Can Arthritis Cause Other Complications
Complications of arthritis include reduced quality of life due to pain and immobility, leading to fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Some types of arthritis can increase your risk of developing heart diseases, lung diseases, and diabetes. The loss of physical activity due to arthritis may lead to social isolation, dependence, and loss of function.7
Take Control Of Your Symptoms With Natural Remedies For Rheumatoid Arthritis
The bottom line is that there are clear steps to treat rheumatoid arthritis naturally. Start by identifying your ideal therapeutic diet. Next, add probiotics to support your gut and reduce inflammation. From there, you can try different natural remedies like turmeric and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as exercise and mindfulness practices like yoga.
If youre interested, you can find out more about the Ruscio Institute for Functional Medicine and how we approach healing with autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis.
References
Other Herbs With Potential For Oa And Ra Treatment
A few other medicinal plants have been investigated in preclinical studies using cellular and animal models, but have not been tested in clinical trials involving humans. Nevertheless, the mechanisms elucidated by these preclinical trials provide insight into the therapeutic potential of these natural medicines for OA and RA. Species of Angelica, Cinnamon, Glycyrrhiza, and Saposhnikovia have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and known for their anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects . These herbs diminish the expression of inflammatory mediators, such as IL-1, IL-6, TNF-, PGE2, and COX-2, via modulation of NF-B activation and kinase activity in in vitro and in vivo arthritis models . Furthermore, treatment with these herbs has been found to improve cartilage structure and texture, normalize bone remodeling, and inhibit osteoclastogenesis in animal arthritis models. Such findings suggest the beneficial use of these herbs for treating arthritis in human patients.
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/9massage With Essential Oils
Massaging is an excellent way to get relief from the symptoms of knee and joint pain. Using essential oil for massaging your knees is even more effective. As per some studies, ginger and orange essential oils work quite well in getting rid of knee pain. It releases stiffness and reduces pain in the affected part.
Ways To Relieve Pain Naturally
Many people with arthritis want to treat their joint pain without the expense and potential side effects of medications. There are several natural ways to decrease pain and improve day-to-day living. Try one or a combination of these approaches and see what works for you.
Stretching and strengthening your joints affected by arthritis can help decrease pain and increase flexibility. SeeKnee Strengthening Exercises
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Get Better Z’s For A Natural Treatment For Arthritis
It can be tough to sleep if you have joint pain, but improving your sleep could actually be a good treatment for osteoarthritis. According to a study published in February 2014 in the journal Sleep, researchers who worked with 367 adults with osteoarthritis to improve their sleep found that cognitive-behavioral strategies to reduce insomnia appeared to both improve sleep and reduce pain.
Natural Treatments For Arthritis
There are currently a number of alternative treatment options available for osteoarthritis sufferers, ranging from supplements to acupuncture. Many people who formerly suffered with osteoarthritis claim to have finally found relief naturally through adjusting their diets, lifestyles and approaches to managing pain. Here are the top seven natural treatments for arthritis.
1. Reach and Maintain a Healthy Weight
Additional body fat strains joints, but accumulated fat itself can also cause problems to joints that are already sensitive and partially damaged. Fat does more than just sit on your body its also an active tissue that creates and releases hormones and chemicals. Some of these promote inflammation and can contribute to worsening arthritis all over your body.
The University of Michigan School of Public Health reports,
Adipose tissue, once considered a passive storage portal of energy, is now recognized as a highly metabolic endocrine organ with the capacity to secrete active agents including adipocytokines, such as leptin, resistin and adiponectin. Over the past decade, interest in these adipocytokines has quickly become an area of intense study with respect to osteoarthritis based on evidence that they may play an important role in cartilage homeostasis and because of their emerging potential as therapeutic targets.
2. Improve Your Diet
Foods for helping treat arthritis include:
3. Stay Active
4. Get Chiropractic Care
5. Take Proteolytic Enzymes
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Is Weight Loss A Treatment For Osteoarthritis
If youre overweight, youre putting a tremendous amount of pressure, stress, and strain on knees and hips, worsening your osteoarthritis pain. The ACR guidelines emphasize losing weight as a treatment for osteoarthritis.
“Weight control in those who are overweight is one thing you can do to improve symptoms and perhaps even slow progression,” says Roy Altman, MD, a rheumatologist with UCLA Health and professor emeritus at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles.
“Even modest amounts of weight loss 10 to 20 pounds are often of benefit,” says Dr. Altman. Aim to eat a balanced diet, count calories, and exercise regularly.
Alleviate Pain With These Simple Treatments
Arthritis in the fingers can be quite uncomfortable, causing symptoms such as joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. These symptoms make hand motions like grasping and pinching difficult and can interfere with a persons ability to perform everyday tasks.
Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two types of arthritis that most commonly affect the finger joints. Depending on which type of arthritis affects your finger joints, you may experience additional symptoms.
Numerous remedies can help ease the discomfort from arthritis of the fingers, from hand exercises to help strengthen your fingers to over-the-counter and prescription pain medications and surgical treatments. This article explores these remedies after explaining the symptoms of arthritis.
