Wendy Owen | Health And Wellness Tips

What is Arthritis? A Definition

What is Arthritis? A Definition
Wendy Owen

Arthritis is known to affect around forty percent of the
Americans and over fifty percent of the people globally. This is
one disease that is responsible for the maximum amount of pain
worldwide and thousands of dollars have been spent on pain
relief medications because of this.

Arthritis is one of the oldest diseases known to mankind which
could date back to thousands of years – in fact the Romans were
believed to have built the roman baths for therapeutic reasons
other than hygiene – as the hot water baths were used by ancient
Romans to ease the pains associated with arthritis.

The word ‘arthritis’ is a blend of the ancient Greek word
‘arthron’ which translated literally means ‘joint’ and the word
‘it is’ which means inflammation – the disease being
inflammation of the joint.

Arthritis is an autoimmune disease disorder, which causes
inflammation, pain and stiffness of the joints and connective
tissues. This may be accompanied by redness, swelling and warmth
of the joints, which are medically identified as signs of
inflammation of the joints.

Connective tissues are a set of supporting tissues for the
joints – typical examples of connective tissue being –
cartilages, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Arthritis is a wide
spectrum of disease conditions that include well over one
hundred diseases – predominantly those of ‘Rheumatoid Arthritis’
which can occur at any age and ‘Osteoarthritis ‘ which usually
occurs after sixty years of age.

Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that is known to occur due to
a disorder of the immune system and usually continues throughout
life with periods of remission (characterized by total absence
of disease symptoms) and exacerbation (with increasing severity
of disease). The disease is known to occur more often in women
as compared to men.

Arthritis is known to present in a variety of ways such as some
arthritic conditions are chronic while others are intermittent
such as Gout. The arthritic conditions are either inflammatory
or degenerative. The inflammatory form of arthritis is
characterized by the presence of swelling, redness and warmth of
the involved joints while the degenerative form of arthritis is
best identified as having a small element of inflammation and
being predominantly degenerative – which is best known for the
wearing out of the cartilages lining the joints.

Simply put, arthritis can be defines as any inflammation of the
joint and could either be chronic or short term in duration.
There is no simple cure for arthritis, however there are many
natural remedies available which can ease the severity of
arthritis symptoms and effect a repair on cartilage,

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

Natural Arthritis Medication to the Rescue!

Natural Arthritis Medication to the Rescue!
Wendy Owen

No matter which type of arthritis you suffer from, be it osteoarthritis, gout, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis or any one of the myriad forms of this disease, you need a safe and effective treatment. Attention is turning towards natural arthritis pain relief that is safe and viable for long term use.
There has been quite a scare recently due to the recall of Vioxx a Cox-2 inhibitor from the NSAIDS family of drugs. Vioxx was a major drug for arthritis pain relief. Sufferers are worried and wondering which drugs are safe and which one may be next to be withdrawn from the market.
All drugs have side effects, theres no disputing that. The question is how dangerous are these side effects and are they worse than the disease they are supposed to help? In the case of Vioxx, the side effects were increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Deadly stuff!
Unfortunately some side effects will only show up in time. No matter how well a drug is researched and tested. The question How many other time bombs are lurking out there? is valid and is currently being investigated.
So where does this leave the unfortunate person seeking arthritis pain relief? Well the best thing is not to get caught up in the hype in the press. Keep in touch with your arthritis doctor of rheumatologist to get the up to date news on whats available and whats safe to take at the moment.
Natural arthritis medication is a viable and safe option that can be taken with confidence while waiting for the dust to settle on the NSAIDS debate. Some people have experienced dramatic relief from taking these natural remedies and have decided that a natural remedy for arthritis is the answer to relieving arthritis pain while being free of the worry over dangerous side effects.
Acupuncture for Arthritis
Acupuncture is another natural remedy for arthritis. Acupuncture involves the use of needles to stimulate energy centres in the body for effective pain relief. Massage can benefit most types of arthritis, especially fibromyalgia, as it relaxes the muscles. Likewise the application of heat can have a relaxing and pain relieving effect.
Arthritis and Exercise
Exercise is great for arthritis as well. Gentle exercises such as yoga, pilates, swimming and walking are suitable. Stretch well before exercising and in the case of an attack of gout, wait until the pain and inflammation has subsided before starting.
So there is natural arthritis relief out there for those wanting to get away from drugs and their side effects or for those wanting more information on arthritis to expand their treatment options. Those natural arthritis treatments are safe, effective and put you in control of the disease. Always remember though to always seek professional medical advice at all times.
Copyright 2005 Wendy Owen

