Rheumatoid Arthritis - Natural Treatments, Diet and Exercise

Rheumatoid Arthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis. It is a chronic disorder and there is no cure. Once you have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, the goal is to treat the symptoms of the disease in order to lead as normal a life as possible. There are treatments that can help to lessen the frequency of the symptoms and treatments that can be used to alleviate the pain and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Once you are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, you should consult your physician and devise a plan of treatment that is right for you personally.

Diet and Exercise for Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet and exercise are essential for your overall health. A healthy diet can help you to avoid outbreaks of rheumatoid arthritis. Avoid foods such as dairy products, milk, beef, and wheat. These foods can sometimes trigger the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, the best diet is one that is low in protein and high in carbohydrates. You should begin a regular exercise routine. It is always best to consult your physician or a professional trainer when beginning an exercise regimen. The key is to build up the muscles around your joints, which enables your muscles to help carry the load when your joints are inflamed. If the muscles around the joints are weak, this causes more pressure to be put on the joints and can result in more frequent bouts of inflammation. Work with a physical therapist or personal trainer to devise an exercise regimen that is right for you - one that helps you to strengthen the muscles and joints without over-straining.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments

There are many rheumatoid arthritis treatments. Many physicians will recommend medications to treat the pain and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis. You should discuss these medications with your physician; research the medications in order to learn of known side effects, interactions with other medications, and interactions with foods.

Some medications can hinder your ability to live a normal life. You want to learn as much as you can so that you are able to make an informed decision about the treatment that will fit your lifestyle. Some people believe the relief of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms is worth the risks involved with taking medications. Others prefer to use natural rheumatoid arthritis treatments. There are many natural treatments that have been successful in the treatment of the symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Natural Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments

Some natural and herbal rheumatoid arthritis treatments include the following:

• Hot water - exercise the affected joints in a tub of hot water


• Mangosteen - treats both inflammation and pain


• Olive Oil and Kerosene - relieves inflammation of joints


• Hot vinegar - use as a rub for affected joints


• Comfrey - used as a salve to relieve inflammation


• Sandalwood Powder Paste - make a paste and rub on affected joints to relieve inflammation


• Water aerobics - helps produce endorphins in the brain that help to relieve pain


• Alfalfa tea - drink twice a day


• Camphor and Coconut Oil - used to massage affected joints


• Valerian - a natural sedative used to relieve pain


• Omega-3 fatty acids - found in foods such as fish and walnuts


• Emu Oil - used to massage affected joints


• Pineapple juice - drink daily to minimize the flare up of symptoms


• Fruit Pectin and Cranberry Juice - drink daily


• Epsom salts - soak in a tub filled with hot water (as hot as you can stand) and Epsom salts to relieve inflammation and pain


• Black Sesame Seeds - soaked overnight and taken first thing in the morning

These are some of the many natural remedies that can be found to help alleviate the pain and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis and to avoid a flare up of the symptoms. While rheumatoid arthritis treatments are essential to help you maintain the quality of life you are accustomed to, the most important thing you can do for yourself - both before and after - is to maintain a health diet and exercise routine.

Chiropractic Care For Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a problem that usually affects people who are 50 years of age or more. It is a very common joint disorder. The cartilage cushions that exist in between joints and the bones that make the joints are worn out in osteoarthritis. This disease results in abnormal growth of bone as with time, more cartilage begins to ear out and bone on bone wearing takes place.

Pain and Stiffness are the major signs of suffering from osteoarthritis. It gets pretty painful after prolonged sitting and getting up and also in the morning. Change in humidity or rainy weather also increases the pain most of the times. If osteoarthritis prevents you from doing daily activities or activities that you like doing, then it can have a big impact on the quality of your life.

There are many treatments that are available in recent times for osteoarthritis. Chiropractic treatment not only reduces the pain but also treat you so that you get a long term relief from the pain. Medications and anti-inflammatory can give you relief but it is just a temporary relief. You can suffer complications and gastrointestinal problems due to these drugs.

The best and most natural method of treatment for osteoarthritis is chiropractic treatment. It depends on the complexity of the situation and also on the patient. The patient starts to feel good after the treatment and the process does not hurt. The condition of the patient and the complexity of the situation also affect the treatment. Reduction in pain, reduction in stiffness and restoring the normal motion of the joint are some of the results of the manipulation. Ice and heat can also be used to provide relief.

