It begins innocently enough. Your knee occasionally hurts. You shrug the pain off. After all, you’re too young for it to be . . . well … arthritis. But the discomfort persists so you visit your personal health care practitioner.
Up until very recently, just about every medical expert knew two things about arthritis. First, that’s it’s the result of the natural wear and tear of your joints. That’s why at one point this disease was officially called degenerative joint disease. And secondly, once the process begins, there is nothing that can be done to reverse the damage.
My, how times have changed! While it’s true that no “cure” exists for this painful condition, we now have plenty of ways to slow its progress down and even help reverse some of the very worse symptoms.
What we call arthritis is labeled as osteoarthritis by the medical community (“osteo” means bone). It is, without a doubt, the most common form of arthritis around. But it’s by no means the only form.
Ever had a bout of gout? That’s a form of arthritis. Know anyone with rheumatoid arthritis? Yep, that’s part of this family of diseases too. But if you know anyone with fibromyalgia, bursitis, or even tendonitis, then you know individuals who may suffer from arthritis.
Arthritis, the kind that occurs when the cartilage in your joints wears down with use, is the most common type of arthritis. And it can affect any joint in your body. Most commonly, though, it affects just one joint, perhaps your hip, or your knee. Some individuals find that several joints are affected, as with arthritis in the fingers.
There are few things we know for certain. If you’re overweight, you’re more likely to suffer from arthritis. If you’re a woman, you’re more likely to develop this disease. Though, to be truthful, science doesn’t know the “why” to that fact yet. If you’re older than 40 your chances of acquiring some form of arthritis are also increased.
And once you develop gout, Paget’s disease or even rheumatoid arthritis, then you run a greater risk of developing osteoarthritis.
And finally, some individuals who were born with misshapen bones or defective cartilage also have a greater chance of developing arthritis.
Sadly, the treatment for this disease seems to only cause more problems. The standard over-the-counter remedies — ibuprofen, acetaminophen and aspirin – ease the pain for short periods. However, for those with moderate or severe pain, the quantity needed to alleviate the symptoms carry dangerous side effects – including abdominal bleeding.
While the medical community thought it had a safer alternative in some of the prescription medications – like Vioxx – these too are far too risky to take in the quantity required by my arthritis patients.
That makes a search for natural remedies all the more urgent.
To read more about natural remedies visit Best Natural Arthritis Remedies Online