Medical Uses of Boswellia

Boswellia is a kind of herbal plant that became popular due to its calming fragrant. Boswellia has been known to be used in various ayuverdic treatments. This herb is considered to be one of the best natural anti-inflammatory. By natural anti-inflammatory it means it has no chemical added to the drug or medicine. This herb can be considered as very useful especially for people who are fans of alternative medicine. Alternative medicine includes different natural ways of disease treatment and preventive measures.

Natural anti-inflammatory properties
Inflammation is one of the most common illnesses today. Inflammatory diseases are characterized by swelling or inflammation in specific part of the body. There are different kinds of inflammatory disease which can be cured or treated by natural anti inflammatory medicine like that of Boswellia. This herb works well as natural anti-inflammatory as it can regulate the affected muscles or area by giving a soothing effect. Natural anti-inflammatory is very advisable compared to the usual medicine for the following reasons:

• It can cure inflammation with very minimal side effects compared to regular drugs.
• Like boswellia they are proven to be effective in treating inflammation and other related diseases.
• They are definitely more affordable.
• They are safer than other types of commercial anti-inflammatory drugs.

Other Medical Uses

Boswellia may be famous because of its effectiveness in healing various kinds of inflammatory diseases. However, its use is not limited on inflammation alone. Boswellia has more medical uses available which include the following:

• This herb is also effective in curing all types of arthritis. Arthritis is a disease of the joints mostly acquired by the elderly. Arthritis is one of the most common types of diseases for aged people. Arthritis, when not treated appropriately can definitely ruin your day as it could hinder you from doing your regular day to day activities.
• It can also reduce the pain from your back due to long hours of work. People always complain about the pain in their back but would always ignore it as it often go away after a while. However, what people don't know is that when you continuously ignore your back pain, you'll likely face a more serious health problem in the long run. Treating it with the help of Boswellia can definitely improve your feeling.
• It is also effective in treating stiff-neck. Stiff-neck can be acquired upon sleeping on a wrong position. Stiff-neck can also be a hindrance to your job.

Boswellia is also known to cure the following diseases: joint stiffness, wounds and other types of injuries and gout. If you need to cure any of the given diseases, you might as well try using Boswellia and see for yourself its goodness treating various illnesses. This herbal medicine not only helps in preventing and treating various diseases but it also promises to reduce your worry about the consequences or side effects from taking it as your medicine. Moreover, it could be the best natural anti-inflammatory agent that you can found in the market. So try it yourselves!

Are There Remedies That Can Alleviate Degenerative Osteoarthritis Symptoms?

Degenerative osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease is the most common form of arthritis. Here we have accumulated osteoarthritis statistics compiled by various health agencies to help provide a better understanding of how disabling the condition can become and of the importance of early intervention through the use of nutritional supplementation, weight maintenance and regular exercise.

According to the osteoarthritis statistics compiled by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 46 million Americans report being told that they have degenerative osteoarthritis or other conditions affecting the health of the joints. Nearly 19 million adults are disabled because of degenerative osteoarthritis and more than half of all people over the age of 55 have it to some degree. Many think of it as an inevitable part of aging.

Degenerative osteoarthritis is the most common cause of disability in the United States. The American Arthritis foundation reports that 21 million Americans suffer from degenerative osteoarthritis. Higher figures compiled by the CDC include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout, fibromyalgia and other joint disorders.

In addition to osteoarthritis statistics, other figures are relevant. 15.4 million American adults are unable or find it very difficult to walk a quarter of a mile. This number is fairly close to the number of people who are disabled by degenerative osteoarthritis.

At one time, it was common for people to reduce their physical activity because of pain in the weight bearing joints (knees and hips), but most health care professionals now recommend that regular physical activity can reduce stiffness and pain. Avoiding high impact sports that put additional stress on the joints is still recommended.