A very important aspect of chiropractic treatment for osteoarthritis is proper and healthy nutrition. Supplements like glucosamine, fish oils, chondrotin sulfate and many more can prove to be very helpful. Avoiding some specific foods can reduce inflammation and hence reduce pain and improve healing. In order to find out what would be the best supplement for you, you should get in touch with your chiropractor as different things suit different situations.

Regular visits to your chiropractor may be able to help you prevent osteoarthritis. Correcting dysfunctional joints allows proper movement and can reduce your risk of the disease. It will also help keep discs stay healthy and prevent other causes of joint pain. If you suffer from osteoarthritis, speak with your chiropractor to learn how they can help you conservatively control your symptoms and prevent the progression of the disease.

In order to prevent osteoarthritis, you should visit your chiropractor regularly. You can easily reduce the risk of this disease by correcting any dysfunctional joints and hence keep the movements normal. This prevents other causes of pain in the joints and helps in keeping the discs healthy. If you have the problem of osteoarthritis, then you should consult your chiropractor so that he or she can help you in treating the problem and reduce the pain.

What Is GNC Triflex?

If there is a way to avoid health problems, then do it. Things like joint pain are not inescapable! Just because you are gaining age does not mean you have to adopt arthritis. Holisitic health supplements can help relieve and avoid joint pain and problems. GNC Triflex is a natural supplement that helps you move freely and without pain, swelling, and stiffness. Even if you suffer from mild to severe pains, GNC Triflex can help.

First off, are you aware that you can avoid joint pains? The whole point of products like GNC Triflex is to not just stop the pain, but to help people PREVENT it from ever coming. It is understandable why someone would think that conditions like arthritis and osteoarthritis or joint pains are just a side effect of growing old. Yes your body changes as you age, but these conditions can all be easily defeated! Beyond having a healthy diet, getting a good rest, and excising, there is also the idea of taking supplements to help stop and prevent joint pain. GNC Triflex is a great example of a daily supplement that can help with these problems.

GNC Triflex uses MSM, glucosamine, chondroitin to make up its formula.

MSM: also known as methylsulfonylmethane, MSM and is known for its ability to relieve pain caused by OA (osteoarthritis). It is said to help strengthen tissues because it distributes sulfur to the body. MSM has been animal tested and proven for its ability to help with inflammation.

Glucosamine: is an amino sugar that is used in a lot of supplements that used for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Glucosamine has gone through many different clinical studies showing significant physical improvement. Is supposed to help prevent cartilage degeneration.

Chondroitin: often paired with glucosamine for the treatment of join pains. It is known for its ability to create cartilage. This also helps with the breaking down and repairing of cartilage. This will also help reduce pains and stiffness.

Users are instructed to take 3 capsules a day of GNC Triflex. It is also recommended to take this product with meals.

This supplements fights as a triple threat in the battle of joint pains. Osteoarthritis and arthritis don't have to take over your life. By incorporating glucosamine, MSM, and chondroitin into your daily schedule, you can greatly improve your joint health. Not only will it treat the aches, but it will improvement stiffness and swelling.

Ultrasonic Therapy And Arthritis

Effectively a form of massage, ultrasonic therapy for pain depends upon sound waves that are impelled unto human tissue where they cause rapid, gentle vibration and slight local heating. As such waves travel through human tissue, different frequencies are absorbed by different tissues in the human body, for example, skin, fat, muscle and bone. One reason for a frequency being well absorbed by a particular tissue is that it is the frequency at which the molecules of that tissue naturally vibrate. Ultrasonic massage devices operate at frequencies designed to resonate with (that is, to set off sympathetic vibrations in) a wide range of human tissues.

As sound waves travel through human tissues, their vibrations cause alternate loosening and tightening of cell walls. This stimulates the metabolism, and it can also improve blood circulation. Sound waves can have therapeutic effects on tissues beneath the surface of the body, including some that may be affected by arthritis, which may be difficult to treat with other therapies. Stiffened joints can be relaxed through ultrasonic therapy. People with knee pain and lower back pain testify to benefits from this form of treatment. Pain signals normally travel from the site of the stimulus via a peripheral nerve to the spinal cord then to the brain.

One theory of how TENS works proposes that it makes specific cells in the spinal cord less responsive to pain signals, reducing the perception of pain in the brain. A second theory ascribes the pain relieving effect to electrical impulses stimulating the release of endorphins, the brain's natural painkillers, which block the pain. Some complementary therapists recommended fasting as a treatment for arthritis in order to detoxify the system and eliminate long accumulated waste products. Fasting should last no longer than three days unless you are under medical supervision.

