The exact form of osteoarthritis may vary from mild to serious, but its prevalence (12% of population suffers from this disease) makes it extremely important for the public health. The stiffness of the body and pain in the joints are two main results of osteoarthritis. While they often can mild enough to be treated as a natural state of aged organism rather than a disease, sometimes they may cause serious problems, effectively paralyzing people.
Chronic osteoarthritis is here to stay. Once it shows up, there is no way back to full health. However, it does not mean that you have to lay down your weapon. You can still stop the disease from aggravating or even reverse it provided that you have acted soon enough.
Your prime weapon against osteoarthritis isn’t the doctor’s prescriptions, but remaining fit. A mix of sport, cardiovascular exercises and a healthy diet may do wonders to your condition. Generally, anything that increase your muscles abilities to move joints is good – it reduces stress put on the cartilage and thus slows down the speed of its loss. Every pound of muscles you gain is a year more in good health. Every pound of fat you lose during the exercising is a pound less for your joints to carry.
Ice and hot baths are the two best methods of getting rid of the pain which comes along with osteoarthritis. Hot bath makes blood flow faster and muscles relax, thus decreasing the pain. The affected joints however, have to be treated with ice rather than hot water – unlike in case of rheumatoid arthritis, heat will only increase the pain.
Over-the-counter pain killers such as Acetaminophen are also an acceptable solution for those who do not want to ask their doctors for some prescription drugs. If it doesn’t help though, contact your doctor immediately and ask for some stronger drugs. Just remember to learn about the side-effects – as you are going to take the pills for a long time, you’d better be prepared for all possible problems.
The second best thing that slows down the osteoarthritis is Omega-3 fatty acids. They are second only to frequent exercises. The only problem is that these nutrients are naturally found only in a few kinds of fish and in flax, making it very difficult to compose a healthy and varied diet capable of providing enough Omega-3 fatty acids. While Mediterraneans are generally able to get enough seafood to do it, North Americans most often rely on Omega Daily and other similar supplements to get enough Omega-3 fatty acids to lessen the impact of arthritis on their lives.
To sum everything up: stay in shape, eat a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids and keep thew pain in check with as few medications as possible. This will reduce the risk of the joint’s overstress and increases the ability to withstand inevitable cartilage loss.
Making Easy Healthy Vegetarian Recipes
Tags: Food, Food
