Karen’s Free Health and Fitness Tips

Arthritis is an inflammation of one or more joints caused by the wear and tear injury or any infection. This inflamed condition of the joints is mostly seen in the elderly people. It comes from two Greek words, athron meaning joints and itis meaning inflammation. It affects almost half of the population of the world. About 50 million people in the United States suffer from one or the other type of arthritis. It is more common than cancer and heart problems. In brief we can say that it is the condition that affects the health of the bone joints in the body.

Arthritis refers to the more than 100 distinct diseases that cause pain and swelling, and limit movement in joints and connective tissue . The common types of arthritis are-

Osteoarthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Gout

Osteoarthritis results from the loss of bone tissue from the joints and is also known as degenerative arthritis. It mostly occurs with the preceding age. Rheumatoid arthritis affects the people above the age of 40. It is more dangerous than osteoarthritis as it affects the ligaments and tendons that join the bones and muscles. Gout mostly affects men who are above the age of 40 years and is caused by the excess accumulation of uric acid in the spaces between the joints causing intense pain and inflammation of the joints.

Arthritis is a disease that causes pain and loss of movement of the joints. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people over the age of 55. Arthritis affects the movements you rely on for everyday activities. Arthritis refers to a group of more than 100 rheumatic diseases and other conditions that can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints. There are many forms of arthritis, each of which has a different cause. Inflammatory arthritis is characterized by inflammation of tissues associated with joints. Connective tissue diseases, crystal deposition diseases, infectious arthritis, and spondyloarthropathies are examples of inflammatory arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are autoimmune diseases in which the body is attacking itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection. Gouty arthritis is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint that results in subsequent inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is traditionally considered a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints. It is a disabling and painful inflammatory condition, which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. Arthritis sufferers include men and women, children and adults.

RA is a systemic disease, often affecting extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscles. Psoriatic arthritis (or arthropathic psoriasis) is a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects around 20% of people suffering from the chronic skin condition psoriasis. It occurs more commonly in patients with tissue type HLA-B27. Treatment of psoriatic arthritis is similar to that of rheumatoid arthritis. More than 80% of patients with psoriatic arthritis will have psoriatic nail lesions characterised by pitting of the nails, or more extremely, loss of the nail itself (onycholysis). Psoriatic arthritis is said to be a seronegative spondyloarthropathy. Degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) is a ubiquitous joint disease characterized pathologically by deterioration of cartilage lining the joints and new bone formation beneath the cartilage. The disease is very common in older persons and is thought to be inherent in the aging process.Degenerative joint disease is marked by a progressive stiffness, loss of function, and destruction of the larger, weight-bearing joints of the body.

Many people would associate arthritis with the onset of old age. Although old people may suffer from arthritis, it isn’t only the elderly who are affected by arthritis. Many younger people, including some in their teens suffer from some kind of arthritis. Dictionaries define arthritis as being an inflammation of the joints due to infectious, metabolic, or constitutional causes. Obviously that can include a large number of different causes of this illness.

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints and the cartilage of the joints; furthermore it is an ongoing, degenerative disease. This is probably one of the most difficult aspects of the disease to cope with: although today may be painful, the future will possibly only be worse.

There are more than one hundred different types of arthritis. Two of the most common types are osteoarthritis, caused by the wear and tear exerted on the joints through a lifetime and rheumatoid arthritis, caused by an autoimmune response in the body. Osteoarthritis is the arthritis associated with getting older. This is the version of arthritis that most people think of when talking about arthritis. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, the body is tricked into acting as though there were an infection in the joint. As a result there is swelling, inflammation and pain in that joint as the body endeavors to fight the phantom infection.

Many people have arthritis symptoms and don’t realize it. It takes a while to get full blown arthritis. It’s something that gradually builds up and before you know it, you have arthritis and are seeing your doctor for medication. Any medication you take does not address the cause of arthritis and will not improve your condition.

If you show any arthritis symptoms, then expect to have arthritis 4-10 year down the road. Typically when people have symptoms, they just ignore them and actual don’t recognize them as arthritis symptoms.

Here is a list of arthritis symptoms that you need to look out for. Each person will show different symptom because of the nutritional make up will be different.

* Dry scalp with dandruff
* Dry skin which shows a whitish in different parts of the body
* Ear has no ear wax
* Fingernails that are brittle or splitting
* Premature color change to gray
* Skin wrinkles in the neck area
* Ringing in the ears
* Complexion color is pale
* Stretch mark which appear after losing weight
* Rectum itching
* Accumulation of dried flakes at the corners of the eyes
* Nose is constantly itching
* Feeling stiffness when getting up in the morning
* Hands and legs get cold and clammy
* Bleeding gums
* Teeth have etch lines
* Varicose veins in the legs
* Being sterile

Stenosing tenosynovitis is more commonly known as trigger finger arthritis. There is a misconception that the trigger finger is the pointer or index finger when it comes to this kind of arthritis. This is because the index finger is particularly used in pulling the trigger of a gun. But the truth is arthritis trigger finger can occur in any finger of the hand.