64.7 million American adults are obese, according to figures compiled by the US Department of Health and Human Services. That's nearly one-third of the total population. Another 72 million are overweight. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many chronic diseases, including degenerative osteoarthritis. Experts maintain that even a modest weight loss can reduce the pain and improve mobility, particularly in the knees and hips.

Researchers have compiled estimates concerning future rheumatoid and osteoarthritis statistics. The number of American adults who suffer from the all forms of degenerative osteoarthritis and other chronic conditions involving the joints is expected to increase to 67 million by the year 2030, because adults are living longer and the number of people in older age groups is growing.

Other osteoarthritis statistics concern cost of treatment, which is approximately $128 billion per year. This figure too may increase, if Americans do not begin to follow recommendations from the CDC and other health agencies. Lose weight, eat right and get regular exercise. In addition, increased intake of omega 3 fatty acids may prevent or reduce the degradation of the cartilage cushions found in degenerative osteoarthritis.

Research has shown that omega 3 fatty acids are natural anti-inflammatories and appear to block the processes that lead to thinning cartilage. If the research is correct, then maybe the osteoarthritis statistics will not increase after all. It may be possible that developing age-related degenerative osteoarthritis is not inevitable after all.

According to the University of Maryland's Medical website:

"Based on laboratory studies....many researchers suggest that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids (and low in omega-6 fatty acids) may benefit people with other inflammatory disorders, including OA [Osteoarthritis]. In fact, several laboratory studies of cartilage-containing cells have found that omega-3 fatty acids decrease inflammation and reduce the activity of enzymes that break down cartilage. Patients also showed increased improvement when fish oil supplements were used...."

The website goes on to state:

"....New Zealand green lipped mussel ( Perna canaliculus ), another potential source of omega-3 fatty acids, has been shown to reduce joint stiffness and pain, increase grip strength, and enhance walking pace in a small group of people with osteoarthritis."

So if you suffer from degenerative osteoarthritis, you may want to start including a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids like fish oil and New Zealand green lipped mussel.

Pet Meds That Can Help Ease Arthritis Pain in Your Furry Friends

Painful, stiff joints and decreased mobility associated with osteoarthritis in dogs and cats can be heartbreaking to witness. Your pet trusts you to protect it from threats both internal and external. Fortunately, there are a variety of pain medications available on the market today that have been proven effective at managing inflammation and discomfort due to arthritis. Consult with your veterinarian and select one based on your animal's particular needs, physical makeup, existing prescription profile and temperament. Here are a number of options to get your started in treating your pet.

Novox (carprofen)

Available in caplets designed to be taken orally, Novox caplets are typically prescribed for the relief of pain and inflammation accompanying osteoarthritis in dogs as well as managing postoperative pain associated with soft tissue and orthopedic surgical procedures in dogs. With your veterinarian, establish a medication plan and administration system that will keep your animals as comfortable as possible. In order to minimize the possibility of stomach upset and ulcers, administer the caplets with food. Potential side effects include possible mild upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, drowsiness and aggression. If you observe other side effects in your pet, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Gabapentin Capsules or Tablets

Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant and pain medication commonly prescribed to relieve chronic pain in cats or dogs. Given by mouth, it may be applied by itself or in combination with other medications. Dosages vary. Gabapentin may be administered in 100 mg, 300 mg, and 400 mg capsules or, alternatively, in tablets up to 600 mg or 800 mgs. An oral solution is also available. If you pet is nursing or pregnant, Gabapentin is not recommended for use. Gabapentin is also not recommended for animals who are suffering from kidney or liver disease, or living with a blood disorder. If your pet displays an allergic reaction to Gabapentin, contact your veterinarian to reevaluate your animal's prescription.

Norocarp (carprofen)

Norocarp is an anti-inflammatory indicated for the relief of mild to severe pain and inflammation in dogs suffering from osteoarthritis. It's an oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) that has been prescribed either to relieve your dog's arthritis associated pain or to manage pain following a surgical procedure. It should be emphasized that his medication is recommended for dogs only. Norocarp is effective in controlling stiffness and pain from arthritis in addition to improving your dog's personal mobility, granting significant relief and overall improvement in quality of life. As each dog possesses a unique body chemistry, responses are variable. However, most dogs enjoy a noticeable reduction in pain sensation. Norocarp is currently available in both caplets and chewable tablets for easy administration.

