Get Arthritis Relief

The Mayo Clinic has been using antibiotics to treat rheumatoid arthritis infections and preliminary results are now being published.

Researchers continue to explore the possibility that rheumatoid arthritis may be triggered by some form of infection. If true, it may be possible to prevent or stop the progression of the disease by taking an antibiotic.

However, studies of the usefulness of antibiotic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis have produced mixed results.

Check this link for conclusions

When your knee hurts, getting relief is all that’s on your mind. Getting the right relief, though, depends on knowing what’s wrong. The correct diagnosis will lead to the correct treatment.Know Your Knee!

The knee is the largest joint in the body. It’s also one of the most complicated. The knee joint is made up of four bones that are connected by muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The femur (large thigh bone) interacts with the two shin bones, the tibia (the larger one) located towards the inside and the fibula (the smaller one) located towards the outside. Where the femur meets the tibia is termed the joint line. The patella, (the knee cap) is the bone that sits in the front of the knee. It slides up and down in a groove in the lower part of the femur (the femoral groove) as the knee bends and straightens.

Ligaments are the strong rope-like structures that help connect bones and provide stability. In the knee, there are four major ligaments. On the inner (medial) aspect of the knee is the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and on the outer (lateral) aspect of the knee is the lateral collateral ligament (LCL). The other two main ligaments are found in the center of the knee. These ligaments are called the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). They are called cruciate ligaments because the ACL crosses in front of the PCL. Other smaller ligaments help hold the patella in place in the center of the femoral groove.

Two structures called menisci sit between the femur and the tibia. These structures act as cushions or shock absorbers. They also help provide stability for the knee. The menisci are made of a tough material called fibrocartilage. There is a medial meniscus and a lateral meniscus. When either meniscus is damaged it is called a “torn cartilage”.

There is another type of cartilage in the knee called hyaline cartilage. This cartilage is a smooth shiny material that covers the bones in the knee joint. In the knee, hyaline cartilage covers the ends of the femur, the femoral groove, the top of the tibia and the underside of the patella. Hyaline cartilage allows the knee bones to move easily as the knee bends and straightens.

Tendons connect muscles to bone. The large quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh attach to the top of the patella via the quadriceps tendon. This tendon inserts on the patella and then continues down to form the rope-like patellar tendon. The patellar tendon in turn, attaches to the front of the tibia. The hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh attach to the tibia at the back of the knee. The quadriceps muscles are the muscles that straighten the knee. The hamstring muscles are the main muscles that bend the knee. Read the rest of this entry »

Cure Arthritis? Right!
 by: Patricia R. Moynihan

Arthritis sufferers are daily bombarded with new, better, more exciting treatments. Try Enbrel! Try Humira! Miracle drugs! Get your NSAIDS! Get your DMARDS! Pump more chemicals into your system. Side effects? What side effects? You have a choice; accept the side effects or get sicker and sicker.

In order to allay our fears, the drug companies publish the results of their clinical tests. This double blind study proved that that lethal chemical reduced your swelling more than another, equally lethal chemical.

Do they think they’re playing with babies? Yes. That’s exactly what they think. Arthritis is such a horrible, debilitating disease that we’ll try anything to reduce the symptoms. And that’s exactly what these awful drugs do. They reduce the symptoms, temporarily. As the symptoms creep back, your rheumatologist increases the drug or experiments with other lethal concoctions to reduce your swelling or pain. We’re told there’s NO cure for arthritis. We’re told that no one knows the cause. Really! More that thirty years ago we sent men to play golf on the moon. But we can’t pin point even one cause for this crippling disease?

It’s time for a reality check. The drug companies will continue to pump out really expensive chemicals, ostensibly helpful. Our doctors will continue to serve up the concoctions fed to them by the drug compaines. Unless we refuse to go along with this travesty. We don’t need a revolution. We don’t even need to take on our doctors or the drug companies. We only need to pool our resources and conduct our own quiet experiments.

We need to experiment with our habits. Just take one aspect of our life and alter it for one month. For example, are you a heavy coffee drinker? I’m pretty well wired to the ceiling by mid-day. Cut coffee from your diet for one month. Document any changes to your system resulting from this. You may, of course, suffer withdrawal symptoms but you may also experience a very welcome reduction in arthritic pain and swelling.

That’s just one suggestion. We have lots more. Feed-back from our brave experimenters will eventually allow us to make real recommendations. The revolution has started!

This article was posted on November 18, 2004 in www.ArticleCity.com

Discover Which Fruit and Vegetables Help Relieve Arthritic Pain
by Emily Clark

If you or someone you know suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, you
know how painful and debilitating it can be. If you haven’t
walked a mile in those shoes, you can’t imagine how frustrating
it can be. Your doctor may say try this medication, try that.
Don’t do this, do that. But sometimes, to no avail. The disease
is caused by a misguided immune system attack on the body’s own
joint tissue, which leads to swelling, pain, stiffness and in
some cases deformity. Rheumatoid arthritis is more common among
women than men.

Perhaps what you’re eating, or more specifically what you’re not
eating can be causing some of your soreness. Recent findings
suggest that a diet high in fruits, vegetables, legumes and
certain oils aids in relieving symptoms in people with rheumatoid
arthritis. After following a diet rich in fruits and veggies for
three months, people with rheumatoid arthritis experienced a
number of improvements not seen in people following a typical
American diet high in processed foods. Some of the improvements
shown include a decrease in pain, inflammation, disease activity
and in the number of swollen joints. Further, previous research
suggested that more olive oil and cooked vegetables help protect
people from the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

The current results suggest that “patients with (rheumatoid
arthritis) can obtain better physical function and increase their
vitality” from eating a fruit, vegetables, legumes and some oils
diet for three months, write Dr. Lars Skoldstam of Visby Hospital
in Sweden and colleagues.

This plan is similar to that of people who live in the
Mediterranean. They also tend to eat a lot of fruit, vegetables,
and legumes, more fish and less red meat. Moreover, they drink a
moderate amount of wine, and rely on olive oil as their main
source of dietary fat. Earlier research has suggested that
followers of this diet enjoy a wide range of benefits, such as a
lower risk of heart disease, cancer and memory loss.

Additional studies have shown that citrus and zinc may also cut
rheumatoid arthritis risk. Citrus can be helpful because of the
antioxidants they contain. Findings are not conclusive, yet
promising.

In the study, the doctors found that women getting less than 40
micrograms of beta-cryptoxanthin, a component found in citrus
fruits such as oranges and grapefruit were at a somewhat elevated
danger of developing rheumatoid arthritis than women who consumed
more than that amount.

Although thus far it has only been proven that genetics is the
culprit behind rheumatoid arthritis, if there have been some
findings as to the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables,
wouldn’t it make sense for suffers to up their intake? It
certainly can’t hurt… and may actually help. Now please pass the
broccoli with a side of grapefruit!

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes
only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any
disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any
health care program.

About the Author
Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and

Medical Health News where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on
many medical, health and lifestyle topics.

Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and

Medical Health News where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on
many medical, health and lifestyle topics.