Archive for October, 2009
Arthritis – Not Just For The Senior Citizens
There’s a general misconception that arthritis is an age-related health problem that afflicts only the older citizens or the elderly. It could be true with osteoarthritis, the most common type of joint disorder that usually has effects on adults of both sexes in their middle age. But what the general public don’t get is that there are more types or factors behind arthritis. There are several factors to consider seeking arthritis remedies.
Arthritis, a. K. A joint swelling, is outlined as an inflammation of one or more joints and involves the breakdown of cartilage leading to discomfort, swelling, and limited movement.
Cartilage is responsible for shielding the joints and serves as a surprise absorber when pressure is placed on the joint during walking or running. It allows for the smooth movement of our limbs. Without cartilage, the bones will rub together and may cause pain, swelling ( redness ), and rigidity. Doctors generally prescribe arthritis pain relief and anti-inflammatory drugs to help ease the discomfort.
Arthritis, or joint soreness, can be due to the following causes:
broken Bones;
Infections that are sometimes due to bacteria or viruses;
An autoimmune illness ( the body attacks itself as the immune system believes a body part is foreign ) ; and
General’wear and tear’ on joints.
often, as soon as the injury heals, the swelling disappears. The infection is treated and the disease is cured. However, there are some injuries and diseases whereby the swelling remains stubbornly and continuously causing pain that may light the way to deformity. This condition is known as chronic arthritis.
people suffering from arthritis experience the following symptoms:
Joint pain
Joint swelling
rigidity, especially in the morning
heat around a joint
Redness of the skin around a joint
Reduced capability to move the joint
Arthritis is a condition that will occur in ladies and men of every age. Other kinds of arthritis include:
Rheumatoid arthritis ( in adults )
Osteoarthritis ( middle age and above )
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis ( in children )
{systemic|Systemic|wide spread} lupus erythematosus ( SLE )
Gout
Scleroderma
Psoriatic arthritis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Reiter’s syndrome ( reactive arthritis )
Adult Still’s disease
Viral arthritis
Gonococcal arthritis
Other bacterial infections ( non-gonococcal bacterial arthritis )
Tertiary Lyme disease ( the late stage )
Tuberculouus arthritis
Fungal infections {like|such as} blastomycosis
Osteoarthritis, being the most common type, is a protracted disease which causes the cartilage between the bone joints to go downhill and may lead to distressing sensation and/or rigidity. New pieces of bones, called bone spurs, may grow round the joints as a consequence of osteoarthritis. Till now, there is no known reason yet as to the cause of osteoarthritis but it is generally being associated with aging. However, factors like metabolism and genes can play a role in its development.
There are many things to consider before your doctor can prescribe arthritis pain relief treatment plan like the particular reason for arthritis, influenced joints, seriousness of arthritis, and the way the condition affects your daily activities. Age and occupation will also be taken into consideration.
getting rid of the underlying basis of the arthritis is one of the goals for treating arthritis. However, not all cause are curable like in the cases of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Alleviating pain and discomfort as well as prevention from further damage becomes the focus.
lifestyle changes and exercise can seriously help in bettering the condition of those suffering from arthritis. Medicines such as arthritis pain relief and anti inflammatory drugs can be taken as well as exercise and lifestyle changes.
3 Natural Cures for Depression
Having to deal with depression is, unfortunately, something that many of us have to do regularly. It is something that is largely misunderstood by the medical community but those in the natural healing area are quick to point out that depression is often a matter of an imbalance of the body. In order for you to overcome the depression that you are feeling, you need to overcome the imbalance and to treat it there. Here are three different ways that you can naturally treat depression. Some of these may be able to take the depression away altogether and others may help you to be able to cope with it while you treat it naturally in other ways.
The first, and perhaps most important way for you to treat depression naturally is by modifying your diet. One of the main problems that we are dealing with in our diets today is the fact that we’re eating too much processed sugar and unnatural, processed foods. By reducing the amount of processed items in our diet and replacing it with raw fruits and vegetables, we will give our body the opportunity to be able to heal itself naturally from the inside out.
Another thing that you can do which can help your body to overcome an imbalance is to make sure that you are hydrated properly. The best way for you to be able to do this is to drink half of your body weight every day in ounces of water. Make sure that you are also taking some natural sea salt to give the water enough time to stay in your body so that it can do its work.
Finally, you can try learning how to do some meditation and relaxation techniques that will help you to cope effectively with the depression. One of the best ways for you to be able to do this is practice meditating and thinking off relaxing and pleasant thoughts. Set aside time on a daily basis in order to take part in this important activity.
Although these may not be exactly what you need in order to overcome your depression altogether, they certainly are steps that can be taken which will help you along the way. By giving your body and mind the best opportunity to heal itself, you will be taking strides towards overcoming your depression and gaining your life back.
Best Natural Cure For Gout
A natural cure for gout attacks can be very effective if you know what works. Most people today would prefer to opt for natural and homeopathic treatments over prescription medication for a wide variety of illnesses. This article will explore some simple natural home remedies for gout that can help to alleviate your misery. We will work on a couple of great remedies that have an effect on reducing and eliminating the uric acid build-up in the joints.
A good natural cure for gout are cherries (and strawberries as well) work to neutralize the uric acid build-up in the body. You can get cherries in several forms including juice, fresh fruit as well as dried fruit. Strawberries are mostly found in the fruit department of your supermarket. You should try to consume 8 ounces of the fruit a couple of times a day – if you really like cherries and strawberries, there is really no harm with having too much – just have 8 ounces at a minimum.
