| Arthritis is a common condition affecting | | | | Unfortunately there is as yet no cure for |
| literally millions of people worldwide. For | | | | arthritis, especially if the bone or |
| many, mainstream medical care brings relief. | | | | cartilage has become damaged or has |
| But are there any alternative remedies that | | | | deteriorated badly. Conventional arthritis |
| are effective? | | | | medications help many people and they should |
| | | | be regarded as standard treatment for someone |
| Firstly, a brief run-down of what arthritis | | | | experiencing the onset of the condition. |
| actually is. The fact is that arthritis is a | | | | However, it has to be pointed out that these |
| blanket term covering over one hundred | | | | treatments can have severe side effects, |
| different conditions, some common, some | | | | including depression, immune system |
| uncommon and some extremely rare. Arthritis | | | | suppression, diarrhea, headaches and |
| means inflammation of one or more of the | | | | elevated blood pressure, intestinal bleeding, |
| body's joints, generally caused by infection, | | | | nausea and abdominal pain. |
| injury or just the plain wear and tear of | | | | |
| life. It can also be a genetic condition. | | | | Perhaps this is the reason why more and more |
| | | | people - especially those who have suffered |
| The causes of arthritis are many and varied | | | | from arthritis for some time - turn to |
| and its effects well-known. Pain, | | | | alternative forms of treatment and remedies. |
| inflammation, mobility limitation and redness | | | | Conventional medicine does prove effective in |
| with swelling are all common symptoms. A | | | | the majority of cases - despite the |
| strange fact is that people who show little | | | | side-effects - but for some it just simply |
| joint damage may experience a great deal of | | | | does not give the relief they need. |
| pain, whilst others whose joints show | | | | Alternative treatments are many and varied |
| terrible damage sometimes feel little pain, | | | | and, whilst little scientific research seems |
| even none at all. | | | | to have been carried out on most of these |
| | | | remedies the fact remains that, at least for |
| The most common form of arthritis are: | | | | some, they work. |
| osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and | | | | |
| gout. | | | | Alternative treatments include |
| | | | (alphabetically): Acupressure, Acupuncture, |
| Some other types include - systemic | | | | Aromatherapy, Ayurveda, Bach Flower Remedy, |
| infectious arthritis, gouty arthritis, | | | | Chiropractic, Color Therapy, Food/Diet |
| psoratic arthritis, bursitis and juvenile | | | | Therapy, Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy, |
| rheumatoid arthritis. As stated, there are | | | | Hydrotherapy, Hypnosis, Juice Therapy, |
| many more less common forms. | | | | Massage Therapy, Nutrition Therapy, Oriental |
| | | | Medicine, Reflexology, Tissue Salts, |
| Osteoarthritis (wear-and-tear arthritis) is | | | | Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yoga. |
| the most common form of all, especially in | | | | |
| elderly people. It is associated with loss of | | | | It is impossible to say which, if any, will |
| bone tissue in the joints and can limit | | | | work for a given individual - if indeed any |
| mobility severely. | | | | will work at all for that person. Yet the |
| | | | fact remains that many sufferers experience |
| Rheumatoid arthritis (rheumatism) is more | | | | relief from joint pain and other arthritic |
| common in women than in men and usually | | | | symptoms that they simply cannot find through |
| effects the over-40's. It tends to attack the | | | | conventional medicine and, given the nature |
| hands, causing swelling in the knuckles, | | | | of arthritis, any relief from pain, however |
| though it can affect any other part of the | | | | small, is worth consideration. |
| body, including the lungs and eyes. | | | | |
| | | | I'm not suggesting for one minute that anyone |
| Gout is much more common in men than in | | | | should ignore their physician's advice, throw |
| women, again usually in the over-40's. It is | | | | away their medication and go over completely |
| caused by elevated levels of uric acid in the | | | | to alternative therapies. However, if you are |
| blood that form crystals in the joints. These | | | | one of the unlucky ones who find little |
| are attacked by the body's immune system, | | | | relief from pain in taking accepted |
| thinking them invaders, and inflammation | | | | medication, or suffer unpleasant |
| results together with pain that can be | | | | side-effects, it may be well worth |
| localised but severe. | | | | considering these alternatives as a new path |
| | | | to pain relief and a better quality of life. |