Sunday, February 26, 2012

Arthritis And You: A Users Manual To Living

By Joann E. Jenkins


Arthritis is a painful disease, attacking the joints and causing inflammation and pain. Many people suffer from arthritis and it is often the cause of a lot of pain. This article will address a few methods that other arthritis sufferers have found helpful to coping with the disease.

Don't let you or anyone else make you feel bad. You might not feel comfortable doing some tasks with arthritis. Guilt and pressure from others will make you feel even worse, so don't let others get you down. You should not beat yourself up over this.

Let your doctor check for deficiencies. Vitamin B-12 is a very important nutrient that helps to reduce flare-ups and pain during the day. Take your vitamins and have your levels checked regularly to reduce your risk of pain and other arthritis symptoms.

Try getting your friend to help you arrange your house in a way that's easier to navigate to help deal with your arthritis. You want to make important things easy to get to and easy to use, even when an arthritis flare up is impeding your reach or your grip.

Exercise is vital to maintaining a good quality of life for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. Get some guidance to help you develop a helpful exercise routine. Get advice from a doctor, physical trainer or physical therapist to help you get started on a beneficial exercise routine that will help you manage the symptoms of your arthritis.

In order to handle arthritis better you need to look for ways to eliminate stress and relax. Chemicals are released when your body is stressed. These chemicals can trigger inflammation, which can increase the pain associated with arthritis. You may want to consider brushing up on your time management skills or adding light exercise to help you cope with stress.

Therapy can help you manage your arthritis symptoms, especially if the therapy focuses on the connection between your thoughts and your behavior. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, helps you learn to think more positively. By thinking more positively, you'll reduce stress and depression and find yourself engaging in positive behavioral changes. This is particularly useful for people who have a degenerative illness.

Familiarize yourself with the early signs of arthritis. As with many other illnesses, an early diagnosis is the key to treating arthritis. You will suffer less and get the medication you need. If you think you have the symptoms of arthritis, discuss your condition with your doctor for the best remedies and management.

Using appropriate household tools and utensils can make certain tasks easier for those with arthritis. Many of these ergonomic tools are now readily available at your favorite store. Can openers, knives, drawer pulls, and pens have been designed a certain way so they are easier to use.

Yoga and meditation can help you if you're having problems with chronic arthritis. These help you to relax, which in turn reduces arthritis' symptoms. Stick with this approach. For yoga to be effective it should be practiced about 4 times each week.

When we laugh, it stimulates the production of "feel-good" endorphins that can actually help reduce pain and relieve stress. Everyone can use a good laugh!

Talk to your doctor about joint surgery if you cannot find anything efficient against your condition. Joint surgery can be extremely effective in reversing the effects of arthritis, eliminating pain, and returning mobility and full range of motion.

If you have arthritis, it is important that you eat a healthy diet. By having a diet that contains legumes, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits and essential oils, you will notice a positive increase in how the body functions. This also increases vitality. Having more vitality will increase your energy, which can help you remain fit and decrease your arthritis symptoms.

LED therapy is a newer treatment for arthritis pain. These types of light can make a very large difference in the amount of arthritic pain you experience. Devices that contain the therapeutic LED lighting is generally not too expensive and offers a convenient way to treat your pain. Virtually all drug and department store retailers carry a few in their daily inventory. If used as directed, these devices should not make pain worse and might be helpful as a tool in managing arthritis pain.

If you have arthritis, try to optimize your sleep during the night. Lack of sleep makes it impossible for the body to fight painful arthritis effects. Adults need an average of eight hours of sleep, but more may be necessary when you are stressed. Your body's own healing powers improve substantially with good sleep.

Try regular sauna visits to treat ongoing arthritis problems. The sauna provides heat and moisture, which can reduce the pain and inflammation caused by arthritis. Saunas are an enjoyable method to alleviating arthritis symptoms, but they should be used regularly if you want to manage your arthritis effectively.

Get a massage if the pain isn't serious. This can help to relax and loosen your muscles and decrease stress levels. Consult a massage therapy professional who understands the special needs of arthritis patients. Massages can be really painful if your muscles are too sore, so you may want to wait until the day after.

Consider doing some yoga. Studies show that yoga's low-impact stretching helps to loosen the tendons and build the muscles which surround your joins, lessening both inflammation and pain.

If you have a child with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, you have to ensure that he maintains a regular routine of exercise and physical therapy and strictly adheres to his scheduled doses of pain relief medication. Young people with RA need to stay active and flexible so that they can prevent further damage and pain.

Hopefully, you've learned a valuable tip or two that you can use to fight the discomfort or pain caused by your arthritis. Remember, these are only a few of the many pieces of advice that are out there and if nothing here helps, don't give up your search! Eventually, you'll find something that works for you.




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