Friday, August 31, 2007

The Debate Rages On As To The Effectiveness Of An Arthritis Diet

There is quite some amount of risk involved in not caring for your diet, which when not properly taken, can cause you many discomforts including having arthritis. With a proper arthritis diet, there is a better than even chance that you can keep yourself from becoming a victim of severe arthritis pain. Taking a diet that promotes arthritis is something that is an absolute no-no, though it is something that many people still continue taking. They should take care and avoid certain diets that are known to promote and even aggravate the arthritis condition.

Low Fiber Content Will Do You Good

If you persist with a diet that contains red meat, white flour as also dairy products and you also cannot refrain from eating junk food, don't be surprised that your arthritis condition gets worse. An arthritis diet would generally have low fiber content and good examples of such an arthritis diet food include commercially produced red meat, sugar as also milk. Taking such an arthritis diet will ensure that such low fiber content does not flow through your digestive tract and thus will not aggravate the arthritis condition.

However, if you insist on eating saturated fats, you can expect more arthritis pain and worsening of your condition. Such saturated fats should not form part of an arthritis diet and are typically found in animal foods and are a known cause behind increased joint inflammation, and is known to cause stiffness and swelling of the joints. In addition, your diet should not have much acidic content as high levels of acidity are known to be a major reason why a person has arthritis.

Any arthritis diet should preferably contain fruits of alkaline nature as also vegetables, raw seeds, peas, nuts, grain and finally, fish. Taking these foods and incorporating them in your arthritis diet should help reduce the acidic condition and ease the pain and anguish that arthritis would otherwise cause.

That is not to say that there are not many detractors of the benefits of arthritis diet and many doctors doubt the positive effects of such a course of action on alleviating the problematic condition. Still, there is no denying the fact that diet can contribute positively to a person's health and so, one would not be doing any harm in converting to an arthritis diet in a bid to improve one's arthritic condition because weight as well as nutrition is important factors in arthritis.

So, a diet of vitamins, minerals, supplements, and also herbal applications may, in the end, prove to be successful in treating an arthritic condition and could well be incorporated in a good arthritis diet.

Get all the latest information about natural remedies for arthritis from the only true source at http://www.naturalremediesforarthritis.org Be sure to check out our Arthritis Herbal Remedies pages.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Arthritis Pain? Stop Eating Junk Food And Get Relief From Pain Naturally

After years of aggravating joint pain I finally found relief from my arthritis pain, naturally, and you can do it too. I got rid of my arthritis symptoms and arthritis pain forever by making one simple change in my lifestyle. I stopped eating all junk food.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease of the joint cartilage and bone. It's often thought to result from continuous "wear and tear" on a joint. There are other causes of arthritis such as congenital arthritis with congenital defects, trauma and metabolic disorders. And osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. When people refer to arthritis they usually mean osteoarthritis not rheumatoid arthritis, which can be detected by blood tests. Osteoarthritis cannot be diagnosed using blood tests. Arthritis is usually found in the joints of the fingers, feet, knees, hips, and spine.

The ability to make repairs to the cartilage becomes very limited as cartilage cells age. Damaged joints cause pain and arthritis sufferers are constantly looking for ways to relieve this pain. Our joints are uniquely designed to provide flexibility, support, stability, and protection.

Genetic factors are thought to be involved in about fifty percent of osteoarthritis cases in the hands and hips and a somewhat lower percentage of cases for the knee. An inflammatory response causes cytokines to gather in injured areas and cause inflammation and damage to body tissue and cells. It's known to play a role in a systemic form of arthritis - rheumatoid arthritis and other muscle and joint issues associated with autoimmune diseases. Genetic researchers report a higher incidence of osteoarthritis between parents and children and between siblings rather than between husbands and wives.

For part of a dietary approach try avoiding seven of the eight most allergic foods - wheat, which is the most allergenic of all, corn, eggs, milk, peanuts, fish and shellfish. If you really want to get rid of your arthritis pain forever it may take a big change in your diet and an ongoing commitment to it. So the first step in managing your arthritis is to change your diet. I think all health professionals would agree with this.

Try massaging your fingers or other affected joints with virgin coconut oil once or twice a day to help loosen them up and maintain flexibility. Nutrition experts say it takes a combination of supplements, not just one supplement to help relieve arthritis pain, build cartilage, etc. but studies done on antioxidant vitamins question their value as supplements. It's clearly better to consume these antioxidants in living plant foods because they may also need to work together with other nutrients present in the foods to work properly - called synergistic action.

One good natural treatment method involves avoiding all inflammatory foods. And dried Montmorency tart cherries and cherries and their juice seem to be helpful as a natural treatment for arthritis pain for many people.

Gluten may be just one of the culprits in arthritic diseases including fibromyalgia. So avoid wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, kamut and oats (although it's not a gluten grain it gets contaminated with wheat during the milling process at the where it is usually milled). Many arthritis sufferers who've changed their diets significantly have noticed major or total improvement in their overall health.

Exercise all your non-affected and affected joints every day, to keep them flexible. Even if you don't think you can exercise, you can do some movements no matter how small so just keep moving as much as possible. Don't lie down when you can sit and don't sit when you can stand. Keep your feet moving. Use the Chinese Taiji health balls, the kind with the chimes, to strengthen the finger joints. To use them hold the two balls in on hand, move them in a clockwise circle with your fingers to rotate them, then try moving them counterclockwise and do this off and on throughout the day and at bedtime. If you do have pain and swelling in your fingers, you can try squeezing some Thera-putty, which is made for this purpose. It's available at your local health equipment supplier.

Try wearing pair of stretch gloves at night to help reduce the pain and swelling in your fingers if you have arthritic hands. A doctor I know said he has found sleeping in a sleeping bag on his bed has really helped him. If weight is an issue, try to using exercises that will help you with arthritis and in losing weight such as walking, even if just around the block a few times. And did I mention to make sure to keep moving?

Please be aware that the use of pain relievers like NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors do not halt the progress of osteoarthritis and may even hasten its onset. Only you know which arthritis treatment options are best for you. As for conventional treatment of arthritis - if you do choose to take drugs or arthritis medicines, be very careful, read the labels thoroughly and talk to your pharmacist about side effects and adverse reactions. Make sure you know the name of your medications and if they'll react with any other medications you're taking. Always know the name and dosage measurement of your drugs in case of an emergency situation.

So begin your treatment program with a diet change, exercise and weight loss plan to see the best results and pain relief fast. Your treatment plan should include an anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritis diet, lots of movement, exercise, and a positive mental outlook. Arthritis pain relief of your arthritis symptoms is the ultimate goal. Understanding arthritis and conventional and natural arthritis treatments and applying what will work for you is a good way to get there.

For more information on arthritis pain relief and arthritis treatments go to Helen Hecker R.N.'s http://www.FastArthritisPainRelief.com
specializing in arthritis pain relief with tips, advice and resources including information on arthritis diets and natural arthritis treatments