Tag: United States

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.

What Causes Childhood Arthritis?

What Causes Childhood Arthritis?
David Chandler

What is childhood arthritis?Childhood arthritis is a disease that occurs in children under the age of 16. It causes pain, stiffness, and swelling in one or more of the joints. This pain, stiffness, and swelling are called inflammation. With childhood arthritis, the inflammation lasts longer than six weeks, and is not caused by an injury or other illness. Childhood arthritis is also called juvenile arthritis.How common is childhood arthritis? It affects 1 in 1,000 US children under the age of 16. Both boys and girls are affected by childhood arthritis. Arthritis is not just a disease of old people. In fact, approximately one in 1,000 children under the age of 16 suffers from arthritis. Juvenile arthritis is among the most common chronic childhood disorders.What causes childhood arthritis?The exact cause of childhood arthritis is unknown. Childhood arthritis does not usually run in families and cannot be passed from one person to another. The onset of childhood arthritis may follow an infection or injury, but these events do not cause the arthritis. With childhood arthritis, the body’s immune system stops working properly. The immune system’s job is to fight off germs and disease. However, in a child with childhood arthritis the immune system attacks healthy tissues. What triggers this process is unknown.What can you do about childhood arthritis? If your child has inflammation, in one or more joints for more than six weeks your doctor may perform a physical examination of your child and order tests, such as x-rays and blood tests to find out what is causing the inflammation. There is not just one single symptom, sign, or test that will give a diagnosis of childhood arthritis.If your doctor thinks your child has childhood arthritis, he or she will usually refer your child to a rheumatologist (pronounced room-a-tol-o-jist). A rheumatologist is a doctor who has received special training in the diagnosis and treatment of problems involving inflammation of the joints, muscles and other parts of the body. About the Author
For more information, visit www.ArthritisInfoCenter.com

Air Purifiers: A Buying Guide

Are you in the market for an air purifier? Air purifiers are electric machines that are used to eliminate harmful particles or contaminants from the air. If used inside your home, air purifiers will help to make the air that you and your family breathes cleaner. For that reason, there is a good chance that you would be in the market for a new air purifier, if not now then in the future.

When it comes to buying air purifiers, there are many consumers who think they know what to look for. Many of those consumers end up purchasing the lowest costing machine or the one that looks the best. Of course, you will not want to pay more than you have to and a good looking machine would be nice, but you are advised against basing your decisions solely on that. Instead, you will want to take the time to understand the product you are interested, namely the price of the purifier, as a whole, and the performance quality.

Perhaps, the first step in buying a purifier is to familiarize yourself with all of your available options. You can do this two different ways. The first way involves visiting one of your local retail stores. You will want to thoroughly examine each product that they have available. This should be done by reading the information which can be found on air purifier boxes. In addition to comparing prices and products at the store, you can also use the internet. In fact, the internet may be the easiest way. Online, you can not only familiarize yourself with different air cleaning machines, but you can also read product reviews.

If you have the opportunity, you are advised to read online reviews of multiple air purifiers. These reviews should give you inside information on the operation and maintenance of multiple air purifiers. Although product reviews are nice, you are also advised to do your own research, as well as use your common sense. This is important, especially when determining the final cost of purchasing an air purifier.

With air purifiers, you will find a number of different make and models. Some of these makes and models use filers. With certain types of filters, many just need to be cleaned, but others need to be replaced. If you need to replace the filter in an air purifier, you need to determine when that filter needs to be changed and exactly how much it will cost. This is extremely important, especially if you are shopping on a budget. In some cases, you will find that some air purifiers need to have their filters replaced in as little as a couple of months. You may also find that the filter ends up costing more than you originally paid for the air purifier. You are urged to stay away from these types of cleaning machines; many times they are not just considered air cleaners, but financial traps.

When looking for an air purifier, you are advised to look for air purifiers with HEPA filters. HEPA filters, although they are considered expensive, are often the most well performing. This is because HEPA air filters must meet specific regulations. These regulations, which are imposed by the Department of Energy, are the reason why air purifiers with HEPA filters are considered the most successful at eliminating unwanted or harmful air particles.

Once you have researched and examined a number of different air purifiers and you have made a final decision, you will find that you have a number of different purchase options. Air purifiers are sold all across the United States. A large number of retail stores carry these purifiers, including home improvement stores, home stores, and most traditional department stores. In addition to storefront retail locations, air purifiers can also be purchased online from a number of different retailers. For the largest selection of air purifiers, as well the ability to quickly compare prices, you may want to think about shopping online.

Honestly, where you shop doesnt matter as much as which type of air purifier you are purchasing. If you are looking for an affordable, but well performing air purifier, you should be prepared to spend a little bit of time researching all of your available options. While this research may seem time consuming, it will almost always be worth it in the long run.

The Science of Arthritis

The Science of Arthritis
Adam Waxler

In order to understand how to handle arthritis pain, you need to understand how the body works and how arthritis can impede the body from working properly. Once someone has a general understanding of the science behind arthritis, one can better understand how to handle arthritis pain and get some arthritis relief.
First of all, there are several different types of arthritis. The two most commonly known forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, there are three other major types of arthritis. These other forms of arthritis are systemic lupus erythematosis, ankylosing spondylitis and gout. Lets take a look at each:
Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE) This form of arthritis mainly affects women. It develops in the skin, internal organs and joints.
Ankylosing Spondylitis This form or arthritis affects the spine and can also affect the ankles, knees, lungs, heart, shoulders and eyes.
Gout This is a painful affliction mainly for men, about one million of them in the United States alone. Uric acid build up, due to an internal chemical malfunction, forms crystals that get stuck in a joint, generally the big toe, and become inflamed.
Where two bones meet, called joints, are covered with cartilage, also known as gristle. This cartilage is sturdy, elastic, and spongy or compressible, and keeps the bones from moving against each other at the joint. Healthy joints can handle some fairly heavy pressure. For example, when taking a walk a persons knees handle a force of three to four times a persons total body weight, while deep knee bends can increase to nine times the bodys weight. Unfortunately, arthritis effects how joints function properly in your body.
Surrounding the bones and cartilage is a strong, fibrous capsule lined with synovium, a thin membrane that lubricates the joint area with fluid. The end result is less friction or smoother rubbing together of the bones. This fluid also feeds the cartilage cells, keeping them healthy, and is pumped into them during joint movement. Therefore, lack of movement can be unhealthy. By understanding more about how joints work it is easy to see why exercise plays a crucial role in arthritis relief.
Arthritic joints can be affected with inflammation when bacteria or a virus (or other undesirable element) enters the joint area or when an injury occurs. What happens is when foreign matter enters this area or the area sustains injury, white blood cells, antibodies and other natural fighting mechanisms automatically kick in internally to help. These fighters cause swelling, redness and heat as the body fluid moves around. Symptoms of inflammation, one of the uncomfortable issues associated with arthritis pain, are redness, swelling and tender joints.
The exact science of what actually causes arthritis is still being researched. For most forms of arthritis, the causes are unknown. Injury, overuse of joints and mechanical issues with joints (like skeletal abnormalities, worn out joint muscles) can lead to arthritis. Many arthritis experts also point to issues relating to bacteria as one of the main culprits causing arthritis. Heredity, stress, drugs, food allergies and viruses have also been linked to some forms of arthritis. Likewise, diet, poor circulation, and lack of movement have also been connected to arthritis.
While it appears that arthritis may be caused by many factors, the good news is that at least some of these factors can be controlled. Clearly, a healthy diet and plenty of exercise will go along way towards arthritis relief.
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.