It is essential to drink a glass of water every hour when you are fasting. Fasting has no proven benefits for the treatment of arthritis. Aspirin is a simple analgesic, which relieves pain in body tissues, such as muscles, ligaments and joints, particularly when associated with inflammation. It can be taken in pill form or, most effectively, dissolved in water. May irritate the stomach and, if taken on a long term basis, may cause stomach ulcers. Penicillamine is taken orally, at least an hour before food. It can alter your sense of taste, but this should diminish after a few weeks. Otherwise the side effects are just like any other drugs used to treat pain.

Your Blood Type and AutoImmune Disease, Inflammation and Fatique

In order to maximize your health and reduce your chances of developing autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's, Celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and other illnesses, it pays to know your blood type. Let's explore this concept in more detail.

Most people pay little attention to the type of blood they have, as it seems it is only important when you are scheduled for an operation or other procedure when you might need blood products given to you...or when you are having a baby.

However, science has shown blood type is indeed important for reducing disease and illness and living a more energetic, healthy life. A life that allows you more time to focus on your dreams, desires, family and friends...instead of visits to the doctor or hospital.

I earned certification in blood type (BT) science from the Institute for Human Individuality and currently hold a fellow from that organization. As a result of this training I have learned about the direct and indirect relationships between what we choose to eat and various disease processes that plague humanity and have seen first hand the benefits of typing blood for developing dietary recommendations.

Most people are familiar with ABO blood typing. There are 4 of these blood types: O, which makes up 45% of the worlds population, A, which comprises 40% of world population, B, which is 11% of global population and lastly AB, which only makes up 4% of the world's population.

Genetic control is what determines your specific BT. Just a small piece of sugar that's stuck on the outside of your red blood cell creates your blood type. Each one of your cells contains millions of different sugars, including the blood type sugars. These sugars are manufactured by the cell, controlled by your DNA. Just like eye or hair color is a genetic quality, your blood type is a very unique part of who you are. Your BT doesn't change either- if you're AB, you will always be AB.

The sugar for type O is fucose. The sugar for type A is a combination of fucose and N-Acetyl galactosamine (or GalNac for short). The type B sugar is fucose with D-Galactose. Type AB is a combination of A and B, with all three blood type sugars. This is why AB is the universal receiver of blood. The immune system works by identifying what is "you" and what is "not you". Since AB has all three sugars on its blood cells, it recognizes each one and won't cause a rejection. Type O is the opposite, known as the universal donor. Since O blood doesn't have GalNac or D-Galactose, it sees the other blood types as "not me" and will try to destroy them. The same is true for B and A. They can receive blood from O, but not from each other.

People are not the only ones with blood types. The sugars (antigens) that make our blood type are actually all around us in the environment. They can be found in a variety of animals, microbes, dirt and even food. One example is the virus. Many types of viruses have antigens, like our own antigens, that are made of D-galactose. D-galactose is what makes blood type B, so when somebody who is type B contracts a virus, their chance of infection is greater. Just like a transfusion works on "self" vs. "non-self", if a virus looks like you (type B), your body is going to be less likely to destroy it than if it looked like type A. The most important point is that some foods have blood type antigens too. The best example of this is milk, which contains large amounts of D-galactose, the type B sugar. Pork is another example, as a source of GalNac, the Type A sugar. Seaweed is a significant source of fucose, the sugar for all the blood types.

Foods also have substances known as lectins which act upon our specific blood type to cause various alterations in our body function such as:

• Causing our blood cells to stick together


• Trigger body-wide inflammation


• Act as insulin by attaching to insulin receptors on cells which leads to weight gain


• Trigger autoimmune attack


• Trigger digestive system malfunction and pain


• Creative intestinal damage leading to Leaky Gut Syndrome and as a result brain inflammation


• Interrupt nerve signals in the body and alter levels of neurotransmitters and thus cause nerve and brain malfunction leading to ADD and even Alzheimers disease.


• Create joint inflammation leading to various types of arthritis.


• Alter hormonal levels and lead to thyroid malfunction


• ...and more

Due to the many health damaging effects various lectins can have on the health of people with different blood types, it behoove the health practitioner to utilize blood type in formulating individualized dietary recommendations. I invite you to learn more so you can be healthier.

Chronic Arthritis Pain

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints, and for most people brings with it pain and stiffness in the affected areas. Pain is generally defined as either "acute" or "chronic," with acute pain being the short-term variety. After three months, pain is considered to be chronic. Both of these types of pain can be mild to severe and, for too many people suffering from arthritis, chronic pain is present in their activities of daily living. Indeed, many will be dealing with pain for the rest of their lives.

