Home Remedies for Arthritis
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is any condition in which the joints are swollen (where the bones meet).
This swelling over time can lead to a serious injury, although it is more of a symptom as it could be the result of different illnesses related to it.
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Therefore, it is necessary that an analysis be carried out to determine the remaining symptoms so that the patient can receive the appropriate treatment.
Causes and symptoms of arthritis
As we have seen in the previous point, the problem with the joints can be included in the clinical picture of different affections, therefore, the swelling could be accompanied by other symptoms.
The following is a list of pathologies related to arthritis, the symptoms and the causes that cause them:
Pathologies related to arthritis
Osteoarthritis
The most common of them mainly affects the joints of the hands, hips, spine and knees causing pain, swelling and decreased mobility. This type of arthritis degrades the cartilaginous tissue responsible for cushioning the impact produced by the movements.
When this happens, there is nothing to prevent continued friction at the ends of the bones, causing permanent damage to the bones. The main causes of this type of arthritis are overweight and aging.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
This condition is of the autoimmune type. It is caused by an immune attack by the body against its own tissues. The exact cause of this is unknown, although it is believed that genetics, environment, and hormones may influence its onset.
Unlike osteoarthritis, which only occurs in older individuals, it can also occur in young or middle-aged adults.
It has a higher incidence in men than in women and may appear in short episodes and reappear over time. It mainly affects the wrists and fingers although it can also attack other areas such as the eyes, mouth and lungs.
Juvenile Arthritis
This is also an autoimmune type condition for which it is difficult to determine the cause, but in this case it occurs in children. It causes swelling, pain and stiffness in the hands, knees and feet.
It is often difficult to diagnose as symptoms may appear for short periods and may only affect a couple of times during this stage.
Although there are cases in which it has also occurred continuously causing growth problems or damage to internal organs.
If morning lameness is observed, it is important to tell a specialist as it may be caused by this disease.
Infectious Arthritis
It originates from an infection that normally begins in another part of the body and extends to the joints.
It can be caused by fungi, viruses, or bacteria, for this reason to the symptoms mentioned above as swelling, immobility and pain must also be added others such as redness of the affected area, chills and fever that are typical symptoms of a clinical picture of infection, because that is the way the body defends itself from such an attack.
Psoriatic Arthritis
Often patients with psoriasis also have psoriasis arthritis. Psoriasis as it is known affects mainly the skin, manifesting itself in the form of circular marks similar to patches, these flake and cause pain, itching and redness.
When they appear in the area of the joints as elbows and knees cause the symptoms associated with arthritis described above.
Drop
This type of arthritis is one of the most painful and common, caused by excess uric acid in the blood.
Among the waste substances produced by the human body is the purine, this decomposing becomes uric acid that is transported through the bloodstream to the kidneys where it is processed and later expelled through urine.
When expulsion is not done properly or if food containing large amounts of purine (beans, dried peas, liver, and anchovies) is consumed, the body becomes prone to uric acid accumulation, which takes the form of needle-shaped crystals.
These crystals are what cause pain in the joints of the upper and lower limbs and can also lead to the formation of kidney stones.
Normally the first affected site is usually the big toe. In principle, the pains tend to subside but reappear after a while, becoming more and more frequent.
Male or overweight individuals are more likely to have gout. Alcohol consumption and family genetic history are also major influencing factors.
This condition is often confused with pseudo-gout which shares symptoms with the difference that in this case the cause is not uric acid but calcium phosphate.
In all these cases the diagnosis can only be given by a specialist who will perform different medical tests depending on the symptoms, which include blood tests, urine, x-rays, cartilage sampling, etc..
Arthritis Treatment
There is currently no definitive cure for this group of conditions, but proper treatment is important. This will depend on the type of condition the patient has and the degree of intensity with which the attacks occur.
Nevertheless, there are some useful recommendations that will help to reduce the intensity of the symptoms:
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle
- Get adequate rest
- Eat a balanced diet
- Eat foods rich in omega 3
- Performing physical therapy to reduce pain
- Apply cold water compresses to reduce swelling and hot water to relieve pain.
Home Remedies for Arthritis
Diagnosing arthritis is often complicated because symptoms do not show until the affected person is at an advanced stage of the disease.
It is therefore important to keep in mind that there are natural home remedies to maintain joint health. Here is a list of them:
- Turmeric: Eliminates pain and reduces swelling thanks to its analgesic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Simply dilute one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of turmeric in a glass of water and drink this mixture twice a day.
- Nettle: It is depurative and helps to calm pain and swelling. It is possible to prepare a tincture macerate the leaves of this plant in half a liter of alcohol of 90º during 10 days, after this time we will be able to apply it with the help of a cloth letting it rest on the affected zone.
- Pineapple: Its high bromelain content helps to reduce swelling and pain, so it is recommended to consume it abundantly.
- Apple vinegar: is also a powerful analgesic and anti-inflammatory and can be applied in the same way as nettle tincture or can also be taken once a day by mixing a tablespoon of vinegar in a glass of water.
Eucalyptus: It is antirheumatic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic. It is recommended to mix a few drops of the essence of this plant with a base oil (olive, almond, coconut) and massage the affected area.
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