Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects more women than men and is mostly seen in people who are 35 years and above. The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis come and go and vary among individuals. This is because it is an autoimmune condition whose triggers are yet to be fully determined and are different in each person.

The most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are pain, stiffness, swelling, warmth and redness in the affected joints. In some people, the symptoms are continuous and may last for many months or even years. In others, they do not have any symptoms for long periods of time between each flare up.

Rheumatoid arthritis almost always affects the lining of your joints resulting in inflammation that causes pain and which may eventually lead to joint deformation. It can also affect other parts of your body such as the heart, lungs, even your voice box. When this happens, you may have fatigue and fevers and it is referred to as rheumatoid fever.

The pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis is usually an aching or throbbing sort of pain. It is usually felt in the mornings or after long periods of inactivity. The joint pain is also mostly felt on the same joint on both the left as well as the right sides of a person’s body with the most often affected joints being the ones on the fingers, wrists, feet, knees, and ankles.

Exposure to cold can also trigger or increase the pain. Joint stiffness in the morning that lasts for more than an hour is also one of the most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. The stiffness also occurs after periods of inactivity.

As the disorder progresses, the joints usually lose some of their range of motion and become harder to use due to extensive damage.

Rheumatoid arthritis causes inflammation in the affected areas leading to swelling. As the disorder progresses, the swelling worsens and nodules around or within the joints may form. This then results in deformed joints that may become difficult to use. The swelling also contributes to the pain associated with the condition.

The inflamed joints also feel warm and the area around usually turn red. This is simply as a result of the inflammation and the swelling that accompanies the inflammation.

When rheumatoid arthritis affects other parts of the body, the symptoms vary from fatigue, muscle aches, loss of appetite, malaise to fever depending on the affected areas.

For example, if the lungs are affected, you may experience shortness of breath and fatigue and fevers. If the heart is affected, there are usually no symptoms although you may experience fever, malaise and fatigue. It however leaves you susceptible to blocked arteries around your heart. If one of the joints in your voice box are affected you may develop a hoarse voice.

As varied as these symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may be and as gradually as they may come, all these symptoms can be treated and managed using natural joint pain relief remedies. It is also important to learn how a rheumatoid arthritis diet may help you to improve this condition.

Rheumatoid arthritis may have no cure currently but with knowledge and care, as well as seeking treatment early, you can have a pain free life and you can greatly slow down or even halt the progression of the disease. By learning more about living with rheumatoid arthritis you will be taking a proactive step towards your personal health care.

Here is where you can learn more about how to treat rheumatoid arthritis and get relief using natural solutions.

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis is a post from: How To Treat Arthritis

Living with rheumatoid arthritis may seem like a daunting prospect but it can be done. As rheumatoid arthritis attacks many parts of the body especially the joints resulting in pain, swelling, tenderness, stiffness and deformity in many cases, managing the progression of this disease is crucial. (Here is where you can find more detailed information on exactly what is rheumatoid arthritis).

What To Do To Improve Your Condition

You will need to work closely with your health professionals such as your doctor, physical therapist and counselor to manage your pain, understand what causes flare ups and how to avoid them to improve your quality of life.

There are a number of medications that you can take to manage the pain and progression of the disease and slow it down as much as possible. In addition you will need to find ways of keeping your joints supple and flexible.

Key Things To Know

Understanding the types of medication you are taking, why you are taking them and what their side effects are will also go a long way in helping you manage this condition.

One of the first things you should do if you are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis is to find a health professional who you feel is caring and is willing to work with you and answer all your questions and ensure that you are as comfortable as possible.

You will probably be put on some medications to alleviate your pain and slow down the progression of this disease in your body. You should take them as advised by your doctor but take note that all medications have side effects and if the side effects bother you, do not hesitate to let your doctor know so that you can work out a solution together.

Common Things That Happen

For people living with rheumatoid arthritis, pain and fatigue is very common. Stiff joints is also a common symptom especially in the mornings or when you have been in one position for a long period of time. For most people, the symptoms do get worse during the colder seasons than during warm seasons.

