Tag: United States

5 Things You Should Know About Osteoarthritis

5 Things You Should Know About Osteoarthritis
John Mancini

If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, you are not
alone. In fact, you are among the 20 million, or so, people who
are citizens of the United States that are affected by this
condition. Whether you are male or female, you are more likely
to experience the painful symptoms of osteoarthritis after the
age of 55.

1- If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, you probably
visited your physician due to pain in you feet, spine or hands.
This type of arthritis is known to also attack the larger weight
bearing parts of the body such as the knees and the hips.

2- If no cause for the arthritis can be found, this is called
primary osteoarthritis. However, if another cause for the pain
is present, then it is referred to as secondary osteoarthritis.
The treatment options for both types are the same.

3- Osteoarthritis is, in simple terms, the break down of the
cartilage that is naturally present between the bones of the
joints. As we age, this cartilage begins to dissolve, this
occurs at a quicker pace when repetitive motion is present. As
the amount of cartilage dissolves from between the bones, they
begin to rub against each other, and this is the pain that is
associated with arthritis.

4- People who perform repetitive motions involving the joints
are also the most commonly affected by osteoarthritis. The pain
is generally said to be at its worst during the night, after a
long day of activity. Generally, the arthritis is accompanied by
warming, swelling or creaking in the joints that are affected.
Stiffness and pain are also reported by patients, usually after
long periods of immobility.

5- There are several steps that can be taken to ease the
discomfort of osteoarthritis. Over the counter pain medication,
when taken in conjunction with weight loss efforts and exercise,
is often all that is needed to control the pain. However, if
this is not the case in your situation, speak with your doctor
about other pain suppressing methods that may work better for
you.

About the author:
John Mancini has been writing about Rheumatoid Arthritis online
and offline for a long time. Visit http://stop-arthritis.net or
http://arthritis-central.com to read more about matters like
arthritis pain relief and arthritis treatment.

5 Sure-Fire Tips For Treating Your Arthritis

5 Sure-Fire Tips For Treating Your Arthritis
Susan Easton

The numbers can rattle you down to your bones if you let them. Millions upon millions of American adults suffer from arthritis, and that’s not including folks around the globe in other countries. In fact, arthritis tops the list as one of the most common chronic conditions in the United States and most other Western nations.
The numbers are much worse when you consider that arthritis pain and other arthritis symptoms are so hard to live with many times. Arthritis symptoms can include debilitating pain in your joints and in your bones. It can lead to the inability to move certain limbs, or extreme stiffness in others.
Arthritis pain could steal you ability to feed yourself with utensils, to be able to pick up your grandchildren, or to even get out bed in the morning. Other arthritis symptoms can include swelling, burning sensations in your joints, aches and pains in indiscriminate parts of your body, and redness.
Arthritis is actually a family of a whole host of different disorders. And to find the arthritis pain relief and treatment for you, you must know your particular type of arthritis. The two main kinds of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis (OA). There is also gout, and some even consider fibromyalgia a form of arthritis.
Each type has its own arthritis treatment. For osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, for instance, to get arthritis pain relief some experts recommend alternative herbal remedies, or even your standard supplement treatments such as vitamin C, vitamin D, and calcium.
The top sure-fire arthritis treatment tips involve a little of such remedies, as well as some physical things you can do to better protect your joints.
1. Be kind to your joints. OA starts as excessive wear and tear in your joints. So one of the best ways to reduce the risk of this is by avoiding repetitive motions, which can include swinging a tennis racket, golf club, picking up packages at work, and other things you do the same way over and over.
2. Lose weight. Another way to be the kindest to your joints is to drop the load they have to bear. In other words, lose weight. Talk to your doctor about what a healthy weight is for you if you’re overweight.
3. Eat right. Some experts believe that calcium-filled dairy foods, and vitamin packed fruits and vegetables, can go a long way as an arthritis treatment and prevention method.
4. Know your drugs. NSAIDs work well against some forms of arthritis pain, but they also come with risks. Remember Vioxx? Acetaminophen, the drug in Tylenol, works well, too, but it can also lead to kidney and liver problems in excessive doses. So don’t take these drugs without your doctor’s advice.
5. Know your herbal remedies. Glucosamine and chondroitin have finally been proven as effective remedies for arthritis pain. But talk with your doctor before you take them.
There is no guarantee that any of these arthritis treatments can help you not become part of that frightening arthritis statistic, but the beauty is, no matter how much they work for your arthritis pain, they will definitely benefit your overall health. So it’s a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

About The Author

This article about arthritis is submitted by Susan Easton, writing for http://www.arthritisinfosite.com.

The Unknown Cause Of IBS

Not many people know about irritable bowel syndrome. Perhaps because not much is known about it despite the fact that it affects a lot of people. In fact, statistics in the United States have shown that one out of five people suffer from irritable bowel syndrome. That is roughly about 20 percent of the population. That is pretty prevalent for a disease that is not so known.

In fact, most doctors believe that the numbers should be even higher. The lack of information has contributed to a lot of misdiagnosis and under diagnosis. Patients, it seems, do not even know that they have irritable bowel syndrome until after a few years when the symptoms are already getting out of hand.

With irritable bowel syndrome, the symptoms are often mild. In fact, among patients suffering from the disorder, about 70 percent of them only have mild symptoms at the onset. This is the reason why the problem is not detected early on.

Irritable bowel syndrome does not have a specific cause. Up until now, doctors cannot still pinpoint what causes the problem in the first place. Although much research has already been done about, there is still no clear cut answer as to what exactly starts off the problem. One existing theory in the medical profession is that people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome have very sensitive large intestines or colon. Because of this increased sensitiveness, minor changes in the chemicals and substances that enter the chamber sets off a series of reactions that affect the movement of bowel in the body. Another possibility is the role of stress in the problem.

This happens when stress brings on changes with how the body responds and work internally. Although stress is not the cause, many still believe that easing stress can significantly improve the condition. This is true. In fact, some doctors also recommend undergoing some psychotherapy to help the patient deal with some of the stressors in his life. Another triggering factor that are being researched upon are milk and other milk products that are said to often trigger irritable bowel syndrome.

Because irritable bowel syndrome has no specific cause, diagnosis often relies on the account of symptoms that come from the patient was well as the medical history. There is no specific test that can detect the occurrence of irritable bowel syndrome. The most that doctors do is to make sure that other problems are not causing the symptoms. Hence, they will give you a number of tests designed to test other diseases and not irritable bowel syndrome.

Saline or Silicone, Whats The Difference

Saline implants are just empty shells. Theyre surgically placed then filled with a salt water solution. Since this implant is so small when its placed, the incision can also be quite small. This small incision leaves a much smaller scar. The silicone implant is a cover or envelope containing a silicone substance. This implant requires a larger incision for placement.

The United States places restrictions on silicone implants. Even though these restrictions have been considerably lessened in the past few years, the saline implant is still the most common implant used in America. Quality results can be expected from saline implants, but they can be more likely to suffer from cosmetic problems. Women with thin breast tissue may have the most problems.

Rippling and wrinkling of the implant may be seen. Theres also the possibility of noticing the implant itself, either by sight or by touch. Women with more breast tissue dont generally have this issue. Its for this reason that most surgeons prefer the silicone implant for post-mastectomy reconstruction.

Silicone implants are more widely used outside the United States than saline. Theyre considered by most surgeons to be more realistic in appearance. Methods have been developed to hide the scar left by the large incision the silicone implant requires. The newest version has shown the potential for significant improvements over the older products. Even though the leaked silicone hasnt been shown to cause health problems, the possibility of leakage is still a concern.