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Arthritis

Can Exercise Help You Cope with Arthritis Pain?

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Can Exercise Help You Cope with Arthritis Pain?
Isabelle Boulay

Exercise really can lend a hand in coping with arthritis. How?
By strengthening muscles around your joints, which aids in
lessening stress on joints. Exercise is recommended for
everybody, but for those with arthritis, it is critical.

Arthritis is a debilitating condition defined as the
inflammation of a joint. It may bring about burning pains which
leave you feeling tired. As the body ages, arthritis begins to
happen from the wide-ranging day-to-day operations of the body.
Cartilage begins to wear out and thin.

Bad posture, obesity and traumatic injury may all hasten
arthritis’s development. The rubbing of the bones causes
irritation and inflammation. Rest is the first treatment option
and sometimes relieves the pain, but a patient can on occasion
suffer pain that seems endless.

In order to build up healthy joints certain exercises go a long
way. Stretching every day is a great activity that can help with
joints. Bicycling is another activity that is apt to be
beneficial to most joints, and it can be carried out by all age
groups. Stairs are all over the place and free to climb, you can
strengthen your lower body joints and save money at the same
time by foregoing elevators and escalators whenever possible.
Swimming is an effective way to give all your joints a work out.
Water cushions body movements and dampens pains, so water
aerobics is one of the best exercises for those having joint
pains.

Here are few other tips to keep your joints in good shape. Make
sure you are within your ideal body weight range. Watch your
posture. If you absolutely must lift or carry a heavy object,
use your legs. Pay attention to what your body is telling you.
Rest if you feel tired, and stop what you are doing if you are
having pain. The idea is to eliminate as much undue stress on
your joints as possible. And, needless to say, consult your
doctor if your pain is bothering you.

About the author:
Isabelle Boulay is a veteran writer and contributor to
www.Medopedia.com, where you can find more information on Arthritis
Treatment and Tre
atment of high blood pressure

Arthritis

Arthritis Pain Relief 101

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Arthritis Pain Relief 101
Charlene J. Nuble

Coming of age equals coming of a variety of body pains. And do you know what most of our oldies would complain about regarding this issue? Arthritis. An estimate of over 50 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions related conditions.The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. It is the kind of arthritis that usually affects nearly three-quarters of those over 50. At the onset of arthritis, pain is not a part of the major system yet. Morning and after rest stiffness and crackling joints are usually the first few symptoms that confirm the diagnosis of the condition. Upon the development of the disease, patients are expected to suffer from more discomfort, disability and pain.If left untreated, it can become progressively distressing and painful crippling can result. This is particularly true with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects women. It is prevalent with age group of 20 to 45.Arthritis is not only caused by the wear and tear the joints undergo. There are other factors that aggravate this condition. Rheumatoid arthritis is considered an immune deficiency syndrome where antibodies develop against components of joint tissue, and mistakenly and aggressively attack the joints. Misdirected neovascularization leads to displacement of water while decreasing the volume and viscosity of synovial fluid (fluid between joints), further lessening the flexibility and cushioning power of the joint, until the surfaces of raw unprotected bone painfully begin to wear against each other, as it happens in conditions of Osteoarthritis. Inborn recessive genetic errors may also predict the inclination of a person to develop arthritis.Dealing with the chronic pain of arthritis can be frustrating. Pain from arthritis is often caused by inflammation, a localized protective reaction of tissues to irritation or any kind of injury and is often characterized by pain, redness, swelling and even disability. Crepitation is a process that can also cause the pain that is felt by an arthritis patient. It is the rubbing together of two bone fragments that cause a crackling sound. Muscle tension and fatigue can also cause the pain.The usual treatment for arthritis is through the use of painkillers. Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin can help relieve the pain of arthritis. But they only target the symptom and not the disease itself. Studies even show that the continual use of these NSAIDs may even cause joint deterioration thus making arthritis worse. Modern medicine does not have much to offer for the cure of this disease.The traditional temporary arthritis pain relief medications available leave a lot to be desired. Other pain solutions can be relied on to achieve arthritis pain relief. Massage therapy, hydrotherapy and cold packs are a few of the simple methods of pain management. Herbal remedies such as ginger, willow bark and fish oils and the well-known cartilage constituents glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate are also promising a lot in revolutionizing the treatment of arthritis. Aside from the symptomatic relief they offer, they actually interfere with the origin of the disease. They are also being considered to help the body rebuild functioning joints. Also reported to be fast acting,in cream form, they increase mobility and optimal repair of joint structures as they help reinforce the body’s protective linings and lubricating fluids by recovering cell stability and function to stop further damage. Those discovered treatments among many might just be the best among the elusive arthritis pain relief that are commercially available. But above all, no matter how clichd it may sound, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.————————-Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR’S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.————————- About the Author
Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about arthritis, please go to: http://arthritis.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/

General Health

Sore Throat Set off by Acid Reflux

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Acid reflux refers to the condition in which the partially digested food containing digestive juices travels back into the esophagus from the mouth.

To describe the mechanical layout of this disease, our digestive system has a circular band of muscle called lower esophageal sphincter. This muscle splits the stomach from the esophagus. When the food enters the stomach, this muscle closes so as to prevent the partially digested materials from traveling back into the esophagus. But when the lower esophageal sphincter is rendered incompetent, the stomach contents are allowed to regurgitate or spit up.

