Posts Tagged ‘Nutrition’

Treating Your Rheumatoid Arthritis the Natural Way

Rheumatoid arthritis is not just a minor discomfort; this is an actual autoimmune disease that attacks the joints and causes chronic and constant inflammation.  This inflammation can also be found in other areas of the body including vital organs.  An autoimmune disease is when the bodies own immune system attacks its own systems; in rheumatoid arthritis there are antibodies in the blood that then target their body’s own tissues and joints. 

Rheumatoid Arthritis is called a collagen disease because it occurs throughout the body’s connective tissue.  The symptoms vary with the stage of the disorder.  At first, those affected complain of fatigue and feeling sore, achy, and stiff.  People may eventually find themselves unable to move their limbs fully without trouble because of swelling, inflaming and immobilizing of the joints.

For those who have this disease, it’s important to realize that it is progressive but sometimes a patient can go for extended periods of time without any symptoms or attacks.  Even though your body may not be experiencing the pain of rheumatoid arthritis you of course still have the disease and need to pay attention to your diet and other lifestyle choices to keep yourself pain-free as much as possible.

It was once thought that there were certain foods that caused or prevented rheumatoid arthritis but more research in this area has proven this notion to be false.  Tomatoes do not seem to cause flare-ups and fish oils do not seem to lessen the inflammation either.  Once you realize the cause of this condition, that it’s an actual disease that cannot be controlled and is not a condition brought on by diet, you can then treat it properly.  Many have found that addressing the inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis is best.  Taking acetaminophen such as Tylenol helps most patients.  Some tetracycline drugs also seem to have the same effect.

Addressing the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis is also important over and above any medication you may take.  Many have found that humidifier in their living and working space is important, as this added moisture keeps the joints fluid and healthy.  Proper and regular exercise is also important as this too keeps the body flexible and increases circulation around the joints.  However, it’s important to choose exercises that don’t put any stress on the joints, such as swimming or using an elliptical machine.  Running can sometimes make rheumatoid arthritis even worse as the pounding on the feet, ankles, and knees can be very painful.

It may be necessary to make some accommodations for the pain of rheumatoid arthritis and so that the condition is not aggravated.  Raised toilet seats are helpful, as are risers under the bed and firmer chairs and couches.  Some find that using wrist and finger splints can also cut down on inflammation as well.

Getting recommended physical therapy is also important in keeping the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis at bay.  Follow your doctor’s advice and keep yourself active and be sure to do the exercises recommended by your physical therapist and you should be able to manage your symptoms while waiting for a cure.

Some common vitamins and over the counter products may help with the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis diseases such as:

Vitamin C is essential for defending the body against pollution and infection.  It enhances the immune system.  Aids in growth and repair of both bone and tissue by helping the body produce collagen. Vitamin C’s collagen-producing properties make it a prime candidate for arthritis treatment.

Green Tea Extract contains natural antioxidant compounds known as polyphenols useful in fighting tumors as well as helping prevent and treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Rutin acts synergistically with Vitamin C to help maintain a healthy immune system.

Glucosamine Plus provides cartilage nutrition for healthy joints and is an anit-inflammatory.

Chondroitin Complex works together with Glucosamine to block the action of cartilage-damaging enzymes and promotes the healthy flow of water and nutrients into cartilage-producing cells.

M.S.M maintains the development of the body’s protein by forming flexible disulfide bonds between certain amino acids and in maintaining the strength of connective tissue.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and not to be construed as medical advice.

Can Nutrition be an Answer to Back and Knee Pain Management?

Have you heard, “You are what you eat”? That’s a simple but very true statement and one that we need to be considering. If we want to feel better, we need to do some detective work on what it is that is making us feel less than terrific, why do my knees hurt?

For example, weight being the most common. We know we need to lose some lbs., so what is the most logical and correct place to start? Right! EAT LESS!! Move away from the table. Drink more water. Cut out the pop and the snacks, the sugars and the carbs. And most of all the alcohol. Do this and you will begin to lose weight, it just makes sense.

Why should it be any different with other maladies that we are dealing with? Especially chronic knee pain, back, hips, elbows and shoulders. If it is logical for something as common as weight loss, why not knee pain? What should we cut out of our diet? First of all try sodas! We all drink too much of them, switch to water. Sugars, cut back. Look at what you eat a lot of and cut back.

Are there some good things we can take that may counter our knee and back pain?

Glucosamine, (with Chondroitin) is the most common natural product that thousands use and is somewhat effective for minor pain. Other naturals cures are something as simple as ginger or raw vinegar and honey.

