Arthritis and Joint Health

While there are many forms of arthritis, all types of arthritis involve inflammation and bring pain. The word arthritis even translates in Latin to mean “inflammation of a joint”. According to the Center for Disease Control CDC, about 50 million Americans are already living with the painful joints, stiffness, aches, pains, and discomfort of arthritis.

Dr. Weston A. Price, a prominent dentist in the 1930s, traveled the world studying the traditional diets of indigenous people. He found that people living on traditional diets were relatively free of arthritis, osteoporosis, tooth decay and crooked teeth. So, arthritis and joint diseases aren’t an inevitable effect of aging. They are really signs that the body isn’t getting enough nutrients to keep bones, joints and teeth healthy.

The three most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis, gout, and rheumatoid arthritis. Each of these bring their own, unique, set of issues.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, sometimes called OA, is the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 30 million Americans. OA usually attacks the joints located in the neck, hands, lower back, hips, and knees. Sufferers experience pain and tenderness in the joints especially after activities that involve movement or stiffness after lack of movement. OA also brings on a lack of flexibility or range of motion and a cracking sounds when you move. It is the result of cartilage wearing down and eventually deteriorating. Eventually, the cushioning cartilage wears down and what is left is bone rubbing against bone. While sometimes OA is the result of an injury to the joint, aging women and those who are overweight or work in jobs that demand repetitive movement are most commonly the ones who experience OA.

Gout

Gout is often thought to only occur in men, but it can happen to anyone. It brings on sudden and severe pain, redness, joint tenderness, and swelling. It often affects the joint in the foot where the big toe extends.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is commonly abbreviated as RA and is a long-term and chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of joints and tissues. While it is possible for children to experience Rheumatoid Arthritis, it often rears its head when a person is between 30 to 60 years old and is most common to occur in women. If men do acquire RA, it will usually happen toward the latter years rather than younger age range. RA tends to start off slowly with flares of minor joint pain, numbness, burning, or tingling accompanied with fatigue and stiffness on both sides of the body in wrists, fingers, feet, ankles, and knees. As it progresses, there may even be fever present or nodules located just beneath the skin along with other organ pain, dry mouth or dry and itchy eyes.

Why Do They Get Arthritis?

Getting arthritis is not like some diseases where there is a root cause like germs spread after a sneeze. It’s a bit more complicated than that. Each type of arthritis has a different cause. At the root of all forms of arthritis is something causing the joint to become painful. In every case, there is inflammation of some sort involved with every form of arthritis. Researchers have not pinpointed one simple cause for arthritis, but have narrowed it down to factors that contribute to getting arthritis. These arthritis-causing factors include being overweight, having a genetic disposition for the disease, medical conditions such as autoimmune disorders or other infections, injuries to joints, tissue and cartilage, and over use of the joints.

Genetic Disposition

While arthritis may run in your family, that doesn’t mean you are doomed to experience the pain and discomfort of the disease.

Risk of Obesity

Those who are overweight have a one in three chance of developing arthritis. Being overweight puts excess pressure on your joints with hips and knees bearing the bulk of the weight and becoming worn down over time.

Causes for Various Types of Arthritis

For OA, this comes on from wear and tear of the cartilage. RA, on the other hand is an autoimmune disease, and Septic Arthritis, sometimes referred to as infectious arthritis, and is caused by an infectious bacteria, fungi, or virus that moves through the bloodstream to attack the joints. Those at most risk for developing Septic Arthritis are people who already have a weakened or suppressed immune system. Salmonella, shigella food poisoning, sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, or hepatitis C can lead to a form of arthritis when the infection moves into the joints through the bloodstream.

With gout, uric acid builds up and causes crystal-like particles to develop in the joints. Those with heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, hyperuricemia, obesity, renal disease, high cholesterol, going through menopause, high creatinine levels, or undergoing surgery have a higher risk of developing gout.

Rheumatoid Arthritis RA is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system begins to attack its own healthy joints and may be a result of leaky gut or other gut-related issues along with high stress. Diabetes or other autoimmune disorders may increase the risk of developing arthritis.

Sodium and Arthritis Connection

A person who can’t move his fingers, who has stiff and painful joints with calcium deposits around them lacks Sodium. You burn out sodium through hate, bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, resistance and a life out of harmony. Self-abuse and self-hatred precipitate sodium as well as brain neurolin and the iron in hemoglobin. Goat’s milk, citrus fruits and okra are a high sodium foods.

