arthritis

Symptoms of Arthritis

In a previous article, we discussed what Arthritis is and its many forms, now it is time to take a look at the symptoms of Arthritis.

Arthritis shows up in various ways. Some of the first symptoms include things like knees cracking when you stand up, general pain or swelling around joints that lasts for more than two weeks. 

You may also notice that pain in your joints increases as you move, also you may notice increased stiffness in your joints when you wake up in the morning, and your joints may appear red and feel warm to the touch.

Some other symptoms of Arthritis include fever, a sense of feeling tired all the time, even a feeling that you have the flu. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is imperative that you see your doctor or physician at once. Only a doctor can truly diagnose whether you have Arthritis, and because there are over 100 forms of Arthritis, it is also important to determine which form of Arthritis you have. The different forms of Arthritis have different symptoms as well. It is also important to seek medical treatment as soon as possible, since Arthritis has no known cure, the sooner you seek treatment and begin a regimen of care, and the better your results of managing your Arthritis will be.

Your treatment plan may include things such as a specific course of medicine, plenty of rest, adequate diet, and proper nutrition, losing weight if you are overweight, and in severe cases, surgery may be required. In future articles we will look at treatment options, from Acupuncture to Zinc.

Is it Rheumatoid Arthritis or Osteoarthritis?

We’ve discussed that there are over 100 forms of Arthritis. The most common forms are Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Gout. All of these forms have different symptoms and require testing by your physician for an accurate diagnosis. Here are some of the symptoms and differences between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis:

Osteoarthritis is a result of cartilage being broke down. As this takes place, the bones rub together. This typically happens in the knees, hips, hands, and spine. Unfortunately, when the pain sets in there has already been a substantial loss and damage to the cartilage.

Rheumatoid Arthritis has different symptoms than Osteoarthritis. Here are the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Typically, Rheumatoid Arthritis affects the joint of the body in a symmetrical fashion. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a systematic disease and it often affects other organs in the body, and not just joints.

The symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis often appear, and then enter a state of remission. There is no proven reason as to the exact cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis, however it has been suspected that bacteria, fungi, and infections may cause it. There has also been evidence that Rheumatoid Arthritis is a hereditary condition. It is also believed that certain triggers, such as poor nutrition, stress, and infection can bring on Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Stay tuned for our next article, “Osteoarthritis: Cause and

Treatments”.

catvGastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects 45% of American adults, according to Wikipedia.  While prescription medications can reduce the acid within the stomach, they cannot actually fix the problem.  A new study is currently examining the effectiveness and safety of magnetic therapy for treating GERD.  If it proves to be effective, individuals will be able to utilize this type of therapy as a natural way to relieve GERD pain. 

Many people have to get surgery at some point in their lives for various reasons.  These reasons could include needing your tonsils taken out, having your appendix removed, having a ganglion cyst removed, heart problems, to stop internal bleeding from a serious injury, and so forth.  Recovery from surgery is often painful.  While medication can be prescribed for post-surgery pain, a new study indicates non-contact therapeutic touch may be a natural way in which post-surgery patients can relieve pain. 

Post-Surgery Pain

Recovering from surgery is often a slow and painful experience.  Many doctors prescribe painkillers for the pain that follows surgery.  However, some individuals have negative side effects to these drugs, experience allergic reactions, or simply would rather not take painkillers altogether. 

Non-Contact Therapeutic Touch

In non-contact therapeutic touch (NCTT) life energy is directed from one person to another.  This life energy helps restore balance within a person’s body, which helps him or her heal himself or herself.  Non-contact therapeutic touch contains four phases: centering, assessment, “unruffling” the field, and intervention. 

NCTT for Post-Surgery Pain

Guy McCormack, lead researcher for this study and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science at the MU School of Health Professions, and his colleagues wanted to determine if non-contact therapeutic touch would be effective for relieving the pain patients experience after having surgery.  The researchers divided 90 participants who were recovering from surgery and receiving occupational therapy into three groups.  The experimental group received non-contact therapeutic touch while a placebo group received metronome therapy.  Finally, a control group did not receive neither NCTT nor metronome treatment. 

The researchers discovered participants who received non-contact therapeutic touch had their pain greatly reduced at the end of the study whereas participants who received metronome treatment or who were in the control group had an increase in their pain levels.  Additionally, participants who received non-contact therapeutic touch also slept more comfortably and asked for less medication than participants in the other two groups.  More specifically, 73% of patients who received NCTT had their pain significantly reduced, slept better, and asked for less medication. 