What Is It?

Trigger finger is actually a “snapping” or “popping” of a finger of the hand as it is closed or opened. The snapping is the reason why it was called trigger finger in the first place. This condition is more commonly found in the index, middle and ring fingers. And the snapping is readily heard upon attempting to flex the fingers while making a firm grip. There is a sudden stuttering of the digit as it closes then snaps close instead of the usual smooth way.

Sometimes, the affected finger cannot anymore stretch back into position and there is a locking in that position so that the other hand will have to help it towards extension. Upon extension, another snap is heard. Pain accompanies the snapping, leading the patient to the doctor.

Arthritis is a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints of the body. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people over the age of 55. Arthritis is a common condition that affects an estimated 8 million people in the UK. One type of arthritis, osteoarthritis, is often related to aging or to an injury. Other types occur when your immune system, which normally protects your body from infection, attacks your body’s own tissues.

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of this kind of arthritis. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a form of the disease that happens in children. There are many forms of arthritis (over 100 and growing). The forms range from those related to wear and tear of cartilage (such as osteoarthritis) to those associated with inflammation resulting from an overactive immune system. Arthritis is classified as one of the rheumatic diseases. They are similar in that they have a tendency to affect the joints, muscles, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, and many have the potential to affect internal body areas. Women - 24.3 million of the people with doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Men - 17.1 million of the people with doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

Arthritis is, sadly, a very common and very painful condition. It can make working and even basic living extremely difficult. In order for treatment to prove effective in combating the symptoms and to allow the sufferer to live as normal a life as possible, it is essential to correctly diagnose which type of arthritis the patient has. The two most common types of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, are very different in character and require completely different methods of diagnosis, as well as very different methods of treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory condition that affects as many as one in every hundred people. It is caused by a malfunction in the body’s defence systems and nobody has yet been able to discover why this happens. The genes that are responsible for the problem, have been identified - but the exact means by which the trouble occurs remains unknown. The disease is not hereditary, no increased risk has been found if you have a sufferer in your immediate family. In rheumatoid arthritis extra blood flow causes joints to become swollen and painful and in extreme cases can even permanently damage the joint. It is essential to seek medical help to reduce inflammation, as the damage to joints is permanent and irreversible.

Arthritis affects more then 100 million people around the world. Yet despite the disease been found on prehistoric skeletons there is still no cure. But the medication for those with arthritis is full of dangerous chemicals, many of which have many side effects.

Severe gastrointestinal problems, such as, bleeding ulcers, acidosis, stomach pain, is one of the problems caused by the medications given but they also interfere with the synthesis of collagen, which is fundamental for the formation of cartilage, if cartilage is not rebuilding itself, more damage is going to be inflicted on the joints.

But not everybody knows this and before long sufferers are given yet more chemicals to help with the problems incurred by medication in the first place. But is there any other option.

Arthritis home remedy methods do exist and many of there users swear by them, but what are they? Here below are some recommended arthritis home remedy solutions. Eat Alfalfa or take alfalfa capsules. It’s very rich in minerals needed for the formation of bones.

Take chondroitin sulfate 700 mg a day to strengthening of joints and ligaments.

Take Vitamin E to protect and improve joint mobility.

A popular lubricant developed in 1953 is making waves as an arthritis “treatment” even though there is no scientific evidence behind this claim.

Thousands of people around the world swear that WD-40 (short for water displacement - 40th attempt), a rust-prevention product created by chemist Norm Larsen, has helped them cope with arthritis pain and stiffness. Users claim the household lubricant works miracles if sprayed on stiff knees, hips, and wrists.

Golfer Eric McKaig is one of them. The 70-year-old retired sales manager and former professional football player said the product has put an end to years of suffering. He got arthritis seven years ago and has tried a lot of painkillers and supplements for quick relief but to no avail.

His 78-year-old friend Ron Andrew told McKaig about his secret. Since then, the two claim they have found instant relief.

“It’s been an absolute godsend for me. WD-40 has given me a hell of a lot of relief. A few weeks ago, I was even running around the garden with my grandson. I haven’t been able to do that for about three years,” McKaig said.

Foods to Avoid

You need to make sure that the calcium to phosphorus ratio in any of the foods you eat is as low as possible – this is because excess phosphorus will increase the loss of calcium from the body and worsen the condition. The more phosphorous-containing foods you eat, the more you need to supplement with a good source of calcium.

Reduce your intake of:

• red meat, red-fleshed fish

• most grains, especially wheat.

Eliminate:

• soft drinks – high in phosphoric acid

• organ meat (liver, kidney), processed meat – especially high in phosphorus

• caffeine - increases the rate of loss of minerals and nutrients

• fried foods and vegetable oil - a high intake of fried foods and omega 6 from vegetable oil can make the inflammation worse

• sugar – results in poor absorption of nutrients

• antacids – neutralize stomach acid and result in poor absorption of calcium (heartburn and indigestion are caused by poor eating habits and NOT ENOUGH stomach acid!)