Arthritis Action :: Health and Disease :: Bones, Joints, and Muscles

> Health and Disease > Bones, Joints, and Muscles

Arthritis Action
by author Joan Dobbie

Have you recently learned that you are one of four million Canadians–15 percent of the population–with joint problems? This number is expected to reach 18 percent by the year 2020.

Arthritis usually leads to restriction of physical activity, increasing the risks of heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis and depression.

The medical establishment believes that osteoarthritis is irreversible and recommends that patients take pain killers and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen. At best, these drugs only provide temporary relief and may lead to further deterioration of the joint and surrounding tissue. They inhibit the formation of cartilage, which helps to cushion the joints. The long term use of NSAIDs, including aspirin, may lead to stomach ulcers, gastro-intestinal bleeding, kidney damage and toxicity to auditory nerve cells.

The downside of drug therapy is a hard pill to swallow. However, there are alternatives. Natural therapies based on lifestyle and diet changes can be beneficial by addressing the cause of arthritis, not just the symptoms.

Eat For Joint Health

Eliminating acid forming foods from the diet will help the joints to recover. Examples of acidic foods are those high in fat or sugar. Fatty meats and dairy foods increase the production of prostaglandins that inflame the joints. Foods that are high in refined sugar and bad fat must be eliminated as they will inflame the joints. Nightshade vegetables (including tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant) should be avoided. Other foods to eliminate are salty or spicy foods, chocolate, caffeine and pop.

Be sure your diet includes plenty of antioxidant foods such as fresh, raw organic vegetables and fruit, grains and legumes. These contain carotenoids, flavonoids and vitamin C–all excellent anti-inflammatory agents. Vitamin C is particularly important, as it is necessary for the formation of collagen, cartilage and bones and is essential for the growth and repair of all the tissues in the body.

Remember to include the essential fatty acids that help reduce the inflammatory response. These include omega-3 fatty acids, derived from cold-water fish such as salmon, halibut, tuna and mackerel and fresh, unrefined, cold-pressed flax oil. If you don't enjoy fish, try supplementing with fish oil or fish oil capsules.

Mild to moderate exercise also has a place in maintaining healthy joints. Swimming and walking help to stabilize joints by increasing muscular strength and controlling weight. Excess weight can result in small tears in the cartilage upon impact. A weight loss of seven kilograms can lead to a 50 percent decline in pain in postmenopausal women as was reported in a recent study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Building a Foundation

Glucosamine is found in connective tissue throughout the body, including the skin, lining of the gastrointestinal tract, arteries and veins.

Glucosamine is a natural alternative to NSAIDs. It is an amino sugar that helps to form cartilage tissue. Glucosamine repairs and regenerates damaged ligaments, cartilage and tendons over time. In double blind studies, people suffering with chronic knee pain and stiffness benefited from taking 1,000 mg to 1,500 nig of glucosamine per day. Pain and stiffness in the knees and small joints will decrease faster than in the hips.

Glucosamine is commonly in tablet form, but can also be taken in an easily assimilated liquid form. Supplemental glucosamine is often derived from the shells of lobster, crab and shrimp. It is well tolerated by most people but about 12 per cent reported the following side effects: heartburn, nausea, diarrhea, hives and itching. The side effects disappeared a few days after discontinuing the glucosamine treatment.

Dietary supplements take longer to work than NSAIDs. However, some people notice significant pain relief with one to two weeks, especially when a liquid glucosamine is taken in combination with herbal extracts in the correct therapeutic dosage.

Tried and True Herbs

Devil's claw root is recognized as a powerful anti-inflammatory. It is used to relieve the pain of rheumatism, arthritis, gout, myalgia (muscle pain), lumbago (lower back pain) and to reduce swelling and inflammation, especially around the joints. This bitter root contains saponins, which help to eliminate endotoxins from the joints.

Nettle, commonly grown in North America, offers a cleansing, detoxifying and diuretic action for the whole body, due to its flavonoids and high potassium content. When taken with glucosamine and devil's claw root, it will relieve arthritic pain and stiffness. Nettle can be cooked as a vegetable and tastes like spinach.

Those with arthritis will appreciate the wonderful pain relieving properties offered by feverfew, a natural herb. This herb is not only an analgesic because of the partheno-lide contained in the leaves. It is also an anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic. Do not take feverfew if taking warfarin or other blood-thinning drugs.

Joan Dobbie is a retired medical laboratory technologist with a personal interest in osteoarthritis.