It appears that non-contact therapeutic touch may be a good, natural way to reduce post-surgery pain for many people.  However, this was a small study, and larger studies should be performed to further support the idea of utilizing NCTT to reduce post-surgery pain.  Perhaps in the future, NCTT will become a widespread option in addition to conventional therapy for post-surgery pain. 

Source:

Medical News Today: Non-Traditional Therapy is Effective As Pain Management, MU Researcher Demonstrates
 

Seniors often experience chronic pain.  Some of the reasons older individuals might experience chronic pain include bad knees or hips, arthritis, and osteoporosis.  A new study indicates that spending time on-line may help seniors cope with and naturally relieve chronic pain. 

Sources of Chronic Pain

As I mentioned seniors may suffer from chronic pain for a number of reasons.  It is not unusual for older individuals to develop arthritis, where cartilage, the cushioning for the joints, breaks down, causing swelling, pain, and stiffness.  Arthritis commonly affects the fingers, hips, knees, neck, hands, and elbows. 

Another form of chronic pain for seniors is osteoporosis.  Osteoporosis is a condition where the bones become extremely brittle and fragile.  When an individual has osteoporosis, his or her bones can be broken very easily.  When bones break, they hurt tremendously.  Additionally, if the bone doesn’t heal right, it can lead to chronic pain. 

Finally, seniors are at risk for other forms of chronic pain.  Car accidents, injuries, and falls may lead to chronic pain as well. 

On-line Coping Techniques for Relieving Chronic Pain

A group of Chicago-based researchers conducted this study.  They wanted to determine the effectiveness of mind-body self-care techniques available on-line in relieving pain.  They divided 78 participants aged 55 years and older into two groups.  One group participated in the on-line intervention while the other group acted as a control group.

Participants in the intervention group accessed a website that contained pain coping techniques at least once a week for six weeks.  Pain coping techniques included relaxation, writing about positive experiences, creative visual expression, abdominal breathing, writing about difficult experiences, and positive thinking.  The website also included instructional manuals, which included textural and video components and worksheets where participants could reflect on their development of their coping skills and responses to pain. 

The researchers examined the participants’ pain intensity and their ability to cope with their pain at the beginning and end of the study.  Additionally, the researchers evaluated the extent to which participants’ pain interfered with daily life and their awareness of their responses to pain.

At the end of the study, the researchers discovered those who had participated in the on-line intervention were significantly more aware of their pain responses and experienced lower pain levels than the control group.  Additionally, those who learned the self-care techniques on-line had pain interfere with their daily lives less often than the control group did at the end of the study. 

The researchers believe an on-line intervention may help older individuals learn self-care techniques, manage their pain with different types of methods, and help them integrate these self-care techniques into their daily lives to manage pain. 

Source:

Science Daily: Science News: Surfing the Net Helps Seniors Cope With Pain

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) also known as recurrent canker sores is one of the most common oral conditions, according to Wikipedia, affecting approximately 10% of the American population.  While canker sores are so common, there has been surprisingly little research on natural treatments for the condition.  A recent study indicates vitamin B12 may be an effective natural treatment for recurrent painful canker sores.

Recurrent Canker Sores

Canker sores often start as a tingling or burning sensation where the future ulcer will appear, according to Wikipedia.  After a couple of days, a red bump often follows, which eventually becomes an open ulcer (canker sore).  Canker sores often appear as a white or yellow oval surrounded by a red, inflamed border.  Canker sores are often very painful, especially when it is aggravated by food or brushing.  Sometimes tooth pain can accompany canker sores, especially when the sore develops on your gums. 

B12 for Canker Sores

Dr. Ilia Volkov and colleagues at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev conducted the study.  One group of participants received 1,000 micrograms of B12 every night by mouth for six months while the other group of participants received a placebo every night for the duration of six months.  All of the participants were evaluated once a month during the study period. 

The researchers discovered that during the first four months of the study, the average number of ulcers, outbreaks, and duration of ulcers decreased for individuals in both groups.  However, only those who received vitamin B12 during the study experienced significantly decreased outbreaks, duration, and levels of pain from the canker sores during the fifth and sixth months of the research. 

