What are They? Viscosupplements for My Knee Arthritis

You can also use 6-50 grams of powdered or fresh ginger to reduce the effects of rheumatoid arthritis. Or you can use Epsom salt in the bathing water. In this case Omega-3 fatty acids can be of a great help, too. Ten grams taken daily can reduce joint inflammations. Another effective treatment is castor oil used in the massage of the aching joist.

The traditional Indian herb called Boswellia, Rumatone Gold Oil with its anti-inflammatory proprieties; Rumatone Gold Capsules are other recommended treatments in arthritis diseases.

In osteoarthritis, the cartilage in the joint gradually wears away. During the course of cartilage degeneration, there is inflammation and resultant stiffness and pain. Osteoarthritis may be caused by or aggravated by excess stress on the joint from deformity, repeated trauma, or excess weight. It most often affects middle-aged and older people.

A younger person who develops osteoarthritis may have an inherited form of the disease or may have experienced problems as a result of injury.

In rheumatoid arthritis, the joint becomes inflamed and cartilage may be destroyed as well. Arthritis not only affects joints, it can also affect supporting structures such as:

O muscles

O tendons
O ligaments
Let me continue with this story. Rheumatoid arthritis often affects people at an earlier age than osteoarthritis. Regardless of the type of arthritis causing knee symptoms, the end result is often the same. A person who has arthritis in the knee may experience pain, swelling, and a decrease in knee motion. A common symptom is morning stiffness that gets better as the person moves around. Sometimes the joint locks or clicks when the knee is bent and straightened, but these signs may occur in other knee disorders as well. The doctor may confirm the diagnosis by performing a physical examination and examining magnetic resonance (MR) scans, which reveal the inner architecture of the knee.

Most often arthritis in the knee is treated initially with pain-reducing medicines, such as analgesics and anti-inflammatory medicines.

Exercise is essential to restore joint movement and strengthen the knee. Losing excess weight can also help people with osteoarthritis.

Glucocorticoid injections are helpful when there is evidence of inflammation.

The normal knee joint produces synovial fluid, a thick slippery substance that nourishes cartilage and allows smooth gliding of the cartilage surfaces. With arthritis, the amount of synovial fluid made by the joint is reduced.

In instances when other therapies don’t provide the desired relief, viscosupplements are sometimes used. These are gel-like substances (hyaluronates) that mimic the properties of naturally occurring joint fluid.

These hyaluronates actually supplement the viscous properties of synovial fluid. Injection of hyaluronates is done using either fluoroscopic or ultrasound needle guidance.

Currently, hyaluronate injections are approved for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee in those who have failed to respond to more conservative therapy. The number of injections performed varies with the type of viscosupplement used. Usually five injections are required for the best response.

Currently, there are 5 FDA approved hyaluronates:

O Hyalgan

O Synvisc

O Euflexa

O Supartz

O Orthovisc

Sometimes, a physician will perform an arthroscopy before providing viscosupplement. Also, a special type of brace to help unload the narrowed part of the knee may be used to help the viscosupplement work better.

Use for other joints is being studied. Studies have shown effectiveness for the shoulder, hip, and ankle. We published a study a few years ago showing these viscosupplements are effective for osteoarthritis affecting the base of the thumb.

Dr. Wei (pronounced “way”) is a board-certified rheumatologist and Clinical Director of the nationally respected Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. He’s a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and has served as a consultant to the Arthritis Branch of the National Institutes of Health. He’s a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Physicians.

Ready to Stop Smoking? NLP Based Hypnotherapy is Your Ticket to a Smoke-Free Life

Tired of riding on the quit smoking merry-go-round? Trying to quit smoking time and again only to meet with failure, feeling frustrated and down, wondering if you’ll ever finally kick the smoking habit once and for all. Well, now is the time for you to stop smoking; NLP based Hypnotherapy is going to be your ticket to a smoke-free life.

How to Quit Smoking Stop

You see, too many people fail in quitting smoking because they don’t focus on the right addiction when they try to stop smoking. The right addiction? Yes, smoking actually is a dual addiction habit. You suffer from the physical addiction to nicotine and the psychological addiction to the habit of smoking.

