Losing weight is probably the best way for a overweight person to relieve arthritis.
Being overweight exerts extra pressure on weight bearing joints such as the knees and hips. This causes extra stress on the joints and wears down the cartilage at a much faster rate. Due to this overweight people have a higher tendency to develop osteoarthritis of the knee.
Losing weight can help relieve stress placed on the joints and reduce the damage down to the joints and cartilage. Weight loss can help relieve pain in the knees, feet, back and hips - weight bearing joints in general.
There is so much written about weight loss so i won't go into detail here. The scientific way to lose weight is to consume less calories than your body uses. Excess calories consumed are not used and stored as fat.
Now, exercise does not mean you have to jog around the block everyday, or sweat like there is no tomorrow. All you have to do is do a little more than what you normally do. Push your heart rate slightly higher and thats what exercise generally means.
For people just starting their exercise regime it is best to choose something that you enjoy, be it cycling, golf, walking etc. You will most likely to continue exercising if you enjoy the exercise.
Hope this helps.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Osteoarthritis Treatment - (The Threat of Free Radicals)
YOUR BODY IS UNDER ATTACK!
Michelle Armstrong
Your body is under attack from free radicals! Free Radicals are a by-product of our body’s natural process of creating energy. Oxygen reacting with glucose allows our muscles to work. However this natural process also creates a potentially harmful by product that can cause damage to both bones and tissue. This by-product is called free oxidizing radicals or free radicals for short.
Your body’s natural immune system is prepared for this by-product and combats these free radicals with anti-oxidants such as vitamin A, C, E, and enzymes that contain Zinc and Selenium.
However excessive free radical activity can occur through consumption of fried foods, foods with high sugar and salt content and stimulants such as coffee and even smoking. The same occurs when we fail to consume sufficient amounts of anti-oxidants which are our primary defense against these free radicals and so increasing the risks of Osteoarthritis symptoms.
Think of your body as a sponge, it can only absorb so many chemicals before it becomes overwhelmed and things begin to go wrong. If you are taking in more chemicals and producing more toxins than your body can neutralize then we you will have an imbalance. When this occurs your body is more prone to illnesses and diseases, and you begin to suffer osteoarthritic pain - because of this you must stay within our body’s tolerance levels to maintain a healthy body and immune system.
You need to ask yourself, what are you going to do about it? Well, you basically only have 2 real choices, either increase your intake of antioxidants to neutralize the free radical activity or decrease the intake of unhealthy foods that create free radicals in the first place. The second option is the healthier of the two!! So I know which one would choose.
Ideally you should DO BOTH - increase your intake of anti oxidants and decrease the intake of unhealthy foods. This will give you a surplus of vitamins that your body can use for other beneficial uses i.e. strengthening your immune system. This is a much more effective Osteoarthritis treatment.
Michelle Armstrong
Monday, February 12, 2007
Cold Weather!
I don't know about you but i find that when the weather turns cold and gloomy my arthritic symtoms seems to inflate. Im not sure if this is due to changes in temperature or air pressure but i do know it hurts, and sometimes it hurts alot!
I do try to keep more active when it get particularly cold, and it does help a little. However i find that applying heat to the affected area works best. I usually soak a towel in some hot water and then rub the affected area with the towel.
There is another method i use and it really does seem to relive much of the pain. I apply some chinese ointment, such as Po Sum On ( available in most chinese grocers or herbal stores), and massage the affected area. I then apply heat to the area by using a hair dryer. When rubbing the affected area try to rub deep.
I hope some of these ideas can help you during this particularly cold winter time!
If you have any comments please let me know - or if you have any advice that we all can benefit from then please post a comment!
I do try to keep more active when it get particularly cold, and it does help a little. However i find that applying heat to the affected area works best. I usually soak a towel in some hot water and then rub the affected area with the towel.
There is another method i use and it really does seem to relive much of the pain. I apply some chinese ointment, such as Po Sum On ( available in most chinese grocers or herbal stores), and massage the affected area. I then apply heat to the area by using a hair dryer. When rubbing the affected area try to rub deep.
