Saturday, October 11, 2008

Away from arthritis

Arthitis is an inflamation of joints, tendons, ligaments and cartilage. There are more then 100 different types of arthritis, but they have one thing in common - pain, swelling and stiffness. The most common arthritic condition include osteoarthritis, reumatoid arthritis and gout.

Arthritis can effect virtually every part of the body, from the feet to the knees, back, shoulders and fingers. While this condition may affect people of all ages (including children), the most common affected are seniors. If you're over 50 years old, there's an 80% chance that you might be suffering from some degree of arthritis.


Arthritis causes by two factor:

1. Damage to joint cartilage:
As we age, the cumulative effects of wear and tear cantrigger the breakdown of joint cartilage. Damage to the cartilage results in the release of certain enzymes that further destroy cartilage component. As cartilage roughens and wear down, the end of bones become increasingly exposed and eventually damaged. As we age, our body loses the ability to manufacture sufficient level of Glucosamine.

Glucosamine is the critical building block of connective tissue substances that form the cartilage and is issential for the health and strength of the joints. Maintaining healthy cartilage is critical to ensure healthy, flexible joints and unrestricted, pain-free movement.

2. Inflammation Causes by excessive bad prostaglandins: Muscle and joint pain are caused by inflammation, which causes swelling, redness, heat and pain - the typical characteristics of arthritis.


Inflammation is caused by the release of "bad" prostaglandin into the tissues without sufficient "good" prostaglandins to counter its effect. Increased consumtion of refined polyunsaturated oil product such margarine, fast foods and other processed food, a diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugar, ageing, daily stress and all forms of pullotion cause the body to produce more of these "bad" prostaglandins.


Fortunately, there are safe and effective natural ways to conquering the problem:

Rebuilt Worn and Damaged Cartilage
Studies have shown that Glucosamine relieves arthritis pain and stiffness with no side effects compared to conventional arthritis drugs. It normalises cartilage metabolism and keeps in check cartilage-destroying enzymes that cause the breakdown of cartilage. Apart from that, Glucosamine also stimulates the production of cartilage-building proteins, attracts and holds water in the joints so that cartilage does not dry out and becomes suspectible to cracking.

Currently, Glucosamine is gaining acceptance as a safe alternative treathment for arthritis, replacing conversional arthritis drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which may have deleterious side effects by blocking cartilage formation and speeding up cartilage destruction.

Arrest Inflammation
Omega 3 inhibits the activity of COX-2, thus reducing the production of "bad" prostalandins that causes inflammation. Clinical studies reported decreases morning stiffness, fewer tender and swollen joints, less fatigue and less use of painkillers following regular intake of Omega 3 fish oil.

However, at least 12 week of supplementation were needed before the benefit were felt. Researches have also found that supplementation with Omega 3 helps the healing of ligament injuries by speeding up collagen synthesis and enhancing the entry of new cells into the affected area.

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