Home Care and Easing Arthritis Pain
Inflammation is the body's way of responding to danger and protecting itself. When the body misreads a situation, however, the result can be painful. Dr. Mansour Mohamadzadeh, director of the Center for Inflammation and Mucosal Immunology at the University of Florida, notes, "In a healthy situation, inflammation serves as a good friend to our body. But if immune cells start to overreact, that inflammation can be totally directed against us." Some of the reasons the body may react with inflammation include bacteria, viruses, parasites, cancerous cells, degenerative diseases, and autoimmune disorders. Environmental factors, such as the foods consumed or the stress a person is under, can also impact the body's inflammatory response.
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One of the most common ways to treat this condition is through medication. The most common of the medications are called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs of NSAIDS. These medications reduce the symptoms of the inflammation, but they do not address the cause. NSAIDS are hard on the stomach and kidneys and often lead to a number of side effects if taken long-term.
Inflammation can also be a symptom of a more severe medical condition. Seniors with chronic inflammation should be monitored for heart disease, as more than 50 percent of elderly individuals with heart disease also have arthritis and/or inflammation in the lungs or kidneys. Chronic inflammation also limits mobility, which may lead to a loss of social interaction, an increase in social anxiety, and depression.
Seniors with chronic inflammation may have a difficult time performing daily tasks. Even simple chores may lead to immense amounts of pain. This can be quite challenging for seniors who have chosen to live at home despite their physical
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory and an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s tissue (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017). This disease affects the entire body, which is called a systemic (means entire body) disease. Arthritis is derived from the word part arthr-, which means “joint,” and -itis, which means “inflammation,” so altogether it means “inflammation of the joints.” It creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (synovium) to thicken. About 1.5 million people in the U.S. are affected. It affects all races, but it affects three times as many women than men (What is Rheumatoid Arthritis, n.d.). Overtime, rheumatoid arthritis causes painful swelling that can potentially result in bone erosion or joint deformity, which leads up to physical disabilities. RA can affect more than just your joints, but can spread to body systems, skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood vessels, e.t.c (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017).
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue and organs. This inflammation can damage many different bodily systems. Lupus commonly affects the joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, brain and heart. Many people with lupus have found relief for some of their chronic pain through practicing a few different styles of yoga.
When someone has lupus they have a different outlook on life. For patients with this disease, even the easiest task can be painful to the body or joints. Lupus is not contagious. “Lupus is a disease of the immune system. The immune system protects the body from inflection”(http://lupus.webmd.com). With lupus, the immune system attacks the tissue in many parts of the body. Lupus affects women more than men(www.womenshealth.gov). There are many different types of lupus, and each symptom affect different parts of the body. With treatment you can obtain and fulfill a healthy lifestyle.
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, it affects millions of people around the world. It is also known as Degenerative Joint Disease or Degenerative Arthritis or Wear & Tear Arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage in the joints wear down over time. While osteoarthritis can affect any joint in your body, it more often is seen in the knees, hips, hands, neck, and lower back it worsens as you grow older and has no known cure.
The majority of clinical cases of laminitis occur at pasture where there is an accumulation of rapidly fermentable non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) such as fructans, simple sugars or starches (Geor, 2010). Pasture-associated laminitis has major economic and welfare implications in the equine sector. Increased risk factors include insulin resistance, increased insulin secretory response, hypertriglyceridaemia and obesity (Asplin, et al., 2007;Carter, et al., 2009 and de Laat, et al., 2010). Insulin resistance has been associated with a number of problems in the horse, most notably laminitis. Insulin resistance can be defined as a physiological condition in which cells have a diminished response to normal actions of the hormone insulin. Insulin is produced but the cells become resistant and are less capable in transporting glucose from the bloodstream to muscle and other tissues. In horses, insulin resistance is associated with a number of diseases such as Equine Metabolic Syndrome (Powell, et al., 2002; Hoffman, et al., 2003;Vick, et al., 2006 and Frank, et al., 2009), Equine Cushing Disease (McGowan, et al., 2004 and Walsh, et al., 2009) and Laminitis (Treiber, et al., 2006;Bailey, et al., 2007;McGowan, 2008 and Geor, 2008). Obesity and insulin resistance in ponies has become a common problem and there is a growing awareness on the role that diet and exercise has to play (Jeffcott, et al., 1986; Frank, et al., 2006 and Vick & Adams, 2007). Over-expressed adipocytokines, such as leptin, have been suggested to impair insulin signalling and cause the up regulation of inflammatory cytokines. This then further contributes to impaired insulin signalling and endothelial dysfunction (Radin, et al., 2009). The restriction of energy throu...