About The Author

Wendy Owen is a natural health writer and researcher. visit her site at http://www.natural-arthritis-medication.com for arthritis information and a natural arthritis remedy.

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

Arthritis Drugs – Is the Cure Worse Than the Disease?

Arthritis Drugs – Is the Cure Worse Than the Disease?
Wendy Owen

Research is always ongoing into new and better medications for
arthritis which is a very good thing. But where is all this
leading us?

Of course we need effective pain medication for arthritis to
enable sufferers to live normal lives. But are all these
expensive medications controlling the disease or simply masking
the symptoms?

Here’s a “quick and dirty” lowdown on what’s currently available
both “over the counter” (OTC) and on prescription only.

For mild cases of arthritis –

Some milder cases of arthritis never make it into the doctor’s
surgery. Indeed the sufferer might not even be aware that they
are suffering from arthritis at all. They may be feeling a few
“aches and pains” which they put down to old age or even the
cold damp weather.

That may be all well and good, but even OTC medications can be
dangerous if taken over a long period of time. The concept of
“more is better” can also happen if the pain gradually becomes
worse. This can lead to serious side effects.

OTC medications include aspirin and ibuprofen. These medications
can cause intestinal bleeding and kidney damage in large doses.
Aspirin also destroys vitamin C in the body leading to lower
immunity.

For More Advanced Arthritis-

By this stage most people have consulted their doctor.
Prescription medication at this stage normally consists of the
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDS. These do target
the pain and inflammation of arthritis symptoms but have a range
of side effects including stomach upset, abdominal pain, and
ulcers.

People with high blood pressure, those with kidney problems and
especially people who have heart problems are especially at risk
with NSAIDS.

Enter the COX-2 inhibitors. These have been designed for people
whose stomach problems cannot tolerate the above. Unfortunately
the risks remain for chest pain, heart attack and stroke victims.

For Advanced Arthritis-

For those suffering extreme pain and swelling the medical
profession brings out the heavy artillery – Corticosteroids.
These drugs contain man made cortisone and can be injected
directly into the affected joints or taken orally.

Long term use of these can produce sleep problems, weight gain,
osteoporosis and loss of immunity. Also available to those for
whom nothing else seems to work are Biologic Response Modifiers
(Biologics). Biologics are derived from live sources, plants and
animals and are not manufactured chemically. They are mainly
used for sufferers of Rheumatoid Arthritis and are given
intravenously or by injection. They can’t be taken in tablet
form.

Biologics suppress the immune system which leaves people prone
to infections. They are also very expensive and can’t be stored
without freezing.

Also available mainly to Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers are
Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) These work by
stopping the immune system from attacking the joints. DMARDS may
take up to three months to reduce symptoms but they do help to
stop joint damage even though they can’t repair any previous
damage.

Although these drugs are a boon to many, they work mainly at
masking the symptoms of arthritis and can’t reverse the damage
already caused. Most people thinks this is impossible, it isn’t!

Natural treatments for arthritis do exist and can significantly
stop some cases of arthritis, relieve pain and inflammation and
in some cases, reverse joint damage.

Definitely worth a try!

About the author:
Find out about the healthy way to treat osteoarthritis,
rheumatoid arthritis, gout and fibromylagia. Visit:
http://www.natural-arthritis-medication.com and sign up for our
6 part course. Wendy Owen is a health researcher and author.