Rheumatoid Arthritis Online

Arthritis

Arthritis

Arthritis covers a broad spectrum of disease. To many, the term arthritis means pain and inflammation of the joints – but, arthritis is a much more complex medical condition. The term arthritis comes from the Latin phrase, “arth” meaning joint and “it is” meaning inflammation. There are over 100 illnesses associated with the term arthritis. Arthritis can range from something as simple as tendonitis to something as chronic as rheumatoid arthritis.

Three Most Common Types of Arthritis

Osteoarthritis – the most common type of arthritis. This degenerative joint disease affects over 16 million Americans. This form of arthritis is caused when the cartilage surrounding the ends of the bones begins to degenerate and the joints are no longer cushioned. This caused the joints to rub together and in severe cases, you can hear the bones grating against one another. At the onset of osteoarthritis, the symptoms are usually mild and consist of pain and stiffness of the joints. As the disease progresses, inflammation and loss of motion can occur. In some severe cases, deformity can occur if the grinding joints wear one side of the joint more than the other.

Rheumatoid arthritis – This is the second most common type of arthritis and the most severe. Symptoms usually begin appearing between the ages of 25 and 50 – however, children and senior citizens can experience the onset of this disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is considered an autoimmune disease because factors other than wear and tear of cartilage can cause the disease and the disease can affect other organs, such as the eyes, lungs, and heart.

Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the joints on both sides of the body – for instance, both hands will be affected, both wrists will be affected, and both legs will be affected. The most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are pain, stiffness, swelling, redness of the skin, fatigue, weight loss, and low-grade fever. Not only affecting the joints, rheumatoid arthritis can give you an overall feeling of sickness. Rheumatoid arthritis can be a debilitating disease, however patients can experience periods of remission in which the symptoms disappear and they can lead a normal life.

Fibromyalgia – This is a type of arthritis that does not directly affect the joints. Rather, the inflammation and pain affect the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and soft tissues under the skin. Many patients have tender spots under the skin that are painful when any type of pressure is applied. The symptoms for Fibromyalgia include deep muscle pain, fatigue, sleeplessness, and depression. Symptoms may come and go, but the disease is long term and chronic.

Other Types of Arthritis

Anklyosing Spondylitis – a chronic, inflammatory disease that affects the spine. The common symptoms include lower back pain and stiffness that lasts for more than a period of three months, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, weight loss, and low-grade fever.
Gout – this disease usually affects the joints of the big toe, but can extend to the ankles, heels, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbow. The common symptoms are tenderness, pain, redness, warmth, and swelling of the affected joint.
Infectious Arthritis – this type of arthritis is caused by an infection, and can be caused by both bacterial and viral infections. The onset of infectious arthritis is sudden and the symptoms include swelling of the joint, soreness, warmth, leakage of tissue fluid, fever, and chills.
Cervical arthritis – this type of arthritis affects the upper back and can cause pain in the neck and arms. Cervical arthritis is caused when the cartilage protecting the discs that support the neck deteriorate. The most common symptom of cervical arthritis is chronic neck pain, but can include loss of balance, headaches, muscle weakness, and stiffness.
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis – this inflammatory arthritis affects children. The most common symptoms of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis are swelling, pain, and stiffness in joints. The symptoms are usually worse in children upon waking in the morning and after a nap. There is no known reason for the onset of arthritis in children and, unlike rheumatoid arthritis in adults, children sometimes outgrow the disease and the symptoms disappear.

These are just some of the many types of arthritis. In general terms, arthritis is any disease that involves inflammation – swelling and pain of the joints or muscles. If you suspect that you suffer from arthritis, you should consult your physician to determine the type of arthritis and learn what treatments are available.

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Occurring in anyone at any age, the exact cause of arthritis is yet unknown, but there are two theories: infection or a flaw in the body’s immune system which causes it to attack its own joints and surrounding tissue.

There are many treatment methods used to help arthritic patients overcome this painful and debilitating disease, some of them as old as the disease itself (which is very old, indeed).

Some types of arthritis require the cooperation between physician, physical therapist, and orthopedic surgeon, as is the case with rheumatoid arthritis, one of the most common forms of arthritis. Others require only frequent rest balanced with exercise and proper diet. The most common arthritis remedies available are over the counter drugs like aspirins, analgesics, and non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs that can relieve the pain associated with arthritis.

However, with recent reports about undesirable side effects caused by some of these drugs, many people are turning to home arthritis remedies to treat arthritic pain. These arthritis remedies are largely unproven by concrete scientific evidence but have been used by people for thousands of years with relatively effective results. With your doctor’s advice, you can try some of these arthritis remedies and see for yourself:

Blackstrap Molasses:

To make these arthritis remedies, you need four teaspoons of blackstrap molasses and one quart of cranberry juice. Dissolve the blackstrap molasses in the cranberry juice. One mixture makes one serving. Drink a glass of this old home remedy to experience the results.

Alternatively, you could also try dissolving 100 aspirins in a pint of rubbing alcohol. Rub it on the affected joints three times a day and observe the results.

Mullein, Elm, Lobelia, and Cayenne Poultice:

The ingredients you need for these arthritis remedies are: 2 tbsp. mullein, 3 tbsp. granulated slippery elm bark, 1 tbsp. lobelia, and 1 tsp. cayenne. Mix everything in a bowl thoroughly then pour them in boiling water. When the mixture gets that pasty quality, pour everything on a piece of cloth and spread. Let cool for a few minutes before placing the cloth on swollen joints.

Alternatively, you can try these arthritis remedies, following the same procedure: oil of origanum, oil of lobelia, oil of capsicum, and coconut oil.

Herbal Mix:

There are many herbs that can be used as natural arthritis remedies. However, the trend with herbal arthritis remedies seems to be that different herbs are mixed together in order to create a synergistic and more effective combination. Below are some of the more common herbal arthritis remedies used:

* Black cohosh, genitian root, angelica, Colombo, skull cap, valerian, buckthorn bark, and rue. Add a teaspoon of the mixture in a cup of boiling water. Let steep for a few minutes before drinking. The recommended daily dosage is three ½ cups a day.
* Wild cherry roots, burdock roots, Oregon grape roots. Wash three roots of each herb and chop them into tiny slices. Afterwards, place them in a gallon of water and let simmer for 30 minutes. Then, strain the liquid into bottle. A half glass of these arthritis remedies every morning before breakfast should garner some results.