The stomach contents that moves back to the esophagus contains digestive acids since they have undergone digestion in the stomach where digestive liquids are released to facilitate the digestion. Because of the acidic nature of the refluxed materials, inflammation develops in the lining of the throat; thus a sore throat is one of the most common symptoms of this condition.

Sore throat is usually associated with other symptoms, though sometimes it is uncommon, such as the occurrence of pus on the tonsil surface and drooling or frequent spitting. Moreover, a patient with sore throat may also experience difficulty in breathing caused by the narrowing of the air passage through the larynx or pharynx.

The pain or other difficulties caused by sore throat can be abated, if not treated, with simple self-treatments that can be done at home. Gargling is a recommended practice. You may try gargling with warm water mixed with table salt. Drinking a lot of water is also very important. Get extra sleep, for this encourages faster recovery. Popsicles or cold drinks are good for sore throats. Humidifiers or vaporizers can be used to sooth the pain in the throat. And also, sucking on solid candies, which help promote saliva production, works as an alternative remedy. It is known that saliva contains bicarbonates that help neutralize the acids that might have remained in the throat due to the reflux.

But if home-treatments are not enough to ease your condition with the sore throat, medical treatments are available. The intake of medicine is particularly advised for those who experience associated symptoms like difficulty in breathing, dehydration or body water loss, and severe pains. Take antibiotics if you feel that viral or bacterial infections have further developed in the throat. Also, rheumatic fever can be prevented from arising, though this condition is very much uncommon. Corticosteroids, which have an anti-inflammatory effect, can help in case of critical sore throat conditions.

Preventive measures and remedies, of course, are available to minimize the incidence of acid reflux, and sore throat, as well. One practical and immediate treatment is the application of gravity; that is, the person is kept in upright position at most times so to hold the digested materials down. Gravity can help prevent regurgitation, or the traveling of the stomach contents back up to the esophagus.

Eating habits should also be changed to facilitate in the treatment of acid reflux. Usual cases of acid reflux usually take place after a meal. It is recommended that evening meals should be taken earlier and in smaller quantities. This is so that the stomach can get emptied in a shorter period of time as compared to when heavy meals are eaten. Moreover, patients with acid reflux have less chances of regurgitating when they lie down.

Medications are also available. Some drugs act to neutralize the acids in the stomach and some work by blocking the production of acids by controlling the actions of histamine.

General Health

Pillows and Positional Therapy as Immediate Remedy for Acid Reflux

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Pillows and Positional Therapy as Immediate Remedy for Acid Reflux

When we eat, the contents in the stomach normally proceed into the intestines with the aid of digestive muscle contractions. However, for those who have acid reflux disease, the digestive contents travel back into the esophagus. And since the digestive materials contain acids, a patient suffers from inflammation in the throat which may be associated with pains in the abdomen and breastbone. Other symptoms include dyspepsia, vomiting, regurgitation, and respiratory-related indicators.

Acid reflux is a chronic health condition. Once it has started to transmit in the body, it will continue to inhabit indefinitely. Although treatments are available, symptoms usually tend to be applied repeatedly. And this means that treatments also need to be employed recurrently.

The act of stomach liquids backing up into the esophagus is actually normal. It also happens to those without acid reflux disease. In the case of acid reflux patients, however, the stomach contents have more acid than the normal and that the acid tends to stay in the esophagus in a longer period of time.

The human body, of course, has its own mechanisms to lessen the harmful effects brought about by the refluxed acids. An example of such is the salivary glands found in the mouth. These glands produce saliva, a liquid which contains bicarbonate. When we swallow, the saliva containing bicarbonates passes through the esophagus.

Bicarbonates have the ability to neutralize acids, which may have remained after an earlier regurgitation. Also, studies have shown that most cases of reflux happen during daytime. At this time, individuals are usually on an upright position. With the aid of gravity, reflux is minimized because the stomach contents are held back down. Moreover, when awake, individuals recurrently swallow. And this practice maximizes the benefits that saliva does in reducing the level of acids in the throat.

The mentioned natural ways of the body to protect itself are important in the maintenance of the esophagus. But saliva, swallowing, and gravity can only work when a person is in an upright position. During night time, when individuals are asleep, gravity cannot help much. Also, the saliva secretion is trimmed down and swallowing does not take place. It is for these reasons why acid reflux which comes about at night becomes more severe sore in the esophagus because the acids stay longer and therefore do more damage to it.

Acid reflux can be more susceptible to the pregnant and obese. The increased levels of hormones during pregnancy and high levels of fats in the body can induce acid reflux because of the pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter, a muscle that prevents the stomach contents from moving back to the esophagus, is reduced. As such, it will be easier for the partially digested contents to come back because less force is holding them back down. In addition, for the pregnant women, the pressure in the abdomen rises due to the developing fetus in the womb.

There are ways to help the body minimize the occurrences of reflux. One of the easiest to implement is positional therapy. This is done by elevating the head and the torso when in a sleeping position. Pillows, which are readily available, can be positioned to raise the torso at about six to eight inches. This position can provide maximum effectiveness in holding back reflux. Surveys have shown that the use of increased recommended elevation results to greater efficiency.