Arthritis
In order to bring you the most current and up-to-date information, we are constantly researching and adding data regarding Arthritis. In the spirit of community, we also ask that as you find or know about relevant information or resources for Arthritis, you contribute your information at info@sharingwellnessinfo.com. The data on these conditions will grow because there is so much to be gathered and assimilated. Meanwhile, we are providing you a place to start your research and hope that you will feed back to us what else you find for addition here.
Being Informed
The more you know and understand about the cause of symptoms and what your body requires, the more you can help yourself heal or recover. In the case of arthritis, it is important to know what to do to minimize the inflammation and pain.
For more information about arthritis and available assistance regarding any type of arthritis, you may wish to contact The Arthritis Foundation at http://www.arthritis.org. For more details on any one of the diseases listed above, go to
http://www.arthritis.org
General Description of Arthritis
Arthritis may appear in many different forms. The term “arthritis” means inflammation or swelling with heat, often accompanied by redness and pain. Arthritis includes a group of more than 100 diseases that fall into a category called rheumatic disorders. Two of the most commonly diagnosed forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
From 1985 to 2002 the number of Americans with arthritis or chronic joint symptoms jumped from 35 million to 70 million (1 in 3 adults).
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most commonly diagnosed form of arthritis in the United States and begins with the breakdown of cartilage in one or more joints. Osteoarthritis is usually diagnosed because the breakdown causes joint pain and/or stiffness. The pain and/or stiffness may occur in any joint and is usually found in one where the person has a history of injury or unusual stress. Some of the most common occurrences are fingers, knees, hips, spine, wrists, elbows, shoulders, and ankles. More women are affected by OA than men. Those over 45 are at highest risk of developing RA. This is a degenerative joint disease usually affects the distal joints, or the joints at the end of your fingers and toes, not the middle ones. Additionally, it’s not symmetrical, so typically you may have it on just one joint, or on one hand or foot and not the other.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may show up in your body in many different ways because it involves the inflammation of the joint lining, or synovium, and can show up in joints or in other parts of the body such as the blood, the lungs, or the heart. It can cause inflammation of tear glands and salivary glands as well. Inflammation of the synovium may cause pain, stiffness, swelling, weakness, warmth, and/or redness. The affected joint may lose its shape and cause loss of normal movement. Rheumatoid arthritis affects a smaller percentage of the population in the United States; is more common in women than men; usually develops between the ages of 20 and 50 but may appear in younger children as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
RA, on the other hand, is an autoimmune disease that causes your body to break itself down. Therefore, it tends to be bilateral and symmetrical, meaning it’s the same on both sides of your body. If you only have a specific joint affected on one side of your body it is far less likely to be RA. It also affects your middle joints, and is associated with joint deformities, especially your hands and fingers. It can be very crippling, and people do die from rheumatoid arthritis, so it’s not something to be treated lightly.
The common thread among arthritic conditions is that they affect the musculoskeletal system and specifically the joints, where two or more bones meet. Arthritis-related joint problems include pain, stiffness, inflammation, and damage to joint cartilage and the surrounding structures. The damage can lead to joint weakness, instability and visible deformities-some of which because of their location-interfere with daily tasks like walking, climbing stairs, typing, cutting food, or brushing your hair or teeth. Many other people are affected by the systemic nature (whole body) that the disease may take. Arthritis can cause damage to virtually any bodily organ or system including the heart, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels, and skin.