Verywell / Theresa Chiechi
Symptoms caused by arthritis of the fingers include:
- Stiffness, especially in the morning
In OA, joint pain is caused by the breakdown of cartilage, the tissue that cushions the joints. The three most common sites where osteoarthritis happens in the hand include:
- The trapeziometacarpal or basilar joint, or the base of the thumb
- The distal interphalangeal joint, or the joint closest to the fingertip
- The proximal interphalangeal joint, or the middle joint of a finger
OA sometimes also causes Heberdens nodes, bony nodules at the end joint of the finger, and Bouchards nodes, bony nodules at the middle joint of the finger.
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Natural Remedies To Relieve Ra Symptoms
Heres the good news: Diet and lifestyle interventions have been shown to improve most, if not all, of the factors associated with the development of RA.
While most current studies show the most significant benefits when natural treatments are combined with conventional medications, complementary therapies are worth trying.
Most of the natural remedies were discussing are low cost, noninvasive, have a low risk of side effects, and may provide general, widespread health benefits. So, even if evidence is somewhat limited for certain natural treatments, if youre struggling to find relief from symptoms of RA, holistic therapies are worth pursuing.
Of course, always work with a trusted healthcare practitioner to figure out your personalized RA treatment plan.
Medications For Treating Short
It probably comes as little surprise that your first step in dealing with pain is through medication. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the most frequently used pain relievers for RA. You may have been prescribed them when you were originally received your diagnosis. You could also be using over-the-counter versions of NSAIDs. NSAIDs can alleviate pain and take down inflammation in many cases, but you might need to augment them during a flare.
If the patient is taking prescription NSAIDs, over-the-counter NSAIDs such as Aleve or Advil should be avoided, as the combination may increase the risk of ulcers and bleeding, says Alan Schenk, MD, rheumatologist at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, Laguna Hills, California. However, acetaminophen like Tylenol can safely be used along with NSAIDs, and the combination often provides superior pain relief compared to either alone. Tell your doctor if you experience side effects like stomach upset when you take NSAIDs.
Your rheumatologist may also have prescribed corticosteroids. These medications work to diminish inflammation and pain quickly. Side effects may include bone thinning, unwanted weight gain and diabetes. It isnt considered safe to take steroids for long periods of time. Doctors often prescribe a corticosteroid for relief of more acute symptoms, with a plan to taper off the medication gradually.
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Relieving Dog Arthritis With Natural Remedies
You can get pet medication prescribed by your dogs vet if he or she is suffering from arthritis, but there are also many natural remedies out there that may help your dog feel better.
This article will discuss the different natural remedies available to try for your dogs arthritis to help you choose the best one.
May Relieve Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term autoimmune condition that causes warm, swollen, painful joints. It is increasing in prevalence in the United States, where it affects more than 1.28 million adults .
Some studies suggest that cats claw can help relieve its symptoms.
For example, a study in 40 people with rheumatoid arthritis determined that 60 mg of cats claw extract per day alongside regular medication resulted in a 29% reduction in the number of painful joints compared to a control group .
As with osteoarthritis, cats claw is thought to reduce inflammation in your body, easing rheumatoid arthritis symptoms as a result .
Although these results are promising, the evidence is weak. Larger, better-quality studies are needed to confirm these benefits.
Summary
Research suggests that cats claw extract may aid your immune system and reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. However, more studies are needed.
Due to the lack of research, its unclear whether cats claw is an effective or safe treatment option for any of these ailments.
Summary
Despite many marketing claims, there is insufficient evidence to support using cats claw for conditions like cancer, allergies, and AIDS.
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Don’t Want To Be One Of The Over 16500 Americans Who Unnecessarily Die Yearly From Arthritis Medications Although These Medications Can Sometimes Be Helpful Natural Remedies Have Been Shown To Be More Effective And Very Safe In Addition They Help Heal Your Joints As Opposed To Medications Which May Actually Accelerate Arthritis Here’s A 6
Don’t want to be one of the over 16,500 Americans who unnecessarily die yearly from arthritis medications? Although these medications can sometimes be helpful, natural remedies have been shown to be more effective and very safe. In addition, they help heal your joints, as opposed to medications which may actually accelerate arthritis. Here’s a 6-week proven program to help you get relief naturally!
Do not presume that joint pain is arthritis. It can also come from the muscles, tendons, and ligaments around the joint. This is so even if the x-rays are abnormal . The treatments below can help these as well but other treatments are more effective.
Natural TherapiesI recommend you begin with a program that will decrease inflammation and help to repair the joints. This has 4 main components:
Repair: The joint cartilage can be repaired using a combination of glucosamine sulfate , MSM , and, if the arthritis is severe, Chondroitin . It is also critical that you get broad nutritional support .
Reverse inflammation: Use natural anti-inflammatories to prevent damage and decrease or eliminate pain. I recommend a combination of several natural remedies, many of which can be found in combination. The mix I like the most combines:
If you have inflammatory arthritis also take a teaspoon or more of fish oil daily, which acts as an excellent anti-inflammatory.