Some activities might also make the pain and joint stiffness worse. Knowing which activities to avoid or minimize will go a long way in helping you manage your conditions. Keeping warm and active will also help alleviate your pain and keep your joints flexible.

The Role of Exercise

Working with a physical therapist will ensure that you do the right exercises in the right way. A number of people have reported that having a warm bath helps relieve pain and loosen stiff joints.

How Your Diet Can Help

Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet – A change of diet from a high fat, high salt and high sugar diet to one that is balanced with lots of fruits and vegetable and whole grains will boost your overall health and help keep you energy levels up. Foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids are great for reducing inflammation in the body and have been shown to reduce the inflammation in joints.

It may be difficult to consume enough of this oil from food so a good quality supplement might be necessary. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in fish oils, flaxseed oils, nut oils such as hazel nuts, pecan nuts, eggs and other foods. Since rheumatoid arthritis affects your joints, a good intake of calcium and vitamin D is necessary to nourish your bones and joints and prevent osteoporosis.

If you are overweight you should strive to lose some weight to reduce the burden on your joints.

Conclusion

As you can see, living with rheumatoid arthritis is not as bad as it seems. All you need to do is work closely with your health professionals, be well informed and change your lifestyle a little bit. With a positive attitude and a little bit of effort , you can live a great life even with rheumatoid arthritis.

Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis is a post from: How To Treat Arthritis

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

It is a disorder of the body system involving inflammation and degenerative changes principally in the small and large synovial joints. This is often associated with a lot of systemic disturbance and extra-articular disease.

It usually pursues a chronic course that is life-long, with intermittent exacerbations and remissions with highly variable severity of symptoms and signs.

What is the cause?

The cause of the disease is unknown but autoimmunity plays a major role in its chronicity and manifestations and it is often considered to be a systemic autoimmune disease.

What are the signs and symptoms for diagnosis?

Most patients experience at least four or more of the following symptoms and signs of the disease by the time they present themselves for treatment at the clinic:-

Morning stiffness (> 1 hour)
Arthritis of hand joints
Symmetrical Arthritis
Arthritis of three or more joint areas
Rheumatoid nodules
Rheumatoid factor
Radiological changes seen on X-ray of joints
Problem has been on for more than 6 weeks

Most commonly patients start with a gradual onset of arthralgia (often symmetrical) and synovitis of the small joints of the hands, wrist and feet. In some, onset may be paindromic, with recurrent acute episodes of joint pain and swelling which may last from a few hours to days.

Whatever pattern of presentation, most sufferers have evidence of morning and inactivity stiffness and stress pain.

It is to be noted that RA is a systemic disease and other extra-articular areas of the body may be affected. These include:-

The Muscles and Tendons
The blood vessels and Lymphatic’s including Lymph nodes
The Lungs
The heart
The Nerves and nervous system
Amyloidosis

How To Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis

In the U.S.A. about 1.3 million people are affected by the disease, being three times more prevalent in women especially during the post-partum and breastfeeding periods. Age of onset is usually between 40 to 50 years but it can occur in any age group.

For the majority of patients, the aims of treatment are:-

To educate the patient (which should also include providing rheumatoid arthritis diet information)

Control pain

Optimize bodily functions, especially that of the joints

Modify the disease process in such a way that will most benefit the patient
Since there is a wide variety of treatment modules, the expertise of a number of health professionals working synergistically together may be required for most patients.

The patients’ symptoms and signs change with time and will usually require adjustments of the treatment modules. There is no cure for RA.

Medications help to reduce joint inflammation, pain, and slow down joint damage, while occupational and physical therapy teach on how to protect the joints and how to make use of adaptive utensils where there is joint deformity causing limitations of movement.

Severely damaged joints by RA may require surgery to regain some appreciable functionality back.

Types of Medications in Use:

The following are the various drugs used to treat RA. Most patients require a combination of drugs to get the most beneficial effect:-

Steroids:-

These help reduce the inflammatory process and slow down the damage to joints. It cannot be used for long term treatment because of its undesirable side effects. Most of the time it is prescribed to relieve the acute symptoms of the disease. Those usually prescribed include Prednisone and methylprednisolone (Medrol).

