Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Acupuncture Use As Natural Arthritis Pain Relief

With growing concerns about the possible side-effects associated with drugs used to treat arthritis pain, more and more arthritis sufferers are searching for natural arthritis pain relief treatments. These natural arthritis remedies are a way to treat arthritis pain without side-effects.

1. Exercise the Joint

Due to the pain of their arthritis condition, arthritis sufferers tend to avoid exercising the affected joints. While this avoids pain in the short term, long term the muscles of the joint become more stiff, less flexible and weaker. This has the compounding effect of making their arthritis worst.

While exercising the muscles around the afflicted joint may seem simple, research has shown that this type of natural arthritis pain relief is very effective. Lifting weights will keep the muscles strong and flexible, stabilizing the joint and ensuring less pressure on the actual grinding bone.

Stretch the muscles regularly. You may find Yoga or Tai chi beneficial in this regard.

2. Glucosamine - An Excellent Arthritis Treatment

Glucosamine is another natural arthritis pain relief treatment which has found strong support in the research literature. Glucosamine is a natural substance found inside the body that helps reverse cartilage damage, lubricate the joint and relieve pain. Liquid glucosamine is considered to be more effective than glucosamine in tablet or powder form.

If you are looking to buy liquid glucosamine products, make sure you do your research first as products can vary greatly in terms of quality of ingredients and value for money.

3. Acupuncture - traditional pain relief treatment

There is a great number of arthritis sufferers who have used acupuncture as an effective treatment for arthritis pain. The treatment is many thousands of years old and involves stimulating points on the body to encourage blood flow and to unblock energy. Studies have shown that acupuncture can be effective in relieving pain.

Make sure you use someone who is certified in acupuncture if you are thinking of using this natural arthritis pain relief treatment.

As with anything, make sure you research a natural arthritis pain relief treatment before trying. These treatments can help relive arthritis pain, are inexpensive, have no side effects and can be used in conjunction with more traditional medical treatments.

Pain Relief For Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic illness that leaves patients suffering from never ending painful conditions and symptoms. According to medical studies and researchers, there is no specific medication that can cure this health condition. Don't lose heart! There are several diet options you can depend upon in order to get relief from pain. Here are some diet suggestion coming straight from medical expert to plan a pain-free diet in order to reduce inflammation and pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

a) Tea

Tea has been introduced to the list of healing foods by the experts. Green tea consists of polyphenols, widely known as epigallocatechin - 3 gallate or EGCG. This works towards inhibiting the expression of the interleukin - 8 gene. This gene works for arthritis inflammatory response. Researchers have also proved that black tea can reduce the pain. Sip in tea and you will be relieved from pain. There are certain special compounds found in tea such as phytoestrogens, flavonoids and fluoride. These are a group of antioxidants that work together for healing pain in the body.

b) Grapes

Grapes are rich in resveratrol. It is a phyto-estrogen, nonsteronoidal compound. The studies in the past few years have indicated that resveratrol tends to block inflammation of cells. The inflammation of cells is directly associated with arthritis or several other diseases related to joints. Resveratrol is the first major natural compound that has been identified to undertake two major tasks. The first task is to block the Cox-2 gene from being activated. The second function is to inactivate the enzyme created by that gene. Experts believe that trans-resveratrol can work towards improving aspirin properties to fight diseases related to COX-2 like arthritis. So, snacking on grapes let you get a lot of healing nutrients to the body.

c) Vegetables

Diet consisting of a major portion of vegetables is said to reduce inflammation in most people. This diet helps in producing prostaglandins and leukotrienes. These functions help in reducing inflammatory conditions.

d) Broccoli

Broccoli is rich in glutathione. Glutathione is a potent antioxidant and detoxifying agent. Most of the antioxidants such as Vitamin C & E are unable to function without the help of glutathione. Experts also believe that people with less glutathione in their body can have greater risk of arthritis as compared to those with higher amounts of this antioxidant. You can also snack on some other glutathione rich foods such as avocados, grape fruit, peaches, watermelon and oranges.

