healthy body tips

Arthritis sufferers are daily bombarded with new, better, more exciting treatments. Try Enbrel! Try Humira! Miracle drugs!Get your NSAIDS! Get your DMARDS! Pump more chemicals into your system. Side effects? What side effects? You have a choice; accept the side effects or get sicker and sicker.

In order to allay our fears, the drug companies publish the results of their clinical tests. This double blind study proved that that lethal chemical reduced your swelling more than another, equally lethal chemical.

Do they think they're playing with babies? Yes. That's exactly what they think. Arthritis is such a horrible, debilitating disease that we'll try anything to reduce the symptoms. And that's exactly what these awful drugs do. They reduce the symptoms, temporarily. As the symptoms creep back, your rheumatologist increases the drug or experiments with other lethal concoctions to reduce your swelling or pain. We're told there's NO cure for arthritis. We're told that no one knows the cause. Really! More that thiry years ago we sent men to play golf on the moon. But we can't pin point even one cause for this crippling disease?

It's time for a reality check. The drug companies will continue to pump out really expensive chemicals, ostensibly helpful. Our doctors will continue to serve up the concoctions fed to them by the drug compaines. Unless we refuse to go along with this travesty. We don't need a revolution. We don't even need to take on our doctors or the drug companies. We only need to pool our resources and conduct our own quiet experiments.

We need to experiment with our habits. Just take one aspect of our life and alter it for one month. For example, are you a heavy coffee drinker? I'm pretty well wired to the ceiling by mid-day. Cut coffee from your diet for one month. Document any changes to your system resulting from this. You may, of course, suffer withdrawal symptoms but you may also experience a very welcome reduction in arthritic pain and swelling.

That's just one suggestion. We have lots more. Feed-back from our brave experimenters will eventually allow us to make real recommendations. The revolution has started!

Arthritis Exercise ? One Way to Relieve Pain & Stiffness in Your Joints (part 1)

Exercise can be very beneficial for arthritis sufferers, often relieving stiffness in joints, strengthening muscles thereby reducing stress on joints, keeping bone and cartilage tissue strong and healthy, and increasing flexibility. A recommended 30-minute minimum of daily activity is the norm. Before starting any exercise program, it is vital that one speak to their doctor to ensure there are no unseen risks, however you will find that most doctors recommend exercise for their arthritis patients either on their own initiative or when asked.

The types of exercises suggested vary; however, with all types of exercise the warm-up is the starting point. Warming up is best started with applying warm compresses to the joints, followed by mild stretching. Range of motion exercises, such as dance, are a very good start, as are low-impact aerobics. These can relieve stiffness and increase flexibility. Never discount the effectiveness of walking as an exercise. Walking is a great exercise to improve the arthritic condition, and carrying weights as light as one pound and using your arms as you walk can involve the whole body. The "trick" is to make walking interesting enough as an exercise to stay motivated. Try walking in different settings, alternating walking with dance on different days, and of course including a partner can be much more interesting than going at it alone.

Using aquatics: exercising in a pool-is a great way to exercise as well. Water is an excellent aid because it provides resistance that builds muscle in the entire body while reducing shock to the joints at the same time. Additionally, because the whole body tends to become involved in aquatic exercise the added benefit of cardiovascular exercise is enjoyed. If at all possible, find a heated pool to work out in. Warm water is soothing to the joints and will cause the blood vessels to dilate, increasing circulation. With that in mind, it is often beneficial to add using a spa to your regimen, perhaps after your workout, in order to provide some soothing jets of water to your muscles and even more help with increased circulation, which is always vital when dealing with arthritis.

If you still want more variety, you may want to try yoga. Yoga is a general term for several stretching, and pose-oriented exercises originating in India, and is extremely beneficial toward achieving flexibility and reducing stress physically and mentally. There are gentle forms of yoga such as Hatha Yoga that are excellent to start with. Hatha Yoga comprises of gentle stretches and simple poses that help flexibility and balance, and are easy to learn and enjoy. Check your local activities paper or section of your local paper to see if there are any yoga classes near you.

Arthritis Exercise ? One Way to Relieve Pain & Stiffness in Your Joints (part 2)

Even when you cannot make it out to walk or to an aquatics or yoga class, there are exercises you can do daily to improve flexibility, strength and conditioning when you suffer from arthritis. You can flex your legs while sitting in a chair facing forward, simply by moving your leg outward while keeping your foot on the floor and holding it there for a few seconds, then retracting it until your foot is behind you, then alternating to the other leg. Interlocking your fingers and slowly flexing your wrists to the left and the right for a few minutes a day can help tremendously to increase flexibility and reduce pain in the wrist area.

For your upper back, you can stand upright in front of a table, then lean over and place your hands on the table and tuck your chin back toward your collarbone. Once positioned as such, lift your upper back upward and simultaneously take a deep breath. Hold that position for 5-10 seconds and then relax while exhaling. While doing this, lower your spine slowly as you move both shoulder blades forward as if toward each other. Repeat this exercise for 10-15 repetitions.