Individuals are predisposed to gout if their uric acid blood level is already elevated. Other risk factors include abnormalities that are inherited, obesity, moderate intake of alcohol and high blood pressure. Certain medication can elevate uric acid content in the body as well and result in bouts of gout. A disease such as leukemia can also lead to increased production of uric acid. Natural cure for gout would not be so effective in such instances.
An overload of uric acid in the body that can lead to crystal formation in the body tissues and joints is gout. Many drugs treat gout, but with unwanted side effects. Some natural cure methods include fruits and vegetables low in protein, fish oil supplements, ginger and turmeric. Further consult with a doctor and personal research can shed more light on each individual case.
It is the patient that complains of painful arthritis attacks mainly in the base of toes, ankle or knee that doctors diagnose gout. Since arthritis tends to attack more than one joint simultaneously and gout just one joint at a time, doctors can readily pinpoint which condition a patient is suffering from and recommend medical treatment or work toward natural cure for gout….
Treatment for gout includes controlling the inflammation and taking long-term steps to ensure future attacks do not occur by shrinking the crystal deposits that cause the gout. One of the gout natural cures includes changing the diet in order to prevent an increase of uric acid in the blood. This means that foods high in purine such as shellfish, liver, and sweetbreads should be avoided. Tests have shown that dairy products reduce the risk of gout attacks, while consumption of alcohol or drinks containing fructose increases the risk of attacks.
Drinking water has many wonderful health effects for the human body. It works to keep your body hydrated and the organs working as efficiently as possible. In the case of gout attacks, the build-up of uric acid needs to be flushed out somehow. Water can help in this area. Drink lots of it. Don’t worry about going to the bathroom too often – look at it as an opportunity to ‘flush your system’ of the uric acid.
There are those individuals that develop a rise in uric acid and not develop any type of kidney difficulties. Gout arthritis attacks in and of themselves can be quite painful as it occurs quite quickly with rapid joint inflammation, heat, pain and redness. Men tend to suffer from gout nine times more than women; therefore gout natural cures would most readily be utilized by men.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT A NATURAL CURE FOR GOUT…
How Much Sleep Do You Get?
Although depression is something that almost everybody deals with from time to time, it is one of the most misunderstood illnesses that we have. As a matter of fact, doctors have changed the way that they have looked at this problem a number of different times and currently, they consider it to be a long-term illness that needs care for the long term as well. Unfortunately, depression is not only something that affects the individual but it is also typically something that affects everybody that is within their world as well. Although there are some pharmaceutical ways for you to be able to overcome the problem, at least to a certain extent, many people opt for natural treatments where they are effective.
Something that may be behind your depression is the fact that you may be dealing with sleep deprivation, even if you don’t actually realize it. Most of us need anywhere from six to eight hours of sleep a night, although very few of us get that much sleep. There may also be some things that are keeping you from getting deep sleep, even though you may be in bed for that period of time. For example, most of us feel that we are not affected by caffeine and other stimulants that we may take it late in the evening but the fact of the matter is that it might be keeping you from getting the needed deep sleep that will help to keep you from getting depressed. Another reason why you may not be getting the sleep that you need is because of a medical condition that is known as sleep apnea. Some people have their sleep interrupted on a regular basis during the night by sleep apnea and are never aware of it.
If you are dealing with depression and sleep deprivation is not behind it, you might be surprised to learn that a little bit of sleep deprivation can help you overcome it. A lack of sleep for a few nights in a row can stimulate different hormones in the body which may actually help to lift your mood to a certain extent. Although it is not a long-term treatment for the problem, it may be able to help you to overcome a short bout with depression, simply by not allowing yourself to get enough sleep for a few nights.
Potentially Prevent Breast Cancer with a Common Dietary Supplement
Each and every women is concerned with being able to prevent breast cancer. Breast cancer is one of the biggest killers of women each year. Every year researchers spend so much money trying to find a cure for breast cancer. However, the best route to stay safe is to simply take every step possible to prevent breast cancer.
The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a study in the early 1990’s linking the prevention of breast cancer with omega 3 fatty acids. While the results are still not conclusive, many additional studies since then also have indicated that there may be a connection. Fish oil and flax oil contain loads of omega 3 fatty acids. They are instrumental in heart health and are anti-inflammatory compounds. The thing that could be helping to prevent breast cancer is its anti-inflammatory nature.
Fish and flax seed are where omega 3s usually come from. Most people don’t eat enough of these foods, so they have a moderate omega 3 deficiency. This can be seriously harmful to your health. Because it can cause depression or cardiovascular problems. In addition, in can really interfere with your immune system which makes you more sensitive to all kinds of health issues.
The auto-immune issue is where the researchers think that omega 3s can also help with breast cancer prevention. Anti-inflammatory agents can actually calm cells down that have gone “haywire”. If the cell is calmed and does not start dividing uncontrollably, then the cancer could be avoided.
Most people who want to hedge their bets end up taking a daily omega 3 supplement for their general health and to do everything possible to prevent cancer of any type. At least they are contributing to more facets of their health like their heart health. Its better to be prepared and take omega 3 supplements, while the research is still going on on whether or not it will actually help prevent breast cancer.