Other arthritic conditions include:
Achilles tendonitis
Achondroplasia
Acromegalic arthropathy
Adhesive capsulitis
Adult onset Still's disease
Ankylosing spondylitis
Anserine bursitis
Avascular necrosis
Behcet's syndrome
Bicipital tendonitis
Blount's disease
Brucellar spondylitis
Bursitis
Calcaneal bursitis
Calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate (CPPD)
Crystal deposition disease
Caplan's syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Chondrocalcinosis
Chondromalacia patellae
Chronic synovitis
Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis
Churg-Strauss syndrome
Cogan's syndrome
Corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis
Costosternal syndrome
CREST syndrome
Cryoglobulinemia
Degenerative joint disease
Dermatomyositis
Diabetic finger sclerosis
Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH)
Discitis
Discoid lupus erythematosus
Drug-induced lupus
Duchenne's muscular dystrophy
Dupuytren's contracture
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Enteropathic arthritis
Epicondylitis
Erosive inflammatory osteoarthritis
Exercise-induced compartment syndrome
Fabry's disease
Familial Mediterranean fever
Farber's lipogranulomatosis
Felty's syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Fifth's disease
Flat feet
Foreign body synovitis
Freiberg's disease
Fungal arthritis
Gaucher's disease
Giant cell arteritis
Gonococcal arthritis
Goodpasture's syndrome
Gout
Granulomatous arteritis
Hemarthrosis
Hemochromatosis
Henoch-Schonlein purpura
Hepatitis B surface antigen disease
Hip dysplasia
Hurler syndrome
Hypermobility syndrome
Hypersensitivity vasculitis
Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy
Immune complex disease
Impingement syndrome
Jaccoud's arthropathy
Juvenile ankylosing spondylitis
Juvenile dermatomyositis
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Kawasaki disease
Kienbock's disease
Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
Lesch-Nyhan syndrome
Linear scleroderma
Lipoid dermatoarthritis
Lofgren's syndrome
Lyme disease
Malignant synovioma
Marfan's syndrome
Medial plica syndrome
Metastatic carcinomatous arthritis
Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)
Mixed cryoglobulinemia
Mucopolysaccharidosis
Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis
Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia
Mycoplasmal arthritis
Myofascial pain syndrome
Neonatal lupus
Neuropathic arthropathy
Nodular panniculitis
Ochronosis
Olecranon bursitis
Osgood-Schlatter's disease
Osteoarthritis
Osteochondromatosis
Osteogenesis imperfecta
Osteomalacia
Osteomyelitis
Osteonecrosis
Osteoporosis
Overlap syndrome
Pachydermoperiostosis Paget's disease of bone
Palindromic rheumatism
Patellofemoral pain syndrome
Pellegrini-Stieda syndrome
Pigmented villonodular synovitis
Piriformis syndrome
Plantar fasciitis
Polyarteritis nodosa
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Polymyositis
Popliteal cysts
Posterior tibial tendinitis
Pott's disease
Prepatellar bursitis
Prosthetic joint infection
Pseudoxanthoma elasticum
Psoriatic arthritis
Raynaud's phenomenon
Reactive arthritis/Reiter's syndrome
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome
Relapsing polychondritis
Retrocalcaneal bursitis
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid vasculitis
Rotator cuff tendinitis
Sacroiliitis
Salmonella osteomyelitis
Sarcoidosis
Saturnine gout
Scheuermann's osteochondritis
Scleroderma
Septic arthritis
Seronegative arthritis
Shigella arthritis
Shoulder-hand syndrome
Sickle cell arthropathy
Sjogren's syndrome
Slipped capital femoral epiphysis
Spinal stenosis
Spondylolysis
Staphylococcus arthritis
Stickler syndrome
Subacute cutaneous lupus
Sweet's syndrome
Sydenham's chorea
Syphilitic arthritis
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
Takayasu's arteritis
Tarsal tunnel syndrome
Tennis elbow
Tietse's syndrome
Transient osteoporosis
Traumatic arthritis
Trochanteric bursitis
Tuberculosis arthritis
Arthritis of Ulcerative colitis
Undifferentiated connective tissue syndrome (UCTS)
Urticarial vasculitis
Viral arthritis
Wegener's granulomatosis
Whipple's disease
Wilson's disease
Yersinial arthritis
Diagnosis of Arthritis
Your doctor can diagnose arthritis and may recommend that you see a rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in rheumatic disorders.
Osteoarthritis Diagnosis-Expect your doctor to:
o Request x-rays
o Perform joint aspiration-withdraw and examine synovial fluid from the affected joint or joints using a needle
Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis-Expect your doctor to:
o Conduct a physical exam; takes medical history if first visit
o Request a sedimentation rate (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) because people with RA tend to have abnormally high sed rates.
o Request a rheumatoid factor blood test since up to 90% of people with RA have such an antibody.
o May take x-rays of affected joints.
