Whether it's a hot, burning pain, a cracking or crunching in the joint, or stiffness, joint distress can keep us from activities that we enjoy. Depending on the source you consult, up to 55 million Americans experience this kind of pain on a regular basis. According to the CDC, that number is growing by 1 million each year. There are over 600,000 knee and hip replacements each year in the U.S., and almost 50% of these are for people under the age of 65! That number is expected to reach 4 million per year by 2030 at current rates of growth. Whether at a single site due to a previous injury or several different places in your body, arthritis can be debilitating, painful, or at the very least, annoying. If you enjoy being active and feeling unlimited in the activities you can pursue, healing the joints is a must!
Arthritis is a catch-all term for several different conditions that result in joint pain, but may have very different symptoms. By far the most common of these is osteoarthritis, typically diagnosed in individuals 50 years old and up, or in those with previous injury or significant over-use (such as with athletics). Osteoarthritis is characterized by excessive wear and tear on the joints without the compensatory replacement of cartilage and other joint material. This results in a rubbing of bone on bone, causing pain and inflammation. Osteoarthritis is often found in the weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder and conversely, is characterized by generalized inflammation. It can affect younger individuals, and can result in pain throughout the body, even in the small joints like the hands and wrists. Other forms of arthritis or conditions that can cause arthritis-like symptoms include gout, ankylosing spondilitis, lupus, lyme disease, and psoriatic arthritis.
NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are the most common Western treatment for arthritis. NSAIDs include both over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Medipren & Nuprin) and naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox & Naprosyn) and prescription medications like Celebrex and corticosteroids. These medications reduce inflammation and hence pain but do little to rebuild the joint or heal the condition. According to Best Pills, Worst Pills, NSAIDs can cause serious side effects including gastrointestinal bleeding resulting in life-threatening hemorrhage, increased risk of heart attack, and worsening of heart failure and kidney problems in susceptible people. Two prescription NSAIDs, Bextra and Vioxx, were removed from the market in 2004 & 2005, but not until Vioxx killed over 60,000 people! Perhaps a natural alternative would be less risky?
In my own experience, NSAIDs and cortisone shots are quite temporary in the relief they provide. Narcotic pain relievers can reduce pain, but have serious side effects including cardiac toxicity and potential addiction issues. Public Citizen called for the removal of two such drugs, Darvocet and Darvon, from the market first in 1978 and again in 2006 based on the fact that tests showed they alter the heart's electrical activity and cause cardiac abnormalities. The drugs were finally removed in 2011, six years after being banned in Great Britain and 2 years after a ban in many other European countries.
DMARDs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, are used for arthritis conditions related to autoimmune issues like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. These drugs can have very serious side effects and should be used with extreme caution.
Natural remedies for joint issues generally target one of two things: inflammation or joint repair. One goes hand-in-hand with the other in terms of healing joints. Certain supplements supply the physical joint material, while others reduce the inflammation, allowing the joint to heal itself. A two-pronged approach can be important to real healing. Some simple rules apply for finding the solution that will work best for you: Read More
