10 Easy Tips for Arthritis Pain Relief
Think you can’t stop that arthritis pain? Great news! You can act now. Get 10 super easy and effective arthritis pain relief tips from arthritis experts and make your life with arthritis a little easier now.
Protect your joints. Don’t keep your joints in the same position for a prolonged period of time. Balance your rest and work throughout the day. Use the strongest joints available for the job.
Stretch it. Stretching should be part of every arthritis patient’s daily routine. A good stretch helps prevent injuries by warming up muscles and tendons which are more limber and less likely to tear. Spend at least 10 minutes each day stretching, and work each major muscle group.
Cool it down. Stop physical activity. Rest in a cool/shaded environment. Spray with a mist of cool water or wrap an ice pack or cold compress in a towel and apply it to reduce arthritis pain and swelling.
Get moving. Exercise can help reduce joint pain and stiffness and increases flexibility and muscle strength. It can also help with weight control, stress management, and make you feel better overall. The Arthritis Foundation also offers water exercise and other classes.
Get a massage. Massage therapy can relieve your pain, soothe stiff sore muscles, reduce inflammation and swelling. Make sure you use oil or cream on your fingers to make it mroe gentle. Work the area for five to ten minutes a day if possible.
Keep your weight in balance. Being overweight, even just moderately, impacts weightbearing joints and can increase the pain of arthritis. Studies have indicated that losing extra weight lowers the risk for developing osteoarthritis of the knee. Losing weight can help slow the progression of arthritis too.
Get a diagnosis. If you are experiencing symptoms like pain, stiffness, swelling for more than 1 weeks, you should consider seeing your doctor and getting a diagnosis. Remember that there are more than 100 types of arthritis. It is important to get the specific diagnosis for the type of arthritis you have.
Take your medication the right way. Don’t stop taking your medication just because you feel it is not working. Check with your doctor first. You need to understand that it may take several days to several months for a medication to become effective.
Look out for new options. Recently FDA has approved some new drugs for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other arthritis diseases. If feel that the current medication doesn’t work well, check with your doctor about possible new options.
Keep educating yourself. It is important to learn something new about arthritis. Find some good websites online and subscribe to their newsletter if they have it. Join one of two active online arthritis communities like forums or bulletin board. Never hesitate to see your doctors and ask questions.
Arthrits Relief with Simple Dietary Changes
February 16, 2009 by admin
Filed under Arthritis, Back Pain, Joint Pain Relief
The best course of action to take sometimes isn’t clear until you’ve listed and considered ALL of your alternatives. The following paragraphs should help clue you in to what changes the experts think are significant when trying to control the pain of Arthritis..
Arthritis is one of the most prevalent health problems facing today’s aging population.
The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which usually strikes weight-bearing joints such as the ankles, knees and hips. Pain is caused by the gradual breakdown of cartilage, the soft “padding” material that cushions the joints.
About 85% of adults who reach the age of 85 will have osteoarthritis–unless they take a proactive approach to prevent it.
Exercise is very important. But what about diet?
For a long time, doctors doubted there could be any link between diet and osteoarthritis. They saw the disease as a natural result of wear and tear on the joints, something inevitable as we age.
But new research is making them reconsider that idea.
It now appears that nutrition plays a vital role in helping to prevent or ease the effects of osteoarthritis. One key element is vitamin C.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, and may protect the joints from the damaging effects of free radicals (unstable molecules that can cause joint inflammation).
Recent research is showing that vitamin C can help prevent bone loss and cartilage inadequacies associated with aging. Specifically, when your joint has cartilage that needs to be repaired, vitamin C is needed for such repairs. It helps to keep your cartilage “young”.
The information about Arthritis presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about Arthritis or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.
According to Dr. Timothy McAlindon of the Boston University School of Medicine, “Vitamin C may also help generate collagen, which enhances the body’s ability to repair damage to the cartilage.”
When scientists at the Boston University School of Medicine studied the eating habits of people with osteoarthritis of the knee, they found that those getting the most vitamin C–more than 200 milligrams a day–were three times less likely to have the disease get worse than those who got the least vitamin C (less than 120 milligrams a day).
Dr. McAlindon recommends that people get a least 120 milligrams of vitamin C every day. “That’s the amount in a couple of oranges,” he says.
Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, co-authors of “You: The Owner’s Manual”, recommend even more. “Shoot for 1200 milligrams of vitamin C a day–spread between your diet and supplements throughout the day.”
Be careful not to overdo it. Some data suggest that more than 2,500 milligrams a day can have the opposite effect and actually increase the risk of osteoarthritis.
Dr. Eve Campanelli, a holistic family practitioner in Beverly Hills, CA, recommends black cherry juice. She advises her patients to drink two glasses, twice a day, of four ounces of the juice diluted with four ounces of water.
Other fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C include oranges, cantaloupe, broccoli, strawberries, peppers and cranberry juice.
A healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, has been recommended by nutritionists for years. Now there’s another reason to pay attention–it can help your joints to stay young!
Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of Arthritis. Share your new understanding about Arthritis with others. They’ll thank you for it.
Green Tea May Help Protect Against Rheumatoid Arthritis
December 28, 2008 by admin
Filed under Featured, Joint Pain Relief
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that affects more than 2.1 million Americans. It is 
characterized by joint pain, stiffness, inflammation, swelling, and sometimes joint destruction. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the standard treatment for RA, but their prolonged use is associated with adverse effects and discomfort. Natural plant alternatives like green tea are being investigated for the management of RA. Green tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, and its polyphenols (substances rich in antioxidants) possess anti-inflammatory properties.
NCCAM-funded investigators at the University of Maryland and Rutgers University examined the effects of green tea polyphenols on RA by using an animal model in rats. The animals consumed green tea in their drinking water (controls drank water only) for 1-to-3 weeks before being injected with a protein (Bhsp65) to induce arthritis. The researchers found that green tea significantly reduced the severity of arthritis.