Nearly every smoking cessation aid focuses on the physical addiction to nicotine. But allow me to let you in on a little secret. The physical addiction to nicotine actually passes in less that 2 weeks after you put out your last cigarette. That’s correct, after the last bit of nicotine passes out of your system then your physical addiction passes shortly thereafter.

But the psychological addiction, the mental cravings to smoke, can go on for years after you put out your last cigarette. We all know of someone who had quit smoking years ago but something happens and then they start smoking again. Was it an addiction to nicotine that made them start smoking again? No, it was because they had never dealt with there psychological addiction to smoking.

That’s where NLP based hypnotherapy comes into the picture. Hypnotherapy is the only smoking cessation technique that targets the psychological addiction to smoking. Traditional hypnotherapy is pretty successful at helping people quit smoking, but NLP based hypnotherapy is very powerful at removing smoking cravings.

Quit Smoking

NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming. We can call it a high tech form of hypnotherapy. It adds modern technology to traditional hypnotherapy to create a smoking cessation method that’s highly successful. And it’s as easy as it’s successful. No need to visit a therapist or professional, NLP based recordings are available that you can listen to in your own home to have the cravings to smoke removed from your subconscious.

NLP is the choice for those who are serious about quitting smoking. And why not? It’s easy, all natural and powerful. Why mess around with the expense and side effects of smoking cessation products like the Patch or medications that offer a very low success rate anyhow. With NLP all you have to do is listen to a specially formatted recording to have the cravings to smoke just melt away.

How Smoking Can Be Harmful to Health

Smoking is addictive, and it’s highly dangerous. Everything that’s taken in excess can be harmful and could really damage your inner body parts. But nevertheless, you must be wondering how smoking could be so harmful to your health? Well, there are a lot of reasons that can justify the integrity of this question. The most important ingredient that harms your body when you smoke is nicotine. Nicotine is a very harmful drug which is also the reason why smoking makes you addicted to it if you start doing it in large amounts.

Anything that’s taken in excess can be harmful, because there is parity, an equilibrium that needs to be restored to ensure the order of things. If you do not maintain that equilibrium, certain things could be extremely harmful and injurious to your health. If you’re an avid smoker, there are a lot of things that would begin to become apparent on your body. The first thing that smoking causes is excessive tiring. What is that, you ask? Well, it means that your stamina levels begin to fall and they become extremely low.

A further insightful part concerning this field of study. You will not be able to run properly, and there would be nothing that you would be able to in an effective manner. The other thing that smoking does to your health is that it causes problems with your lungs as well. A coating of tar, which is formed by the combination of nicotine and tobacco and is present in a cigarette, begins to form on your lungs. Hence, this is the reason why it’s so popular that a smoker’s lungs are black. There is no way you can remove that coating, and if you have become an excessive smoker, you will just have to live with that.The rising levels of nicotine begin to thicken your blood and this causes clotting. In easier words, your body begins to disintegrate slowly and gradually.
Excessive clotting of your blood could often lead to a heart attack or a total heart failure as well. You need to make sure that nothing of this sort happens, and it’s wise to ignore smoking altogether. If you’re a smoker, it’s never too late and you can always quit. The fable that each smoke lessens your life span by eleven minutes is just an evaluation and a calculation based on vague death results, and hence even though it might not be as accurate or true, it still means that smoking is extremely harmful to a person’s health and it should be avoided as much as possible.

One or 2 smokes here and there do not cause any severe damage, but it leads to addiction which could then really destroy your body. Hence, if you have begun to smoke or are thinking too, it’s highly recommended that you leave it instantly if you do not want to suffer the same fate as many other people who have died of excessive smoking. Plus, who would like tar inside their bodies?

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Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Major Factor In Joint Pain

Rheumatoid Arthritis can commence at any age but generally begins between the ages of twenty and 45. This article examines some of its symptoms and causes.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Story

The symptoms and signs: Joint stiffness, particularly in the hands and feet, in the mornings when getting up from bed. A telling sign can be that the stiffness is experienced in either both hands or both feet – not just one. Stiffness that lasts for over an hour, or pain and swelling that persists for more than a month or so may also be indicative of rheumatoid arthritis.