As stated on WebMD, "Chronic pain is a major health problem in the United States and is one of the most weakening effects of arthritis. More than 40 million Americans suffer from some form of arthritis, and many have chronic pain that limits daily activity. Osteoarthritis is by far the most common form of arthritis, affecting about 16 million Americans, while rheumatoid arthritis, which affects about 2.1 million Americans, is the most crippling form of the disease." Obviously, arthritis and the chronic pain that so very many are suffering from are not isolated instances.

Unfortunately, these numbers are on the rise as our population ages. Many people may find themselves dealing with arthritic moments along with their senior moments. However, just because a body is aging, it does not follow that that body must have joint pain.

There is hope among all the doom and gloom. Healthcare providers, from primary care physicians to physical therapists and rheumatologists, are recognizing the value of exercise as part of a plan to relieve arthritis pain, even in fairly severe, chronic cases! It is a natural inclination to want to rest and move around as little as possible when we are in pain, when in fact, it can actually make matters worse for those with arthritis pain. This is not to say that just any exercise is recommended; it is definitely a good idea to consult with a professional to ensure that you are choosing exercises that will bring about positive results.

Supplements are also popping up for everything everywhere. Joint pain relief is gaining attention in the supplement aisle. It is probably safe to assume that most people are aware of glucosamine and chondroitin, and the difference that these two substances are making in the lives of joint pain sufferers. One of the newer choices hitting the shelves is made from cetylated fatty acids, and is most commonly found under the brand name of Celadrin. This alternative has been shown to work well all on its own or as an addition to a glucosamine/chondroitin regimen. As with so many supplements it appears to become more effective as use continues. These supplements work to restore lubrication and reduce inflammation in the joints, providing pain relief and better range of motion!

Just as each person has their own pain to deal with, they also have to find a system that works for them. It is possible to feel better and enjoy life! Talk to your doctor about exercise and supplements that may be able to help and go enjoy life!

Osteoarthritis - Not Just Wear and Tear

An interesting study out of the University of Edinburgh in the U.K. demonstrates this principle quite clearly. Researchers performed a double blind placebo controlled study of patients scheduled for knee replacement. Half the patients received a tablespoon of high potency cod liver oil each day and the remainder received a placebo. As the original knees were removed, they were analyzed for enzymatic markers indicating pain and inflammation. The results were quite striking. The markers for both pain and inflammation were significantly reduced in the active group compared to the placebo group. In their published research, they indicated their belief that even this single measure could significantly reduce the incidence of knee replacements. Since joints can normally only be replaced twice and don't last all that long, delaying or preventing the need is critically important for long term health and quality of life.

Other research has demonstrated that some people are sensitive to the Nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes and peppers). Proteins in these vegetables have an affinity for joint tissue and since many suffer some degree of leaky gut syndrome, some of these foreign proteins pass undigested into the blood stream and bond to joint tissues. The immune system attacks the foreign proteins and inadvertently causes collateral damage to the tough but delicate and all important cartilage lining the ball and socket of each joint. Milk and gluten too, can wreak havoc on the joints of those who are sensitive.

Given the role of inflammation in Osteoarthritis, there are three approaches which may bring significant improvement or relief.

1) Use nutrient agents which many have reported to be effective in reducing inflammation and/or helping heal leaky gut syndrome, such as curcumin, Omega 3s, Equilib nutrient and Arthrimend.

2) Do a simple test of strictly eliminating suspected foods for at least three weeks to see if symptoms improve. This means carefully examining all mixed herbs and spices and prepared foods for eliminated substances.

3) Start doing consistent gentle but regular exercises and work up to full range of motion for joints.

This is beneficial for two reasons

a) Muscles should be taking up most of the strain on joints, so weak muscles = increased risk of joint pain and/or injury

b) When joints are taken to their full range of motion, it stimulates synovial fluid production. This is the lubricant which is critical in preventing cartilaginous damage between the ball and socket of joints.

One final word for Caucasian men and post menopausal women: Should you begin to experience unexplained hip pain and/or pain in the end knuckles of your middle three fingers, request your physician to order a serum ferritin test. If this blood test shows elevated ferritin levels, you may have Hemochromatosis (one of the most common genetic errors seen in Caucasians). If left untreated, the ongoing accumulation of iron will have serious brain/body health effects including substantially increased risk of liver cancer and dementia. For many, simply donating blood regularly will keep iron levels in the optimum range and helps save lives.

I personally use all of the above tools to very good effect.