Arthritis
The treatment of arthritis varies foremost on the diagnosis.
That especially when one broad categorization rheumatoid, is an autoimmune disorder.
Osteoarthritis is the most common of the degenerative joint diseases.
Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability.
Osteoarthritis affects more than 20 million people in the U.S.
Osteoarthritis involves interrelated factors including obesity as well as oxidative stress that offer opportunity to improve outcome.
Otherwise progressive, degenerative changes in weight-bearing joints such as the knees, neck, lumbar spine, hips, and even the hands can limit or make punishing many desirable activities.
Weight loss as well as enhancing joint support via improving muscle strength not only help osteoarthritis.
These are recommended arthritis treatment steps for overall health and reduced disease risk.
Treating pain or stiffness of osteoarthritis using acetaminophen or any NSAID drugs does expose arthritis sufferers to the risks of liver and kidney damage.
Exercise that does not cause further damage to joints and calorie reduction that does not malnourish require some knowledge or even skills that are sometimes difficult to come by.
Evidence supports the use of over the counter compounds like undenatured type-II collagen or methylsulfonylmethane (MSM).
These and others have been shown to favorably modulate fundamental components of osteoarthritis pathology.
The list has grown to include krill oil and Boswellia.
Those and others target novel inflammatory pathways that usually contribute to pain, swelling and joint degradation.
While these are all generally very safe, using them in a cost effective way is also a skill in short supply.
Still combined with body fat reduction and improved muscle these over the counter products can help support joint structure as well as function.
This is a combination intended to provide more than just pain relief.
Consider that advanced osteoarthritis patients frequently report physical as well as psychosocial disability often compounding cardiovascular disease.
Osteoarthritis causes the most disability along with cardiovascular disease compared to any other medical conditions in the elderly population.
Another key factor is that body fat tissue function as a major source of the catabolic as well as pro-inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, chemokines, and adipokines.
These are all implicated in the osteoarthritis pathology, not to mention many other diseases.
Non diabetics especially middle aged and older experience insulin resistance as well as increased glucose load.
This too can contribute to the chronic inflammation and cartilage degradation of osteoarthritis.
Thus osteoarthritis pathology is now linked to obesity, cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes or insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension.
So researchers suggest it is related to the larger group of risk factors, called “metabolic syndrome.”
To date physical activity and diet programs either alone or a combination are statistically associated with both reductions in pain, and functional improvement in both overweight and obese adults with osteoarthritis pathology.
Often too many pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids as well as insufficient intake of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids characterizes the diet of most in the population.
Most in the population don’t really understand much about what these substances are in their own meals much less how to optimize them.
A long list of other items already being consumed are similarly not understood much less measured or scheduled in individual diets.
The pain of osteoarthritis could be improved or eliminated by simply learning more about what goes into ones body and managing it more effectively.
Again however that knowledge as well as the skill of matching these metrics to taste preferences, budget, schedule, or family demands is in short supply.
Consider just this one substance, arachidonic acid which is an omega-6 fatty acid.
It is the raw material the body uses to synthesize many inflammatory mediators, such as leukotriene B4, prostaglandin E2, as well as thromboxane A2.
All of these contribute to pain, swelling, and joint destruction.
Yet they are also implicated in the clots that cause stroke and heart attack as well as the metastases that kills most cancer patients.
Proper vitamin D blood levels once converted into calcitriol, inhibits inflammation.
This is done by regulating a number of genes that are responsible for producing pro-inflammatory mediators.
The list of tools beyond insaids and surgery may seem much like a foreign language at first.
I think taking the time and meeting each individual where they are is a journey worth exploring.
That toward just doing the many basic things we all want to do as we all grow older and we would hope more wise.
For more technical information about arthritis treatment you may want to explore this link.
https://www.lef.org/protocols/
Dan Hendrix