The researchers suggest that green tea affects arthritis by causing changes in various arthritis-related immune responses—it suppresses both cytokine IL-17 (an inflammatory substance) and antibodies to Bhsp65, and increases cytokine IL-10 (an anti-inflammatory substance). Therefore, they recommend that green tea be furthered explored as a dietary therapy for use together with conventional treatment for managing RA.
Reference
- Kim HR, Rajaiah R, Wu QL, et al. Green tea protects rats against autoimmune arthritis by modulating disease-related immune events. The Journal of Nutrition. Nov. 2008:138(11):2111–2116.
Inflammation and joint health
December 26, 2008 by admin
Filed under Featured, Joint Pain Supplements
We’ve all experienced ‘inflammation’ at some point, for example, when you cut yourself and the area around your wound is swollen and red, that’s inflammation. In most cases, inflammation means that your immune system has responded to attack by deploying germ fighting ‘warrior’ cells, which is a good thing. However, if you’re suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation can mean that your immune system is actually attacking, and destroying, your joints.
The good news is that eating a well-rounded and healthy diet is a great start when it comes to combating inflammation and can ease the pain of your hurting joints. There are some foods in particular that seem to carry more ‘inflammation fighting’ power than do others. Foods with protein restraining chemicals seem to boast the most inflammation fighting properties.
Foods right in omega-3 are wonderful when it comes to inflammation of the joints. Salmon, tuna, cod, and mackerel are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Try to eat at least two servings of fish per week, that should amount to about seven ounces per week. If you don’t like fish, consider a supplement of fish or flaxseed oil every day.
Cow and goat’s milk contain what is knows as CLAs or conjugated linoleic acids. Research indicates that consuming a few servings of low or non-fat dairy products on a daily basis will help eliminate inflammation.
Olive oil is another excellent treatment for inflammation. Did you know that taking just 3.5 tablespoons of olive oil (preferably extra virgin) will lesson your joint pain because it provides the same relief as a 200 milligram ibuprofen.
You should also do your best to make sure you’re getting enough fiber. A high fiber diet will reduce inflammation in the body, and help to heal your hurting joints.
A few other foods that will help to reduce the inflammation of your joints are ginger, tumeric, cherry, pomegranate, and black or green tea.
Individually, these foods will provide you only nominal relief, But if you take them in conjunction with one another, you should see some powerful changes in your joint inflammation and can even help to eliminate your need for medication!
Super Foods to Fight Arthritis
December 25, 2008 by admin
Filed under Featured, Joint Pain Supplements
The good old saying stands valid, you are what you eat. With some thought and effective planning it’s possible to get nutrient rich food into your system, believe me your body will thank you for it. The battle against arthritis should from start from inside your body, with so choices sometimes we take things for granted. Here are some of conscious choice you could make when it comes to battle against arthritis and full pain relief.
Salmon as you might know is full of omega 3 fatty acid, the good fat which your body requires on a day to basis. Eating salmon gives you a double edge advantage , it is good for your cardiovascular health , it has been known to raise the levels of good cholesterol, bringing your blood pressure down.
Bananas – one of the richest sources of potassium and sudden energy booster, its great drink any time of the day , best of all you it doesn’t need any preparation, its easy as peel and go. The specific arthritis fighting nutrients like folate and vitamin B6 is in the right proportion in a banana. Again banana has dual benefits; it contains a high fibre content which will give you the full feeling faster than other food groups there by helping you lose weight as well. Wouldn’t you eat a banana if you can achieve full pain relief ?
If you are a seafood lover like me, don’t ignore the importance of shrimps. They contain the hard to get vitamin D, in fact it contains more Vitamin D than a cup of milk. Just like salmon it contains Omega 3 fatty acids the vitamins B12 which keeps you in good all round health. In general for full pain relief include a wide range of deep sea food.
Green tea has recently come into the lime light as super food; it’s a known fact that green tea is an effective anti oxidant and has various other properties which will help you not only in curing arthritis but also help a whole raft of other health related problems. If you were to pick one among the discussed super foods, it would be green tea.
Little planning goes a long way when it comes to your intake of food and controlling arthritis. Don’t make the common mistake which people make, they stick to good food for a week or so and then revert back to old ways, the trick is to be always conscious of what you put into your system.
Arthritis – Are You at Risk?
December 19, 2008 by admin
Filed under Joint Pain Relief
At risk? I loved the word risk when I was bit younger; I was adventurous and full of life. I loved bikes, to the extend that I enjoyed all kinds of crazy tricks, but along with that came the risk of getting it wrong, the risk of breaking your bones falling from the bike and surely I did fall and broke my bones eight times. To be at risk indicates that there is a higher possibility.
Joint pain as simple as it sounds can become a crippling disability before you know. The way to access if you are at risk of having joint pain is to come to a conclusion based on various factors, which are known to contribute to the disease. Below you will find a few factors that are medically proven to increase you chance of various forms of arthritis.
Are you overweight? – The more weight you carry, the more stress you put on your joints which in turn might start disintegrating.
Have you had an injury? – Have you ever had an injury to your knee, which made you bedridden and force you to you to use crutches or require surgery?
Are you involved in high intensity physical activity? – Do you involve yourself in greater than three hours per day of heavy physical activities, such as lifting or bending or moving stuff on a regular basis?
Have you had hip problems that forced you to limp as a kid? – Although we feel that a long forgotten injury as kid is healed it might resurface again with out notice.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you might be at an increased risk. Arthritis contributes to 39 million-doctor visits leave alone half a million hospitalization. Early intervention can substantially decrease further damage and pain in the future. Remember prevention is better than cure.
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