Arthritis refers to the inflammation of the joints. This condition is chronic one and it is usually seen in elderly although it can strike any age. At the start, one or two joins are affected and can become deformed making the patient disabled and a bit weakened. There are actually over a hundred kinds of arthritis and all affects the bones and joints but the most common type of arthritis is the following – Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis and Gout.
Osteoarthritis is the most common and often strikes individual ages 40 and above. In this condition the bones grown in size and the space between lessens which results to bone rubbing one another resulting to pain. This is also a result of structural changes in a specific cartilage in joints of the knees and spine.
Next is Rheumatoid Arthritis which can strike any age. This is more serious than Osteoarthritis when you talk about damage since it can damage tendons and ligaments which link the muscles and bones. It affects various parts of the body but mostly joints in the feet, knees, hips, wrists and fingers. It also affects the tendons, muscles and other tissues of the body.
Last but not the least is Gout. This is caused by too much uric acid in the system thus producing crystals in the spaces between joints which causes irritation and inflammation resulting to pain. An unbearable pain occurs in the elbow, knee, thumb and most common in the big toe.
Purpose of treatment for arthritis is to give cure unfortunately arthritis cannot be cured thus you have to learn to live with it although symptoms of such can be successfully managed. There are various forms of treating the symptoms from non-surgical form of treatment to home remedies and for a much severe case, surgical procedure might be necessary. But so far, managing the symptoms using the non surgical method is enough. For some home remedies for arthritis works with them. What are some of the famous home remedies for arthritis?
• Wrap the area where your painful joint is with a flannel cloth and leave it overnight.
• Gently massage the affected area with warm olive oil.
• Body massage followed by steam baths is a good home remedy for arthritis.
• It is recommended that you take extra supplement of Vitamin C, Calcium and zinc.
• Sea bathing is also good or if you cannot go to the beach then you can use a tub of warm water mixed with a cupful of sea salt where you can relax for 30 minutes.
There are still a lot more of home remedies worth to mention but there is an interesting development in the medical field today. Researchers from King’s College London and the University of East Anglia have found out that women who have high consumption of onions, leeks and garlic in their diet have lower levels of osteoarthritis in the hips. These results were published at BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders journal. This result has paved the way of the possibility of using compounds found in garlic to work out treatment for such condition.
As Dr. Frances Williams commented, the result of the study may pave the way with respect to prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis in the hip (King's College London, 2010, December 16, Garlic could protect against hip osteoarthritis, Science Daily).
Indeed having this condition for life is not the end of everything. You can still enjoy a normal life as long as you know how to manage it. Change of lifestyle is the most important thing and that includes your diet too. Your diet and lifestyle plays an important role in managing arthritis.