Deramaxx (deracoxib)

Deramaxx is an oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID) prescribed to manage mild to moderate pain associated with osteoarthritis in dogs. Please note that this pain management drug is exclusively for the treatment of dogs. Deramaxx does not offer an effective cure for canine osteoarthritis. However, it has been proven effective in mitigating pain and can effect a dramatic improvement in your dog's comfort and mobility. Signals that may indicate that your dog is suffering from pain symptoms related to canine osteoarthritis include observed limping or lameness, decreased activity, reluctance to stand, walk or run, climb stairs, or a noticeable struggle in trying to engage these activities. Available in chewable flavored tablets for easy ingestion and convenient administration, Deramaxx is available in a 25 mg dosage, as well as 75 mg and 100 mg tablets. Please consult your veterinarian to determine the optimal dosage for your dog.

Rimadyl Chewable (carprofen)

For dogs enduring the painful symptoms associated with osteoarthritis, Rimadyl is an effective pain control medication that also works as an anti-inflammatory, so your pet can enjoy a more comfortable recovery while remaining active. Currently available in chewable tablets for simple administration, Rimadyl is best given with food in order to prevent upset stomach or developing ulcers in your pet. Reaction will vary with each animal, but most pets do enjoy a significant reduction in pain and discomfort associated with osteoarthritis. In order to determine the correct dosage for your pet, consult your veterinarian. In order prevent harmful interactions, it is necessary to establish a medication plan based on any other prescriptions your dog may be on.

Possible side effects can include mild dyspepsia, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, drowsiness and aggression. If you observe any other side effects in your dog, or if your dog becomes listless and irritable, consult your veterinarian immediately.

If you suspect your pet is suffering from arthritis, speak with your veterinarian about options for treatment, including the solutions mentioned above. In a little while, your furry companion will be ready to romp around like a youngster again.

Lemon - The Common Fruit That Can Relieve Your Arthritis Pain and Other Diseases!

Lemons are invaluable in cases of gout, malaria, rheumatism, and scurvy. They are also useful in fevers and liver complaints.

Lemons are a great source of vitamin C and other essential nutrients.

I have found the juice of one lemon taken in a little hot water could remove dizzy feelings in the head and leave you feeling refreshed. Its cleansing properties help the liver with the detoxification process.

The juice of a lemon in hot water may be taken night and morning with advantage by sufferers from rheumatism. In the "lemon cure" for gout and rheumatism, the patients begins with one lemon per day and increase the quantity until they arrive at a dozen or more. But I think this is carrying it to excess. Dr. Fernie recommends the juice of one lemon mixed with an equal proportion of hot water, to be taken pretty frequently, in cases of rheumatic fever.

A prescription for malaria, given in the Lancet, is the following: "Take a full-sized lemon, cut it in thin transverse slices, rind and all, boil these down in an earthenware jar containing a pint and a half of water, until the decoction is reduced to half a pint. Let this cool on the window-sill overnight, and drink it off in the morning." A Florentine doctor discovered that fresh lemon juice will alleviate the pain of cancerous ulceration of the tongue. His patient sucked slices of lemon.

A German doctor found that fresh lemon juice kills the diptheria bacillus (basically lemon juice because of the low pH is antibacterial), and advises a gargle of diluted lemon juice to diptheric patients. Such a gargle is excellent for sore throat.

Dr. Fernie recommends lemon juice for nervous palpitation of the heart. Lemon juice rubbed on to corns will eventually do away with them, and if applied to unbroken chilblains will effect a cure.

The juice of a lemon is also an old remedy for the removal of freckles and blackheads from the face. It should be rubbed in at bedtime, after washing with warm water.

