What is (Osteo)Arthritis?

What Causes Arthritis?

Factors Affecting Severity

Treatment for Arthritis

Symptomatic Relief

Prevention of Arthritis

Symptomatic Relief

The symptoms of arthritis can be treated in various ways. Some relieve the pressure on a joint temporarily while others help reduce the inflammation caused by the joint imbalance. In my experience, none of these treatments remove the primary cause as PMBT treatments do, but they are helpful to varying degrees.

Exercise to strengthen certain muscles can sometimes create a counter pull against the tight, damaged muscle. This can help realign the joint in some cases, thereby relieving some of the stress on the cartilage. However, if not done properly it could cause increased pressure on the cartilage. Unfortunately, since most joint imbalances vary, a generic exercise program can't be designed for arthritic conditions other than arthritis of the hands. This is the only imbalance that is essentially the same on everyone. This exercise program is explained and demonstrated fully in the arthritic hands self-treatment video. It is designed to strengthen the muscles making them less susceptible to new damage. This prevents the problem from returning once the muscles have healed from the treatments. Specific exercises for knee, hip or other areas would be designed for someone who received some PMBT treatments but could not stay long enough to get the joint totally realigned. Those who get their joints realigned totally would be taught exercises to keep their muscles strong and more resistant to over-stress.

Stretching can also be helpful in relieving the symptoms of arthritis. It is most effective when the tight damaged muscles causing the misalignments are stretched. However, stretching all muscles will help relieve the pressure temporarily. If done once or more every day this could help quite a bit. Again, specific stretches would be designed for a patient who could not receive enough treatments to get their damaged muscles restored to normal length. Stretching is also demonstrated in the arthritic hands video to keep the appropriate muscles flexible. This also helps to prevent more muscle damage from accumulating.

A lot of arthritis therapies use heat in some form. Applying heat to short, damaged muscles causes them to lengthen temporarily, thereby relieving some of the pressure on the joint. This provides some relief, however heat also increases inflammation and makes the problem worse. Using heat to treat arthritis is a two-edged sword. It helps a little in one way but hurts in another. Whatever you do, never apply dry heat to your muscles. Since muscles are around 70 percent water, the dry heat dehydrates them causing them to become shorter. This creates a greater imbalance in the joint making your problem worse. I believe that massaging and stretching your tight muscles will relieve the pressure and pain as much as moist heat without the negative effect of increasing the inflammation.

Nutrition doesn't remove the cause of arthritis, but can be very helpful at treating the inflammation and pain. It is one important part of treating rheumatoid arthritis, but this form of arthritis has a different cause than osteoarthritis. However, since they are both inflammatory conditions their symptoms can be reduced with proper nutrition.

A great deal has been written about treating arthritis with nutrition so I'm not going to go into a lot of detail here. The best foundation is to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables and decrease your intake of fats, grain products and meats. Since most fruits and vegetables leave an alkaline ash after being digested they have an anti-inflammatory effect. They also help reduce excess body fat so you should also become leaner and therefore place less stress on any arthritic weight-bearing joints. There are also many other health benefits from eating more fruits and vegetables, so explore and enjoy the many varieties available.

A number of nutritional supplements have an anti-inflammatory effect. Bromelain, an enzyme from pineapples, and curcumin herb are both good natural anti-inflammatories but must be taken between meals instead of with meals as usually stated on the label. These should be safe for anyone to use 2-3 times a day. Consult a good herb book or nutritionist for other good natural products that decrease inflammation. Even though herbs are natural products and can be used quite a bit without any side effects, I feel it is best to cycle their use. In other words, get three or four products and use one on Monday, another on Tuesday, the next on Wednesday, and the last one on Thursday. Then begin again with the first one on Friday. This should prevent any negative effects that may occur using herbs to excess. Some herbs are quite powerful and should only be used long enough to re-establish balance when an imbalanced situation is present. Always consult a physician knowledgeable in nutrition before starting any supplementation program. This is especially important if you are taking any medication.