Disease Modifying Anti-rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs):-

These are drugs that act to slow down the auto-immune destructive processes of RA, thus saving the joints and other tissues from permanent damage. Among the common one’s often prescribed are: Minocycline (Minocin), Methotrexate (Trexall), Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)

TNF-alpha Inhibitors:-

These inhibit a destructive substance, Tumor necrosis factor alpha, produced in the body causing severe inflammatory activity in various body tissues. Use of these drugs help to reduce morning stiffness, and painful swelling of the joints. They include; Infliximab (Remicade) and Adalimumab (Humira).

NSAIDs:-

These are Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs and are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. They include Ibuprofen (Advil), and Naproxen sodium (Aleve), which are off the counter drugs (OTC). Stronger ones in this group are prescription only drugs.

Immunosuppressants:-

These are drugs that try to correct the abnormal behavior of the immune body system in RA. Examples include Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), Azathioprine (Imuran) and Cyclosporine (Neoral)

Other Medications:-

There are some other inflammatory substances produced by the body in RA. These act as targets for some other drugs used in the treatment of RA. They include Abatacept (Orencia), Rituximab (Rituxan) and Anakinra (Kineret).

Exercise and Occupational Therapy:-

Occupational therapists play a very important role in the treatment and management of RA patients. They teach them basic exercise movements that will help affected joints not to become stiff.

They also help them to find different methods to approach everyday tasks in ways that take stress off painful joints and also teach and encourage the use of assistive devices to make their work easier.

Surgery:-

This should be a last resort when all else has failed and there is evidence of damage to joints.

The different types of Surgery performed for RA are as follows:-

Total joint replacement (Arthroplasty)
Tendon repair
Removal of the joint lining (Synovectomy)
Joint fusion (Arthrodesis)

Here is where you can find more useful information on what you can do to improve your life if you find that you are living with rheumatoid arthritis and you want to get relief naturally.

How To Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis is a post from: How To Treat Arthritis

Pain Relief Lotion – How Can You Benefit From It’s Use

People suffering from painful and swollen joints often ignore this health problem, considering it normal and unthreatening. Unfortunately, these symptoms are most of the times caused by arthritis, which is a medical term used for describing a group of ailments affecting one’s joints, surrounding tissues and muscles.

The severity of this medical condition may vary from mild to disabling and unless an effective strategy for how to treat arthritis is applied (pain relief lotion, prescribed medication or physical therapy), serious complications may be triggered.

Who is at higher risk?

According to recent statistics, no less than 60 percents of the world’s population suffer from a more or less severe form of arthritis, this ailment affects kids, young people, adults and elders all at the same time.

Also, women are more prone to developing rheumatic diseases, including arthritis, as their joints, muscles and ligaments are more exposed to increased stress and pressure during pregnancy and as they undergo several hormonal changes (associated with pregnancy and menopause) which often results in a low immunity level.

The good news is that joint pain and inflammation can be managed and reduced by applying a pain relief lotion, but the bad part is that lots of patients don’t know how to choose the right cream or ointment in order to get relief from the disturbing symptoms of arthritis.

So if you’re among the 100 million Europeans or 46 million US citizens affected by rheumatoid diseases, who know pain killers aren’t always able to reduce the pain and aches associated with these ailments, you may find the following information extremely useful!

Importance of pain relief creams

Unlike drugs and medicines, a pain relief lotion has the great advantage of being totally non-invasive. While prescribed medicines can interfere with dietary supplements or over-the-counter pain killers, creams and ointments have fewer side effects and they can be used on all the affected areas.

Being given that these lotions are applied locally, they don’t trigger digestive problems such as stomach ulcers or other damages to internal organs. Also, topical lotions for painful joints and bones provide quicker results, as they are rapidly absorbed by the skin and once they penetrate its layers, they go directly to the affected regions.