The Symptoms of Gout

Various sources mention the following symptoms indicative of gout.

- There are no early symptoms in the initial stages of gout. While the crystals responsible for gout build up, no perceptible symptoms are produced.

- When a gout attack sets in the common symptoms include unbearable pain in the joints, usually that of the big toe, though other movable joints of the body can eventually be affected.

- The joint shows considerable swelling and redness.

- The skin around the affected joint feels hot to touch.

- The ball of the foot gets inflamed and starts aching.

- Pain is felt in the arch of the foot.

- When gout spreads to the ankle, then the ankle swell up and starts to pain.

- Gradually, other joints of the body are affected, like the knees, the knuckles of the fingers, the wrist, elbows, hips, and the like. All these joints become swollen and sharp, sudden pains are experienced.

- The gout attacks are very fast to set in, taking as little as one day only to begin.

- Hyperuricemia of the blood is a certainty.

- Skin lumps and Tophi are observed.

- The attacks are recurrent, though a second attack may come months or even years after the first one. But in chronic cases, the attacks occur one after the other.

The swelling is a better indication of gout. Swelling occurs due to deposition of urate crystals on the joints. However, neither the pain nor the inflammation is conclusive symptom that can confirm the diagnosis of gout.

Discoloration of the skin is another indication of gout. The color of the skin over the gout-afflicted joints alters drastically. It almost becomes purple in hue. This is a definitive symptom and if a patient observes such changes in color of the skin along with pain and swelling, they should immediately consult a doctor. Timely treatment is essential in counteracting gout attack. Delayed medical care can make the treatment difficult.

Anyone of the signs of gout can be quite unnerving. The occurrence of more than one symptom all at once can seriously become a cause of anguish and anxiety for the patient suffering from gout. However, unnecessary worry will not help. The correct course of action would be to seek help from qualified medical practitioners as soon as possible and take measures for preventing further complications before the gout attack gets out of hand.

The point that is to be borne in mind is that the symptoms of gout are those that are known by a patient, but gout signs are indications that are perceivable only by a doctor.

Ease Arthritis Pain Naturally

Arthritis is a disease that a lot of people around the world suffer from. It comes in many forms, and can severely affect the quality of life of people that have it. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. This is a degenerative disease that affects the cartilage. Cartilage is the cushion in between the joints, so when this starts to deteriorate there is a lot more friction occurring in the joint. This means that the bones are rubbing together and there will be a lot of pain when doing even simple tasks. Osteoarthritis affects a lot of the population, it is more common in the elderly, however there are many cases reported in all age groups. The other common form of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis. This is an autoimmune disease and it also affects the joints. Typically you see it in people hands where their joints are all swollen. It is a very debilitating disease and you lose a lot of mobility.

Thankfully there are joint pain remedies available to help arthritis. You need to know that there is no miracle cure, and the sooner you stop looking for it, the better off you will be. You can find a lot of ways to help reduce your pain, and a lot of them are natural. You need not take drugs and harm your body, as you have more options than you may think. Anti inflammatory drugs will help to get rid of the pain, however they have a lot of unwanted side effects that can really cause a lot of damage, especially to your stomach. For osteoarthritis it is important that you consider exercise as an option to help. If you build stronger muscles around the joint that is affected, it is very likely that you will be able to take a lot of pressure off the joint, and therefore reduce the pain. You also have a lot of other options to ease the arthritis pain, for example if you have it in the hands you can get arthritis gloves. These will really help you reduce the pain in your hands and fingers and will give you a lot of dexterity back. You can also look at magnetic therapy as an option that can help you immensely. Although not scientifically proven, magnetic therapy has a lot of positive reports of pain reduction in arthritis sufferers. You can also look at glucosamine as an option. This is becoming a very popular supplement, as it is thought to regenerate the cartilage. It is a naturally occurring substance in the body and hence has very little side effects.

