Arthritis is a disease that causes loss of movement and pain in the joints. Affecting both adults and children alike, over 40 million people in the United States have arthritis, many with chronic pain which affects daily life. Read on to learn more about this debilitating disease and what you can do about it.1. According to the Arthritis Foundation, nearly one in three adults has arthritis or chronic joint symptoms, and arthritis is the leading cause of disability among Americans older than age fifteen.
- David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes, Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief
2. Enzyme therapy has been used to treat arthritis for many years, particularly because of the ability of certain enzymes to reduce inflammation.
- Tom Bohager, Everything You Need to Know About Enzymes to Treat Everything from Digestive Problems and Allergies to Migraines and Arthritis
3. The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Fibromyalgia often is considered an arthritis-related condition, but it is not a true form of arthritis because it does not cause inflammation or damage to the joints.
- David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes, Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief
4. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, afflicts 12 percent of the United States population age twenty-five and older (approximately 21 million people).
- Jonathan W. Emord, The Rise of Tyranny
5. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that is related to but distinct from osteoarthritis. In rheumatoid arthritis antibodies are formed against components of bone, cartilage and synovia of joints, and the immune cells of the body attack the joints of most parts of the body, causing inflammation, fibrosis and joint destruction. Although this disease can affect children in the juvenile form of rheumatoid arthritis, most sufferers from arthritis are middle-aged or elderly.
- Kilmer S. McCully, The Homocysteine Revolution
6. Juvenile arthritis is a form of rheumatoid arthritis that strikes children under the age of sixteen. It affects 71,000 young Americans, most of them female. The onset of rheumatoid arthritis is associated with physical or emotional stress, poor nutrition, and bacterial infection. Rheumatologists have discovered that the blood of many people with rheumatoid arthritis contains antibodies called rheumatoid factors, a finding that can aid in the diagnosis of the condition. While osteoarthritis affects individual joints, rheumatoid arthritis affects all of the body's synovial joints.
- Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements
7. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the most prevalent form in children, and there are three major types: polyarticular (affecting many joints), pauciarticular (affecting a few joints), and systemic (affecting the entire body). The signs and symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid Arthritis vary from child to child. There is no single test that establishes conclusively a diagnosis of juvenile Arthritis, and the condition must be present consistently for six or more consecutive weeks before a correct diagnosis can be made. Heredity is thought to play some part in the development of juvenile Arthritis.
- Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements
8. Today there is a very simple, effective, and inexpensive treatment for arthritis: powdered dried chicken cartilage — specifically, 1 teaspoonful in a glass of fruit juice once a day. Shark cartilage, which is quite rich in various nutrients, also works well in this application. According to a study performed by Harvard Medical School, arthritis sufferers who had previously been treated by conventional means with no results took this dosage of chicken cartilage and found that all pain and inflammation disappeared in ten days. In three months, they had recovered lasting mobility.
- Marie-France Muller, M.D., N.D., Ph.D., Colloidal Minerals and Trace Elements: How to Restore the Body's Natural Vitality
9. The sulfur content in fingernails of arthritis sufferers is lower than that of healthy subjects without arthritis. Ginger contains anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. These substances are believed to explain why so many people with osteoarthritis experience reduction in their pain levels and improvement in their mobility when they consume ginger regularly. Although most scientific studies have used powdered gingerroot, fresh gingerroot at an equivalent dosage is believed to yield even better results because it contains active enzymes. Most studies utilized 1 gram of powdered gingerroot.
- Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods
10. The swelling and deformity that takes place in arthritic joints can result from a thickening of the synovial membrane, an increase in the secretion of synovial fluid, enlargement of the bones, or some combination of these factors.
- Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements
11. The anti-inflammatory action of the following adaptogens makes them useful for relief from arthritis: amla, ashwagandha, Asian ginseng, cordyceps, eleuthero, guduchi, holy basil, jiaogulan, licorice, reishi, rhodiola, schisandra, and shilajit.
- David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes, Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief
12. Arthritis can sometimes be exacerbated by a deficiency in minerals, including phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, and manganese, and also by a lack of vitamins E and C.
- Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., Brain Longevity: The Breakthrough Medical Program that Improves Your Mind and Memory
13. Research has shown that fish-oil supplements can sometimes reduce the pain, swelling, and stiffness of rheumatoid arthritis, says Dr. Prosch. Take 6 grams, or six 1,000-milligram capsules, a day for 4 to 6 months, he recommends. The capsules provide 1,080 milligrams of EPA and 720 milligrams of DHA, which is the average amount needed by most patients, he says. You can take them all at once or in divided doses, according to Dr. Prosch. As with most natural treatments for chronic disease, don't expect the pain to vanish overnight. For most people, it takes 3 to 4 months before the treatment begins to soothe aching joints. After about 5 months, Dr. Prosch recommends reducing the dosage to three capsules, or 3,000 milligrams, daily.
- Bill Gottlieb, Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems
14. Athletes are not necessarily more likely to develop osteoarthritis than couch potatoes, though football players and those who damage their joints are at greater risk. In some respects the couch potato may be in greater danger of developing joint problems than many athletes. If you are overweight, you put more strain on your knees and hips and increase your risk for later problems. We are also beginning to learn that what you eat may influence your risk of arthritis.
- Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D., Best Choices From the People's Pharmacy
15. Lyme disease can mimic arthritis, causing many of the same symptoms.
- Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements
16. Another autoimmune disease that often manifests itself as arthritis is systemic lupus erythematosus (Lupus). For reasons unknown, the body produces antibodies that act against its own tissues. In its early stages, ulcerative colitis can cause symptoms like those of arthritis. Because this may occur before there are any abdominal symptoms, it can lead to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. More information about arthritis is available from the Arthritis Foundation.
- Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements
17. In nearly half of the women with unexplained arthritis tested in one study, chlamydia was found in the joints. Seventy-five percent had elevated levels of antibodies to chlamydia in their blood.
- Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements
18. Benefits of cayenne for specific health conditions include the following: Arthritis, diabetic and herpes-related nerve Damage, psoriasis, and sore muscles. Capsaicin in cayenne acts as a counter-irritant, causing temporary pain to the skin that depletes the chemical messengers of pain for the joint.
- Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies
19. Olives and olive oil may also be important in the prevention and treatment of asthma, arthritis, and Cancer. Since healthy oils are important for lowering systemic inflammation, it is not surprising that olive oil intake has been shown to be helpful with arthritis and asthma symptoms as well.
- Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods
20. In the northern hemisphere, communities that are farther north tend to have more Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer, in addition to other diseases.
- T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell II, The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health
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