Spondylosis - Arthritis of the Spine

Arthritis is one of the most common ailments that affect people all over the world. Osteoarthritis which happens through the normal wear and tear of the body's joint tissues occurs as people grow older. This kind of degenerative disease is the one that affects people of the older population. One kind of Osteoarthritis is the arthritis of the spine also known as Spondylosis.

There are two kinds of arthritis of the spine depending on which part the pain is most felt. Lumbosacral arthritis affects the lower back causing it stiffness and pain. It is loss of cartilage in the sacroiliac joint that is found between the pelvis and the spine. It is also called Lumbar Spine or lower back osteoarthritis.

The cervical spine or neck osteoarthritis is also called the cervical spondylosis which is felt in the upper spine. Stiffness and pain in the shoulders, neck, arms and head usually accompany the condition. Other signs of arthritis of the spine are pain or difficulty in bending or walking especially in getting out of bed in the morning, a feeling of your bone grinding on bone and any type of deformity of the spine.

Proper diagnosis of the condition by a doctor requires a record of your medical history, when you have started to feel the pain and difficulty of movement in your spine and also the test to recognize the regions which you are having most difficulty to function. Blood tests and x-rays must also be taken in other instances to assure that other spinal diseases are ruled out. These are important for the proper treatment of the ailment.

An effective pain management plan can be done through some known techniques for its treatment. Sometimes, a combination of the different methods added with other contributing factors such as lifestyle, food and exercise are used to restore balance and mobility to the body. Most traditional treatments fail to offer long-lasting pain relief to arthritis of the spine because they just address the symptoms and not the cause.

An example of the traditional treatment includes medications which has a high risk for the drug dependency among those who take it. Certain side effects are also triggered by the long-term use of the drugs that aggravate the condition instead of improving recovery.

The most important thing in the treatment of arthritis of the spine is to be informed as much as possible of the many possible treatment and alternative ways in bringing back the lost vitality through proper diet, exercise, health supplements and a combination of methods that would help ease the pain.

Treatment of Canine Arthritis With Human Glucosamine For Dogs

Human Glucosamine for dogs has been effectively used to treat dogs suffering from arthritis or osteoarthritis. The results have been very encouraging and positive. These products have been found to be the safest and most effective way of treating aging dogs suffering from the crippling effects of arthritis or osteoarthritis.

Human medicines have to be of human food value while for pets the same have to be of animal food value, which is at a significantly lower level. Hence, the challenge might come in the way of getting the dogs to ingest the medicines. Human Glucosamine cannot be patented by pharmaceutical majors and hence they prefer to stay away from manufacturing medicines for pets. Glucosamine belongs to a class of nutraceuticals and the FDA does not exercise strict control over it. Glucosamine is a naturally occurring substance found in many food products in abundance and are categorized as vitamins.

The typical patients that are subjected to the treatment are middle aged and old dogs who exhibit symptoms of stiffness and limping. Some dogs find it difficult to negotiate stairs while some have problems while getting in and out of vehicles.

Glucosamine is mostly found in the cartilage of animals and humans, and a majority of it is unsuitable for use due to degradation. Animals synthesize the required Glucosamine from glucose. However with advanced age, the ability to synthesize glucose diminishes significantly and also due to increased injury to cartilages, the body is unable to keep with the requirement. Therefore one has to supply Glucosamine from outside for normal bodily functions.

One can safely use human Glucosamine for dogs to replenish the depleted amount. One should consult the veterinary doctor before using any medication. It is always advised to have the dog thoroughly checked and diagnosed for a specific condition before starting medication. Glucosamine does not hide or mask the pain, instead it helps, renew, repair and rebuild cartilage. There are no reported side effects even for cases where there has been prolonged usage of Glucosamine. Glucosamine provides dogs with a key component of cartilage called collegen. Collegen is composed of water, which in turn is supported by proteogylcans. Glucosamine synthesizes proteogylcans in two ways. The first way is by virtue of being a key component of the structure of proteogylcan. Secondly, Glucosamine induces the production of proteogylcan producing cells.

Glucosamine is readily available in Chitin, which is a key component in the structure of shell fish. Pure Glucosamine is obtained after removing calcium and proteins, following which the Glucosamine is stabilized with another substance to ensure potency. For dogs the most studied and widely used variant of Glucosamine is Glucosamine Hydrocloride.

There are some schools of thought that believe that human Glucosamine can be harmful for dogs. However, the general belief is that if your vet recommends it, there is no harm is helping your old and suffering pet.

Arthritis - Natural Treatments

Arthritis has over 100 different types, but most people suffer one of the three most common types. Each type of arthritis should be treated differently for the best results. Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent. Osteoarthritis afflicts over 16 million Americans and is most commonly found in joints that bear weight such as knees, hips, and ankles. Osteoarthritis can be found in almost any joint, however. It concentrates on the cartilage that cushions joints and breaks it down. Osteoarthritis sufferers have an average age of 45 years.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is the second most common type of arthritis, with over two million Americans afflicted. Yet, it can be the most painful. It inflames the lining of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers have an average age of 25 years.

The third most common type of arthritis is the least well known. It is Psoriatic Arthritis. This type of arthritis erodes the joints. A common manifestation of this is psoriasis of the skin.

All of these forms of arthritis have a common denominator; joint inflammation. This inflammation can cause various levels of pain and discomfort and can impede daily activities. Most arthritis sufferers will try various medicines and treatments to reduce the symptoms. There are also many natural remedies available that have been shown to reduce the pain and swelling.

Urtication, or Stinging Nettle, has been around for thousands of years, and has proven effective in treating arthritis. With a gloved hand, take the nettles and gently swat your afflicted joints with the nettles. Odd, it may be. But many arthritis sufferers swear by it.

Vitamins are another natural remedy that have proven effective in treating arthritis and are a little more main stream. In fact, medical professionals have found evidence that arthritis sufferers are usually lacking vitamin B. Whether this is a cause or an effect of arthritis is still unknown.

Other vitamins such as C, E, and beta-carotene are rich in antioxidants. These antioxidants neutralize free radicals which are often blamed for tissue damage. Free radicals increase where there is damaged cartilage, such as from arthritis. There have been studies that show individuals who suffer from knee cartilage damage and then take high levels of vitamin C have reduced further damage to the joint. Dr. Linus Pauling recommends taking 18 grams of vitamin C daily to help prevent arthritis. Vitamin E has similar effects and studies in Germany have shown that it can reduce pain symptoms. You can naturally ingest vitamin E from sunflower seeds, wheat germ, corn oil, legumes, and other whole grains.

Osteoarthritis also reduces bones mass. A treatment called prednisone can further reduce the bone mass. This reduction in bone mass can cause bone fractures, particularly in older people. Combined with a lack of sunlight and an unhealthy diet and the effects can be devastating. A good way to combat these effects is to take extra vitamin D and calcium. These will help increase bone mass. It is recommended to take 400 IU of vitamin D daily, increased to 600 IU daily if you are 60 years of age or older. Do not exceed 1200 IU of vitamin D per day as this can be toxic.

You may have heard from other arthritis sufferers that wearing a copper bracelet can reduce their pain symptoms. This has not been proven scientifically and in fact can actually make your symptoms worse. Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers usually have too high a level of copper in their blood, so wearing a bracelet can exacerbate this.

Kashin-Beck disease is another form of arthritis that has been linked to a deficiency of selenium. To get the proper dosage of selenium balance your diet with fish, organ meats, whole grains, legumes, beans and nuts.

Zinc has also been shown to decrease swelling and stiffness in some patients. To get zinc naturally, try adding oysters, cheese and tofu to your diet.

If you are looking for non-dietary changes, you can apply hot packs to the afflicted joints. Also, stress relievers such as mediation, music, walking and moderate weight loss have all been known to reduce symptoms of arthritis.

Arthritis Treatment: Does Stem Cell Treatment for Osteoarthritis Really Work?

The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis (OA), affects more than 20 million Americans. One of the primary targets for this disease is the knee.

Osteoarthritis is a wear and tear disease involving hyaline articular cartilage. It arises as a result of the lack of ability of cartilage to keep up with excessive breakdown.

The basic treatment approach for osteoarthritis has not changed in more than 50 years. Basically, physicians have been trained to treat the symptoms of pain and try to restore function and wait for the inexorable journey to joint replacement.

Different modalities such as physical therapy, analgesics (pain relievers), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), exercises, braces, topical agents, and injections of either corticosteroids ("cortisone"), or viscosupplements (lubricants) are all tried and then the doctor throws up his or her hands and says to the patient "you need a knee replacement."

So essentially there is a huge void between management of symptoms and eventual surgery.

Recently, excitement has swirled around the role of regenerative medicine techniques in solving the osteoarthritis conundrum. These include the use of platelet-rich plasma and stem cells.

Unfortunately, this interest has had untoward side effects. The first is the proliferation of practitioners who have jumped on the band wagon without the requisite training.

The second is the media hype generated by this relatively new treatment approach.

An example recently is the headline in an Australian newspaper, "A "MIRACLE" cutting-edge stem cell operation could have saved Sharks forward Anthony Tupou's career."

In case you're not up on rugby, Anthony Tupou was a former star in the sport. He underwent a stem cell procedure involving the use of fat-derived stem cells for a knee issue. And this procedure has apparently resurrected his career.