There are different types of creams for painful joints available on the market, but they usually contain one of the following active principles:

• Capsaicin, salicylates and menthol in over the counter ointments for arthritis sufferers

• Ginger extracts, castor oil and Arnica in herbal ointments

• Chondroitins, hyaluronic acid and glucosamine in pharmaceutical pain relief lotions.

All these ingredients have benefical effects, as they are able to reduce the pain and swelling, to relax the muscles, calm the skin irritation and redness and diminish the inflammatory processes.

A prescribed pain relief lotion, such as lidocaine or diclofenac gels, may provide pain relief for up to 12 hours, while topical analgesics (salycilates) need to be applied several times a day, usually for 2-3 weeks, for proper results. As for herbal and home-made ointments, they only provide temporary relief and require longer term usage.

Drawbacks of lotions for painful joints

Pain relief lotions, although less invasive than prescribed drugs, are sometimes associated with a burning or stinging sensation and skin irritation. Some of these creams, especially those containing salicylates, may trigger allergic reactions in arthritis sufferers and also lead to complications in patients taking blood thinners (anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs).

Still, the most important drawback of a pain relief lotion is that it only treats the symptoms of arthritis and other rheumatoid diseases but it is not able to address the root cause of the medical problem. So in case you’re dealing with severe joint and muscular aches, you should see your physician and ask for an additional treatment, in order to increase the efficiency of the therapy in the long run.

Pain Relief Lotion is a post from: How To Treat Arthritis

The porous bones or osteoporosis is a medical condition wherein the bones turn brittle and weak. A mild stress to the bone or a fall can immediately cause fractures or a break in the bone. In most cases, the lack of calcium and other essential minerals in the body can cause the bones to become weak.

The disabling results of this disorder make people ask, what is osteoporosis? And how can they prevent it. Also how to treat arthritis, reduce it’s damaging effects and improve mobility are quiet often general questions of concern as well.

Fractures of the bones in the hip, wrist and spine are the most common result of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is more common in women, but men can also develop this disorder. There are also some people with low bone density that are at risk of developing this condition.

Preventing osteoporosis will never be too early or too late. There are a lot of ways to prevent this condition, and the most important way is by keeping the bones healthy and strong.

For someone who wants to know what is osteoporosis and its symptoms, well osteoporosis is a condition that can develop and don’t show any symptoms for a long time. This is why treating and preventing this condition is tricky.

Most of the time, the only symptom that is experienced by the patient with osteoporosis is when the bone breaks. That’s why it’s hard to detect something that shows no symptoms at all. The painful bone fracture most of the time, is the only symptom of osteoporosis. The symptoms are the same for both male and female.

The fracture in the vertebrae or the spine can be felt as a severe pain that spreads from the back to the sides. As the years go by, the frequent fractures of the spine can cause chronic pain of the lower back and can also decrease the height or cause the vertebrae to curve or bend because of the breakdown of the vertebrae.

The “dowager hump” is the term used to describe the hunched back form of the upper part of the spine. This condition is common among elderly women.

There are several treatments available to manage the symptoms and improve the bone density of patients with osteoporosis. There are a number of medications that can be prescribed by the physicians to prevent further bone loss and improve bone density. An example of the medications given is the:

Bisphosphonates – This particular group of drugs is similar to the hormone estrogen; it can prevent further bone loss and increase the density of the bone in the hip and spine to prevent bone fractures. Zoledronic acid (Reclast), risedronate (Actonel), alendronate (Fosamax) and ibandronate (Boniva) are some examples of this type of medication.

What Is Osteoporosis is a post from: How To Treat Arthritis

The inflammation of the join is commonly referred as arthritis. The inflammation of the joint is usually characterized by swelling, tenderness, warmth, redness and joint pain. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a kind of arthritis that usually develops on the joints of the wrists, hands and knees.

RA is different from other types of arthritis because it develops symmetrically in the body. Rheumatoid arthritis not only affects the joints but also other parts of the body like the eyes, skin, blood, nerves, lungs and heart.

The immune system of the person with rheumatoid arthritis attacks the joints. Medical experts still don’t know the exact cause of this disorder and what specific response does the body do. The main symptom of this condition is the swelling and pain felt on joints on both sides of the body like the hands, wrists or knees. The synovium or the lining of the joints gets swollen and inflamed.