Symptoms of Arthritis
Osteoarthritis Symptoms:
o Pain in a joint-may be steady or intermittent
o Stiffness after periods of inactivity (sleeping or sitting)
o Crunching noise or the sound of bone rubbing against bone when a joint is moved
o Swelling or tenderness in one or more joints
Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms:
o Differ from person to person
o Affected joints may feel tender, warm, or swollen
o Fatigue and a general sense of malaise (not feeling well)
o Pain and stiffness that may come and go
o Redness may appear
Beneficial Modalities for Arthritis
Water exercises
Massage
Acupuncture
Homeopathy
Allopathic Medicine
Relaxation Therapies
Visualization
Imagery
Also, according to Dr. Mercola, there are some treatments that work for both types of arthritis. Some of the treatment methods available are similar for both, as both involve joint pain, swelling and inflammation. Hence the typical anti-inflammatory approaches such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and analgesics, like Tylenol, can be used for either.
However, while these can relieve pain – and there’s a lot to be said for pain relief – it’s very important to understand that the regular, chronic use of these types of medications are associated with significant, and very serious, side effects such as kidney and/or liver damage. In the U.S. overuse of analgesics such as these are very common sources of kidney failure.
NSAIDs also kill some 30,000 people every year due to bleeding ulcers, and the oral drugs have been linked to a host of problems, including heart failure -- Vioxx and Celebrex being prime examples of these very real dangers. This is not to say that they are not useful agents in some cases, however you need to use them very cautiously.
This is also why it’s so vital that you seek out the underlying cause of your problem and treat it “at the root,” so you do not need to pursue these types of medications.
With respect to treatments, there are some commonalities even when using natural approaches.
Omega-3 fats – One of the primary treatment methods you’ll want to include for either of these conditions is a high quality source of animal-based omega-3 fats such as krill oil. Omega-3s are an essential component that your body needs to reduce inflammation.
Nutritional typing – Your unique biochemistry and genetics influence the ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrates your body needs to thrive, so eating for your nutritional type will ensure that you get the optimal macronutrient ratio out of your diet.
Safe symptomatic approaches for pain -- There are some symptomatic approaches you can use for both conditions.
One of them would be glucosamine, which is especially beneficial for osteoarthritis. However, understand that although useful, this is also little more than a band-aid and will not treat the underlying cause. But it’s certainly safer than using NSAIDs and other dangerous medications.
Another treatment I’ve found to be particularly useful is the Indian herb boswellia. It is used very effectively to treat joint inflammation, but again, it’s not treating the cause, only the symptom.
Acupuncture is also a safe and typically effective treatment method for pain.
According to an article entitled Cetyl Myristoleate: A Unique Natural Compound, Valuable in Arthritis Conditions by Dr. Chalres Cochran and Dr. Raymond Dent (This article was sponsored--it is unclear whether the authors had any vested interest in the findings.), Dorland's Medical Dictionary describes 27 different types of arthritis that do not include conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, fibromyalgia, and numerous other conditions which some authorities consider to be types of arthritis. They note that given the degree of complexity, no one agent could ever be expected to manage or cure "arthritis" in its entirety. They go on to write about a relatively new discovery of a natural substance, cetyl myristoleate, that shows promise of making a great contribution in non-infective types of arthritis. [Editor note: from the web, it appears this article would have been done between 1996 and 2002.] Following is the basic info presented about the substance and how they reported its uses with treating arthritis.
Cetyl myristoleate was discovered and isolated by one person, working alone, on a quest to find a cure for arthritis. Harry W. Diehl, while employed by the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases, specialized in sugar chemistry. He used his chemical knowledge and research instincts to great advantage, identifying and characterizing over 500 compounds, several
of which were patented by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). His most significant discovery before cetyl myristoleate was a method of synthesizing 2-deoxydextroribose, a sugar used in the preparation of oral polio vaccine by Dr. Jonas Salk. Through a long, tedious effort, Diehl finally found the factor that protected mice from arthritis when he tried to induce it and that was cetyl myristoleate. He then proved that this substance circulates in the blood of mice and makes them immune to arthritis. Cetyl myristoleate is now known to exist in sperm whale oil and in a small gland in the male beaver. At this time no other sources in nature are known to contain cetyl myristoleate. While the first amounts of cetyl myristoleate for experimentation were extracted from mice, Diehl quickly developed a method for making cetyl myristoleate in the lab by the esterification of myristoleic acid.
