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