Sodium is called a “youth element”, which keeps us youthful, pliable, limber and active. It keeps calcium and magnesium in solution, and is active in the lymph and the blood. Sodium is stored in the stomach wall first and secondly in the joints. When there is joint trouble there is also stomach trouble. Sodium neutralizes acidity in the body. When people lack hydrochloric acid, they lack sodium. Common table salt and chemical concoctions contain an inorganic sodium not compatible with the human body. Sodium, which is highly alkaline, contributes to the alkalinity of the lymph and blood.

What Natural Remedies Help Arthritis?

If you received your arthritis diagnosis from a doctor, you may have been told that the best you can do is treat the symptoms with NSAIDs, codeine drugs, pain creams, cortisone shots, Acetaminophen, and physical therapy. You may have even been given some surgical options. Perhaps, you were fitted for a shoe insert, splint or braces. All of these treatments address the pain or discomfort but don’t get to the root of the underlying problem that caused arthritis in the first place.

You might opt to first seek other treatment options such as chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, using hot and cold packs, massage therapy, electrical stimulation treatments, easing into a gentle exercise routine, using essential oils, eating an anti-inflammatory diet, and adding supplements to your daily regimen such as Glucosamine, Chondroitin, or Hyaluronic Acid to find relief.

Since Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease, to get the best results, you will want to address not only the joint pain but also boosting a healthy immune system with lifestyle changes that start with adding gentle physical activities to your days, getting plenty of sleep, and eating a healthy diet that contains plenty of Omega-3 fatty fish oils.

What Vitamins Help Arthritis?

The best source of vitamins is through foods. The best foods to help arthritis sufferers include foods rich in Omega-3 which helps to fight inflammation. The best source of Omega-3 is salmon, grass-fed beef, chia or flax seeds, and walnuts.

Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers may benefit from Gamma Linolenic Acid, GLA Omega-6 fatty acids.

MSM, methylsufonylmethan, is also extremely beneficial not only in reducing inflammation but in rebuilding healthy tissue. Foods rich in MSM include garlic, onions, cabbage, and asparagus.

Adding collagen to your diet will help support healthy cartilage which is the cushion in between the joints that wears away to cause OA. Foods high in collagen include bone broth which also has amino acids proline and glycine along with antioxidants.

Bone broth is my favorite. Bone broth is one of the best natural sources of collagen, which contains the amino acids proline and glycine that help rebuild connective tissue and have many more benefits. Additionally, bone broth supplies chondroitin, sulphates, glucosamine, and antioxidants that help lower inflammation, arthritis and joint pain.

Additional antioxidants is great to add to your diet with fruits and leafy green vegetables high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, magnesium, potassium, and fiber such as berries, melons, pineapple, papaya, and avocado help to aid in needed weight loss or maintaining healthy weight which, in turn, alleviates arthritis symptoms.

Bromelain, ginger, and turmeric are also beneficial to help reduce inflammation.

Take proteolytic enzymes, which aid in digestion by helping provide important enzymes that are normally produced by your digestive organs to metabolize foods. These enzymes can include trypsin and chymotrypsin (both produced by your pancreas), papain and bromelain. Proteolytic enzymes are obtained from things like tropical fruits, including papaya, which contains papain, and pineapples, which contain bromelain.
Proteolytic enzymes have been found to have anti-inflammatory effects because they help improve overall gut health and immunity. Some research shows they can decrease pain and swelling associated with rheumatoid arthritis, increase mobility in people with osteoarthritis and fight infections by controlling inflammatory responses.

Natural Pain Relief

Adding the herb comfrey as a topical treatment has been shown to reduce pain. SAM-e works as an analgesic pain reliever as well and has anti-inflammatory properties, affects neurotransmitters and may stimulate cartilage growth. Capsaicin reduces pain by temporarily reducing substance P which transmits pain.

Foods to Avoid

Try to avoid high amounts of sugar, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers and gluten. Do not eat dairy, eggs, corn, citrus fruits, coffee, meats, wheat, oats, and rye.

What Essential Oils Help Arthritis?

Boswellia, also called Indian frankincense, lavender, myrrh, turmeric, ginger, orange, or peppermint essential oils can be mixed with coconut oil and used to massage over painful joints to help provide pain relief, reduce inflammation and aid in immune function.

–

References:

The Arthritis Foundation – www.arthritis.org

The Psoriasis Foundation – www.psoriasis.org

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases – www.niams.nih.gov

PubMed Study on Comfrey – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22014903

Phytomedicine Vol. 3 Issue 1, Boswellia arthritis treatment – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711396800195

Arthritis Foundation: Bromelain https://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/treatments/natural/supplements-herbs/guide/bromelain.php