Diehl patented his discovery in 1977, receiving a use patent for rheumatoid arthritis. He then sought pharmaceutical companies to conduct human trials with cetyl myristoleate, but none were interested in his discovery. Perhaps the lack of interest was because cetyl myristoleate was a natural substance and could not be granted a product patent, or maybe because drug companies know they will have
to run through 25,000 to 35,000 substances before they find one that makes it to market.
However, as Diehl aged, he began to experience some osteoarthritis in his hands, knees, and heels. His family doctor tried the usual regimen of cortisone and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs without much effect on the course of the disease and eventually told him he could not have any more cortisone. That is when he thought his discovery and decided to make a batch and use it on himself. He did and successfully cured himself of osteoarthritis.
As family members and friends learned of his relief from his discovery, they wanted to try it, too. People with both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis got astounding relief with cetyl myristoleate--repeatedly. As family members and friends grew into customers, cetyl myristoleate appeared on the market as a dietary supplement in 1991.
In common with many other natural substances and drugs, the exact mechanism of cetyl myristoleate's physiologic activity is unclear. As a fatty acid ester, it appears to have the same characteristics as
the essential fatty acids, linoleic and alpha linolenic acids, except stronger and longer lasting. These fatty acids are referred to as "essential fatty acids" because the human body cannot make them
and we must ingest them in our diets. These EFA's truly are essential to normal cell structure and body function and function as components of nerve cells, cell membranes, and hormone-like substances known as prostaglandins. Many of the beneficial effects of a diet rich in plant foods is a result of the low levels of saturated fat and the relatively higher levels of EFA's. While a diet high in saturated fat has been linked to many chronic diseases, a diet low in saturated fat but high in EFA's prevents these very same diseases.7 The use of EFA's over an extended period of time has been shown to decrease the
pain, inflammation, and limitation of motion of arthritis. The difference between the activity of EFA's and cetyl myristoleate is that the quantity required and the period of time over which EFA's are taken are markedly longer. Cetyl myristoleate is taken in a one month course of about 13 grams, while EFA's must be taken over extended periods, sometimes many years, and intake varies widely from hundreds to thousands of grams. Cetyl myristoleate seems to have properties in common with EFA's, but it acts faster and lasts longer.
Because EFA's are necessary for normal functioning of all tissue, it is not surprising that the list of symptoms of EFA deficiency is a long one. In chronic inflammatory processes, the supply of EFA's is
depleted. Cetyl myristoleate appears to have the ability to correct the imbalance created by chronic inflammation. Like EFA's, maybe cetyl myristoleate turns off the fires of chronic inflammation by serving as a mediator of prostaglandin formation and metabolism. Venous blood from the gastrointestinal tract is carried to the liver via the portal vein. With the exception of intestinal
chylomicrons that enter the lymphatics, all absorbed products pass initially through the liver, and in most instances are extracted or modified before passage into systemic circulation. Since all fatty
acids enter systemic circulation through the liver, an oil like cetyl myristoleate would begin its systemic circulation from the liver also. It is speculated that cetyl myristoleate stimulates the production of immunoglobulins and series 1 and 3 prostaglandins, which could be one explanation for why cetyl myristoleate has such potent effect in auto-immune and inflammatory conditions.
For the entire article and references, see http://www.tldp.com/issue/168/168cetyl.html and a related article from Quarterly Review of Natural Medicine can be seen at http://arthritis-symptom.com/cetylmyristoleate/cetyl-myristoleate-austin.htm.
References for Arthritis
Websites
Medline Plus-Arthritis |
Mercola |
Arthritis-Symptom.com |
Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients |
Bayho |
Organizations/Associations
NIH-Medline |
Arthritis Foundation |
Arthritis Foundation |
American College of Rheumatology |
Wellness Tools for Arthritis
Intercepted Signs in the Horoscope & Their Impact on the Physical Well-Being of the Individual
This is a very interesting article reporting the research of Lynn Koiner, noted astrologer and author of numerous articles on astrology and health. She reports on her findings and correlations of cell salts and various astrological interceptions.
Turmeric -- The Super Spice