Source: alive #209, March 2000

Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis is an illness that took my whole lifetime to mature and five years to battle into submission. The symptoms and causes, like almost all so-called incurable diseases, piled up, stone upon stone, beginning to create my tombstone.

Grease Your Gears!
Mobility is a gift we often take for granted. We walk, run, dance, eat and do 10 thousand actions both voluntary and involuntary.

Fidgety Facts on Restless Legs
Picture, if you will, settling into an easy chair after a long day to watch your favourite television program or read a few chapters in your book.

Exercise to Beat Joint Pain
If you suffer with joint pain don't wait until you feel better before you start exercising. Instead, start exercising to feel better! The longer you are inactive the harder it will be to start exercising and the worse your condition will become.

Get a Grip on Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Disorders
In her book, Get a Grip on Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Disorders, Lorna Vanderhaeghe clearly demonstrates her belief in empowering people with health knowledge so they can achieve optimal wellness.

Metabolic Aging
Everybody wants to live a long and healthy life. If you carry excess body fat on your frame, though, you may be setting yourself up for a shorter lifespan than the one you were aiming for.

Bone Health
Our bones are alive and are constantly being renovated: old bone is dismantled, removed, and replaced with new bone. We continue to build bone mass until our early thirties and then our bodies simply work to retain existing bone.

Bone Health for Children
By the time you are in your early 20s, you have reached your peak in bone mass development. After this age you can expect a slow and steady decline to occur each year.

Hyaluronic Acid
Joint pain can be burning, stiffness, an ache or tenderness. However it manifests, we want it to go away!

The good news is that a new natural compound has recently come to light that successfully alleviates joint pain.

Osteopenia
Osteopenia is not a disease. It is a condition marked by a decrease in optimum bone density that can be a precursor to osteoporosis, where bones become brittle and subject to fractures. Data from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study show that osteopenia affects 46 percent of women and 39 percent of men aged 50 and over.

Got Gout?

Bone-Building Foods
If your idea of bone-building foods starts and ends with a glass of milk, it's time to go global and expand your culinary horizon. The narrow focus on dairy foods as the only source of bone-building nutrients is rapidly changing to encompass a broader perspective.

The Copper Connection
Copper is at the core of normal body function. Without copper, we cannot form superoxide dismutase, the superpower of all antioxidants. Copper also helps our bodies create collagen, the protein that forms healthy joints and supple, young skin. And it has a role in helping our bodies store iron, a critical component of the formation of hemoglobin in red blood cells.

Prehistoric Horsetail and Modern Healing
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is a direct descendant of the giant fern-like plants that covered the Earth some 200 million years ago. Today a much smaller version of this prehistoric perennial, resembling asparagus, can be found growing in moist or sandy soil along shady steams and creeks in early spring.

Silent, but Preventable
Osteoporosis, literally "thinning of bone, is a disease involving genetics, endocrine function, and exercise and nutritional habits that leads to bone fragility and risk of fracture, especially of the hip, spine, and wrist.

Muscle Pain
Dr Leyton:I am 66 years old and when I wake up after eight hours of sleep I'm in violent pain all over my body. I'm also so stiff it's a great effort to put my socks on or my leg muscles will cramp.

Here's to health
Those who drink alcohol, coffee, tea, and colas or eat chocolate are robbing their muscles of precious water, which can lead to a decrease in muscle strength and reduce muscle hypertrophy (enlargement).

Osteopathic Medicine
Of all of the natural and holistic health care disciplines, osteopathic medicine is one of the fastest growing, providing a viable and noninvasive alternative to risky surgeries or expensive diagnostic procedures.

Staying Strong
Healthy eating and regular exercising are both proven to be beneficial for bone health. We can also use supplements available at natural health stores to help keep our bones and joints strong and working well.

The Bone-Building Solution
Few writers have the power to influence their audience as readily as Sam Graci. His generous personality always shines through, motivating readers to better understand health and improve their personal lives.

Building Buff Bones
Our 206 bones are dynamic living tissue. Within our bones, there is a balance between the cells that build up bone and those that tear it down. Both processes are essential for optimal bone health.

Stand Up to Back Pain
Most back and neck pain is not the result of an isolated injury but of ongoing stress. Our spines and back muscles work together to hold us up, but we must care for them to avoid strains, sprains, and soreness. Here are five strategies for banishing back pain, safely and naturally.

Yogic Relief
If you suffer from lower back pain, the relief you've been looking for may be a little farther than the medicine cabinet, but as close as the local community centre. There you may find yoga teachers who are familiar with the therapeutic aspects of yoga for lower back pain.