.The easiest natural way to eat our way to better health and probably back and knee pain relief is fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables? Ugh, don’t tell me to eat my vegetables! Well, it used to be that the daily recommended portions of fruit was 3, then 3-5, and 5-7, now the experts are saying 9-13 servings everyday! The average American gets 1!

Why is that so important? Phytonutrients and antioxidants! Layman’s language, powerful fuel for the body to fight the sick cells that turn into the real bad stuff.

So how do I know which fruits are the best? How about, cranberries, blueberries, bilberries, raspberries to name a few. That would be tough to eat all of that everyday. Is there an easy way to get 13 servings of fruit every day?

How about drinking it? YES! DRINK IT! How much, a gallon? Try 4 ounces! No way, you say, how do I do that?

I would love to show you how simple that can be and how great the effects can be. Lets talk soon.

Alternatives for Treating Knee Pain

We all seem to fall into the same trap when we realize we need to do something to begin treating our knee pain. You may be different but I doubt it or you wouldn’t be thinking of treating your knee pain with something other than what you have been. Maybe you are just now starting to research treating knee pain and that is good, you should be able to shorten your time of healing.

Whatever you are using now, whether over the counter or prescription meds, you are most likely just dealing with the symptoms and not with the cause. Dealing with the cause is the only way to get good results and treat the pain for the future.

Whatever the initial cause, injury, wear and tear, poor diet, the problem now is inflammation and that can be treated with the purpose if eliminating the pain altogether.

You can try the anti inflammatory meds or over the counter ibuprofen products and this may work for a period of time, hours, days or even weeks. However the pain will most likely return. If the cause is just a minor injury you may have good results and not have anymore problems for a long time or ever.

If your knee pain is ongoing however, and has been for some time, whether severe or just nuisance you should be looking at a good source of healing. This will probably not be found in a pain killer but in a good source of nutrition. Why nutrition? Because just think of how your body heals itself now when it can. You cut your finger and your body knows how to heal it. You break a bone and if set properly the bone will heal on its own.

Why not do the same with knee pain? It just means making sure that your body has the proper nutrients to accomplish the task. Okay, so where do I start? You can try to add a lot more fresh fruit to you diet. Why? Because fruits have the best source of phytonutrients and antioxidants of the food groups. What? Yah, well, we are just beginning to learn about all of this. If you research natural healing these are the words that you will see all the time because this is what your body needs to begin to heal.

Can I just get it by eating a lot of fruit everyday? No, you can drink it! This is the simplest way to get 13 servings of fruit everyday and for me it works great. I would like to share this with you at your convenience as soon as you contact me.

Knee Pain Free at Sixty

I thought I would be taking forty ibuprofen a week until my stomach couldn’t take it anymore and then I would have to switch to something else for the rest of my life. After having a job where I have walked for at least six hours, six days a week for twenty years my knees were done for. I had torn my patellar tendon, had surgery for that and of course they scraped that knee as long as they were in there. My kneecap on one knee is one third worn off being bone on bone. I had done floor exercises first thing in the morning to loosen my back before I could get going for more than twenty years, this was just that way it was. At least I hadn’t had knee replacement or back surgery yet, but that was a sure thing for the future.

I am sure most of you can identify with that and more, we have tried everything with little or no results. When we get together with friends to catch up, the topic turns to complaints of our health issues! We can’t help it because it hurts, we hurt, and we think about it all the time. Plus, we don’t want to be outdone by our friends pains, so we elaborate!

You aren’t alone! Almost half of all U.S. adults and nearly two-thirds of obese adults will develop painful osteoarthritis of the knee by age 85, a study based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests. The study also found that a person’s lifetime risk rose as their body mass index or BMI increased, with the greatest risk found in those whose weight was normal at age 18 but were overweight or obese at 45 or older.

Knee pain is an extremely common complaint, and there are many causes. However, after many years of being told, “well, you will just have to live with it as long as you can stand it, then there is knee replacement”. NOT TRUE !! At least for me and it can very probably be the same for you. My knees feel like they did when I was twenty five!

For more free information on how you can very possibly find relief with just good nutrition, food, please check out my website and lets get you feeling better, walking better, working better, with a lot less and hopefully no knee pain!

Testimony from a friend: “I am a 60 year old woman and had both hips replaced at 50 and have been walking to put off knee replacement as long as possible. Doug mentioned what had helped him and I started taking this simple nutrition three weeks ago. I couldn’t bend my knee enough to lift it up onto a curb, I was taking pain meds everyday and wow! I haven’t had my big pain med since the day I started and today I can lift my leg and bend my knee ninety degrees without pain. This is amazing, It worked for me, and very quickly. I had nothing to lose and gained a great deal. I am so thankful.”