Regular exercise is important in limiting the effects of arthritis

By Rosie Shelley Saturday March 15th, 2008

HERE IN the West we tend to accept arthritis as an almost inevitable part of the ageing process, but other cultures simply don’t experience it in this way and there’s no reason why we should. According to Arthritis Ireland a shocking one in every six people suffers from at least one of the hundred-odd different forms of this debilitating disease, and it can strike at any time. By the age of sixty, nine out of ten of us will be affected, and yet as one specialist puts it ‘No person who is in good nutritional health develops rheumatoid or arthritis’ (which says something about our nutritional health!)

Arthritis simply means inflammation (itis) of the joint (arthron). Inflammation spreads to the surrounding area causing pain, stiffness, redness, and swelling that may lead to deformity. Your GP will probably prescribe painkillers, cortisone based drugs (steroids) or NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These measures may provide relief from symptoms, but they don’t address the root cause and can have nasty side effects. As always, the best plan would be to stop arthritis developing in the first place, but at any stage of the disease there are several nutritional, herbal and lifestyle measures you can take to prevent, limit and even reverse the damage.

Both steroidal and non-steroidal drugs work by reducing inflammation, and they do this by affecting chemicals that are made from the fats you eat. Basically, some fats cause inflammation and some reduce it, so the first thing to do is to cut out saturated fats (meat, butter, lard etc) and eat more of the healthy fats. These include olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocadoes and oily fish. Oily fish, especially the tinned variety eaten with its bones, has the added benefit of plenty of calcium, a lack of which is one of the major triggers for arthritis. If you don’t fancy eating fish on a regular basis it would be wise to take a supplement – plain old cod liver oil and evening primrose oil have been proven as effective as anti-arthritic drugs.

Other triggers include previous injury to or overuse of a joint, poor posture, being overweight, lack of muscle strength, viral or bacterial infection, stress, and taking in too many toxins from the environment and the diet; a diet that is low in nutrients and high in processed, acid-forming food and drink, and stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, tobacco and sugar. What many of these factors have in common is that they act as powerful oxidants, poisoning the cells. The body attempts to protect the vital organs from damage by dumping toxins away from them, in the joints, and the result is inflammation, that familiar swelling and pain.

Aside from eating plenty of those healthy oils then the best diet is one made up of cleansing foods – wholefoods in their natural state, including wholegrains like brown rice and wholemeal bread, pulses like beans, peas and lentils, and large amounts of vegetables. Deeply coloured veg are the best source of antioxidants, which protect cells from the damage caused by all of these external toxins and by the disease itself, reducing inflammation in the process.

Some people find that foods from the nightshade family – potatoes, aubergines, peppers and tomatoes – can exacerbate arthritic symptoms, while others have trouble with oranges, dairy produce or wheat, so it might be worth cutting these out for a while to see if it makes a difference.

Because yo-yoing blood sugar levels add to the problem it’s important to balance them by avoiding sugar and eating regular, small meals that each contain a little protein – choose from those pulses, nuts and seeds, soya products, eggs, or lean white meat.

Regular exercise, in whatever form you can manage and enjoy, is important for several reasons: it keeps the joints supple and the weight down, strengthens muscles, balances hormones and blood sugar, and just as importantly lifts your mood and relieves stress. It’s widely accepted now that there’s a strong emotional element to arthritis, of keeping feelings bottled up, so it would be a good idea to find a way of expressing yourself, whether it’s exercising vigorously, gardening or writing, or just punching a pillow!

Yoga is a really good way of maintaining flexibility and achieving relaxation. Drinking plenty of water or herbal teas will help your body to detoxify, and long soaks in a warm bath will soothe aching joints; try adding essential oils of lavender or rosemary for added healing power. If you’re feeling more adventurous, excellent results have been seen with aromatherapy massage, osteopathy and acupuncture.

Many sufferers swear by the copper bracelets available in pharmacies, and this is probably because copper has potent anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and tissue-repairing properties. Found in beans, peas, wholewheat, seafood and liver, it also features in good multivitamin and mineral supplements, which will include all of the other nutrients that work to support the whole skeletal system and overall health.

And arthritis is one condition that really responds well to supplements, partly because it puts such stress on your body that you need a strong source of vitamins and minerals to make up the deficit, and partly because some of the most effective nutrients just can’t be accessed from diet alone. Most chemists and healthfood stores carry a formula specifically designed for joint health, which is likely to contain some combination of glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM. All three have marked anti-inflammatory effects but they also have the ability to prevent and even repair damage to the whole skeletal system, and carry a host of other benefits.

Just bear in mind that glucosamine and chondroitin are made from the shells of crustaceans, so avoid them if you have a shellfish allergy, and also if you are pregnant or diabetic. Effective alternatives or additions are boswellia, which reduces swelling and pain, improves mobility and blood flow, and prevents the breakdown of cartilage and can be found in both tablet and lotion forms, and bromelain, an anti-inflammatory found in pineapples.

There are several food sources of anti-arthritic agents: red peppers and chillis for example, root ginger, garlic, and turmeric, the yellow spice used in Indian cooking. It’s well worth trying to incorporate them into your diet, and also eating plenty of cabbage and other greens, celery, turnip, soya beans, apples and lemons. Herbs such as nettle and dandelion, willow bark, devil’s claw and feverfew have been used for centuries to deal with pain relief and swelling and to improve blood flow and overall nutritional health. And your grandmother’s remedy of cider vinegar and honey was a great one – just combine a dessertspoon of each in a cup of hot water first thing every morning.





For further information go to www.arthritisireland.ie, email info@arthritisireland.ie, or call 01 6618188.



rrshelley@eircom.net