I hope some of these ideas can help you during this particularly cold winter time!
If you have any comments please let me know - or if you have any advice that we all can benefit from then please post a comment!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Coping with Arthritis
It is rather stressful to find that your home is not designed to help you cope with arthritis. Even simple things such as opening a can to walking up the stairs may need additional help. However there are many ways that you can change your home to adapt with this situation.
Coping at Home
Coping at home could mean you have to rearrange certain items of furniture such as the sofa or bed to help you move more easily around your home.
It is also wise to arrange items so that anything that you use most often is arrange to be at the front. This is particularly helpful as it helps reduce stress during times when arthritis is at its peak.
- Buy gadgets that can help you open cans or bottles. Make sure they have thicker handles so it can be easily held.
- A high stool that is useful when you are preparing food.
- A trolley that can help with moving larger loads around the home.
- Devices to help turn the tap more easily.
- In exceptional cases of arthritis a stair lift may be needed to help you move up stairs.
- Thinking ahead will always help - plan your kitchen so most items are at a good height so you wont need to bend over too much when you use the equipment i.e. raise the oven.
Michelle Armstrong
Exercise and Arthritis
Exercise and Arthritis
“Exercise is any activity that increases your heart rate above normal!”
Exercise is essential to relieve and cure arthritis. Most sufferers of arthritis do not exercise because they fear exercise will aggravate their symptoms - this is far from the truth. Without exercise muscles will gradually deteriorate and a vicious circle of even less exercise and even more arthritic pain occurs.
Exercise helps keeps muscles strong and joints supple. Stronger muscles are less prone to arthritis.
To stop your muscles from deteriorating you must exercise regularly. Start slowly and gradually increase it until you feel comfortable. Build up your regime slowly and do not overdo any exercise during the earlier stages.
Types of exercises
Cardio Exercises
Cardio exercise helps strengthen the heart and help control weight in your body.
When people think of exercising they automatically think of jogging. The truth however, is that jogging is one of the most damaging of all exercise and it can damage and tear muscles and tendon.
The best form of exercise for arthritis sufferers is walking. Do not underestimate the benefits of walking. Walking is gentle on the body and is suitable for most sufferers. Do wear comfortable shoes and warm clothing when you start.
Strengthening Exercises
Weight bearing and resistance exercises help strengthen muscles - strong muscles help reduce injuries and the pain of arthritis.
Start with small weights or even use your body weight as a form of resistance. Gradually increase the weight and repetitions to help strengthen your muscles even more.
Stretching Exercises
Stretching helps keep joints and muscle supple. Supple muscles and joints are less prone to injury and have a lower risk of developing arthritis.
Be careful when stretching and do warm up before you begin. Start off by gently stretching the affected areas (all joints would benefit from stretching but if you prefer you can begin by only stretching the affected joints).
Michelle Armstrong
“Exercise is any activity that increases your heart rate above normal!”
Exercise is essential to relieve and cure arthritis. Most sufferers of arthritis do not exercise because they fear exercise will aggravate their symptoms - this is far from the truth. Without exercise muscles will gradually deteriorate and a vicious circle of even less exercise and even more arthritic pain occurs.
Exercise helps keeps muscles strong and joints supple. Stronger muscles are less prone to arthritis.
To stop your muscles from deteriorating you must exercise regularly. Start slowly and gradually increase it until you feel comfortable. Build up your regime slowly and do not overdo any exercise during the earlier stages.
Types of exercises
Cardio Exercises
Cardio exercise helps strengthen the heart and help control weight in your body.
When people think of exercising they automatically think of jogging. The truth however, is that jogging is one of the most damaging of all exercise and it can damage and tear muscles and tendon.
The best form of exercise for arthritis sufferers is walking. Do not underestimate the benefits of walking. Walking is gentle on the body and is suitable for most sufferers. Do wear comfortable shoes and warm clothing when you start.
Strengthening Exercises
Weight bearing and resistance exercises help strengthen muscles - strong muscles help reduce injuries and the pain of arthritis.
