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.

Best Joint Pain Remedies

Arthrits Relief with Simple Dietary Changes

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.

Best Joint Pain Remedies

Glucosamine

Description:
Glucosamine is an aminopolysaccharide (a combination of an amino acid – glutamine and a sugar – glucose). Glucosamine is concentrated in joint cartilage where it is incorporated in longer chains known as glycosaminoglycans and finally into very large structures known as proteoglycans. The proteoglycans function to attract water into the joint space for lubrication of the cartilage during movement.

Claims:

Reverses osteoarthritis

Protects joints and tendons from injury

Decreases inflammation

Theory:
The principle behind glucosamine supplementation is that the glucosamine is delivered to the joint space and incorporated into proteoglycans of joint cartilage to maintain structure and repair damage. Glucosamine may also stimulate chondrocytes (cartilage cells) to begin producing healthy new cartilage matrix (both collagen and proteoglycans).

Scientific Support:
There are numerous European studies showing a clear benefit of glucosamine supplements for relief of joint pain and stiffness associated with arthritis. Many of the studies have been criticized for lack of scientific control, short duration and small size, but recent meta-analyses of the smaller studies have supported the beneficial role of glucosamine supplements as a safe and effective approach to treating osteoarthritis. In general 1-3 months of glucosamine supplementation seems to be more effective than a placebo and at least as effective as analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, in reducing the joint pain of osteoarthritis. Until more rigorous studies are conducted in the United States, the Arthritis Foundation has stated that it cannot recommend glucosamine supplements as a treatment for osteoarthritis, but this stand has not stopped the Foundation from accepting financial support from the producer of the best selling brand of glucosamine supplements on the market – Rexall Sundown’s Osteo-Bi-Flex. Perhaps the supplements with the best clinical substantiation are Dona from Rotta Labs and Cosamin from NutraMax Labs.

Safety:
Occasional symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort have been noted, but no significant adverse effects have been noted with glucosamine supplementation. Although there have been no long-term safety studies conducted in humans, animal studies on glucosamine have found it to be non-toxic. Diabetics may want to exercise a degree of caution when using glucosamine supplements, as there have been several animal studies and one small human pilot study that have suggested an increase in blood sugar levels during regular glucosamine consumption (though most of the animal studies have used injections of glucosamine).

Value:
Glucosamine supplements tend to be among the more expensive products on the shelf. A one-month supply of capsules can range from $15 to well over $100. Because they have to be consumed for 1-3 months before any noticeable benefit is apparent, you may need to invest a significant amount of money before you realize any benefits. However, because arthritis pain is one of the most debilitating conditions, most people dealing with such pain would gladly invest a dollar or so per day in a supplement that relieved their discomfort and helped repair their damaged cartilage tissue. For people with existing chronic joint pain, glucosamine supplements are probably worth the significant dollar investment for the benefits that they deliver. For those individuals with intermittent joint pain or those with more mild joint stiffness, the high cost associated with glucosamine supplements may not be justified – and the money might be better spent on other more relevant supplements.

Dosage:
No dose-response studies have been conducted with glucosamine supplements. Virtually all oral supplementation studies on glucosamine have used 1500mg per day – usually in 3 divided doses of 500mg each. While this level appears to be an effective dose, there is no information to suggest that a higher does would work better or faster – or that a lower dose would be less effective. A common supplementation strategy, which can decrease the daily cost of supplements, is to consume 1500mg of glucosamine per day for the first 60-90 days of your regimen, followed by a reduced intake of 250-750mg per day as a “maintenance level.” Following the initial 60-90 day period, dosage levels can be increased or decreased based on individual pain and stiffness levels.

Glucosamine Joint Pain Supplements

References:
1. Barclay TS, Tsourounis C, McCart GM. Glucosamine. Ann Pharmacother. 1998 May;32(5):574-9.
2. da Camara CC, Dowless GV. Glucosamine sulfate for osteoarthritis. Ann Pharmacother. 1998 May;32(5):580-7.
3. Deal CL, Moskowitz RW. Nutraceuticals as therapeutic agents in osteoarthritis. The role of glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and collagen hydrolysate. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 1999 May;25(2):379-95.
4. Delafuente JC. Glucosamine in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2000 Feb;26(1):1-11.
5. Denham AC, Newton WP. Are glucosamine and chondroitin effective in treating osteoarthritis? J Fam Pract. 2000 Jun;49(6):571-2. 6. Donohoe M. Efficacy of glucosamine and chondroitin for treatment of osteoarthritis. JAMA. 2000 Sep 13;284(10):1241; discussion 1242.
7. Houpt JB, McMillan R, Wein C, Paget-Dellio SD. Effect of glucosamine hydrochloride in the treatment of pain of osteoarthritis of the knee. J Rheumatol. 1999 Nov;26(11):2423-30.
8. Leeb BF, Schweitzer H, Montag K, Smolen JS. A metaanalysis of chondroitin sulfate in the treatment of osteoarthritis. J Rheumatol. 2000 Jan;27(1):205-11.
9. Leffler CT, Philippi AF, Leffler SG, Mosure JC, Kim PD. Glucosamine, chondroitin, and manganese ascorbate for degenerative joint disease of the knee or low back: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Mil Med. 1999 Feb;164(2):85-91.
10. Mautone G. Efficacy of glucosamine and chondroitin for treatment of osteoarthritis. JAMA. 2000 Sep 13;284(10):1241; discussion 1242.
11. McAlindon TE, LaValley MP, Felson DT. Efficacy of glucosamine and chondroitin for treatment of osteoarthritis. JAMA. 2000 Sep 13;284(10):1241.
12. McAlindon TE, LaValley MP, Gulin JP, Felson DT. Glucosamine and chondroitin for treatment of osteoarthritis: a systematic quality assessment and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2000 Mar 15;283(11):1469-75.
13. Rindone JP, Hiller D, Collacott E, Nordhaugen N, Arriola G. Randomized, controlled trial of glucosamine for treating osteoarthritis of the knee. West J Med. 2000 Feb;172(2):91-4.
14. Towheed TE, Anastassiades TP. Glucosamine and chondroitin for treating symptoms of osteoarthritis: evidence is widely touted but incomplete. JAMA. 2000 Mar 15;283(11):1483-4.