There are joints in the body that receive more stress daily than the others. Sooner or later, pain and stiffness may be experienced in such joints. Imagine having painful and swollen shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees and others. Your ability to attend to your daily tasks is greatly affected, taking away productivity.
If one day you feel some pain and tenderness at a particular joint of your body, you may be suffering from arthritis. While it can affect people in the older age bracket, it can, in fact, affect anyone at any age. Arthritis simply means inflammation of the joints. Of course where there is swelling, there’s also pain.
The most commonly known type of arthritis is called osteoarthritis. This is due to the wear and tear of cartilage in the joints, usually because of overuse through time. Cartilage acts as your joint’s cushion – it helps in easeful movement. Damage it and movement becomes excruciating. There are hundreds more types of arthritis. And it keeps growing as more and more are discovered by medicine.
It’s extremely difficult to carry out daily tasks with arthritis. The swelling disallows movement as the pain can be really excruciating. There are different arthritis remedies given to someone afflicted with it, depending on the severity of the case. For most cases, oral intake of pain medications helps alleviate the symptoms. Such medications include ibuprofen, paracetamol, and NSAIDs. But for severe ones, injection of cortisone directly to the joint, or even surgery, may be necessary.
Aside from prescription drugs, there are also all-natural methods of dealing with arthritis. Glucosamine is a popular supplement taken by those suffering from it. The substance is naturally produced in the body. It helps in repairing damages incurred by cartilages. But this is only to a certain amount. Glucosamine supplements take theirs from shellfish sources, such as oysters and crabs.
For vegans or those with allergies to such food sources, there’s vegetarian glucosamine. This type comes from vegetable sources. Through a special fermentation process, the glucosamine contents may be extracted. It can also be easily absorbed in the intestines, providing an effective alternative to one that’s derived from shellfish.
The alkaline diet also provides great relief to those afflicted with arthritis. The diet is mainly composed of consumption of fruits and vegetables. It is said that excessive acidity in the body is the culprit behind numerous diseases, including arthritis. But by increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables – alkaline rich foods – acidity is counterbalanced. The alkaline diet also nourishes your body with immune system boosting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