Start with small weights or even use your body weight as a form of resistance. Gradually increase the weight and repetitions to help strengthen your muscles even more.
Stretching Exercises
Stretching helps keep joints and muscle supple. Supple muscles and joints are less prone to injury and have a lower risk of developing arthritis.
Be careful when stretching and do warm up before you begin. Start off by gently stretching the affected areas (all joints would benefit from stretching but if you prefer you can begin by only stretching the affected joints).
Michelle Armstrong
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Osteoarthritis Treatment - (Vitamin Supplements)
Do we need vitamin supplements?
Unfortunately many of the vitamins we need cannot be produced by our body and so have to be consumed instead. There is a debate of whether our diet provides us with the necessary quantities of vitamins to maintain a healthy body, immune and nervous system. This is particularly important to arthritis sufferers as some would argue that it is the lack of essential vitamins which is one of the causes of developing arthritis in the first place.
A lack of essential vitamins are shown by certain symptoms, but if these deficiencies continue over a long period of time then these minor symptoms can develop into more serious conditions - arthritis is potentially one of those conditions.
Our body uses vitamins to do many things. Each vitamin has its own unique job but combined together they help to keep skin healthy, maintain tissue and organs, assist the absorption of certain minerals, strengthen the immune system, neutralize free radicals [toxins that attack both bone and tissue] and keep the nervous system in good condition. We are all unique and so we all require different amounts of each vitamin. Factors such as age, sex, level of health and fitness can affect your vitamin requirements. However there are general guidelines of the minimum vitamin intake your body requires. Your doctor will be able to give you a detailed breakdown of them.
Vitamins come in 2 forms; fat soluble and water soluble. Fat soluble vitamins [vitamin A, D, E and K] are found in many fatty food products such as dairy products and oily fish. Our liver is quite efficient in its use of these vitamins so when we don’t need them immediately or have an excess amount of them, our liver will store them for future use. Water soluble vitamins [B1, B2, B6, B12, C, FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, NIACIN & PANTOTHENIC ACID] found in many fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds on the other hand cannot be stored by the body and so require a regular consumption and whenever there is an excess of them in the body they are removed through your urine.
Unfortunately many of the vitamins we need cannot be produced by our body and so have to be consumed instead. There is a debate of whether our diet provides us with the necessary quantities of vitamins to maintain a healthy body, immune and nervous system. This is particularly important to arthritis sufferers as some would argue that it is the lack of essential vitamins which is one of the causes of developing arthritis in the first place.
A lack of essential vitamins are shown by certain symptoms, but if these deficiencies continue over a long period of time then these minor symptoms can develop into more serious conditions - arthritis is potentially one of those conditions.
Our body uses vitamins to do many things. Each vitamin has its own unique job but combined together they help to keep skin healthy, maintain tissue and organs, assist the absorption of certain minerals, strengthen the immune system, neutralize free radicals [toxins that attack both bone and tissue] and keep the nervous system in good condition. We are all unique and so we all require different amounts of each vitamin. Factors such as age, sex, level of health and fitness can affect your vitamin requirements. However there are general guidelines of the minimum vitamin intake your body requires. Your doctor will be able to give you a detailed breakdown of them.
Vitamins come in 2 forms; fat soluble and water soluble. Fat soluble vitamins [vitamin A, D, E and K] are found in many fatty food products such as dairy products and oily fish. Our liver is quite efficient in its use of these vitamins so when we don’t need them immediately or have an excess amount of them, our liver will store them for future use. Water soluble vitamins [B1, B2, B6, B12, C, FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, NIACIN & PANTOTHENIC ACID] found in many fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds on the other hand cannot be stored by the body and so require a regular consumption and whenever there is an excess of them in the body they are removed through your urine.
