Health and Fitness – Fitness Made Easy

Arthritis – There are more than 100 types of arthritis, but the most common type is osteoarthritis.

Symptoms include painful stiff swollen joints in any part of the body. The pain is the result of wear and tear on cartilage,  the gel-like shock-absorbing material between joints.

When cartilage wears away, bone grinds against bone.

Although you can develop osteoarthritis at any age,  it usually occurs in people over 45,  and is more common among women.
Other forms of the disease are rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.

Anti-inflammatory drugs-prescription and over the counter can ease the pain.  But relief from arthritis doesn’t end there.
There are plenty of measures that sufferers can take to achieve their goal of easy-moving,  pain-free days.

Pain Removers

• Take glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate supplements to reduce pain and slow down cartilage loss.  Evidence suggests that this combination can be effective for people with mild to moderate arthritis.  It may take a month before you begin to feel the benefits.

• Take a 1\2 teaspoon of powdered ginger or up to 35 g  (about 6 teaspoons) of fresh ginger once a day.  Ginger root helps to relieve arthritis pain, probably because of  its ability to increase blood circulation,  and thus ferry inflammatory chemicals away from painful joints.

• Take two 400mg doses of SAM-e (S-adenosylmethionine) a day. SAM-e, a chemical found naturally in the cells of the body,  has been shown to help relieve arthritis pain by increasing blood levels of proteoglycans-molecules that seem to play a key role in preserving cartilage by helping to keep it pumped up and well oxygenated.  SAM-e also appears to reduce inflammation. Research has found the supplement as effective as anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen in fighting arthritis pain.  If you get good results with 800mg  a day,  reduce the dose to 400mg a day after 2 weeks.  SAM-e has  few side – effects,  although it can cause dyspepsia and nausea.   It seems to be safe to take with most prescription and OTC drugs,  but if you are taking drugs prescribed for bipolar disorder (manic depression)  or Parkinson’s disease,  you should consult your doctor before taking SAM-e supplements.

Seek heat relief  and cold comfort

• Applying heat to a painful joint can provide significant relief.  For heat sources,  you can use electric blankets and hand warmers,  heating pads or hot packs. Warm the achy joint for 20 minutes.

• Cold treatment can work well when joints are inflamed.  Wrap ice cubes in a towel or flannel and hold against the sore joint.  Alternatively, you can use a bag of frozen peas.

Wear gloves to bed?

• If you frequently have stiff,  swollen hands in the morning,   try wearing a snug-fitting pair of gloves to bed.  They may help to keep the swelling in check.  But stop if you find that wearing gloves to bed only makes morning stiffness worse.

Oil your aching joint

• Eat more oily fish.  Many people who supplement their diets with omega-3 fatty acids-found in oily fish such as mackerel, pilchards, salmon and sardines- discover that pain and stiffness are lessened.  These substances seem to discourage inflammation in the body.

• You can also take oils alone or in capsule form. Research has shown that the omega-3 fatty acids in cod liver oil can slow and may even reverse the destruction if cartilage that leads to osteoarthritis. Take 2000mg of an omega-3 supplement 3 times a day, with meals. Check with your doctor first if you are taking blood-thinning drugs or have high cholesterol or are diabetic.

• If you like nuts, indulge. They also contain beneficial oils.

Rub on relief

• Eucalyptus oil can be effective. Put a few drops on the skin and rub it in,  but don’t use the oil under a heating pad or hot compress, as the additional heat can cause it to burn or irritate the skin.

Keep those joints moving

• Whether it’s walking,  swimming,  cycling or yoga,  begin a gentle exercise regime. The better your physical condition,  the less pain and stiffness you’ll have.  If you have arthritis in your ankle,  knee or hip,  you might need to walk with a stick-at least to begin with-to help stabilize the joints. If your joints are swollen and inflamed,  don’t work through the pain.  Instead take a day off.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

• A more serious form of arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, occurs when the immune system attacks rather than defends the body. Along with the joint pain and swelling, rheumatoid arthritis can cause fatigue, poor circulation anaemia and eye problems. Here are some coping strategies.

• Start a food diary to identify what you were eating when your symptoms flared up.  You may find that your body’s inflammatory response goes into overdrive when you eat certain foods,  such as wheat,  dairy produce,  citrus fruit,  eggs or tomatoes.

• Try becoming a vegetarian-under your doctor’s supervision.  In a 1 year study,  people with rheumatoid arthritis who followed a vegetarian diet that was also free of eggs,  gluten, caffeine, alcohol, salt, refined sugar and milk products had less pain and swelling in their joints after just one month.  They were able to  start eating dairy products again after the first three months with no adverse effects.

• Research has found that gamma-lanolin acid (GLA) supplements can help to lessen the pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis. The best sources are borage seed oil, blackcurrant oil and evening primrose oil. The greatest relief is gained by taking 1.4g  GLA per day, but you should consult a medical herbalist before taking this level of GLA.

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.

Tags: Arthritis, bone grinds, stiffness, swollen joints, Yoga

This entry was posted on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 8:47 pm and is filed under Fitness, Medical, Yoga. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.