How To Live And Cope With Arthritis

Arthritis can be terribly painful but with the right diet and supplements you can relieve the symptoms or even get rid of them altogether. Here we take a closer look at Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis by identifying what is causing the aches and pains, and how an alternative treatment could help.

Osteoarthritis

Approximately one in three  people between 45 and 65 suffer from this condition, and by the time we reach our late 60’s, three of four people will be affected to some extent. Osteoarthritis means joint cartilage is slowly degenerating in weight bearing areas like the hips, knees and spine, and it’s simply a natural process of ageing.  Most frequently osteoarthritis leads to problems with pains and stiffness in the affected areas, and can progress into a major disability. 

Characteristics: Osteoarthritis affects the hands, neck and major weight-bearing joints such as the hips and knees. Joint inflammation is not a major feature, and tends to be asymmetrical, that is one hip or knee will be more affected than the joint on the other side of the body. It also normally affects the very top joint in the fingers.

What can you do? Taking action immediately to reduce the wear and tear on your joints will slow down cartilage degeneration. Thereafter let the damaged cartilage regenerate and repair itself through diet.  Discontinue eating foods like tomato, potato, pepper and aubergines as they contain ‘solaine’ substance, which may aggravate osteoarthritis. 

Think more about foods like ginger in your diet.  Ginger’s pain relieving properties come from its ability to stimulate production of natural anti-inflammatories.  Try ginger tea as an alternative to regular tea and coffee.  Chop, grate root ginger and sip in hot water for 5-10 minutes.

Benefits of Supplements: Quite a few numbers of natural agents offer relief from osteoarthritis and, more importantly, may even help reverse the condition.

1. Glucosamine sulphate is one of the most popularly used. It is an important building block in the manufacture of cartilage tissue.  A study found that taking glucosamine continuously for four weeks controlled the symptoms of osteoarthritis as effectively as ibuprofen.  A daily recommended dose is 1500 mg. You can lower your dose once you start to feel the benefits.

2. Chondroitin sulphate is another natural effective supplement when taken with glucosamine sulphate.  It works by drawing fluid into the joint cartilage tissue, which may improve the shock-absorbing qualities of the cartilage thus controlling symptoms like pain and stiffness.   A daily recommended dose is 1200mg, which you can also lower once symptoms subside.

3. Methylsulphonylmethane (MSM) contains sulphur and plays an important role in keeping cartilage healthy and may provide relief from osteoarthritis. A daily recommended dose is between 2000-3000mg.  MSM also comes as a topical cream, which can be massaged into sore and aching joints.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a painful condition of inflammation in the joints of the fingers, toes, wrists or other joints of the body. It affects the young and old as well. The problem comes up when the tissue that lines the joint, known as the synovium, is attacked by the body’s own immune system.  The attached tissues become inflamed and diseased and in turn become swollen, stiff and deformed with time. RA usually attacks sporadically with painful periods interrupted with times of relief from symptoms. The disease starts in early adulthood or middle age, but can strike in childhood, with 75% of sufferers being women.

Characteristics: Affects the hands and other joints that are not necessarily weight bearing, like elbows or shoulders. Unlike osteoarthritis, joint inflammation is a significant feature. Ailment is symmetrical that is both elbows would be affected to a similar degree. RA usually affects the joints where the fingers meet the hand and the joint in the middle of the fingers.

What Can You Do? The causes of RA are not clear, though there is some evidence that it can be triggered by certain foods, particularly wheat and milk. Foods which contain protein, for instance gluten in wheat and casein in milk, can encourage the immune system to go into an overdrive that causes joint inflammation. Also naturopaths think RA can be caused by acidic diet.  Meat, eggs, grain and dairy products are generally regarded as ‘acid forming’ in the body, while fruits and vegetables tend to have the reverse effect. Eating more alkaline-forming fruits and vegetables may therefore reduce the body of acidity, which consequently softens the symptoms of RA.

Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish (mackerel, salmon, trout and sardines), can help too as fatty acids have natural anti-inflammatory properties that can ease the pain and stiffness of arthritis.

Benefits of Supplements:   In addition, to eating two or three portions of oily fish a week; it may also help to support your daily diet with 2-3mg of concentrated fish oils. Another great supplement is green-lipped mussel extract (1050mg a day of dried powder or 210 mg a day of special extract), which according to a study brought major improvements in 68% of people with RA.

There is also the herb cat’s claw (uncaria tomentosa) proven to be a very helpful remedy for treating RA, due to its anti-inflammatory actions. A daily recommendation is 300mg capsule three times a day.

Other tips to give relief from aches and pain

1. Be Active: Exercise generally improves muscle strength, which in turn contributes to joint health and function. Adhere to exercises that do not shake or twist joints such as walking, swimming and cycling. Avoid squash, football, rugby and hard jogging.

2. Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables: This will help alkalinise the body, reducing the risk of inflammation in the joints.

3. Take cod liver oil: It is rich in omega-3 fats and vitamin D, both believed to offer protection from the symptoms of arthritis.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons.