Taming My Arthritis

Older dogs are most prone to arthritis and that’s the sad fact. Arthritis in dogs is very similar to arthritis in humans. And there are no absolute cures yet. The only thing that you can do for now is to manage the disease and make your dog feel comfortable despite its condition.

Old or young dogs with arthritis can still live a normal life if owners just give them what they need to ease the pain. For starters, your dog is going to need comfortable bedding. Arthritis is a joint and muscle condition that could really be crippling. The most you can do is give your pet soft beddings, ideally a rubber foam mattress that is about five inches thick.

Dogs with arthritis would benefit most from regular exercise. However, never allow your dog to perform any extraneous exercises any longer as it may negatively affect their condition. Mild and gentle walking exercises are good enough. Make it a point that you walk your dog a few blocks everyday. Running is discouraged. If your pet is a guard dog or a field dog, maybe you should consider retiring it and just make it a regular household pet.

What complements good exercise is proper diet. Always watch the weight of your dog, especially if it belongs to the larger breeds. These dogs can easily become overweight. But just the same, smaller dogs can be obese. And being overweight limits their daily activities. As such, they won’t be able to do several long walks with you. What’s more, your dog’s weight will be putting too much strain on its joints. This aggravates the condition even more. If your dog is overweight, give it a light diet. Don’t wait for it to contract arthritis before doing something about its meals.

On the other hand, there are dog food formulas that are especially designed for arthritic dog. Ask your vet about it. Sick dogs require a change in their diet plan. Your vet should be able to provide the right nutritional meals for your pet. He might advise you to use Purina’s JM dog food or Hill’s RX J/D formula.

It may also be necessary to give your dog commercial medicines to aid in its health. These medicines are again, prescribed by the vet. Give it to your pet as indicated and always bring your dog to its regular checkups. The vet needs to monitor the health of your pet so that it can adjust the medications as needed. Some dogs respond well to certain medicines while others don’t. This is the reason why post-diagnosis visits are always crucial. Never miss one or your dog may suffer unnecessarily from arthritis.

Aside from prescription drugs, there are over-the-counter medicines and natural remedies that can help your dog. Aspirin is known to relieve pain and inflammation in pets if used the right way. As for natural medicines, Omega 3 supplements, vitamins, and minerals can contribute so much help alleviate the condition. Under the guidance of the vet, give your dog a combination of these medicines so it can live longer and much happier with you.

Florin Albu
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/dog-arthritis-relief-a-pet-owners-manual-687737.html

You can get help with arthritis in a number of different ways. If you suffer pain due to conditions like lupus, osteoarthritis or another arthritic condition, self-hypnosis can guide you to feel less discomfort and aches. The support you need is readily available in the depths of your own mind.

Comprehensive Treatment

Any successful treatment begins with appropriate medical interventions. The first step it to get a full assessment of the arthritic condition from your doctor. You can work together with your physician in order to develop a treatment plan to support your healing.

Your doctor helps with many of the physical components to your treatment and you can augment this with hypnosis for arthritis in order to create a comprehensive plan. This way, you are working with your mind and your body to achieve your health goals.

Pain and the Brain

Your brain is a natural receptor of information. Pain is nothing more than a form of communication that your physical body uses to let your brain know that something is amiss. Ideally, the pain alerts you that you are in danger of physical harm.

This alert system is crucial for survival and for good health. However, there are times when pain does nothing more than make you uncomfortable. You are aware of your arthritic condition and the aches are not useful as forms of communication. The pain is unnecessary and it shouldn’t be such a profound aspect of your life.

Training the Brain as Help with Arthritis

Since your arthritic pain serves no significant purpose, you can feel at ease with the notion of getting rid of it. Your subconscious mind is not aware that the aches are not functional and it processes the signals as if you were in threat of danger. This is heightened by emotional responses.

Arthritic discomfort has an affect on your thought processes and your emotional state. You may feel easy aggravated or depressed because of the chronic aches. This leads to more negative thoughts and obsession with the aches and pains. This cycle results in more unnecessary pain.

Hypnosis for Arthritis

Hypnosis is an extremely effective method that helps you reprogram your brain to suppress the aches and discomfort so you can go on with your life. A trained hypnotherapist who has many years of experience creates the ideal recording.

An outstanding example can be found here – Hypnosis For Arthritis. Just click on the links for more information.

J Seymour
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/how-to-get-relief-from-arthritis-with-self-hypnosis-582878.html

Joint pain is a common symptom with many possible causes.

There are many possible causes of joint pain. The causes can be divided into categories:

wear-and-tear, such as from overuse, injury, or osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, or joint inflammation, conditions that affect metabolism, such as gout and pseudo gout.

These conditions result from materials being deposited into the joints, infections of the joint, sometimes called septic arthritis. autoimmune disorders, in which a person’s body produces antibodies against its own tissues. These disorders include rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Other causes are also possible. In some cases, no cause can be found.

Symptoms:

- Involuntary weight loss of 10 pounds or more, – The joint pain persists beyond 3 days, – Severe, unexplained joint pain especially if accompanied by other unexplained symptoms,

Eighty percent of all US population suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. In spite of this common occurrence, most people are completely unaware of the things they do that contribute to this problem.

Low Back problems affect the spine’s flexibility, stability, and strength, which can cause pain, discomfort, and stiffness. Low back pain is often triggered by some combination of overuse, muscle strain, or injury to the muscles and ligaments that support the spine. Less commonly, low back pain is caused by illness or spinal deformity.

Back pain can be: Acute, lasting less than 3 months. Most people gain relief after 4 to 6 weeks of home treatment. Recurrent, a repeat episode of acute symptoms. Most people have at least one episode of recurrent low back pain. Chronic, lasting longer than 3 months.

Causes:

Low back pain is usually caused by strain from lifting, twisting, or bending. However, some low back pain can be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as an infection, a rheumatic or arthritic condition, or ovarian cysts. Today, a high proportion of people spend the better part of their working day sitting at desks, at work stations, or in cars and trucks. These changes in human behavior have had a profound-and largely negative- impact on human physiology.

It is now believed that the leading cause of back pain is simple muscle strain. Symptoms may come on suddenly and can be acutely painful; but back pain, in actuality, develops over a long period of time. When muscles contract, lactic acid and pyruvic acid are produced as byproducts of muscular activity. It is the lactic acid in the muscles that produces the sensation of muscle fatigue following strenuous activity. If high levels of these acidic byproducts accumulate in the muscles, they cause irritation that can eventually turn into pain and interfere with the normal conduction of electrical impulses in the muscle tissue. This results in a phenomenon called delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Problems with acidic buildup are often made worse by dehydration.

Effective and Proven Natural Remedies:

Rub the painful area of the joints with Arthcare oil. This is very effective for relieving the pain. Vata and pitta types should just rub the oil on the surface, while kapha types should give a deeper massage to the area for some time.

Arthcare Oil and Arthcare Capsules: Arthcare is a Muscle relaxant , Anti-inflammatory Herbal Massage Oil – the best natural solution for Joint Pains and Back Problems, manufactured under the guidance of renowned MD Ayurveda Specialist doctors.

Dr John Anne
http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/joint-pain-and-back-pain-symptoms-herbal-remedies-discussed-75020.html

In 1993, I suffered a strain injury of my right knee, requiring PT but not surgery. It was similar to a torn ACL but not as serious. However, as of about 4 years ago, it has developed arthritic symptoms, inflammation, and pain after I’m on my feet for more than a few hours. I have a temp job coming up in which moving heavy furniture is involved. Im aware of safety practices regarding lifting, but since the damage has already been done, I need options involving taping or bracing the knee to keep pain and further injury to a minimum.

Osteoarthritis is a condition characterized by the breakdown and eventual loss of cartilage in one or more joints. Cartilage—the connective tissue found at the end of the bones in the joints—protects and cushions the bones during movement. When cartilage deteriorates or is lost, symptoms develop that can restrict one’s ability to easily perform daily activities.

You may want to look at the DonJoy OA Lite Osteoarthritis Knee Brace. The OA Lite is a customizable sleeve-style wrap for mild osteoarthritis. It is easy to apply and remove.

http://www.betterbraces.com/donjoy-oa-lite-osteoarthritis-knee-brace-27/

Even if you choose a different brace here’s more information so that you can make an educated choice.

What to expect from a Osteoarthritis (OA) knee brace

Braces cannot cure OA and may not be right for everyone. However, it is a viable solution for many people. The ideal candidates are typically active people who are motivated to strengthen their muscles and willing to wear a brace to realize the benefits of this form of treatment.

Discuss treatment goals with your doctor and others on your health care team before you get a brace.

Don’t expect a brace to feel good from the start. It may take from a week to a month to get used to how the brace feels on your leg. Be patient. It took a long time for your knee OA to develop.

Bracing has come close to eliminating pain for some people with knee OA, while others experience moderate relief.

Over the counter painkillers have become a multi-billion dollar business as a result of millions of people suffering from Arthritic joint pain and inflammation. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are the most common form of drug treatment for arthritis. Aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen are the best selling NSAID drugs.

Many people rely on NSAID drugs because they quickly reduce arthritic pain and inflammation. However, these pain medications cause serious side effects in the long term. NSAIDs have been found to cause following adverse reactions:

- gastric bleeding and ulcer

- cramps, indigestion and diarrhea

- nausea, vomiting, stomach upset and constipation,

- skin rashes and allergic reactions

- dizziness, nervousness and confusion

The adverse reactions depend on the length of drug use and strength of the dose. Higher doses and long time usage causes more severe side effects. The quick pain relief provided by the NSAIDs quickly plateaus and diminishes with time. As a result, people with severe pain have to keep taking them at short and regular intervals. Such people need to be aware of the adverse effects of NSAIDs and how to minimize them. Following are some helpful tips about NSAID usage:

- always take them with food to minimize stomach problems

- while taking the drugs, drink a full glass of water to prevent stomach irritation

- do not combine two different NSAID drugs

- do not drink alcohol while taking NSAID drugs, it increases the risk of stomach problems

- do not use antacids to relieve stomach problems caused by NSAIDs. It may hide a serious stomach problem

- NSAIDs tend to increase sensitivity to sunlight, try using a high SPF sunscreen for skin protection

In the long term, it is better to reduce the dependence on drugs and resort to other means of arthritic pain & inflammation treatment. Following are some of the guidelines that will help in giving relief from arthritic pain and inflammation:

- Use Hot and Cold packs, they are one of the best and simplest remedy for inflammation pain

- Reduce sugar from the diet

- Calcium/magnesium supplements help in relieving muscle spasms and chronic headaches

Emotional healing and a regular exercise regimen can also help in improving arthritis symptoms.

Emotions such as tension, anxiety, depression, loneliness and anger aggravate the pain by blocking the body’s production of natural painkillers. Therefore, it is very important to control your emotions and achieve mental peace through the use of various techniques such as meditation, aromatherapy, music therapy, etc. These techniques help in separating physical sensations from thoughts and emotions which tend to aggravate the pain. As a person becomes emotionally stable, the pain begins to slowly dissipate.

Exercise plays an important role in arthritis treatment. It improves the circulation, coordination, posture, balance, increases relaxation, strengthens the muscles and improves mood. It also helps in correcting bad posture and incorrect movements, which are among the main causes of chronic pain.

Suman
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/adverse-effects-of-arthritis-painkillers-and-how-to-minimize-them-131645.html

There are new studies for relief for arthritis pain. The purpose of the study was to compare the effects of two common drugs on the gastrointestinal tract. This can make it easier for people who suffer from arthritis choose the right drug for their pain management program.

Arthritis patients who take the COX-2 inhibitor etoricoxib experience fewer incidence of upper gastrointestinal clinical events, symptoms and problems, than in patients who took the NSAID* diclofenac, according to an Article in The Lancet.

This information will assist with the treatment of arthritis, and when physicians need to make decisions concerning pain management.

NSAIDS are a long term arthritis treatment. However, they increase the risk of upper gastrointestinal clinical problems including, but not exclusive to, bleeding ulcers. Previous trials did not simulated standard clinical practice because gastrointestinal protective therapies like proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were not allowed.

Loren Laine (University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA) and colleagues analyse data from three randomised trials from the MEDAL (Multinational Etoricoxib and Diclofenac Arthritis Long-term) programme to assess the effects of the two drugs in a setting that simulates real-world practice, in patients with gastrointestinal risk.

Upper gastrointestinal clinical problems were less common with etoricoxib than with diclofenac, but only in simple cases. The more serious complicated events showed no significant difference whether patients took PPIs or asprin.

The authors of the study concludes: “The results of the MEDAL programme provide new information about upper gastrointestinal clinical events and symptoms to assist arthritis patients and their physicians to make decisions regarding NSAID use.”

In an accompanying Comment, Joost Drenth and Freek Verheugt (Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands) stated in an email, unofficially: “Though eterocoxib reduced upper gastrointestinal events, the effect was only small as 259 patients need to be treated to prevent one uncomplicated gastrointestinal event. The alternative, addition of a PPI to standard NSAID might be less expensive, potentially less cardiotoxic, and advantageous in terms of reducing dyspepsia, but here confirmation needs a randomised trial.”

Arthritis can drastically reduce the quality of life. Suffering from gastric problems, caused by drugs, can further reduce the quality of life. There is relief for arthritis patients, but they need to consult their physician before changing drugs or embarking on a pain management program.

Pain can help arthritic patients understand what is wrong with their bodies and correct the problem instead of masking the pain. There are supplements and practices that will help reduce the joint damage and inflammation that causes many types of arthritis.

Jumping on every new drug study may have negative effect on the body. Patients suffering from joint pain need to understand that other factors, like stress and weight, will cause arthritis and the level of pain suffered.

However, patients who are suffering from gastric problems may find some relief in the results of this test. It may give their physician an alternative to their current pain management program.

Patient empowerment is a strong element in patient care today and patients are encouraged to research pain management programs and make suggestions that fit their lifestyles, while still working with their physician’s program and techniques.

Ethan Miller
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/arthritis–113583.html

I am told it is due to my arthritic hip,which I have had for several years.Does anyone else out there get back pain from a dodgy hip??Thanks guys.

You don’t mention your age, but how do you know you have an arthritic hip? Have you ever had xrays to evaluate your hip? If you do in fact have arthritis in your hip it can affect the way you walk and stand which can certainly cause back pain.

However, there are other possibilities. You may have arthritis in your hip and are now developing arthritis in your back. Spinal stenosis can cause back pain radiating to your buttock and hip. Piriformis syndrome can cause hip pain that radiates up to your back. Or like you suggest, arthritis in your hip can cause hip pain radiating up to your back.

It is often a very difficult situation to sort out because the two areas are so close together and there are many possibilities. If these symptoms are preventing you from living your life you really need to see your doctor. He can examine you and order the appropriate studies to determine the source of your symptoms.

You can read more about back and hip pain at:
http://www.living-with-back-pain.org/lower-back-hip-pain.html

Good Luck
Dave
http://www.living-with-back-pain.org/

The symptoms of lower back pain vary from mild discomfort lasting for a short period to severe pain that is long term. Therefore if you are undergoing pain in your back and don’t seek some kind of treatment for backache, the pain could become a recurring one which would be harder to prevent. Back pain can be caused by excessive stress on the back, fractures, or arthritis of the spine; however, the most common cause is a sprain or strain.

A women gains an average of 25 pounds during pregnancy and loses most of it in the weeks following birth. As your uterus grows, its size causes your canter of balance to shift. To compensate for a heavier abdomen, you throw your shoulders back. This puts pressure on the lower back and gives pregnant women the “duck waddle” in their walk. Ligaments connect the uterus to the lower back and to the groin; as the baby grows, these stretch and cause pain. The pelvis is the bony structure through which the baby passes as he is born; in order to make room for him, the ligaments in the pelvis must stretch during pregnancy.

Causes of Low Back Pain

There are many diseases and injuries that can cause back pain. If back pain comes on suddenly, it’s usually a sign of a muscle tear, sprained ligament, or ruptured disc. The spine contains intervertebral discs, a kind of cushion made of cartilage that fits between two vertebrae (bone segments). A slipped disc occurs when pressure on a disc causes it to bulge or rupture, pushing cartilage sideways. The cartilage presses on the spinal cord nerves, causing intense pain.

Nutrition for a Healthy Back

Backache prevention and treatment are also connected with diet. Daily meals of a person taking care of their back should contain plenty of raw vegetables and fruits (except bananas). The backache sufferer should have three to four meals every day, which include, apart from fruits and vegetables, wholewheat products, milk and fruit juice. One suffering from back pain should avoid fatty and fried food, sugar, spicy condiments, strong tea and coffee.