In addition, while a significant number of individuals who received B12 during the study had no canker sores at the end of the study, only approximately one-third of those who received a placebo possessed no canker sores at the end of the research.  More specifically, while 74% of individuals who took B12 for six months had no canker sores at the end of the study period, only 32% of individuals who took the placebo had no canker sores at the sixth month evaluation. 

This study seems to indicate that vitamin B12 may be a safe and effective natural treatment option for preventing and treating canker sores.  If you decide to try B12 for your canker sores, please come back and let me know if it was effective for you. 

Sources:

Science Daily: Vitamin B12 Identified As An Effective Canker Sore Therapy, Study Suggests

Wikipedia: Aphthous Ulcer

While chest pain may be caused by heart attacks or angina, sometimes chest pain does not appear to have a biomedical cause.  This type of chest pain is referred to as unexplained chest pain.  A new thesis study indicates unexplained chest pain occurs more often in individuals who are stressed or experience anxiety or depression.  Of course, there are natural ways in which one can relieve stress, anxiety, and depression, which can reduce the occurrence of unexplained chest pain. 

Unexplained Chest Pain

The thesis study was conducted by Annika Janson Fagring at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.  In her thesis study, Annika Janson Fagring analyzed many factors that are related to unexplained chest pain for both males and females.  She discovered most of the individuals who suffered from unexplained chest pain were middle-aged and approximately one-third of them were born outside of Sweden. 

The main difference between men and women with unexplained chest pain, found in this study, was that men saw their lives and jobs as stressful whereas women experienced more symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.  When men and women were compared to individuals without heart disease, both men and women had more symptoms of anxiety, depression, and work-related stress than those without heart disease did. 

Additionally, men were more physically active than women with unexplained chest pain.  However, when compared to individuals without heart disease, both men and women lead more sedentary lives. 

Relieving Stress

Stress is an aspect of daily life we all have to cope with on a regular basis.  However, stress can affect our physical and mental health.  Thus, relieving stress will help you keep yourself healthy.  There are several ways to naturally relieve stress. 

Utilizing relaxation techniques is a great way to relieve stress.  Progressive muscle relaxation, for instance, helps you relax every muscle in your body.  To do this relaxation exercise, you will tense and then relax every muscle group in your body, one group at a time.  To learn how to do progressive muscle relaxation, please visit the Arthritis Foundation. 

Listening to soft music can also relax you.  Put on your favorite relaxing artist, such as Enya, and listen to it when you are feeling particularly stressed.  There are also CDs that contain collections of music, made specifically for stress relief.  You can find these CDs in music stores as well as in department stores. 

Doing something you enjoy everyday can help you relax as well.  Read a book, knit, sew, take pictures, draw, paint, color, or take a walk to reduce stress.  Taking some time for yourself each day is important.

While stress can certainly lead to poor physical and mental health, utilizing natural stress relieving techniques can help you relieve stress and feel better about yourself.  Stress reduction may also help you reduce unexplained chest pain. 

Sources:

Medical News Today: Stress Can be the Cause Unexpected Chest Pain

Arthritis Foundation: Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Like adults, children and teens suffer from chronic pain.  Their pain may be the result of juvenile arthritis, fibromyalgia, injuries from an accident, or surgery.  However, little research has been done on what alternative therapies are helpful for children and teens suffering with chronic pain.  A new study indicates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may be a useful and natural way to relieve pain for children and teens. 

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy that utilizes behavioral changes and commitment along with mindfulness and acceptance strategies to increase psychological flexibility, according to Wikipedia.  ACT differs from Cognitive-Behavioral therapy in that while cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches individuals to control their thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensations, ACT teaches people to notice and accept thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensations. 

ACT operates off of six core principles.  These are:

· Recognizing thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensation for what they are
· Being present in the here and now
· Setting goals according to one’s values, then carrying them out in a responsible way
· Accessing a transcendental sense of self
· Accepting thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensations and allowing them to come and go without fighting them
· Discovering one’s true values

ACT for Chronic Pain Relief for Children and Teens

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institute indicates ACT may be a useful way for children and teens to reduce their chronic pain.  In the study, the goals of ACT were to have the patients work with therapists to identify long-term goals and to discover how pain controlled the patients’ daily lives.  The therapy was also to help patients learn how to live with their painful conditions more effectively to promote a better quality of life. 