Going back to the question of whether we need vitamin supplements, well it all depends on our diet. We need to ask ourselves whether we eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, combined with lean meat, oily fish, dairy, eggs, nuts and seeds as it is believed that this combination will provide us with all the vitamins we need on a regular basis. It is a mixture of all the essential vitamins that help maintain a healthy body, not just any one individually. The different vitamins work in harmony with each other. Some people make the mistake of consuming too much of a specific vitamin because they don’t have a varied diet, this can impair the absorption of other vitamins and minerals and lead to other harmful complications. This is especially true when consuming too much fat soluble vitamins that are stored in the body. It is more difficult to overdose on water soluble vitamins as they are removed through your urine. To reduce the risks of overdosing a multivitamin supplement should be taken. It will give you a little of everything, rather than too much of any one vitamin, bearing in mind that supplements can contain anything up to 10 times our required daily intake.
Eating a variety of food will always be the best option as opposed to taking any supplements as they contain more than just vitamins. Many foods contain other essential nutrients, minerals and fibre - things that supplements simply don’t have. So a varied diet is the most beneficial way.
In conclusion, whether you need vitamins will all depend on how good your diet is. For the majority, our current diet alone is not sufficient to provide the vitamins to maintain a healthy body and until we can change our diet, multi-vitamin supplements will always be necessary.
Michelle Armstrong
Osteoarthritis Treatment - (Natural Foods)
THE POWER OF FRUIT AND VEG!
Everybody knows that fruit are good for you, but for arthritis sufferers, this is even more so! Fresh foods are packed full of goodness that help the body to heal itself naturally. You must remember that our body is designed for this type of nutritional intake. Historically humans were nomadic and traveled around in search of food such as nuts and berries; these were a vital part of our diet.
Foods that are fried, high in salt and sugar and stimulants such as coffee are very new to our diet and contain many unwanted chemicals that our body just can't seem to deal with effectively, especially when consumed in high quantities. Unfortunately this is the lifestyle that many of us have become accustomed to. They create toxins such as free radicals that attack both bone and tissue that inevitably aggravate arthritic symptoms.
You can't undo the damage that has been done to your body, but you can help your body by giving it all the vitamins and minerals it requires to repair itself naturally and stop your arthritis from progressing further. A change in lifestyle is a must. Combined with effective exercises, you can make dramatic positive changes to the quality of your life. Fresh fruit and vegetables will need to replace all those unhealthy foods, and you know which ones I mean!! So don’t waste time, start healing your body today!
Michelle Armstrong
Everybody knows that fruit are good for you, but for arthritis sufferers, this is even more so! Fresh foods are packed full of goodness that help the body to heal itself naturally. You must remember that our body is designed for this type of nutritional intake. Historically humans were nomadic and traveled around in search of food such as nuts and berries; these were a vital part of our diet.
Foods that are fried, high in salt and sugar and stimulants such as coffee are very new to our diet and contain many unwanted chemicals that our body just can't seem to deal with effectively, especially when consumed in high quantities. Unfortunately this is the lifestyle that many of us have become accustomed to. They create toxins such as free radicals that attack both bone and tissue that inevitably aggravate arthritic symptoms.
You can't undo the damage that has been done to your body, but you can help your body by giving it all the vitamins and minerals it requires to repair itself naturally and stop your arthritis from progressing further. A change in lifestyle is a must. Combined with effective exercises, you can make dramatic positive changes to the quality of your life. Fresh fruit and vegetables will need to replace all those unhealthy foods, and you know which ones I mean!! So don’t waste time, start healing your body today!
Michelle Armstrong
Monday, February 05, 2007
Osteoarthritis Treatment - (Detoxing)
Detoxification - Give yourself a head start!
Detoxification can be very beneficial for arthritis suffers - especially those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The reason for this is because people are sensitive or allergic to certain foods which aggravates their arthritic symptoms causing unnecessary swelling and inflammation. By removing these sensitive or allergic foods from their diet symptoms can greatly improve.
Think of your body as a sponge, it can only absorb so many chemicals before it becomes overwhelmed and things begin to go wrong. If you are taking in more chemicals and producing more toxins than your body can neutralize then we have an imbalance. When this occurs your body is more prone to illnesses and diseases - because of this we must stay within our body’s tolerance levels to maintain a healthy body and immune system.