e) Fish

According to several studies conducted on health, it has been proved that Omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish can help in reducing inflammation. You should also include fish oils to your diet in order to stay away from the rheumatoid arthritis. Fish high in Omega-3 include anchovies, bluefish, capeline, dogfish, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines, shad, sturgeon, Tuna and white fish.

f) Pineapple

Pineapple has been widely used to heal sports injuries. The fruit contains bromelain helps in reducing inflammation. The ingredient helps in reducing pain occurring due to arthritis.

g) Olive oil

Eating Olive oil in large quantities can cut down the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. It is high in unsaturated fatty acids. It also contains Oleic acid that helps in decreasing inflammation.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Control Of Arthritis Pain And Care

Arthritis pain? Do you have pain? Or do you have arthritis? well let me tell you that there is help and cure's for you. I played football for over 11 years and I can say that put a major strain on my body mostly my knees. The doctor said I would have arthritis pain later in life but later came sooner then later.

I put together little tricks and tips for me to use which included:

Stretching
Walking
Light exercise
water aerobics

Get help with your arthritis today become pain free.
These were my main areas I would focus on when I was looking to help cure my arthritis pain. Anyone can do this and it's very easy. I look at it like this, if you do not continue to help your illness (arthritis) then your illness will get worse and worse. There is proactive measures that you can take to make everything better but this is all up to you.

You must make an effort to exercise, walk, eat correctly, stay off of the painful area, rest, and perform natural therapy on your own. If you do not do this then you are not ready to help yourself.

I as hard as it was had to force myself to do things on a daily basis.

I created a routine:
wake up stretch, take a 30 minute walk, read the newspaper, light weight lifting 15-20 minutes, and I would continue to do this each and every single day no matter what... Guess what? over time my pain got better and better and soon non existent! Miracle I don't know but it worked. My arthritis was gone.

Symptoms And Care For Arthritis

Arthritis is an inflammatory condition of the joints that can at times disable the patient. The consequences of arthritis include joint disfigurement and constrained joint mobility.

Statistics of Americans with arthritis or chronic joint symptoms:

• 1985 - 35 million

• 1990 - 37.9 million

• 1998 - nearly 43 million (1 in 6 people)

• 2006 - 46 million (nearly 1 in 5 adults)

• Arthritis is said to be one of the most ubiquitous chronic health problems and is leading cause of disability among Americans over age 15.

• Arthritis is second only to heart disease as grounds of work disability.

• Arthritis limits daily activities such as walking, dressing and bathing for more than 7 million Americans.

• Arthritis results in 39 million doctor visits and more than a half million hospitalizations.

• Arthritis influences people in all age groups together with nearly 300,000 children.

• Baby boomers are now at chief jeopardy. More than half those affected are under age 65.

• Arthritis is a term used to refer to more than hundred different diseases that concern areas in or around joints.

General Information:

• Women - 24.3 million of the people with arthritis diagnosed by a doctor

• Men - 17.1 million of the people with arthritis diagnosed by a doctor

The disease also has an affect on other parts of the body. Arthritis causes pain, loss of movement and sometimes swelling. Some types of arthritis are:

• Osteoarthritis: a degenerative joint disease in which the cartilage that covers the ends of bones in the joint deteriorates, causing pain and loss of movement as bone begins to rub against bone. It is the most prevalent form of arthritis.

• Rheumatoid arthritis: an autoimmune disease in which the joint lining becomes inflamed as part of the body's immune system activity. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most serious and disabling types, affecting mostly women.

• Gout is a form which mostly affects men. It is usually the result of a defect in body chemistry. This painful condition most often attacks small joints, especially the big toe. Fortunately, gout almost always can be completely controlled with medication and changes in diet.

• Ankylosing spondylitis is a type that affects the spine. As a result of inflammation, the bones of the spine grow together.

• Juvenile arthritis is a common term for all types of arthritis that come about in children. Children may develop juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or childhood forms of lupus, Ankylosing spondylitis or other types of arthritis.

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus): a severe disorder that can agitate and damage joints and other connective tissues all over the body. • Scleroderma: a disease of the connective tissues of the body that causes a thickening and hardening of the skin.

• Fibromyalgia: a form in which extensive pain affects the muscles and attachments to the bone. It affects mostly women.