Evening primrose and borage seed oils may help. A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine reported that tender and swollen joints were reduced in patients taking the gammalinolenic acid dose as opposed to a group taking a placebo (sugar pill). Black currant seed oil may also may reduce inflammation and joint tissue injury. The study was published in the British Journal of Rheumatology. If you are taking medication for arthritic pain, you may wish to combine it with either vitamin E or C. A study reported in Arzneimittelforschung reported that combining antioxidants or vitamin E with indometacin, sulphasalazine and/or indometacin controlled symptoms more effectively than drugs alone.

Remedies

Rhus toxicodendron: This remedy can be useful for pain in the neck and shoulders as well as the lower back, when the pain is worse on initial movement and improves with continued motion. Even though in pain, the person finds it hard to lie down or stay still for very long, and often restlessly paces about. Aching and stiffness are aggravated in cold damp weather and relieved by warm applications, baths or showers, and massage.

Sulphur: This remedy is often indicated when a person with back pain has a slouching posture. The back is weak and the person feels much worse from standing up for any length of time. Pain is also worse from stooping. Warmth may aggravate the pain and inflammation.

peterhutch
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/how-to-get-rid-of-backache-healthy-back-372659.html

More than 20 million Americans take Prozac, Ritalin, Xanax, Valium or other potent psychotropic (brain altering) drugs prescribed on the basis of DSM labels. Most of these patients – and their physicians – honestly believe that these drugs constitute “treatment.” But many of these patients would be better off receiving no treatment at all than taking drugs.

If you really dig into the facts it is obvious that we are being fed a bill of goods when it comes to depression.

•Depression is not a disease – Drug companies promote depression as a terrible disease that could lead to suicide if left untreated by their product. This has led to millions of people being over medicated with drugs that have serious side effects including the potential for suicide.

•Antidepressants do not fix anything – the biochemical imbalance theory is a myth concocted to justify the prescription of antidepressants. These drugs are not nearly as effective as we are led to believe and can lead to addiction.

•Doctors are not doing their jobs by writing a prescription – instead of finding the cause they are merely covering the symptoms. In most cases an antidepressants causes more problems because of the side effects.

•The Government can’t and won’t protect us – The current FDA admission that antidepressants can cause suicidal thoughts should concern everyone taking these drugs. The FDA had the information all along but refused to acknowledge it. The recent problems with other drugs such as Vioxx and Celebrex demonstrate clearly that the government is not watching out for the consumer.

•People’s lives are being ruined by a medical system out of control -

Psychiatrists have a history of using inappropriate drugs. At one time LSD and Ecstasy were used to “treat” patients.

•An even bigger crisis is coming – Children are now being targeted as the next big market for antidepressants. The federal government has launched a program that recommends screening school children for mental illness to promote the use of antidepressants.

There is nothing more important than taking care of your health. This is particularly true of taking care of your brain’s health, because a person can lead a fulfilling life with a bad kidney or an arthritic knee, brain dysfunction by its nature takes away the very substance of an individual. There is nothing more important than protecting your brain’s integrity.

It’s ironic and tragic that these drugs, which people take in the hope of lifting their depression, can cause both depression and mania while they are being taken and during withdrawal from them. The tragedy is compounded when doctors fail to realize that the patient is undergoing a withdrawal reaction, and instead conclude that the patient is suffering from a primary case of worsening depression or mania. The patient may even be put back on the drug, and other drugs may be added to the regimen, when the patient really needs to be withdrawn from the offending drug.

Picture for instance, a patient visiting a general practitioner for treatment of a swollen hand. A quick evaluation by the physician reveals that the hand indeed is twice its normal size, feels hot, and is turning an unpleasant color. Now suppose that the physician – instead of diagnosing the patient’s life threatening infection and treating the infection with antibiotics – simply prescribes pain killing drugs and sends the patient home! “Treating” a patient’s behavioral symptoms with an antidepressant is no different. Although the patient may be lulled into a temporary sense of wellness, the disease processes that created the patient’s symptoms are still present and often growing worse.

Jeffrey Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/the-misinformation-of-depression-99093.html