Study done by Palmblad et al in 1991 found that total fasting for a few days substantially reduced joint swelling, morning stiffness and other arthritis symptoms. The reasons why total fasting works so well in reducing the symptoms is because there are less chemicals in the body to start the inflammation process.
I am only using the above study to demonstrate that fasting can be beneficial, but it is by no means a solution to symptoms of arthritis. It is not recommended that you start fasting for a few days because it deprives your body of important vitamins and nutrients. However, fasting can be used temporarily before you start a healthier diet so that when you break your fast you should be clear of all the harmful toxins that were in your body and so you can enjoy the full benefits of a healthier lifestyle much sooner.
Michelle Armstrong
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Detoxification can be very beneficial for arthritis suffers - especially those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The reason for this is because people are sensitive or allergic to certain foods which aggravates their arthritic symptoms causing unnecessary swelling and inflammation. By removing these sensitive or allergic foods from their diet symptoms can greatly improve.
Think of your body as a sponge, it can only absorb so many chemicals before it becomes overwhelmed and things begin to go wrong. If you are taking in more chemicals and producing more toxins than your body can neutralize then we have an imbalance. When this occurs your body is more prone to illnesses and diseases - because of this we must stay within our body’s tolerance levels to maintain a healthy body and immune system.
Study done by Palmblad et al in 1991 found that total fasting for a few days substantially reduced joint swelling, morning stiffness and other arthritis symptoms. The reasons why total fasting works so well in reducing the symptoms is because there are less chemicals in the body to start the inflammation process.
I am only using the above study to demonstrate that fasting can be beneficial, but it is by no means a solution to symptoms of arthritis. It is not recommended that you start fasting for a few days because it deprives your body of important vitamins and nutrients. However, fasting can be used temporarily before you start a healthier diet so that when you break your fast you should be clear of all the harmful toxins that were in your body and so you can enjoy the full benefits of a healthier lifestyle much sooner.
Michelle Armstrong
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Osteo-Arthritis Treatment - Where should you start?
THE POWER OF THE MIND - THE KEY TO TRUE HAPPINESS!
There's more to the road of recovery than taking the right medicine. Just becoming arthritis free will not make you truly happy. The key to true happiness is being able to look deep within ourselves and understand what exactly makes us tick. When we understand this then we will realize what are the most important things in our lives. Having goals and positive mental attitude will help us channel our life towards something meaningful rather than living aimlessly everyday.
There's more to the road of recovery than taking the right medicine. Just becoming arthritis free will not make you truly happy. The key to true happiness is being able to look deep within ourselves and understand what exactly makes us tick. When we understand this then we will realize what are the most important things in our lives. Having goals and positive mental attitude will help us channel our life towards something meaningful rather than living aimlessly everyday.
You may be wondering what this has got to do with osteoarthritis treatment; well actually this has a great deal, not only in terms of relieving arthritis but all kinds of disorders. Over the years both medical and psychological studies have suggested that people with a positive mental attitude seem to suffer less and heal more quickly than negative people.
Focusing your mind allows you to maintain a healthy, osteoarthritis free lifestyle. In this day and age it is simply too easy to indulge in foods that contains many toxins that attack the muscles and bones, and activities that place unnecessary strain on the muscles and joints which is why you probably suffer from osteoarthritis in the first place. I say this because arthritis is not an inevitable consequence of old age as many believe.
Learning to live a much healthier life will certainly accelerate the recovery process. By maintaining a healthy, positive mental attitude will give you the dedication you need to continue leading a disciplined & healthy lifestyle. In the event you relapse into your old unhealthy lifestyle, and believe me, it happens to all of us - we are only human, but the most important thing is to get back to a healthier osteoarthritis free lifestyle as soon as possible. So you see, you need to start with the mind before you can enjoy the real lasting progress of an osteoarthritis free life. So what do you need to do now is FOCUS YOUR MIND AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Michelle Armstrong
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