Arthritis is known to be one of the nation's most common chronic diseases that affect individuals over the age of forty. More than forty million Americans suffer from this crippling disease and this number is expected to increase to sixty million by the year 2020.
In general, arthritis affects individuals between the ages of twenty and fifty but it can also affect people in all ages. The average age is forty-seven and about 3 out of 5 people who suffer from arthritis are under the age of sixty-five.
Arthritis means joint inflammation and there are over one hundred related types or forms of the disease. If this condition is not treated, it can be worse that can result to damage of the joints, which cannot be reversed or undone. Therefore, early detection and using arthritis remedies are necessary.
The most common types of the condition are rheumatoid arthritis or RA and osteoarthritis or OA. Though these types share the same symptoms, both occur for different reasons. Osteoarthritis happens when joints are misused or overused. On the other hand, Rheumatoid arthritis refers to the immune system that attacks joint tissues. Though this condition is not yet understood completely, rheumatoid arthritis usually begins in the hands, feet and wrists and advances to the elbows, hips and shoulders. Similar signs and symptoms include stiffness, fatigue, pain, slight fever, inflamed lumps beneath the skin and weakness.
There are many arthritis remedies available such as weight control and healthy nutrition. Most doctors agree that arthritis remedies including right diet can greatly help lessen the pain. People who are overweight have higher risk to suffer from arthritis because this tends to force the joints to hold more loads. The additional weight can stress the joints and cause pain to the joints especially in the knees.
It is necessary to eat the right kinds of foods and seek help from physicians to make and follow a balanced nutrition plan. Vitamins, supplements, minerals and herbal medications are considered helpful in controlling the pain caused by arthritis.
For instance, vitamins that can reduce the swelling of tissues and give relief include vitamins B5, B6, B12, vitamin K, E and vitamin C. Some independent researches prove that people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis must be given an increased dose of zinc in order to improve the treatment. Other minerals that can help in treating arthritis include calcium, magnesium, boron, manganese, sulfur, germanium and copper.
Food supplements such as chondroitin and glucosamine are known to give relief for certain symptoms of stiffness and pain for some osteoarthritis patients. However, these patients who are taking blood-thinning medications must be careful in taking chondroitin because it also has blood-thinning properties that can lead to excessive bleeding.
Fish oil supplements have been proven to have anti-inflammatory components, which can be effective when combined with other supplements such as whey protein or acetyl-cysteine.
There are some vitamins and minerals that can make the condition worse and the concentration attained by vitamins can have dangerous effects. Therefore, it is better to take vitamins and minerals through normal diet.
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