Arthritis

LifeSource Vitamins

Arthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes swelling and pain that can range from mild to excruciating. Although more than two hundred diseases are classified under the name "arthritis," most arthritic conditions fall into one of two categories: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is by far the most common, affecting 40 million Americans and 80 percent of people over fifty. The pain and inflammation occurs when the cartilage that protects the bones from rubbing against each other wears down. Not surprisingly, the disease usually appears in joints that do most of the body's hard work: the knees, the hips, the spine, and the hands. Although injury or the normal wear and tear of life often bring on cartilage damage, it can be made much worse by food allergies, poor diet, and mineral deposits in the joints. For some people, the effects of mental and emotional stress aggravate arthritis pain. Changes in the weather-usually, rain and falling barometric pressure-often cause arthritis flare-ups.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is quite another story. Most experts believe it is caused by an inappropriate immune reaction, in which white blood cells attack the cartilage in the joints; it can go on to destroy the bones themselves and even the muscles and the skin. It is often exceedingly painful and can cripple its sufferers. While osteoarthritis affects men and woman equally, RA appears three times more frequently in women. It affects only 2 to 3 percent of the population and can occur at any age, even in childhood. The course of the disease is difficult to predict. It may disappear a few months after its appearance, or it may grow progressively worse. Experts disagree over the cause of RA, but it seems clear that genes, food allergies, bacterial or viral infection, stress, excess acid in the body, and the presence of certain antibodies in the blood all play a role. Many of complementary therapies used for osteoarthritis are also effective in reducing the pain and slowing the spread of rheumatoid arthritis.

Underlying factors for both of these conditions may include poor digestive function (intestinal permeability), hormone imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, food allergies, and lifestyle factors.

** All of these prescriptions below have been proven effective; the level of effectiveness depends on the individual. Please consult your doctor when taking any and all supplements.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Symptoms usually come on gradually, progressing as follows:

• Morning stiffness
• Painful, swollen joints
• Restricted range of motion
• Deformity of joints

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Inflammation, pain, tenderness, and discoloration in the joints, usually the shoulders, the elbows, the wrists, the fingers, the ankles, or the toes
• Morning stiffness
• Lumps under the skin at the sight of the damages joints
• Deformity of joints in long term cases
• Fatigue, weight loss, weakness, and occasionally fever.
• Chronic infections

Root Causes of Osteoarthritis

• Fractures or other injuries, even those that occurred early in life
• Food Allergies
• A diet high in fats, animal products, and other foods that promote an internal acidic environment
• Excess of body fat, which places extra stress on joints
• Emotional stress
• Poor digestion heath (increased intestinal permeability, bacterial imbalance)
• Hormone imbalance
• Bio-mechanical imbalance (e.g., poor posture and abnormal foot arch)

Root causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis

No one is exactly sure what causes RA. It is likely multifactorial.

• Autoimmune malfunction (presence in the blood of the rheumatoid factor [RF], a set of antibodies in the blood that leads to an attack on the body's joint tissue)
• Infection (mycoplasma, bacterial, or viral)
• Overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (dysbiosis)
• Food Allergies
• Toxic metal accumulation
• Emotional stress

TREATMENT

Diet

An effective diet will go a long way toward controlling arthritis for many people.

Recommended Food

Flax seeds and cold-water fish are high in essential fatty acids and have anti-inflammatory properties. Salmon and mackerel are good examples.
Eat lots of fiber in the form of raw vegetables and whole grains. It will help sweep away mineral and acid build-up and keep your digestive system free of harmful bacteria. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower also have anti-inflammatory properties.

Foods high sulfur will help repair cartilage and bone. Try eating asparagus, cabbage, garlic, or onion every day.

To keep cartilage lubricated and healthy, drink a glass of clean water every two waking hours. Dehydration has been linked to arthritis pain.

Raw pineapple, whether whole or juiced, has an enzyme called bromelain, which has been shown to reduce inflammation.

Foods to Avoid

Too much acid in the body causes inflammation, which leads to pain. Avoid acid-promoting foods such as red meat, eggs, saturated fats, oils, fried foods, sugar, dairy products, refined carbohydrates, foods high in gluten (such as breads, pasta, and pastries), alcohol, and caffeine. Although this list is long, allergy sufferers who eliminate these foods often experience great relief. Food allergy or sensitivity testing helps to narrow down the group of offending foods.

Animal products generally worsen inflammation in the joints. Avoid all eggs, dairy, and meat, with the exception of fish, which contains anti-inflammatory oils.

Allergies cause inflammation, and for the people with RA, they also do further damage to the immune system and may increase the intestinal tract's vulnerability to bacteria.

The nightshade vegetables-tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and peppers-contain allergy sufferers. Eliminate these foods from your diet for a period of six weeks to see if there is an improvement.

Stress Reduction

Many doctors and other experts have noted that emotional stress and an inability to accept criticism seem to appear frequently in arthritis sufferers. In addition, arthritis itself can cause great tension, both muscular and emotional, and even depression.

General Stress-Reduction Therapies

Yoga works wonders for some people, as may tai chi or Pilates. Take a class with a qualified instructor, preferably one who has experience with arthritic clients.

Thermal biofeedback has produced good results for many arthritis sufferers. It teaches you to open up your blood vessels and stimulates warmth and nourishment to your hands and joints.

Other Recommendations

• Vitamin D from sunshine is crucial to bone health. Don't let arthritis pain keep you from getting out in the early morning sun every day.
• Arthritis suffers often cut back on activity, but studies show that moderate exercise actually reduces pain and swelling. While you must avoid joint pounding workouts like jogging or tennis, low- or no-impact exercises like swimming, aqua-aerobic, cycling, and walking are excellent choices.