Dr. Paul Annett, a sports physician, raised an interesting counterpoint on his blog. He quite rightly pointed out that many procedures performed in the realm of sports medicine are performed because they "might be helpful" and are relatively innocuous.

He then posits that "there are many potential reasons this procedure may of benefit to some patients, including the 'placebo effect', the normal fluctuation of arthritic disease or some mechanical effect of the injection itself. Anthony's knee may just feel better as he had an off-season without running!

And he then goes on to say, "The ethical way of getting around this is for the proponents of this technique to perform some randomised double-blind clinical trials (the 'gold standard' of studies) to rigorously confirm the relative benefits..."

And I couldn't agree more. While there is abundant anecdotal evidence that these procedures have benefit, there are no rigorous double-blind controlled trials. The reasons are probably two fold.

First, it's difficult to get a biotech or pharmaceutical company to fund a study involving the use of a patient's own body tissue. Where's the profit?

The second is that the process of getting grants from institutions such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the Arthritis Foundation in the U.S. is unbelievably arduous.

At our center we have done what we can to systematize the procedure as well as document various measures so that while uncontrolled, there is at least data collection being done. (Wei N, Beard S, Delauter S, Bitner C, Gillis R, Rau L, Miller C, Clark T. Guided Mesenchymal Stem Cell Layering Technique for Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee. J Applied Res. 2011; 11: 44-48)

Physiotherapy in Osteo Arthritis

Role of Physiotherapy in Arthritis

The word 'Arthritis' literally means joint inflammation. The warning signs of arthritis are pain, swelling, joint stiffness, difficulty in moving one or more joints. Arthritis can be a life changing event which can affect your personal, social and work life unless it is well understood and treated in time.

There are 127 different kind of arthritis. The most common types are Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is degenerative joint disease. It may be due to chronic wear and tear or due to injury.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which ones own immune system attacks cells in the joint capsule and associated chronic inflammation destroys cartilage, bone and ligaments, leading to deformity and disability. Physiotherapy plays a major role in treating both Osteo & Rheumatoid arthritis along with medicine or by itself.

Even though many other factors contribute the development of Osteo arthritis, the root cause may be deviation of normal body mechanics. By correcting the body mechanics the percentage of wear and tear can considerably reduced. Obesity, muscle wasting, poor muscle strength, prolonged standing and internal derangement of knee like ligament injury can also contribute to Osteo arthritis. Physiotherapist can assess these basic causes and helps to correct the pre disposing factors. If it is found and corrected early, Osteo arthritis can be controlled to a great extend. Some patients may need medicine along with Physiotherapy.

Major symptoms seen with Osteo arthritis are pain, restricted range of motion, swelling etc. Pain and swelling can be relieved with the use of hot packs or cold packs, Ultrasound therapy, laser therapy, use of TENS or interferential therapy, taping techniques etc. Range of motion and strengthening exercises can be given to achieve maximum functional independence at home and at work place.

Type of Exercise useful for Arthritic patients

1. Range of motion exercises: It helps to maintain normal joint movements and relieve stiffness. These are gentle stretching exercises which move each joint as far as possible in all directions. Normal daily house work or office work may not help to improve joint range of motion and are not a substitute for ROM exercise.

2. Strengthening Exercises: It helps to keep or increase the muscle strength, provide stability, support and protection to the joint, helps the joint to move more easily with less pain and helps to prevent deformity. Isometric, isotonic or isokinetic exercises can be used according to the condition of the patient. Isometric exercises involves tightening of muscle without joint movement which maintains muscle tone, prevents muscle wasting when joint range is impaired.

3. Endurance exercises: This helps to maintain cardiac fitness, ROM, to increase physical strength, to control body weight and to improve arthritic symptoms. Aerobic exercises like graded walking, use of bicycle or treadmill initially with the supervision of the physiotherapist may help to prevent complication.

How often people with arthritis should do Exercises?

ROM exercises can be done daily many times and should be done at least every other day. Strengthening exercises should be done every day unless you have severe pain or swelling in your joint and repeated daily.

Endurance exercises should be done 20 to 30 minutes at least 3 times a week unless you have severe pain or swelling in your joint. Before starting endurance exercises it is better to have a medical consultation to assess your medical fitness.

In case of rheumatoid arthritis prolonged medical treatment is required. Here Physiotherapy helps to maintain ROM, muscle strength and to prevent joint deformity. Once joint deformity is established the patient may develop severe ambulation problem. This can be prevented with medication and timely physiotherapy.

'Think positive about arthritis, Physiotherapist can guide you to lead a pain-free independent life'.