This results in the stiffness of the joints, making it difficult to move usually felt during early morning. Other symptoms include fatigue and body malaise usually experienced in the afternoon. Visible lumps or rheumatoid nodules can also develop under skin around the joints. There are many resources that can be found online if you want to know more on what is rheumatoid arthritis.

Currently, there is no definite cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but there are treatments that can help slow down the development of this disorder. There are also methods available to treat the symptoms of RA and help the person live normally with this condition.

Treatments for rheumatoid arthritis include:

Diet

This involves eating the right foods that will help to both reduce inflammation, strengthen and improve the overall health of the joints. To learn more about specific foods to eat, check out rheumatoid arthritis diet for a list of recommended foods.

Rest

This is if the inflammation of the joints is getting worse.
Physiotherapy – Movement of the joints can be improved through hot and cold compress, and exercises to reduce the stiffness and pain.

Occupational therapy

This includes counseling, training and the use of splints, walking aids and custom made cooking utensils to help patients with this disorder to do their everyday activities easier and more comfortably.

Medications

Examples of drugs given to patients with RA are painkillers, corticosteroids and NSAIDs, all of which are to treat the inflammation and stop the attack of the immune system to the joints.

There can be cases where surgery such as knee replacement is needed. This is when the joints have been totally damaged by the disorder. There are also other alternative or complimentary treatments that are used by individuals with RA.

These methods include acupuncture and herbal remedies. Joint inflammation is shown to be reduced by the omega-3 fatty acids. Tai Chi and TENS (Trans-electrical nerve stimulation) can help enhance joint movements. You can consult your doctor to know more about what is rheumatoid arthritis and what are the possible treatments for your condition.

What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis is a post from: How To Treat Arthritis

Arthritis is not new to many people.  This health condition is characterized by joint pain which  can be extremely excruciating.  Most people with arthritis experience constant pain especially when the weather is too cold.

The pain that is felt by arthritic patients is basically caused by the degenerative conditions, inflammation of the joints or muscles and tissues that surround a specific joint.  It could also be attributed to damaged, or injured joints, strained muscles, and fatigue.

There’s a myth that arthritis is one sign of aging.  There’s indeed a scientific explanation for this because as an individual gets older, his/her bones as well as the joints may start to get weaker.

Types of Arthritis

There are numerous types of arthritis- about a hundred.  Each type may be referred to a particular joint.  The most common type of arthritis though is the osteoarthritis which is commonly caused by age (though sometimes it is caused by joint infection and trauma).  Another is the rheumatoid arthritis which affects  about 1% of the population in the world.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is most common in women and it is generally experienced by people between 40-50 years old.  This type of arthritis may terribly affect different tissues and organs as well as the synovial joints.  The disease is characterized by severe inflammation of the affected organs and it causes extreme pain.  For many people a rheumatoid arthritis diet can be very helpful in minimizing the pain and discomfort.

Another most common type of arthritis called gout which is also caused by the inflammation of the joints.  Unlike rheumatoid, goat is more prevalent in men than in women and is triggered by the abnormal purine (substance typically found in peanuts and sea foods) metabolism.  People with gout have relatively high level of uric acid.

Excessive amount of uric acid forms crystals that get stuck in areas where there is very slow blood flow.  When the uric acid crystals develop in the joints, gout is formed which in turn produced an agonizing twinge.

There are many different recommendations on how to treat arthritis that are very effective.  Most common are physical or cornerstone therapy and use of pain relievers. While there are proven medical procedures and treatments, many people still opt for natural or the alternative arthritis treatment to as much as possible get away from the side effects brought by artificial medications.

Proper diet, exercise and proper rest are the best way to deal with arthritis.  Muscle toning through moderate, regular physical activities is the way towards healthy joints.  It is also imperative that people eat more of nutritious and healthy foods such as vegetables, grains, and fruits to secure overall fitness.  Arthritis can be harsh but one can always find ways to treat arthritis.

