Arthritis literally means inflammation of one or more joints. Arthritis and joint pains are the most common chronic condition of old age. It’s wear and tear causing the breakdown of cartilage in the joints, which leads to stiffness and pain. There are 206 bones in the human body and the most of them come together in synovial joints where fluid-containing cavities separate the bones from each other.
The cartilage is like a super-slick padding, which allows the bone tips to slide easily across each other without catching or slowing. The effect is rather like ice cubes rubbing together, except the cartilage surface is perhaps eight times more slippery than ice. Unlike other human tissues, cartilage doesn’t contain any nerves or blood supply; its nutrients come from the fluid that bathes the surrounding joint.
As we get older or we incur joint damage through sports or injury, we start to lose the protecting water-attracting proteoglycans. Erosions may develop, with cartilage becoming uneven and pitted or even wear out completely. Without their cushioning tip of smooth, healthy cartilage, the bones may start to rub together, producing severe pain.
In summary our joints are the key to mobility. Without pain-free unrestricted movement, our lives are severely inhibited. Besides being “genetically lucky”, there are some key steps we can take to assist treatment support with arthritis and joint pain.
Preventative measures
There are certain lifestyle and dietary measures that we can choose to help reduce the pain of arthritis and increase the body’s capacity to heal itself.
Reduce Free Radicals – Free radicals can cause damage to the cartilage, accelerating arthritis. This is to: Avoid exposure to free radical sources such as smoking and foods that increase free radical load, such as fried, smoked, barbecued and cured foods.
Beverages like alcohol, coffee, carbonated soft drinks, drinks with artificial flavors and sweeteners.
Avoid heavy metals like aluminum pots, foil and utensils, as well as products with aluminum in them such as deodorants. Copper or lead piping supplying drinking water may contaminate and pollute the water – drink only fresh, filtered or purified water.
Avoid Nightshade foods – These foods can inhibit collagen repair or promote the inflammatory degeneration of the joint, due to the alkaloids found in potatoes, paprika, tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant and tobacco. Also avoid cakes, biscuits, white breads, sugary foods and soft drinks.
Helping to Stabilize Arthritis
There are many positive steps we can take to help the treatment of arthritis. Nutrition plays a large role in rebuilding and maintaining healthy joints.
Fish – eat more cold-water fish such as salmon and tuna. Include pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds into your diet in salads and on cereals. Cold, saltwater fatty fish such as salmon, herring, cod, mackerel, sardines and tuna are excellent sources of fatty acids. This is recommended for both osteo and rheumatoid conditions.
Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapple. It works by blocking some of the pro-inflammatory metabolites that “rev up” the inflammatory process.