Arthritis treatment with diet supplements

A number of methods can be employed to manage the pain of arthritis efficiently. Arthritic diet programs, exercise plans, prescribed and over-the-counter medications, rest and an optimistic attitude must be practiced. In addition, options such as home treatments, surgeries, supplements, all-natural and further substitute therapies are also available. The fundamentals of each are the following:

Nutritional Cure and Diets Suitable for Arthritis
In the field of medicine, the outcome of diet in general and its use to ease arthritis has long been a topic of debate. Physicians have acknowledged that diet can result in gout, which is a particular kind of painful condition. The jury, though, is still out on the possible causes of several other kinds of arthritis such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid.

Meanwhile, a healthy diet is extremely vital and plays a huge role in overall health. If you are suffering from arthritis and are overweight, there is the possibility of causing particular conditions of arthritis when joints are forced to bear too much weight. This additional weight puts pressure on the joints that can cause an overuse or deterioration of components and soreness in the knees. Always remember that people with arthritis should eat the right kinds of food and must seek assistance from physicians to help determine the proper diet program to follow.

To begin with, let us look at the various vitamins and minerals, as well as the foods and herbal treatments that should be considered.

Vitamins

  • B vitamins do their jobs more effectively when they are grouped together. All of them, particularly Vitamin B5, work well to reduce inflammation.
  • Vitamin B3 decreases the inflammation of tissues and expands tiny arteries, thus resulting in an increase in blood flow. However, people suffering from gout, liver disorders, or high blood pressure are not allowed to take this type of vitamin.
  • Vitamin B6 is one of the B vitamins that lessen the swelling of tissues.
  • Vitamin B12 helps in numerous ways. It aids in the formation of cells, production of myelin, digestion and nerve defense.
  • Vitamin C serves as an anti-inflammatory and a pain reliever, and also eliminates the free radicals from the body.
  • Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects the joints from free radicals, at the same time increasing the flexibility of the joints.
  • Vitamin K helps in depositing minerals going to the bone matrix.

Minerals

  • Boron is a trace mineral that maintains the good health of our bones.
  • Calcium is very essential to keep our bones in good condition.
  • Magnesium aids in keeping calcium in proportion within our system.
  • Zinc is important for the growth of our bones; however, it is frequently lacking in patients with arthritis.
  • Manganese, like zinc, is important for bone development. Keep in mind that this is not to be taken along with calcium, as they can counteract one another.
  • Copper aids in strengthening connective tissues.
  • Germanium is an antioxidant that helps in relieving pain.
  • Sulfur is necessary to prevent weakening of cartilage, collagen, ligaments and tendons.

Nutrient combinations

  • Chondroitin Sulfate, which is found in sea cucumbers, acts as a lubricant to the joints, connective tissues and joint fluid.
  • Gelatin aids in the replenishment of raw cartilage.
  • Glucosamine Sulfate is important for the formation of synovial fluid, cartilage, bone, tendons and ligaments.
  • Quercetin aids in the reduction of swelling.
  • Type II Collagen is utilized for the growth and restoration of joints, connective tissues and articular cartilage.

Other factors
A number of factors are to be considered in terms of diets and nutritional treatment of arthritis, and each factor may or may not be applicable to each person. For instance, some people have allergic reactions to certain foods; therefore, the allergies may worsen the arthritic state.

If you have consumed foods that have tartrazine or sodium nitrate, this can agitate rheumatoid arthritis. On the other hand, foods that include hydrazine substances may contribute to systemic lupus erythematosus, an arthritic state that is associated with lupus. Moreover, Behcet’s Disease, a rare kind of arthritis, can be aggravated by the consumption of black walnuts.

You probably know by now that there are various conditions of arthritis, and that there are therefore wide arrays of foods that can trigger them. An excellent approach to this circumstance is to evaluate each arthritic state and then modify your approach according to the individual characteristics.

The term “arthritis” can refer to more than a hundred different illnesses and states. Although it is not possible to tackle every one of them, the most common arthritic conditions are gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.

It is a common occurrence that people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis have an unusually low level of zinc in the blood. In several independent studies, people with rheumatoid arthritis were given an increased dosage of zinc, and the outcome proved to be a marginal progress; however, the sample sizes were not large enough to be definitive. Meanwhile, copper, when taken by patients with rheumatoid arthritis, is said to be a good treatment according to some reports. The results were examined over a long period of time, and although it does appear to improve the state of the illness, this type of remedy has been rejected by the majority of physicians as fairly inefficient. However, copper treatment is allowed when used from sources of food, as it may be effective for some people. In the case that you try to treat yourself with the use of copper, then you must opt for foods rich in copper, rather than supplements, as they may cause some side effects such as changes in smell and taste, loss of appetite, unusual clotting of the blood, increased pain in the joints, anemia, nausea, problems in the kidneys, vomiting and chills.

Too much copper may also result in cirrhosis of the liver in people who are vulnerable to Wilson’s disease. Ask your physician to be sure that you are capable of retaining additional copper in your body. A wide selection of food is available in order to increase your copper consumption. These foods include cocoa, chocolate milk, seeds and nuts, soy milk, soy protein meat alternatives, meat gelatin, tofu, shellfish that include shrimps, crab, clams, scallops, lobster and oysters, organ meats such as brain, heart, kidney and liver, duck, pheasant quail, goose, lamb, pork, salmon and squid. Those are just a small sample of the foods that are abundant in copper.

If you are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, many naturopaths and nutritionists advise that you keep away from all types of dairy goods because they tend to worsen the outbreak of rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, people are not encouraged to take vitamins in which doses are much higher than what is recommended without a doctor’s directives. In fact, several vitamins and minerals can aggravate particular conditions, and the concentration that you can get from supplements can be quite dangerous. If you desire to increase your vitamin intake, it would be best to simply consume foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Food supplements such chondroitin and glucosamine are found to be quite successful in the relief of stiffness and pain for some people suffering from osteoarthritis. These two supplements can be purchased in health food shops and drugstores; although their purity, including the quantity of the working components, is not always distinguishable, as they are not monitored by the Food and Drug Authority (FDA). However, the National Institute of Health does monitor these supplements, so that their efficacy in the treatment of osteoarthritis will likely be known at some future time. Osteoarthritis patients who are receiving blood thinners must be cautious in consuming chondroitin, because it may increase blood thinning, and may also cause excess bleeding. Fish oil supplements, on the other hand, are found to have anti-inflammation substances, and increasing the consumption of fish, together with fish oil capsules or omega 3, can lessen the swelling of arthritis from time to time. Osteoarthritis, too, has an issue of deteriorating cartilage, so those who have this type of disease must not take Vitamin A in large doses because several studies have shown that it can result in the weakening of cartilage.

With fibromyalgia, there are some reports of improvement through this, although scientific evidence is limited. Removing tobacco, alcohol, Aspartame, caffeine, dairy, sugar, citrus and wheat appeared to be key for those who were successful in curing this illness by means of diet. “The Total Health Program” author Dr. Joseph Mercola stated that nine out of ten fibromyalgia patients are women; 76 percent of them who pursued the recommended nutritional guidelines felt a considerable lessening of pain. Always bear in mind that fibromyalgia is thought of as a condition rather than a disease, and is nothing like several arthritis illnesses, so it may be more likely to be reversed. Modifying the diet, cutting down stress and obtaining sufficient relaxation can eventually lead to a permanent recovery.

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Last updated on Mar 3rd, 2009 and filed under Musculoskeletal Disorders. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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