Types of Arthritis And Some Treatments For Arthritis is a post from: How To Treat Arthritis

Arthritis and diet should basically come together.  Though there are numerous treatments (both medical and alternative) are available for arthritic patients, experts believe that maintaining a healthy and balanced diet can actually help people suffering from the painful condition of arthritis.  This is especially true for creating a rheumatoid arthritis diet.

What really is arthritis?

Arthritis comes from a Greek word which means “inflamed”.  Basically, this health problem results from the inflammation of the joints, fracture, damage, and the like.  It may also be an effect of tense and drained muscles, stress and fatigue.  Everyone is prone to arthritis.

This is because joints as well as the bones degenerate over time.  As a person gets older, his/her joints will no longer be strong as they were before.  There are many types of arthritis which depend on the location and type of inflamed joints an individual has.  Arthritis may be in more or less 100 forms.

Arthritis and Diet

How does diet treat arthritis?  When it comes to arthritis, one must be more cautious and vigilant on what she/he eats.  Chiefly, an arthritis diet centers on what the patient must and must NOT eat.  There are foods that actually aggravate the symptoms of arthritis and there are foods that are very good and have more of a healing effect for affected people.

Most physicians recommend arthritic people to avoid foods that can intensify the inflammation of joints such as tomatoes, eggplants, nightshade vegetables, pepper, sugar, and red meat.

Nonetheless, individuals with arthritis can still enjoy the pleasure of eating.  There is just some stuff that they need to incorporate in their daily diet to make sure that arthritic symptoms and most specially the symptoms go away.

Fruits and vegetables- no one can ever deny the nutritional benefits that fruits and vegetables can bring.  Each of them has minerals, vitamins and other elements that the body needs to stay strong and immune from diseases.  When it comes to arthritis, green and leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, collards, broccoli and cabbage are great choices.

It would be best if these veggies are prepared in a way that they will not lose essential nutrients.  When it comes to fruits, best options would be bananas, oranges, apples, pineapples, apricots, peaches, plums, and pears.

Protein-rich foods- fish (tuna, mackerel, etc) and some kinds of sea foods are very rich in omega 3 which actually reduces inflammation.   Soy beans, milk, and other protein-rich foods are very  good for those who are suffering from arthritic symptoms most especially joint pains.

The physical condition of a person is a clear reflection of what she/he eats.  It is highly important that everyone observes proper diet and healthy lifestyle to continuously enjoy the goodness of life.

Arthritis and Diet – Why Diet is Important in Treating Arthritis is a post from: How To Treat Arthritis

Before laying out a rheumatoid arthritis diet plan that can help minimize the painful or negative effects of rheumatoid arthritis, it is essential that we have an understanding of what it is.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a condition that affects millions of people in the western world alone. In its most basic form it is a condition that causes pain and swelling in a person’s joints. The parts of the body that are most affected are the hands, feet, wrist, elbows and knees.

Having a basic understanding of rheumatoid arthritis allows us to understand better why certain foods are able to minimize the pain and even relieve it in some cases. Diets that have high doses of vitamins and minerals tend to be the most effective in reducing inflammation and pain and therefore (yes you guessed it) the recommended diet will contain a lot of fruit and vegetables.

The foods that avoided are just as important as those eaten and so a list of these foods will be listed as well.  Keep in mind however that a balanced diet is needed and so protein and carbohydrates and all other classes of foods will still be part of the diet.

A recommended rheumatoid arthritis diet includes;

Aiming to maintain a healthy weight is essential as this puts less weight on our joints. This is especially important when dealing with pain in the feet, hips and knees. So our first rule for our diet is to ensure that our food portions are moderate. What moderate is depends on your height, gender, body size and other factors. However, a good rule to follow is when you eat do not distract yourself with other activities (such as working, watching TV or using the computer). Distractions have been found to impact a person’s ability of telling when they are full.

Eat plenty of oily fish. If there is only one dietary advice someone struggling with rheumatoid arthritis should take this is it. Oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, herring, tuna, salmon, marlin and snapper have omega-3 polyunsaturated (the long names don’t really matter just know it is really good for you) Fish oils reduce inflammation, pain and is good for strengthening the heart. 2-3 potions of oily fish a week will do wonders when it comes to reducing the pain that rheumatoid arthritis can induce.

