| What Is Osteoarthritis? | | | | that attacks. Osteoarthritis can not only alter |
| Osteoarthritis is the most common form of the | | | | lifestyles, but bank accounts, too. Some lifestyle |
| potentially debilitating rheumatoid disease. The disease | | | | chances associated with osteoarthritis include |
| finds it's most victims in adults age twenty-five or | | | | depression, anxiety, helplessness, limited activity, |
| older. In 2006, nearly twenty-one million Americans | | | | limited employment potential, expensive medical |
| were living with this form of arthritis. Also known as | | | | treatments, and lost wages. |
| degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis attacks the | | | | How Is Osteoarthritis Treated? |
| bone's cartiledge. While healthy bone cartiledge makes | | | | Osteoarthritis has four goals: |
| it easy for bones to glide over and pass each other | | | | · Controlling pain |
| and absorbs the shock of physical movement, once | | | | · Improving joint function |
| the cartiledge finds itself under siege by osteoarthritis | | | | · Maintaining a normal body weight |
| however, the surface layer of the bone cartiledge | | | | · Achieving a healthy lifestyle |
| deteriorates and begins to wear down. Eventually, | | | | In an effort to champion these core goal, |
| the bones beneath the cartiledge effected by | | | | osteoarthritis is treated with a rigorous combination |
| osteoarthritis will start to rub together, swell, start | | | | of exercise, weight control, rest and relief, natural |
| pain, and loss joint motion. | | | | pain relief, medication, surgery, or even alternative |
| Osteoarthritis patients regularly experience pain in the | | | | treatments. Studies have shown that exercise is one |
| joints and limited mobility. But unlike other members | | | | of the best treatments for osteoarthritis. Not only |
| of the arthritis family, like rheumatoid arthritis for | | | | can exercise routines like walking, water aerobics, and |
| instance, osteoarthritis does not spread it's havoc | | | | swimming increase flexibility and strengthen the heart |
| into other areas of the body like the tissues of the | | | | rate, they are also great for decreasing pain and |
| skin, the lungs, the eyes, and the blood vessels. | | | | prompting a cheery outlook. Other exercise benefits |
| Instead osteoarthritis goes for the hands, particularly | | | | on osteoarthritis include an improved blood flow and |
| the ends of the fingers and thumbs, the spine, | | | | affordability. |
| especially the areas around the neck and lower back, | | | | ASU and Osteoarthritis |
| the knees, and the hips. | | | | For the alternative medicine aficionado in |
| What Do Osteoarthritis Patients Look Like? | | | | osteoarthritis patients, |
| Osteoarthritis is most common in older people, but | | | | avocado-soybean-unsaponifiable (ASU-no relation to |
| the condition has been known to manifest itself in | | | | Arizona's infamous party school) is one of the most |
| young people suffering from a joint injury, joint | | | | promising alternative treatments to emerge in hopes |
| malformation, or a genetic joint defect. Striking both | | | | of relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis. ASU and |
| men and women equally, osteoarthritis in people age | | | | osteoarthritis demonstrated a connection in a series |
| forty-five and younger is most common in men, with | | | | of European studies that provide osteoarthritis |
| the disease becoming more common in women older | | | | patients with between three and six hundred |
| then forty-five. Excessive weight and professions | | | | milograms of a day of ASU. The trials discovered |
| that stress the joints are both factors that can flare | | | | that the terms ASU and osteoarthritis treatment |
| the onset of osteoarthritis. | | | | may just go hand and hand; ASU has proven to be |
| No matter how common, the effects of | | | | an effective treatment for osteoarthritis in the |
| osteoarthritis reach behind the joints and cartiledge | | | | studies administered. |