Treatment For Rheumatoid Arthritis
Despite the natural remedies for rheumatoid arthritis, some people do need additional medication or treatment to treat the condition.
Years ago, aspirin was a mainstay of therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. The problem is it doesnt modify the disease, says Dr. Rosian. It helps with the inflammation, but it doesnt slow the progression. And it gives people lots of bruising and bleeding at the doses that you need to take it.
However, people living with rheumatoid arthritis have more options today. There are more disease-modifying treatments for rheumatoid arthritis now than there ever have been, says Dr. Rosian. Common treatments include anti-inflammatory meds and prednisone, as well as more directed treatments, like immunosuppressive medicines and new families of biologics and oral biologics and injectable medications, she adds.
Its a different disease than it used to be 20, 30 years ago, notes Dr. Rosian. There are so many good medications that slow down the disease. I like to use the phrase remission on meds. People dont develop joint erosions. People dont look like they ever have rheumatoid arthritis if we can detect it and we treat them early.
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How Do Joints Work
Joints are located around your body in places where two or more bones meet.
For example, knees, hips, fingers, toes, shoulders. Joints allow the body to move and bend in a smooth and correct manner.
Inflammation around the joint is behind many types of chronic joint pain. So, before we get into the detail of how diet can affect your arthritis, lets talk about the basics of how joints work.
It takes a lot more than bones to create movement. First, there are muscles and tendons.
Tendons connect your bones to muscle. But, how do they know when to move?
Thats the job of your muscles.
Not only do they provide crucial support for the joint, they also receive the messages from your brain triggering tendons to pull on the bone to create movement.
But the movement itself, how does that happen? Thats where ligaments step into the spotlight.
These stretchy bands of fibrous connective tissue ensure bones are held in position and enable the joint to move in the correct manner for that part of the body.
So, weve covered what spurs movements and what holds the bones in the right position.
But what about making sure the bones dont grind against each other? This is where human biology gets clever.
Around each joint is a capsule containing synovial fluid. This provides lubrication.
And finally, the cartilage covering the ends of your bones acts as a shock absorber. Together, they enable the bones to glide over each other smoothly.
Whats The Best Diet For Rheumatoid Arthritis
Another key component to addressing rheumatoid arthritis integratively is through finding and customizing your therapeutic diet. Keep in mind that any diet that quells inflammation and lowers autoimmune reactivity is likely to be helpful for RA. These are some of the diet options that RA patients may find useful to help manage symptoms:
- Elimination diet
- Low FODMAP diet
- Low nightshade diet
So, how do you decide which diet framework to try? The most fundamental place to start with changing your diet is an elimination diet. The point of an elimination diet is to eliminate common trigger foods that may cause inflammation and set off an autoimmune reaction, and then to identify which ones are problematic for you specifically. Once your symptoms are under control, you may try adding back in certain foods like dairy products, for example, monitoring how you feel and ultimately building up to a diet that is as broad as possible while continuing to reduce inflammation and symptoms.
For most people, the best approach is to start with a less restrictive anti-inflammatory diet like the Mediterranean or Paleo diet, and to only proceed to something more restrictive like a low FODMAP diet or low nightshade diet if your symptoms do not improve after a few weeks.
The Mediterranean diet is the most studied diet for managing RA symptoms. Two systematic reviews of 90 studies found that the Mediterranean diet improved disease activity in RA patients .
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What Specific Nutrition/ Nutrient Support Does Your Body Need To Heal Osteoarthritis
- Boost your vitamin C necessary for collagen repair
- Zinc, Vitamin D, B3, Copper, Manganese essential for tissue repair
- Collagen Powder, Glucosamine/ MSM/ Hyaluronic acid
- Increase Omega-3 naturally anti-inflammatory and lubricating
- Systemic Enzymes, Bromelain and other natural anti-inflammatory nutrients like turmeric, resveratrol, etc
- Dietary Tips and Caveats:
- Eat foods rich in healthy omega-3 fats such as salmon, raw nuts, avocado and ground flaxseeds or chia seeds.
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits high in vitamin C and preferably organic.
- Drink anti-inflammatory teas such as ginger and turmeric teas.
- Avoid refined and processed foods and partially hydrogenated oils, which may contribute to inflammation.
- Avoid foods and beverages high in sugar.
For a full recap on this seriesstay tuned for Part 4!
Conventional Medical Treatment For Ra
Research suggests the most effective treatments for RA are prescription medications. But, these may come with negative side effects.
Common medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis include:
- Glucocorticoids such as prednisone and hydrocortisone to control pain and inflammation short term while transitioning to a longer term medication
- DMARDs disease-modifying, antirheumatic drugs including methotrexate, sulfasalazine, leflunomide, and hydroxychloroquine [5
- Trusted SourcePubMedGo to source].
Side effects for these medications range from nausea to liver toxicity, but everyone is different. Your experience with side effects may be very mild, nonexistent, or more difficult. But whatever medication you choose, diet and lifestyle modifications can be just as critical interventions as pharmaceutical therapies.
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