Arthritis Pain Medication - Instead of Drugs, Fight Arthritis the All-Natural Way

Are you taking arthritis pain medicine? Well there is a better way to get well without drugs. Did you know aspirin and other over-the-counter drugs can put you in the hospital or under the ground? Every doctor who was awake during medical classes in college knows the dangers of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

They know for example, that aspirin causes the lining of the stomach to bleed and that it burns tiny holes into your gastrointestinal tract. You may lose up to one teaspoon of blood each time you take a standard dose of aspirin (more if you are at risk for bleeding or consume more than the standard dose). Sadly, the reality is that NSAIDs do more than just cause gastrointestinal problems. They kill over 10,000 people a year and are the cause of over 76,000 hospitalizations annually.

And of course you remember the pain killers Vioxx and Celebrex. We learned what many doctors already knew, that Vioxx and Celebrex could lead to heart attacks and strokes. Yet millions of arthritis and pain sufferers were prescribed these dangerous drugs so that they could have a normal life.

However, a normal life can be had without these dangerous medications. There are several natural ways to fight arthritis joint pain. The fact is you can see a reduction in the pain and inflammation you are suffering by simply making a few key changes to your overall lifestyle.

Eat Healthy

One of the best things to do now is to change your diet. The foods you eat are what the body has to derive nutrients from. If you do not eat a full, antioxidant rich diet, your body is not able to reduce the inflammation happening in your joints. This will lead to pain and worsening of the arthritis. You need to start eating alkaline-forming foods. Scientific research shows that by doing so you can bullet-proof your body against disease-including arthritis.

Lose Weight

Controlling your weight can have a tremendous effect on pain and inflammation. If you are overweight it increases the amount of pressure that is on your joints. By losing weight you give the body a better chance at improving its overall ability to fight off the inflammation. For many, this alone is the best way to reduce the pain.

Water

Staying hydrated is very important for any of the above items to work. Water keeps the cells hydrated and keeps the cells clean by flushing out toxins. It is necessary to drink water before you feel thirsty since thirst is actually the first sign of dehydration.

Natural Cure For Arthritis -- A 7 Day Miracle That Stops It Dead Its Tracks

This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you really want a step-by-step guide to cure arthritis including osteoarthritis, RA, and gout, download my special report. Learn why I kick milk to the curb and what the medical establishment doesn't want you to know about curing your arthritis with simple ingredients found in your kitchen cupboard. Fact is, you will learn why everything you thought you knew about this disease was wrong. And discover how to end your pain and suffering forever.

A Rheumatoid Arthritis Cure Uncovered

Just what is the most beneficial rheumatoid arthritis cure? RA is considered the most common autoimmune conditions on earth. It has an effect on around 1% of the world's people. Thrice as many women are usually afflicted as men. It may possibly come about at ages young and old yet is most frequent to start out in between the age groups of 40-50 year old. Frequently it's going to alter the synovial joints of the body through destruction and inflammation. This ends up in soreness and also rigidity of the joints. It is actually a systemic autoimmune disease and so in addition to joints it can possibly change the lungs, pleura, pericardium and sclera. The ideal rheumatoid arthritis cure is one that will not merely address the symptoms but the source of the problem.

To understand how effective a rheumatoid arthritis cure is, we need to understand the underlying cause of this autoimmune disease. Normally our immune system serves to protect us from foreign substances, it is the bodies first line of defense. The body will often attack these foreign substances to destroy or remove them from the body. In an autoimmune disease like RA the immune system has become over sensitive and starts attacking its own cells and tissue. It is this over reactive immune response that results in the myriad of symptoms experience in RA. A true RA cure will address this over active immune system and not just treat the symptoms.

An incorrect rheumatoid arthritis cure is aimed at symptomatic relief. And while this is a good short term strategy, it does little for the true underlying cause of the disease. With the use of drugs you may even suppress all your symptoms and falsely think that you are better. But the moment you stop taking your drugs, the symptoms will come straight back because you have done nothing to stop the root cause of the problem. So what could an effective rheumatoid arthritis cure be?

Diet is usually touted to be a effective place to start for autoimmune diseases plus a rheumatoid arthritis cure. Even though several mainstream providers may giggle at the thought of using eating plan to take care of an autoimmune disease, anecdotal data is turning up. The advantage of attempting purely natural treatments is they can have simply no unpleasant side effects. Every substance or prescription medication you add straight into your system has got unintended effects. I believe there is absolutely no problems in seeking a non-drug technique just like diet and simply tracking your symptoms. There are a few general foodstuff that happen to be proven to trigger autoimmune responses and increase inflammation. Additionally, there are several foods that will deliver the body with nutritional requirements that combat inflammation.

The benefit of approaching your rheumatoid arthritis cure originating from a natural stand point is that you simply will be handling the true reason behind your complaint. You simply won't just be giving a quick term solution and covering up the symptoms. Your symptoms will go away if the true cause has been cared for. Wouldn't you want to take control of your health and gain back control of your system through using a real rheumatoid arthritis cure.