Joint and Bone Health

Many factors can adversely affect joint and bone health, including age, exercise (some types help, while some hinder), obesity, diet, hormonal changes, food allergies and intolerances. While in the past joint aches and pains of any kind and in any age group were loosely termed arthritis, it is now apparent that in fact arthritis applies to 100 different diseases. The most common types are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and gout. Other types include ankylosing spondilitis, fibromyalgia, lupus and scleroderma. Arthritis can affect the bone itself and/or the tissue surrounding it, such as the cartilage, ligaments, tendons and muscles. This can cause pain, stiffness and sometimes swelling.

The conventional treatment for arthritis is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), but these have the potential for producing many adverse side effects, including bone thinning, and do nothing to improve the condition. There are a number of natural alternatives available to arthritis sufferers, but first it is important to have an accurate diagnosis by a health practitioner.

Good nutrition is fundamental to a natural approach. Arthritis is considered to be an acid condition. A low acid-forming diet is found by many sufferers to both reduce inflammation and slow down bone degeneration. It may be worth exploring a dairy-free diet which has provided relief for countless numbers of people. By removing dairy products from the diet (milk, butter, cheese and cream), while also reducing your intake of acid-forming foods such as red meats, pork, refined white flour and sugar products, tea and coffee, you will help to alkalise your body and ease the acid load which has a detrimental effect on bones and joints. rich in vegetables, including seaweed and freshly sprouted grains and seeds, will greatly enhance your chances of avoiding bone and joint related problems.

Juicing is a great way of getting your daily quota of vegetables and fruit. By adding wheatgrass or barleygrass to product you can enhance both the alkalising properties of the juice and its nutritional content http://www.sprout.net.au/wht_benefits.html. To further alkalise the body, a small wineglass of Honegar (cider vinegar and honey) once or twice a day on an empty stomach, or freshly squeezed lemon juice in a glass of warm water taken first thing in the morning, can be a great help. In addition, celery tea made from celery seeds or celery capsules and nettle tea have alkalising properties.

To ensure good bone health, it is very important to avoid ingesting fluoridated water. Fluoride, which is added to the mains water supply throughout Ireland, has serious implications for your health in relation to bones, digestion and thyroid function. It should be avoided at all costs http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/. Either use bottled mineral water, or install a filter which specifically removes fluoride, for example Simply Water.

Many products exist to help with bone and joint health, most of which contain glucosamine with or without chondroitin. These ingredients help to re-build cartilage in the joint. Products containing anti-inflammatory herbs are also available, such as Devil`s Claw and Boswellia.