Though the term Arthritis is used loosely as if it is one disease, it actually identifies over 100 different types of illnesses. Common features include inflammation of the joints, surrounding tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. It can affect almost every part of the body, and according to the National Institute of Health, the effects of Arthritis range from slight pain, stiffness and joint swelling, to crippling and disability, and it may affect people of all ages.
Osteoarthritis causes the breakdown of protective cartilage at the ends of the bones, which then allows the bones to make direct unprotected contact. This creates bones spurs, abnormal bone hardening, inflammation, and severe pain. As a result, the bones become more brittle and subject to fracture. Biomechanical changes, especially tissue acidity can contribute to the development of Osteoarthritis.
Free radical damage, nutritional deficiencies, poor dietary and lifestyle choices, food and environmental allergies, genetic predispositions, and even pain medication use, can cause or contribute to biochemical processes that bring about changes to the biomechanics of joints and muscles.
Rheumatoid Arthritis though less common, is also serious and painful and can result in crippling disabilities in young and old alike. It however, does usually start at a younger age, between 20 and 50 and in the US, mostly in women. In this condition, the body's immune system attacks its own healthy tissues.
This may affect many organs in the body and can spread throughout, but usually it results in significant disability, deformity, and inflammation of the joints and connective tissue. This incapacitates the synovial membranes lining the joints, which causes the joints to become tender, swollen, and deformed.
This is an autoimmune disease, in which various combinations and severity of food allergies, nutritional factors, toxicity, abnormal intestinal permeability, and microorganisms bring about inflammation of the body. Genetic and lifestyle factors obviously come into play as well.
Gout is Arthritis caused by the buildup of uric acid in the body, resulting from meats especially organ meats, or other foods, or from the body itself. Purines present in these types and other foods, actually break down into uric acid which is normally excreted through the urine. With inadequate elimination resulting in abnormal levels, uric acid crystallizes in the cartilage and synovium, causing sharp, needling pain in the joints as well as fever, chills, and loss of mobility.
This causes constipation, indigestion, headaches, depression, eczema, and hives with a greater risk of heart and kidney problems. Uric acid accumulation to begin with, may happen due to kidney or other metabolic problems. Enzyme defects, chronic anemia, or other complex conditions may increase production of uric acid, while dehydration or kidney disease can cause poor clearance of uric acid from the body.
Alcohol also inhibits uric acid elimination by the kidneys, and medicines such as aspirin and diuretics put extra stress on the kidneys. So proper diet, nutrition, and metabolic balance, all play crucial roles in the prevention and treatment of Gout.
Other less common forms of Arthritis include Ankylosing Spondylitis, an inflammatory condition that serves to bend or fuse spinal vertebrae. This is most usually found in men with the HLA-B27 gene.
Psoriatic Arthritis, follows skin psoriasis onset and includes swollen joints, especially in the ends of the fingers and toes. Underlying factors that contribute to this disease include improper bowel and liver function, overgrowth of candida, or infestations of other organisms in the bowel's microflora.
Infectious Arthritis, with fever, stiffness, and inflammation, especially in the knee joint, is caused by viral, bacterial, or fungal infections. This can be caused by both local microorganisms, or microorganisms elsewhere in the body that can influence an area, bringing about conditions such as Reiter's Syndrome, rheumatic fever, and Lyme disease.
In general, a number of underlying imbalances with associated physical, mental, and environmental factors can contribute to Arthritis, while a large number of factors may be the cause of Arthritis, including non stable joints, injuries, changes connected to age, toxins, microbes, altered biochemistry, hormonal factors, genetic predisposition, environmental, psychological, dietary, dental factors, and even allergies.
It is actually accepted today in the medical community, that people may have Arthritis brought on by allergies. Stress as well is a major influence, as it affects the production of progesterone and also thyroid hormones, bringing about menopausal difficulties that cause women to develop Arthritis as a result. It also can cause cortisone deficiency induced by stress, which can be a factor in some forms of Arthritis.
Conventional medicine has a huge list of medicines that are prescribed for Arthritis, most of them to merely block the pain. Conventional drugs will just hide the symptoms, while ignoring the underlying causes of the disease, while alternative medicine recognizes that Arthritis results from multiple causes, some not that obvious and many not that easily detectable.
Unlike conventional medicine which tries to merely deal with the symptoms, with alternative medicine Arthritis becomes a correctable disease that needs certain adjustments to our organs, diet, and lifestyle.
The main things for treating and preventing Arthritis are proper diet, nutrition, detoxification, and stress reduction. Very important in first treating Arthritis is achieving normal body weight, since excess weight puts more stress on weight-bearing joints affected by Arthritis.
Whole unprocessed foods high in nutrients are needed to fight harmful free radicals, enhance tissue health, repair joints, muscles, bones, and tendons, to balance tissue alkalinity, and to promote regular bowel movements.
Reducing acidity a precursor to inflammatory conditions, is done by by reducing acid forming foods while increasing alkalinity with alkaline foods to form a natural pH balance in the body. Reducing hydrogenated and trans fats while increasing essential fatty acids, is also necessary in order to reduce inflammation and the destruction of joint tissues.
Specific care must be taken to avoid substances that may cause allergic reactions or inflammation in the body. Saturated fats, white flour and sugar, red meat, ham, chemical additives, yeast, milk and dairy products, all increase inflammations, cause allergies, interfere with hormone production, cellular integrity, and the function and mobility of the joints.
Allergic and allergy like symptoms are present in many Arthritis patients, so all patients should be tested for food and environmental allergies, and at the very least, the most common ones should be avoided and removed.
When necessary, hormonal supplements and replacement should be used along with vitamins, minerals, herbs and other natural supplements, which can provide excellent relief without the side effects of ordinary drugs.
The main purpose and goal here is to help rebuild damaged cartilage and prevent the joints from breaking down, while also causing anti inflammatory and analgesic effects to bring about soothing and relaxation.
It is best to also use natural supplements with antioxidant properties to help neutralize free radicals that act on synovial membranes, to help regenerate cartilage cells, and to maintain proper cellular functions.
Removing toxins from the body is highly therapeutic for Arthritis patients. Detoxification helps them reverse toxin accumulation in the body brought about by bacterial and yeast infections, parasites, environmental pollutants, and leaky gut syndrome.
Meditation, biofeedback, hypnotherapy, and a variety of mind / body methods greatly help reduce stress. Pain management and correction of musculoskeletal issues are addressed by a number of effective methods, including bodywork, chiropractic, acupuncture and Ayurvedic medicine.
All help provide release of muscle tension and poor circulation causing nerve and joint pain, while breaking up muscular wastes, increasing circulation, oxygen flow, and healing nutrients, while carrying toxins away.
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