Sunday, February 10, 2013

Arthritis and Alcohol - Is Alcohol Causing You Pain and Inflammation?


Studies have been conducted and countless articles written on whether or not alcohol is good for us, how much to drink, how often to drink, what is best to drink and so on. However, if you are worried about getting arthritis or are already suffering from arthritis then the questions really are - can alcohol increase the development of your arthritis and is alcohol causing you pain?

Alcohol Increases the Acid in Your Stomach

While moderate amounts of alcohol can usually be tolerated by most people, the overuse of alcohol can irritate your stomach, causing inflammation of the stomach lining, ulcers and acid reflux. Once the cells lining the stomach and intestines have been damaged, the absorption and breakdown of the nutrients can be blocked. Prolonged use of alcohol can erode your stomach lining, causing chronic blood seepage into your stomach. In addition, the sedative influence of alcohol slows down your digestive process thus creating gas and bloating.

Alcohol Contributes to Leaky Gut Syndrome

When the intestinal lining becomes inflamed it is weakened, allowing bacteria, toxins and food to pass through the weakened membrane and into the bloodstream, otherwise known as Leaky Gut. A healthy immune system is able to control the leakage of toxic substances but if overloaded, the toxins leak into the liver, causing it to become overworked.

The liver helps to filter toxins such as drugs, environmental toxins and alcohol, as well as to aid with your digestion by producing bile. When your body is overloaded with toxins it places a huge strain on your liver, sometimes resulting in damaged liver cells or disease. An already overburdened liver is unable to cope with further toxins released by a leaky gut, sending them back into the bloodstream. Here they are taken by the circulatory system and stored in the connective tissue and muscles, where they are seen as foreign bodies by the white blood cells. These foreign bodies are attacked by the immune system with chemicals that cause inflammation and pain in your body, and if left untreated could result in permanent damage to your joint tissue.

To Drink or Not to Drink?

In addition to alcohol damaging your stomach lining and placing a burden on your liver, it depletes your body of vitamins and minerals and can interfere with medications for arthritis. Combining alcohol with NSAIDs increases your risk of stomach ulcers and can put your liver at risk. Gout is a type of arthritis caused by too much uric acid, which forms crystals in the blood that eventually accumulate in the joints, usually in the big toe. The consequence is acute swelling, inflammation and agonizing pain in the joints. Men are more prone to gout, which is often brought on by drinking alcohol.

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