Richard Wicksell, researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience and psychologist at the Pain Unit, located at the Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital in Solna, as well as the investigator for this study said, “We identify what it is the patient avoids and address the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.  We train them to put themselves in situations they’ve been avoiding in a way that’s impaired their quality of life.  It’s important for them to stand up and look beyond the immediate present.”

In one of his studies, Wicksell compared two groups of children and teens who suffered from chronic pain.  One group of kids received traditional treatment for chronic pain, including medication, while the other group of kids participated in ACT.  Six months later, all of the children were evaluated.  It was found that those who had participated in ACT were in less pain, were more able to function in their daily lives, and were less anxious about the future and taking part in activities than those who had received traditional treatment. 

It appears ACT may be a good, natural way to reduce pain for children and teens who suffer from it.  Contact your insurance company to determine who in your area provides ACT. 

Sources:

Wikipedia: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Medical News Today: Therapy Helps Children and Teenagers in Pain

Leukoderma is the partial or complete loss of pigmentation cells.  This condition often occurs in patches, which appear white on the skin.  Scientists at the Banaras Hindu University have discovered an ointment made with natural ingredients can naturally cure leukoderma. 

Leukoderma

Leukoderma is a condition in which partial or complete loss of pigmentation cells occurs.  Typically, this condition appears as white patches on the skin.  Leukoderma has several possible causes.  The causes of leukoderma may include: genetic causes, such as partial albinism, tuberous sclerosis, and piebaldism, infections, such as leprosy, syphilis, and lichen planus, post-inflammatory conditions, such as thermal burns, cutaneous lupus eythematosus, and imunological conditions, such as vitilgo and halo mole.  Leukoderma may also occur as a result of being exposed to certain chemicals.

Chickpea Ointment for Leukoderma

The scientists at the Banaras Hindu University in Uttar Pradesh claim that a chickpea ointment cures leukoderma.  The ointment, with its main ingredient being chickpeas, is placed on a person’s white spots in order to repigment the skin.  The ointment also contains other herbs.

The doctors also recommend patients affected by leukoderma eat chickpeas in their diets.  S. N. Ojha, one of the doctors claiming this ointment effectively treats leukoderma said, “We used a lot of things to cure leukoderma, but never been successful in curing this disease.  This time we are curing patients by putting chickpea ointment on their affected areas.  We also recommend the patients to consume a lot of chickpeas in their regular diets, too.”

Apparently, chickpeas possess amino acids that help promote the synthesis of melanin formation cells, regrow skin pigment cells, and treat leukoderma.  Melanin cells are also known as skin pigmentation cells. 

The scientists said they took the Ayurvedic approach to making an ointment to treat this skin condition. 

Leukoderma may be naturally treated or even cured with this chickpea based ointment, according to these scientists.  Perhaps this ointment will become available in other part of the world for the successful treatment of this skin condition. 

Sources:

Medindia: Leukoderma Cured With Chickpeas – Banaras University Scientists

Derm Net NZ: Leukoderma

A disease that was once thought to only strike young girls and women, has also been known to find men and boys. Natural relief is necessary for the safety of the person with anorexia. If someone is not treated, it can be deadly. Here are some natural treatments and help for anorexia sufferers.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa, or known as anorexia is a disease that can strike anyone. It is an eating disorder that causes people to think they are overweight when they clearly are not. But did you know it can also be caused by loss of appetite or disliking foods due to some reason unknown?

Causes of Anorexia

• Issues psychologically – depression, physical or sexual abuse, need for control, feelings of ineffectiveness or low-self-esteem
• Culture provides pressure to look a certain way
• Genetic factors
• Attention 
• Emotional needs are fulfilled by controling ones weight
• Symptoms of starving
• Life changes – breakups, death of someone they love, beginning adolescence, failing in school
• Family environment – irregularity of cooking or serving of meals, as well as constant fighting in the house

Remedies

Counseling

If you suspect someone has an eating disorder, or you have one, you should seek professional help right away. Talking to a professional about your feelings will help. Also, a nutritionist may be provided to help you find the right diet that will help you eat, but not feel like you’re eating unhealthy.

Group support

If you don’t want to go to counseling, seek group support. There are several websites that you can go online to find help. I know there are many out there, but I’ve listed a only few. If you have a group that has helped you, please let me know.