Eat more unsaturated fats and avoid saturated fats as much as possible. Saturated fats can be found in many full fat dairy products and many processed foods which are packaged as microwavable foods. Many saturated fats have been found to increase pain and inflammation in the body.

Also avoid oils and margarines that are made out of corn or sunflower. The reason for this being that they are rich in omega-6 polyunsaturated, which tend to increase inflammation. Olive oil, olive oil margarines are rich in monounsaturated fats which do not cause inflammation when taken. In short whenever possible use olive oil based margarines, oil and other products with fats.

A good rheumatoid arthritis diet should also include plenty of fruit and vegetable (delivered as promised). While this can seem as a bit of a cliché, it is a really important step in reducing pain and inflammation of the joints. Eating a wide range of vegetables and fruits that vary in colour ensures that a wide range of vitamins and minerals are consumed.

Vitamins C, D and E are vitamins especially important for joints, while calcium, zinc, copper and magnesium are minerals that strengthen both bones and joints. These vitamins can be found in foods such as yellow peppers, oranges, tomatoes, berries, brussel sprouts, spinach, eggs, beans and olive oil to mention a few. As mentioned earlier a range of fruits and vegetables with different colours is a good way of ensuring you get the vitamins and minerals needed.

Eating 3-4 portions of vegetables and 3-4 portions of fruit daily will maximise your chances of getting the nutrients that help reduce inflammation and pain in the joints. A portion can be defined as a handful.

It is worth noting that while supplements can be a great way of consuming the vitamins and minerals that help the body overcome rheumatoid arthritis it should never be used as a dietary replacement. Just as the name suggests it should supplement your rheumatoid arthritis diet.

Also worth noting is that supplements with high doses of vitamin C (1000 mg) can worsen inflammation and pain. Fish oil supplements seem to be the best kind of supplements for reducing inflammation – try and find a supplement that contains a total of 500-750mg of fish oils EPA and DHA.

While not directly part of the rheumatoid arthritis diet getting enough sunlight whenever possible has major benefits including absorption of vitamin D which has been known to lower pain levels in many people.

Drink plenty of water. Almost every health article seems to have this advice. There is a good reason for this. It works. Try and carry a bottle of water wherever you go. The body functions optimally when water is available to transfer nutrients and nourish the body. Drinking large amounts of water a couple of times a day is not as useful for the body as say drinking small amounts throughout the day. The body eliminates large amounts taken at one time as it can only use so much at any given time.

Keep in mind that there is no “perfect” rheumatoid arthritis diet. Some people find more benefits from certain types of foods than others which could have to do with blood type and other factors we cannot even begin to cover. Try following the steps laid out above and take note of which foods help reduce inflammation and pain for you as an individual.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet is a post from: How To Treat Arthritis

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a joint disorder involving inflammation of one or more joints accompanied by pain of varying severity. There are over 100 different forms of arthritis, the most common form being osteoarthritis which is a degenerative joint disease resulting from either trauma or infection to the joint, or from the natural aging process. Other fairly common forms of arthritis are:-

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Septic arthritis-caused by joint infection.

The major complaint by individuals who have arthritis is joint pains which is often a constant, and is usually limited to the affected joint. This pain may be due to any one of the following situations occurring around the joint:-

• Inflammation.
• Damage to the joint from disease.
• Daily wear and tear of the joint.
• Muscle strains caused by forceful movements against stiff, painful joints and fatigue.

How to treat arthritis?

Medical science is yet to find a cure for arthritis, but the various modes of treatments help to reduce pain and maintain joint movements so that affected individuals can go about their daily tasks with minimum inconvenience. Treatment regimes vary depending on the type of arthritis and include physical therapy, lifestyle changes (including exercise and weight control), orthopedic bracing, medications, and sometimes surgery.

How To Treat Arthritis And Get Relief is a post from: How To Treat Arthritis