Early symptoms may also include fever, excessive tiredness or nodules under the skin – these feel like pea-size lumps. Other possible symptoms are anemia, fluid collecting on the ankles or behind the knee and loss of appetite. In children, a pink rash may follow the characteristic swollen joints and there may be shaking chills.

Why the condition is painful: Cartilage doesn’t cause pain (it has no nerves to transmit pain signals), so it’s thought that irritation of other tissues in and around the joint affected is the cause of the joint pain typical of rheumatoid arthritis. However,the relationship between joint pain and cartilage destruction is still not fully understood.

You should read through the next few paragraphs really carefully, the problem and the techniques have a number variations. The irritation in the joint may be caused by ‘chemical messengers’ such as prostaglandin E2 that have been found to be associated with the disease process. For this reason, administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) helps as it inhibits production of prostaglanding.

Joint pain that’s similar to that caused by rheumatoid arthritis can be caused by a number of other conditions. Among these are chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and even bunions. Only a doctor can identify the cause accurately, as similar symptoms can result from other autoimmune-related conditions from other kinds of arthritis to serious conditions such as cancer.

Other factors: The disease is more common in older people, though it can occur at any age, even in children (Still’s disease). Studies have suggested that a high body mass index, particularly in women, may increase the risk of contracting the disease. Also, obesity places a greater strain on joints and may contribute to the breakdown of joint tissue in rheumatoid arthritis. Overweight people are also at greater risk from other forms of arthritis.

Self-care: This can be managed by adopting a regime that includes the following -

Balancing exercise sessions with periods of rest Eating healthy foods Caring for your emotional health during times of stress Protecting your joints during everyday tasks Applying local treatments for joint pain Adopting healthy habits in generalAll these factors can reduce the need for medication.

The next interesting part in relation to this issue. Exercise: Consult your physical therapist or doctor to help you formulate an exercise program that uses the full motion range of your joints and strengthens muscle. Plan for plenty of rest between exercises but keep up a daily program even if you do not feel like it – your mood should improve, joint pain lessen and you should sleep better.

Although some discomfort is to be expected this should only last for a short time after exercise – any new joint pain or other sharp pains need to be referred to your doctor for advice on how to proceed.

Although rheumatoid arthritis is not a condition to take lightly, it can be controlled to some degree. Early diagnosis helps reduce loss of mobility and joint pain caused by the disease in advanced form, so the best advice this article can give is to see your doctor immediately if you suspect you have the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, especially if you experience stiffness and joint pain.

Let us proceed with this post. All advice in this article is given in good faith but doesn’t pretend to replace the diagnosis or professional advice of a qualified medical doctor.

Steve Dempster writes fiction, copy and informative articles such as the one above. For more information on mobility aids, pay a call to Electric Mobility World

Living With & Caring For Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common rheumatic disease, affecting approximately 1.3 million people in the United States, according to current census data. The disease is 3 times more common in women as in men. It afflicts people of all races equally. The disease can begin at any age, but it most often starts after fourty years of age and before sixty years of age. In some families, multiple members can be affected, suggesting a genetic basis for the disorder. It’s not easy living with RA, but there are medications and tips in regards to caring for the disease. This type of arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks the joints producing an inflammatory synovitis that often progresses to destruction of the articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also produce diffuse inflammation in the lungs, pericardium, pleura, and sclera, and also nodular lesions, most common in subcutaneous tissue under the skin. Although the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, autoimmunity plays a pivotal role in its chronicity and progression.

The disease usually begins gradually with symptoms of fatigue, loss of appetite, morning stiffness (lasting more than one hour), widespread muscle aches and weakness. Last but not least, joint pain appears. When the joint is not used for a while, it can become warm, tender, and stiff. When the lining of the joint becomes inflamed, it gives off more fluid and the joint becomes swollen. Joint pain is often felt on both sides of the body, and may affect the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, toes, and neck. Additional symptoms include anemia due to failure of the bone marrow to produce enough new red blood cells, eye burning, itching and discharge, hand and feet deformities, limited range of motion, low-grade fever, lung inflammation (pleurisy), nodules under the skin (usually a sign of more severe disease), numbness or tingling, paleness, skin redness or inflammation and swollen glands. It’s extremely important for early diagnosis, as joint destruction may occur within 1-2 years after the appearance of the disease. RA usually requires lifelong treatment, including medications, physical therapy, exercise, education, and possibly surgery. Early, aggressive treatment for RA can delay joint destruction.