As you can see there are a lot of options to help the pain of arthritis. Once you stop looking for a miracle cure, your eyes will be open to a whole new range of joint pain remedies.

Gluten Sensitivity Can Trigger Autoimmunity and Chronic Pain

We all have that one chore or project in our house we never seem to get around to. Maybe it's cleaning the garage, finally getting the family picture framed, or reorganizing your kitchen. You know it would not take much time to accomplish the task and you will feel better when you are finished, but you just never quite seem to make the time.

Living with an autoimmune illness and chronic pain is similar. You know there probably is a better way to treat your ailments than the constant drugs, appointments and new treatments. Yet, you continue to go about your medical routine, succumbing what feels like the inevitability of living with chronic pain and autoimmune illnesses and the host of drugs and doctors that go along with it.

However, just like you will feel better when you finally tackle that nagging chore, you can find relief from your autoimmune illness and chronic pain by stepping outside the traditional approaches to these ailments.

Gluten sensitivity is an under-diagnosed common trigger of many autoimmune illnesses and chronic pain. Once patients discover they have a gluten sensitivity and commence a gluten-free diet, their illness and pain often disappears. It's an amazing yet incredibly simple diagnosis that brings relief to many people suffering needlessly each year. Let's take a closer look at how this simple diagnosis can bring the much sought after cure you have been searching for.

Gluten Sensitivity: The Basics

Gluten is a protein found in common grains, specifically wheat, rye, barley, malt and a few other grains like spelt and couscous. Gluten is what gives dough its elasticity and helps it to rise. It is the composite of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin. Most people can eat and digest this protein without any problems.

However, many people suffer from gluten sensitivity or essentially an allergy to gluten. Unlike other allergies, say to peanuts for example, gluten does not typically cause anaphylaxis. It does, however, trigger the basic allergic response. When you consume gluten, your immune system produces antibodies to fight off what it perceives as harmful to your health. This immune response causes inflammation in your body leading to a host of autoimmune illnesses.

Some of the most common autoimmune responses seen in people with gluten sensitivity include:

• Thyroid disorders;


• Neurological problems;


• Fibromyalgia;


• Celiac sprue disease;


• Skin problems such as psoriasis and eczema;


• Arthritis;


• And chronic pain.

There are also a set of secondary issues related to gluten sensitivity because of the way the gluten protein damages your intestines. As gluten passes through your intestines, it can trigger damage to the villi, the small follicles that pick up nutrients out of your food and pass it through your body, feeding and nourishing you and your organs. When the villi are damaged, they can't absorb nutrients from your food and you may experience chronic fatigue, anemia, narcolepsy and other symptoms related to nutrition deficiencies.

Ending Autoimmune Illnesses

The traditional medical community has only just now started making the connection between autoimmune illnesses and gluten. Those illnesses were always seen as standalone problems that doctors would treat with drugs. Doctors could test for gluten sensitivity but the old tests targeted just a fraction of the antibodies associated with gluten sensitivity. Many people went undiagnosed when these tests came back negative. They continued to eat gluten and continued to suffer needlessly.

Recently, newer tests that look at a broader spectrum of antibodies associated with gluten sensitivity have become available and patients can get more definitive answers from doctors who understand the link between autoimmune illnesses and gluten sensitivity. You can learn more about why the typical gluten intolerance test is not adequate by reading an informative white paper on the subject.

You can take action to address your chronic pain and autoimmune ailments without testing as well by simply moving to a gluten-free diet. However, often a gluten sensitive individual can have gluten cross reactions with many of the ingredients found in gluten-free products. Ideally you should endeavor to work with a gluten knowledgeable doctor who can guide you in the proper food selection process.

As you probably suspected for years, there is a better way to treat your autoimmune disorder and your chronic pain than regular doctor visits and handfuls of medication. Take the time to explore your illness a little deeper to find the root cause of your ailments. Who knows? Once you tackle your chronic illness, you might just be ready to clean out the garage as well.