Over 16 million Americans suffer
from osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis involves the deterioration of
cartilage that covers the ends of bones. Commonly, osteoarthritis is the
result of aging although injury or a defect in protein in the cartilage
may also be the cause. In is rare for a person under the age of 40 to
have osteoarthritis and effects women 3 times as much as men.
In osteoarthritis, the cartilage in joints becomes damaged,
disrupting the smooth gliding motion of the joint surfaces.
This results in pain, swelling, and deformity. The pain of
osteoarthritis normally increases with joint use and gets
better when resting. For unknown reasons, although x rays can
find evidence of arthritis, the level of pain and stiffness
experienced by people does not match the extent of injury
noticed on x rays. Many theories exist about the causes of
osteoarthritis, but we don't really know what causes the
disease. Osteoarthritis is often described as "wear and
tear" arthritis. However, recent evidence indicates that
this simple explanation is incorrect. For example,
osteoarthritis frequently develops in many joints at the same
time, often symmetrically on both sides of the body, even when
there is no reason to believe that equal amounts of wear and
tear are present. Another intriguing finding is that
osteoarthritis of the knee is commonly and mysteriously
associated with osteo-arthritis in the hand. These factors, as
well as others, have led to the suggestion that osteoarthritis
may be a systemic body wide disease of the cartilage. During
one's lifetime, cartilage is constantly being turned over by a
balance of forces that both break down and rebuild it. One
leading theory suggests that osteoarthritis may represent a
condition in which the degrading forces get out of control.
Some of the proposed natural treatments for osteo-arthritis
described on this webpage may inhibit enzymes that damage
cartilage. When the damage cartilage to in osteoarthritis
begins, the human body reacts by creating new cartilage. For
many years, this replacement effort by the body can keep the
joint functioning well. The natural treatments described below
appear to work by assisting the body in repairing cartilage.
However, building forces may not be able to keep up with
destructive ones, and what is called end stage osteoarthritis
then develops. The conventional medical treatment for
osteoarthritis consists mainly of analgesic medications, such
as Tylenol, and anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Aleve and
Orudis. The main problem with anti-inflammatory drugs is that
they can cause ulcers. Another
possible problem is that they may actually speed up the
progression of osteo-arthritis by interfering with the body's
cartilage repair and thus promote the cartilage destruction at
a faster pace.
Nutrient /
Supplement |
Importance
( 1 - 10 ) |
Helpful notes |
Boron |
10 |
is a trace mineral
needed for healthy bones. It it also aides in the
absorption of other minerals that are helpful to people
suffering
with osteoarthritis and related disorders. |
Glucosamine |
10 |
very important for the formation of bones,
ligaments, tendons, and cartilage, all of which
are affected by osteoarthritis. It works well in combination supplement
with
chondroitin sulfate, hydrolyzed gelatin, and the
herb called boswellia. (See Glucosamine Formula link below) |
Chondroitin |
10 |
provides nutritional
support for joints, legs, and ligaments |
Boswellia |
10 |
an Ayurvedic herb
helpful with inflammation and it helps restore blood vessels
around inflamed and damages connective tissue |
vitamin
E |
9 |
antioxidant that
protects bones and joints from harm by free radicals |
Calcium |
9 |
required to prevent
bone loss |
Magnesium |
9 |
magnesium helps balance calcium
and both of these minerals are
beneficial to people with arthritis |
Essential
fatty acids |
10 |
are extremely important
for reducing inflammation related to
osteoarthritis and they also serve to increase blood
circulation. Fatty acids are found in omega fatty acids from
fish oil, flax seed oil, and borage seed oil. |
Niacin |
9 |
vitamin B3 aids in
increasing blood flow |
Pantothenic
acid |
9 |
helps with adrenal
function |
Pyridoxine |
9 |
helps reduce swelling
in tissue |
vitamin
B12 |
9 |
aids in production of
myelin and protecting the coating around around the nerves |
Nettle |
8 |
herb used for its
anti-inflammatory properties |
Olive
leaf extract |
8 |
herb that kills
microbes that may cause arthritis |
Dandelion |
8 |
herb that helps detox
the body |
Folic
acid |
8 |
works with vitamin B12 |
vitamin
C |
8 |
free radical destroyer
and can help with pain relief |
Bioflavonoids |
8 |
works with vitamin C |
vitamin
K |
8 |
aids in getting
minerals to the bones |
Zinc |
8 |
zinc is required for proper bone growth and very
often people with osteoarthritis are not getting
enough of the mineral zinc in their diet. |
Multi-vitamin
& Mineral supplement |
9 |
contains vitamin E,
vitamin C, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium
which all are helpful for osteoarthritis. Nutritional
supplementation is also needed for general good health and
well being. |
Garlic |
8 |
garlic has been
shown to inhibit the formation of free radicals
which can damage joints which affects people with osteoarthritis
and related health disorders. |
Grape
seed extract |
8 |
aids with joint
flexibility and repair of connective tissue |
Other Changes To Make
-
drink 6-8 glasses of steam distilled or
filtered water a day
-
eat 50% raw fruits and vegetables (organic is best)
-
nuts, seeds, and whole grains are good
-
juice is good (make your
own with a juice machine)
-
do not worry as much about calories as eating the right foods
-
carrot and celery sticks are good to use as a snack
-
a colon cleansing can be very helpful - (do several times each year)
-
do not drink coffee, alcohol, soda pop, other junk food drinks
-
do not eat processed foods white sugar, white flour, etc...
-
use stress relief like going for walks in the park
(or the 10/90 rule - see
Stress)
-
brown rice is good to eat
-
avoid red meat and animal fats
-
reduce dairy products cheese, milk, and others
-
fast a few days a month
-
get at least 8 hours of sleep
-
exercise light to moderate amounts
-
avoid artificial sweeteners like Aspartame and NutraSweet
-
do not smoke and avoid second hand smoke
-
do not skip meals - just eat better and not as much at each meal
-
do not chew gum - it can cause you to feel hungry
-
do not watch too much TV try reading a book or something else
|