• http://www.edsupport.co.za/
• http://eatingdisorders.about.com/od/seekingprofessionalhelp/a/findsupgroup.htm
• http://www.anad.org/

Nutrition

A person with anorexia doesn’t have to stop eating altogether. Generally, someone has an eating disorder because they feel like they are overweight. So, they’re probably not going to eat a hamburger. Here are some great foods that will help with eating healthy. They will also help if you are experiencing no appetite or lack of taste.

• Eat 2-3 oranges a day – extremely beneficial
• Cloves recipe – take 1 cup of water, boil with 2-3 cloves. Strain, add 1/2 lime juice. Drink twice a day for 7 days.
• Apples – great way to stimulate the digestive tract and keep the flow of pepsin (enzyme that helps with digestion) – plus apples are healthy
• Eat garlic – another great digestive stimulator. A recipe for garlic soup – boil 3-4 raw garlic cloves in water. Enhance with 1/2 a lemon. Take two times a day.
• Ginger – treats loss of appetite – Ground about 5 mg. of ginger and lick with a little rock-salt once a day
• Horseradish – stimulates appetite
• Other herbs that encourage eating – lavender, sage, chamomile, tarragon, thyme, wormwood, marjoram, hawthorn, hops, centaury, yarrow, myrrh and gentian.

When I was young, I had an eating disorder. When I would look in the mirror, I would see an overweight person. However, I was not. I was 5′ tall weighting 111 pounds, wearing a size 2. When I started losing weight, down to 95 pounds and a size 0, my family would make comments about me being too skinny. I liked the attention I was getting, which kept me not eating. I did eat, but it would be a salad all day. I ate salads because I thought they were healthy. Another reason for my disease was the control factor. I liked feeling starved. It made me feel in control, and in a way, I was punishing myself. I also chose my foods based on nutrition. But if I would eat a tiny bite of candy bar, just to get my fix of chocolate, no more than that. I didn’t want to gain weight. Like most who suffer with anorexia, I’m not cured. I still struggle today. I eat everything, and don’t worry about my weight (even though I see someone else in the mirror), but I get by. It is so important to find a support group or counselor who can help you.

Good luck. Send me your comments if you were ever where I was. 

A new study seems to indicate pain may be naturally relieved or reduced through Zen meditation.  Many people utilize Zen meditation to calm their minds and bodies and to gain insights into the nature of existence.  When one receives insights into existence, he or she may then gain enlightenment.  However, Zen meditation may also be useful for naturally reducing or relieving pain. 

Meditation

There are several different types of meditation, but the National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine identifies four basic components to all meditation practices: being in a quiet space, keeping an open attitude toward the flow of distractions and thoughts, being in a comfortable, but specific posture, and focusing.  These elements are common to all stand-alone meditations and meditation used in conjunction with other practices, such as tai chi, yoga, and qi gong.  Additionally, meditation is a practice that encompasses a wide range of techniques that requires a controlled focus on words, posture, objects, or breath to attain psychological balance, calmness, disease control, relaxation, or overall wellness. 

Zen Meditation for Pain Relief

Canadian researchers, Joshua A. Grant, a researcher in the department of physiology at the University of Montreal, and Dr. Pierre Rainville, a colleague at the University of Montreal, examined the effects of Zen meditation on moderate pain.  They enrolled 13 meditation practitioners and 13 men and women of similar age with no yoga or meditation background into the study.  All of the meditation practitioners had at least 1,000 hours of meditation practice before the study began. 

The researchers utilized high-tech heated probes to administer painful and non-painful stimulations to each participant’s left calf.  Neutral stimulations were 37 degrees Celsius in temperature, warm, but non-painful stimulations were 43 degrees Celsius, and moderately painful stimulations reached 53 degrees Celsius in temperature.  Participants were either instructed to keep their eyes closed and to not fall asleep, to shut their eyes and focus their attention on the left leg stimulation, or to close their eyes, focus on the left leg, and to try not to judge the stimulation, but instead to observe the sensation from moment to moment.  The researchers had each participant rate their pain for each stimulation.

They discovered meditation practitioners experienced less pain when they were told to close their eyes, focus on the left leg, and to try not to judge the stimulation, but instead to observe the sensation from moment to moment.  These instructions were meant to provoke meditative mindfulness.  By contrast, individuals who did not practice meditation were not helped by these instructions. 

This study indicates Zen meditation may be useful for individuals suffering from painful conditions.  Zen meditation may help naturally reduce or relive pain. 

Sources:

Health Day: News for Healthier Living: The Zen Way to Pain Relief

Wikipedia: Zazen