For the shoulders and middle back, start again from an upright position standing as straight as you can, reach back and lock the fingers of both hands together. Breathe slowly and deeply and lift upward with your shoulders while at the same time, exhaling. Be sure to keep your chest up and your chin in. Repeat this for about 10-15 sets.

For the shoulders and upper chest, choose a free corner of the room to stand in and place your hands on the opposite sides of the corner. Take a step back about 18 inches from the corner. You now should be facing the corner directly with your hands on both of the walls with your body some distance from the wall itself. Keeping your chest up after inhaling, lean in toward the corner while exhaling. Repeat this exercise for 10-15 sets.

Whatever exercise program you choose, be sure to breathe properly when exercising. Oxygenation is important to any exercise regimen as it promotes a healthy heart rate and reduces fatigue; additionally oxygenation helps circulation, which is vital to achieving the flexibility and strength that you are trying to achieve in battling arthritis. Also, listen to your body. It is natural to feel a little fatigue and soreness when starting a new exercise regimen, However if the pain of soreness persists for more than one hour, or you have a decrease in mobility that lasts longer than an hour, then the regimen should be reduced until the soreness desists. Also, look for signs of increased swelling of joints or any persistent increase of weakness; these are signs of activities that are too strenuous and a reduction in activity will be necessary. Just remember to take all new exercise regimens slowly at the start. The idea is to increase flexibility not train for the Olympics.

 Treat Yourself to a Diet That Helps Rheumatoid Arthritis

There are many natural cures for arthritis including learning about and following the rheumatoid arthritis diet to help alleviate symptoms of painful joints

Treatments for overcoming Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
This list includes both natural rheumatoid arthritis diet and alternative arthritis remedies for curing arthritis, as well as artificially prepared drugs and other medications. Though it may seem counterintuitive one of the natural cures for arthritis suggestions to relieving pain is to exercise. However, it is important to work with knowledgeable therapists who can develop a safe routine that will not aggravate the existing problem.

Exercise works because it can help improve movement and reduce stiffness, it can help keep up the strength of muscles that will protect and support the affected joints and it can improve circulation which is beneficial for overall health. Add to that the bonus that it may reduce or control weight that adds stress to afflicted joints.

Proper rest is always important for the body to help restore itself. And it is thought that inflammation eases off when the body is able to achieve a restful stage.

Massage and hydrotherapy help to relieve stiffness in joints and both work to improve circulation. For some individuals that are very nearly crippled with arthritis they have found that being in a pool allows them the only real opportunity to have movement and exercise free from the stress on their sore joints. It can provide some very real blessed moments of relief.

Another area to be explored for alternative arthritis remedies is the strength of one's perceptions. It has been noted that anxiety and uncertainty about what is happening in one's own body can accentuate the pain felt. This means that gaining a clear understanding of what is occurring and what can be done in the way of treatment can work to relieve some of the stress and thus some of the pain as well.

As has been shown time and again - a calm and positive outlook will produce a better reaction in the physical body over a bitter and negative one. Focusing on things that are enjoyable and uplifting can go a long way in keeping one's mind from dwelling on the pain. Pain that is dwelt on seems to always increase. Granted, it may take a supreme effort to begin such a pattern of thinking but the reward of improving the quality of life that we have been given will always be worth it.

Sea-bathing is another popular natural remedy. Since natural iodine present in sea water helps relieve arthritis pain, it is a good option. It is one of the most natural cures for arthritis as it regenerates the tissues that have been worn out as a result of arthritis.

Try eating a rheumatoid arthritis diet which help cure arthritis: Poor diet, obesity, lack of nutrition in diet are some of the factors which can lead to the state of RA, and hence a change in one's diets, and inclusion of a certain class of food items in the diet can drastically improve the condition.

Diet that helps rheumatoid arthritis:

Changing your diet can help cure arthritis. Excess weight increases the pressure on the joints, and thus causes pain in joints, so starting a weight loss program can be of enormous benefit to anyone suffering from painful joints. You can also focus your daily nutrition intake to include specific food items that help alleviate the pain and hence enhance the overall curing process.

There is a site with contributions from Helene Malmsio, a nutritional consultant since 1994, where she writes about the natural cures and home remedies suggested for rheumatoid arthritis diet - detailing the specific foods that help relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, and also including the benefits of using Tang Kuei and vitamin nutrition supplements in your diet for those who do not have time to monitor their meals every day to make sure they include the complete arthritis diet.

The diet for arthritis food items below contain essential nutrients that increase the blood supply and also alleviate the stiffness in the joints.

· Coconut/ Mustard oil
· Raw and fresh vegetables and fruits
· Consumption of meat must be reduced
· Avoid consumption of butter, cream etc. Saturated fats are considered to be detrimental during arthritis cure.
· Tang Kuei: Also known as the Queen amongst herbs, tang kuei acts as a balancing factor of hormones. It reduces the pain in joints during arthritis. It also reduces nervous tension and stress that accompany RA. All in all, it acts as a calming agent both physically and mentally, and is paramount for natural cure for arthritis.