Monday, January 31, 2011

3 Steps to Natural Arthritis Relief - Part 1


Are your aching joints really just old age? If so then why doesn’t everyone your age have the same pain and why does only one knee hurt?  The most likely cause of your chronic joint pain is degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis, commonly known as arthritis.  Football players often become riddled with it in their twenties and thirties, while some lucky individuals in their seventies have very little of it. Arthritis has everything to do with the injuries of your life. Like the old adage: If I knew I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself! These injuries include major trauma such as motor vehicle accidents, falls, work injuries and sports injuries, as well as repetitive, microtraumas at work or at play.  Even excessive sitting, driving, and obesity can promote arthritis.  In degenerative arthritis, the cartilage, which normally serves to cushion the joints, becomes worn-out, damaged, and hardened, and bone spurs begin to form around the area. Early symptoms of arthritis include: morning pain and stiffness. The weight-bearing joints and the joints of the hands are most commonly affected. As arthritis progresses, patients report pain that is worsened by prolonged activity and rainy or cold weather and relieved by rest and warmth.  

Arthritis patients are frequently given the choice of living with the pain or taking arthritis medication for the rest of their lives.  However, even your medical doctor will admit that:  Arthritis won’t kill you, but the medicine for it will. The truth is that arthritis medication doesn’t actually treat the disease -it just masks the pain while the arthritic process continues. Arthritis medication is simply pain medication, or anti-inflammatory medication, and while it may be helpful in the short term, taken over long periods of time, these medications can be damaging to the kidneys, liver, stomach and cardiovascular system. Most common arthritis medications are in the category of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and include: aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen.  In addition to inhibiting the body’s inflammatory process, NSAIDs can also inhibit many other normal and essential body functions!  Plus, pain is the body’s way of telling us that damage is occurring, and by masking the pain, patients are allowed to perform activities that will further damage their joints. Fortunately, there is another way. Countless arthritis patients have found relief following the 3 simple, natural steps outlined below:
1.) Align Your Joints: Just as your car’s tires wear out quicker if the car’s front end is misaligned, so will your body wear out quicker if your body is out of balance. 
2.) Nourish Your Joints:  I call Glucosamine the “fountain of youth for the joints.”  Glucosamine is a building block of cartilage.  It actually works to repair damaged cartilage and reverse arthritis.  In addition, the Omega-3 fats are anti-inflammatory and also work to relieve the pain, swelling and damage of arthritis.    
3.)  Move Your Joint:  During the arthritic process, the body is working towards fusing a joint. By keeping the joint moving, you are fighting arthritis.

For more details on how to Align, Nourish and Move your joints to prevent, stop and reverse arthritis, stayed tuned for Part 2 - or if you can't wait, check out my website: http://www.smallmiracleschiropractic.com/.