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Arthritis
There is no one such thing as arthritis. Arthritis is actually over 100 different
diseases. The two most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is best thought of as a "wear-and-tear" condition; that is a
degenerative joint disease that usually affects people over the age of 45 or people
who have suffered past traumatic joint injuries.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory autoimmune disease that often
occurs in people ages 30 to 40, but most frequently in people between the ages of
40 and 60. Rheumatoid arthritis is two to three times more common in women than
men and is more serious than osteoarthritis because it can affect every tissue in the
body.
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis doctors agree that it is best to get
some type of exercise. For example, if arthritis affects your knees, strengthening your
knee muscles will take strain off the knee joints. Secondly, you can use heat or cold
to minimize aches, pains, swelling and stiffness. Finally, you can splint the affected
area with a simple joint brace.
Some people have found great relief with any of the herbal anti-inflammatory
substances and, most recently, a combination of chrondrotin sulfate and
glucosamine.
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