This may be significant section of this matter. Range-of-motion exercises and individualized exercise programs prescribed by a physical therapist can delay the loss of joint function. Joint protection techniques, heat and cold treatments, and splints or orthotic devices to support and align joints may be very helpful. Sometimes therapists will use special machines to apply deep heat or electrical stimulation to reduce pain and improve joint mobility. Occupational therapists can construct splints for the hand and wrist, and teach how to best protect and use joints when they’re affected by arthritis. They also show people how to better cope with day-to-day tasks at work and at home, despite limitations caused by RA. Frequent rest periods between activities, as well as eight to ten hours of sleep per night, are recommended.

There are several main categories of drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to treat the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis – they don’t prevent the damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis from progressing and thus shouldn’t be considered the primary treatment. NSAIDs can reduce the swelling in affected joints and relieve pain. Aspirin is no longer used to treat rheumatoid arthritis because effective doses are often toxic. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine and sulfasalazine slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and sometimes can improve the course of the disease, although most take weeks or months to have an effect. These drugs are usually added promptly after the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is made. Even if pain is decreased with NSAIDs, a doctor will likely prescribe a DMARD because the disease progresses even if symptoms are absent or mild. Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, are the most dramatically effective drugs for reducing inflammation anywhere in the body. Although corticosteroids are effective for short-term use, they may become less effective over time, and rheumatoid arthritis is usually active for years.

Recently there has been great progress on studies and treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. People are bonding together to share their experiences and talk about what works for them. Award winning Deborah Norville is now hosting a new, online talk show, New Way RA, for people living with rheumatoid arthritis. The show focuses exclusively on addressing topics of overall health and well-being for people living with the disease. It provides expert advice and practical information through an engaging and accessible web-based format that includes caring for the disorder at home and at work. Visitors to the site can view the entire show online and listen to real-life stories from people living with rheumatoid arthritis. The project is sponsored by Centocor Ortho Biotech, Inc. This program will further raise awareness about a chronic disease that affects more than one million Americans, the majority of whom are women.

Stephanie Jewett has been a registered nurse for over thirty years. Of course, Stephanie holds a MBA. She’s the single mom of 2 wonderful sons and a dog by the name of Cody. Her hope is to share experiences from several nursing fields with colleagues, caregivers, patients and the general public.

As one reader commented:
Test showed normal for Rheumatoid Arthritis, but all the symptoms are there? For more than three weeks I’ve had intense, debilitating pain. When it first started, I couldn’t raise my arm above half way. The pain migrated into my elbows, wrists, fingers and now knees (symmetrical). It’s difficult to walk in the mornings and I’ve pain all day. I can barely type and my hands and wrists feel a though they’re being smashed with a hammer they hurt so bad. There is obvious joint swelling; I can't even wear my wedding ring. The pain is getting worse daily and my first anti-inflammatory didn’t help. My doctor prescribed me a new one, Mobic, which I’ve been taking for 3 days which is also not helping. The doctor took a myriad of blood tests to identify potential arthritis. The tests came back normal for the most part, with only a negligibly raised RA factor. He thinks I’ve no problem. I’m still going to a Rheumatologist, but I’m in awe that my tests aren’t pointing to RA as I was convinced that’s what I had. I'm thankful if it’sn't, but I'm confused. How common is a misdiagnosis? My sister was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease similar to RA that was undiagnosed for sometime. My doctor clearly thinks I’m fine, but I know I’m not, and you can see the joint issues by simply looking at my body.

Arthritis Knee Pain Relief

Osteoarthritis or simply called knee arthritis is a kind of arthritis that’s caused by the breakdown and collapsing of the cartilage. Cartilage is the protective layer between the 2 joints. It occurs mostly in old males aged 45. There are 2 causes of knee arthritis; the primary and secondary osteoarthritis. If the cause of arthritis is unknown, it’s said to be the earliest. It’s related to aging. When a person gets old, the cartilage degenerates also thus; causes the friction of the joints. Nonetheless, secondary osteoarthritis is caused by the risk factor condition like obesity, joint surgery, gout, and trauma. A severe joint pain is the symptoms of this kind of arthritis.

The joint pain from knee arthritis is unbearable and might prevent you from doing your normal activities. Knee arthritis pain relief is needed. Apirin and acetaminophen may be enough treatment for mild osteoarthritis. Among the 2 medicines, acetaminophen is most preferred because it has less side-effect especially to the elderly people. Topical pain relieving cream may also be applied like capsaicin and methyl salicylate. New medications include Voltaren gel and Flector Patch. Both are anti-inflammatory. There are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and nabumetone. These types of medicines have side-effects, which can be very uncomfortable. Alternative medicine for knee arthritis is available. It includes supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin. A shot of cortisone too may give an effective relief.

In addition to the above medication, weight reduction and stress free lifestyle is advised. Exercise is a helpful activity. It strengthens muscles and bones that support the joints. Exercises suited for this pain are swimming, walking, stationary cycling, and very light weight training.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Above all, resting is the most effective way of treating sore knee joints just physically but emotionally as well.

Please make sure to understand this particular blog post properly, the problem and the plans have alot of different versions. A visit for doctor’s consultation is needed when symptoms persist. There are a lot of medications available for the relief of knee arthritis. Don’t sacrifice things from a single pain. Give attention to the early signs and symptoms of knee arthritis and any other abnormalities in your body. Prevention is always better than cure.

Take The Easy Way Out With A Stop Smoking Shot

Cigarette smoking can lead to a lot of unlikable effects like tooth decay, stained teeth, gum problems, and premature aging. Other more severe effects of this bad habit are emphysema, cancer, and even death. As a matter of fact, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. Then again, the number of deaths associated with smoking is above 440,000 in the United States alone. For this reason, a lot of smokers have decided to save their health and kick the habit.

Unfortunately, because cigarettes are very addictive, most of the attempts to quit haven’t been successful. For people who have been smoking for a very long time, withdrawal syndromes are very difficult to fight and they end up returning to the habit they’ve been trying to avoid.

Stop Smoking Aids

It is a good thing that there are now aids for people who want to quit, like the nicotine replacement therapy which involves chewing a nicotine gum or putting on a nicotine patch. Nicotine is the substance that makes cigarettes addictive. People crave for it because of the burst of energy and pleasurable feelings that are induced by the substance when it enters the bloodstream.

Let’s continue with this piece of writing. The nicotine replacement therapy stops a person from smoking by providing him with the dose of nicotine he needs to get through the day. Although this therapy is very effective in reducing withdrawal symptoms, it’s not recommended to be the only method for quitting cigarette smoking because people tend to become dependent on it. Fortunately, with the new innovations of medical technology, we now have other aids, such as stop smoking shots and pills that can wean people from their nicotine addiction.

Stop Smoking Shots or Pill?

The stop smoking shot can make it easier for smokers to kick the habit. In order to stop a person from looking for the desired effects of nicotine, this stop smoking shot prevents the nicotine from entering the brain where it usually works as a stimulant. By not being able to feel the pleasurable effects that they associate with smoking a cigarette, these people lose the need to ingest nicotine.

Although the stop smoking pill can also wean smokers from the bad habit without the use of nicotine, it’s not as successful as the stop smoking shot. The first stop smoking pill is actually an anti-depressant that takes the place of nicotine by increasing the levels of dopamine and norephinephrine in the body. The most recent type of stop smoking pill works just like the stop smoking shot because it inhibits the effects of nicotine in the bloodstream. Unfortunately, it has to be taken for weeks before it becomes effective.

The stop smoking shot, on the other hand, can stop a person from smoking with just one dose. For these reasons, stop smoking shots have a 70-80% success rate which is twice more than those of pills. The only drawback is that these shots can be a bit expensive. But then, you have to ask yourself this question: Can you put a price on good health?

Want to learn more about the stop smoking shot and stop smoking injection? Visit stopsmokinginfos.com now and also learn all the facts about smoking.