressures; diminished functions of the internal vital organs such as the heart, the liver, the brain, the thyroid, the stomach and the intestines; and so much more. Most importantly, however, lonely and isolated, depressed, anxious and fearful senior citizens derive pricelessly valuable benefits from the simple pleasure of the caressing human touch and the intimate companionship afforded them during massage therapy sessions.

The Weavers Tale Retreat Center in the State of Oregon recently conducted a two-year study examining the effects of massage therapy for senior citizens and they found that at least 50 percent of the elderly who were tested showed a reduction in their rates of breathing, an increase in their range of motion, an improvement of their postures, development of more body awareness, their skin took on healthier colors and their muscle tones were enhanced. The same study also showed that 100 percent of the senior citizen who were tested showed a dramatic improvement in their moods and their attitudes toward life in general.

Massage therapy for senior citizens does not differ in technique but it does differ, and it differs greatly in the application of that technique, whichever that technique may be. In other words, just about any of the different massage techniques can be used on senior citizen but they must be modified enough to accommodate the facts that, very often, the skin of senior citizens have become thinner while growing much less pliable and much more easily broken, their bones are thinner and more brittle, their joints are more stiff with reduced range of mobility, their blood vessels are more prominent and closer to the surface of the skin and their overall health, vigor and vitality have been downgraded through the years. Taking all that into consideration, extra care musts be taken when positioning them on the massage tables, they should never be expected to perform the same movements as younger adults, and wheelchair-bound or bedridden seniors should get their massage treatments while remaining seated in their chairs or reclining in their beds.

Most massages for senior citizens are limited to anywhere from thirty to forty five minutes because the elderly seem to respond better to shortened sessions with greater frequency. Furthermore, greater time is usually spent on massaging their hands and feet than any other part of their bodies. That is especially true for those seniors who have lost the use of their hands and feet as massaging them will enhance their body awareness as well as increase sensations and blood circulation throughout.

We all need plenty of TLC (tender love and care) but senior citizens need and deserve quite a bit more of it.

PPPPP

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