Was Grandma correct about her joint pain and weather changes?

Arthritis:

Was Grandma correct about her joint pain and weather changes? Do your joints ache when a storm is coming? 

You may be convinced your arthritic pain is worse when the barometric pressure changes, but many researchers have developed headaches trying to prove this with science. The vast majority of studies have failed to establish a scientific connection between changing weather patterns and arthritis symptoms. Despite its lack of scientific support, both arthritis sufferers and Rheumatologists insist there is a great deal of clinical support for this phenomenon, citing widespread reports of weather-induced pain flare-ups.

More than 60 percent of osteoarthritis patients report that their symptoms vary with weather conditions. Fibromyalgia patients have also reported weather-related fluctuations in pain. A few recent scientific studies have begun to offer some "mild support" for what patients and physicians have reported for decades—weather may indeed be a factor in arthritis pain.

Dutch researchers tracked pain levels of hip osteoarthritis sufferers and matched their symptoms against daily weather records. They found that the participants' aches and pains indeed were a little bit worse and joints a bit stiffer when humidity and barometric pressure levels rose. These changes were too small to be considered "clinically relevant," but this doesn't mean that the pain was not real. Other recent European studies have shown similar findings, but the changes are all subtle; maybe this is the reason science has failed to demonstrate this connection until now.

Mood and daily activity may also be factors. It's possible that your pain threshold drops during cold, rainy weather, because environmental conditions can definitely affect your mood. When it's cold, many people are less likely to go outside and get the exercise that normally keeps arthritis pain in check. Another factor could be the placebo effect. That is, if you expect your pain to be worse when the weather changes, then it very well may be. After all, the pain-weather "phenomenon" is commonly accepted in Western culture.

Now that we've spent some time mucking around in the gray areas of science with respect to arthritis pain, let's take a look at what we KNOW works in terms of pain relief for arthritis sufferers. There are two types of arthritis: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The only thing they have in common is that they are both characterized by pain, inflammation, stiffness, and swelling of the joints—but they are very different diseases, with different causes and presentations.

Here are the principal differences:

Osteoarthritis (OA): OA, or degenerative arthritis (degenerative joint disease), typically occurs in older individuals, but can also follow repetitive stress or acute trauma.

OA usually affects the distal joints and is not symmetrical. You may have it in just one joint, or on one hand or foot but not the other.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Is much more serious. RA is an autoimmune disease that causes your immune system to attack the tissues that line your joints. RA can occur at any age, but fortunately, juvenile RA is relatively rare. RA tends to be bilateral, symmetrical and is associated with joint deformities. People do die from RA so it's not to be treated lightly.

Due to the fact that both OA and RA involve joint pain and inflammation, they share common treatment modalities. Anti-inflammatory drug approaches such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and analgesics, like Tylenol, are typically used for both types of arthritis.

The problem with these drug approaches is that regular, chronic use of arthritis drugs can result in liver or kidney damage. Use of analgesics is a very common cause of kidney disease. (Analgesic nephropathy).

Acetaminophen is actually the number 1 cause of acute liver failure! Pain control is an important aspect of treating RA. Because of its severity, rheumatoid arthritis is often treated aggressively with potentially some of the most dangerous drugs on the market.

A relatively recent class of RA drugs are the TNF-alpha inhibitors, also termed "biologic" drugs. While these drugs are enthusiastically promoted by the medical and pharmaceutical industry, there are still concerns about their safety.

Arthritis pain can be quite severe so most people benefit from some form of pharmacologic relief while waiting for the natural therapies to kick in. So if you chose to use a drug, you'll want to be sure to use the safest drugs and only when necessary. Not only do pharmaceutical agents have a range of potential side effects, but they merely suppress symptoms without doing anything to address the underlying cause. Targeting the cause of the problem is a much more effective approach for achieving long-lasting relief. Drugs for rheumatoid arthritis are among the most dangerous drugs prescribed and may cause more problems than they solve, so the sooner you can incorporate more natural treatments and reduce your reliance on pharmaceuticals, the better. If you need to take an analgesic from time to time, this is much less risky than taking them on a daily basis. The ultimate goal is managing your pain without medications.

Treating arthritis effectively with natural approaches that are scientifically sound and that address the cause of the problem, with special emphasis on the management of RA.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment protocol has helped many RA patients go into remission, and one of the key factors is dietary modification. It is an essential component of any RA protocol. Following these general guidelines alone will go a long way toward dramatically reducing your chronic inflammation, whether it's from RA or another inflammation-based disease:

1.  Eliminate sugar/fructose and most grains (this automatically means avoiding virtually all processed foods)

2.  Optimize your gut flora by consuming naturally fermented products.

3.  Consume whole, unprocessed high-quality foods, organic and locally-grown if possible

4.  Eat a more of your food raw

5.  Get plenty of high-quality animal-based omega-3 essential fats.

Key Components of a RA Treatment Protocol:

Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) - Naltrexone is a pharmacologically active opioid antagonist, conventionally used to treat drug and alcohol addiction. However, in very small doses, it is inexpensive, non-toxic, and has immunomodulating properties widely reported by physicians as effective in getting people off of dangerous arthritis medications.

Astaxanthin: A powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant with very powerful pain control.

Vitamin D, Exercise, Curcumin (Turmeric), Boswellia and Ginger are also help with symptoms.

If you have OA or RA, implementing some basic lifestyle changes can help quell the inflammation that causes your joints to become achy, stiff, or swollen.

Chiropractic is great for OA and can help reduce the inflammation/ pain by adjusting the spine and extremities back to their proper position. This allows proper motion/ function of joints and their supporting structures. This will help eliminate the cause of the arthritis rather than mask it with drugs. At Family First Chiropractic we have pharmaceutical grade supplements including essential fatty acids and joint health remedies. Come in and check out our great selection. Call for a consultation or treatment and find out how we can help you!

Dr. Stephen Kelly D.C.

Dr. Kelly practices at Family First Chiropractic located at 142 Erickson drive in Red Deer. Call us today to book an appointment (403)347-3261 or visit us at www.family1stchiro.ca