Physicians can only give palliative treatment for fibromyalgia. The primary goal of palliative care is to prevent secondary illnesses and alleviate patients’ suffering. What physicians offer are the so-called remedies even if they give prescription drugs. When a doctor prescribe analgesics, it does not mean this can ultimately cure the syndrome rather give temporarily relief to patients.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 27 million Americans (LeMone, Burke, Bauldoff, 2011). It is caused when the cartilage in the joints breaks down, causing the bones of the joint to rub against one another. This causes pain, stiffness, and loss of motion in the joint. Osteoarthritis is most prevalent in those 65 and older, but can affect those of any age. In addition, African Americans and Hispanics report a higher incidence of arthritis than Caucasians (LeMone, Burke, Bauldoff, 2011). Although the cause is unknown, it is believed that the increasing age of the population, prevalence of obesity and injuries add to the progression of the condition. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body; however, those of the hand, hip, and knee are often the most common. This condition may be asymptomatic, or may present symptoms including soreness, stiffness and pain. The symptoms are more common in the older population, those with limited activity levels, and those who are obese. Joint cartilage thins over time, causing an increased risk for symptoms in the elderly, and obesity puts extra pressure on the joints during activity. Osteoarthritis is commonly diagnosed with the use of a physical assessment along with results of radiology testing such as X-Ray and MRI.
It is still unknown what the cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis is but there are some theories that have not been proven. The oldest theory states that viruses and bacteria are the cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Now with all the research being done, scientists believe that Rheumatoid Arthritis is hereditary. Specific genes have been found to make people more likely to get Rheumatoid Arthritis. Some scientists also think that some environmental factors and infections might cause the immune system to attack. Contributing factors are smoking and being exposed to silica metal. So although the exact causes are unknown, the result is that the immune system is ready to make the joins and tissues inflamed by activating immune cells.
Getting sick is another negative factor of being overly stressed. Chronic stress compromises your immune system and stress hormones affect the body’s ability to fight off illness due to the fact that thymus’s ability to stimulate and coordinate the white blood cell activity.
Suppression of the Immunity System: stress causes the immune system of the body to be weakened because it fights of the stress from the stressor. This makes the body even more vulnerable to certain infections, like multiple sclerosis and arthritis. It has been discovered that stress slows the body’s rate of recovery from infections.
Researchers are unsure of what triggers UC, but have two strong possibilities. One theory is that the digestive system becomes inflamed when it tries to fight of a virus. The inflammation then remains chronically. Some scientists also believe that heredity may play a role in developing ulcerative colitis. However, most people who have ulcerative colitis do not have a family history of it. It used to be believed that stress triggered UC but the belief has been disproven. Symptoms of UC vary greatly depending on the specific location of the inflammation. Therefore, symptoms are classified in 5 categories depending on location:
Understanding Sciatica: symptoms & diagnosis. What is a sciatica? Sciatica is the name given to any case of pain that is caused by irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, running from the lower back down the back of each leg.
Arthritis occurs when the body incorrectly identifies its own tissue as foreign matter and attacks it. Arthritis includes a set of more than eighty autoimmune diseases. Arthritis attacks connective tissues and joints. It causes stiffness, pain, inflammation, and swelling of the joints. Some kinds are crippling, but rarely leads to death. There are many different kinds of arthritis, the main ones being Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis; others include gout and ankylosing spodylitis.
One of the most common mysteries in the world is the development of autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disease is when the immune system, which usually keeps your body healthy thinks that your healthy cells are antigens and attacks them. This is irony right? It is against properties of evolution for an immune system to attack itself causing sickness and possibly death if untreated. There are about 80 different types of autoimmune diseases, which usually have periods of little to no symptoms and worsening symptoms. What particularly creates confusion in the world is the autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease, which affects almost about five million people worldwide.
Continuous exposure to stressors can lead to a decline in the immune system, or the reduction in the body's ability to handle stressful situations. The following are different way to cope or deal with stressors: