katyzzzArthritic pain relief and anti-inflammatories.
September 15th 2008 10:25
Pineapple --
be it part of an icy drink, a fruit salad, or a barbecue kabob -- contains an anti-inflammatory enzyme called bromelain. New research shows that bromelain soothes your cells by reducing the migration of white blood cells to sites of inflammation -- like sunburned skin, injured muscles, and arthritic joints.
6 Foods That Knees Dig
For more youthful knee joints -- or anything that bends -- consider what’s in your kitchen.
These six foods could be your best medicine: berries, ginger, avocado, flaxseeds, omega-3-rich fish, and soy. Research shows they help stifle joint-damaging inflammation, according to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD: The Big Book of Culinary Medicine.
On Your Menu
Try this joint-friendly daily meal plan: whole-grain cereal or oatmeal with berries for breakfast, a turkey and avocado sandwich or a soy burger for lunch, a handful of walnuts or flaxseeds for a snack, and wild salmon or tilapia for dinner.
More Picks (and Pans)
* Make a fruit bowl . . . with orange and grapefruit chunks. Vitamin C can thwart cartilage loss and slow osteoarthritis progression. (Use this online tool to see which vegetables are top "C" picks.)
* Sip tea. It’s chock-full of anti-inflammatory compounds. (Here’s why green tea may be especially good.)
* Nix red meat, and skip the sugary and starchy stuff. Proinflammatory substances in these foods -- like saturated fats in red meat -- could spur joint pain or make it worse.
Living with osteoarthritis?
Exercise
Moderate physical activity—within the limits of comfort and with normal motions—will not increase the risk of osteoarthritis in joints that are not affected by the disease.
* Randomized trials have found that aerobic conditioning is effective in improving the condition of people with osteoarthritis. After completing a 12-week exercise program, participants in aquatics and walking exercise groups showed significant improvement over control participants in aerobic capacity, 50-foot walking time, depression, anxiety, and physical activity.
* Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who participated in a walking program had significant improvements after eight weeks in the program (Kovar et al 1992). The patients felt less pain, could walk longer, needed less pain medication, and were better able to go about their daily routines. But these benefits disappear if the regular, daily walking schedule is not kept up.
Find out if there are exercise programs in your community for people with joint pain. Check with a physiotherapist or your primary healthcare practitioner to get a better idea of the kinds of exercises that are available and appropriate for you. Select an exercise program that you will stick with, steadily and consistently. Sometimes you may want to exercise a bit less or adjust the program to your changing needs. Just don’t give it up.
Exercises That Are Good for Osteoarthritis
Ask your doctor or physical therapist which exercises are best for you. But typically, exercises that keep you strong and limber, extend your range of movement, and reduce weight are good for osteoarthritis. The following are examples of exercises that can help:
strength training: Weak muscles are considered a risk factor for osteoarthritis. They are often present before osteoarthritis develops and can contribute to its progression. Be especially wary of weakness in the quadriceps muscle, which is the large frontal thigh muscle. The weaker the quadriceps, the higher the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis (Slemenda et al 1997).
Exercises to strengthen the quadriceps muscle have helped reduce the disability caused by knee osteoarthritis (Hurley and Scott 1998).
Strengthening other muscles also is valuable. You might use elastic plastic bands, which come in a variety of sizes and strengths. They are convenient, lightweight tools that you can take with you anywhere.
aerobics: Activities such as walking and swimming keep your lungs and circulation systems in shape.
While prolonged standing, regular heavy lifting, or walking over rough ground may contribute to knee and hip pain, surprisingly, there is little evidence that repetitive movements in recreational activities, such as running, are associated with osteoarthritis (e.g., Konradsen et al 1990; Lane et al 1990; Panush et al 1986).
range of motion exercises: These activities keep the joints limber.
agility exercises: Many of these exercises help you maintain everyday living skills.
neck and back strength: Keep your spine strong and limber.
Brought to you by RealAge available FREE on the Web.
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Comment by Jessicca
Learning Something Everyday
Malaysia Found
Such an informative article you've got there! ^_^
Yes I have been sipping loads of green tea and pineapple juice and not only my knee joints have less strain pain my weight seemed to be going down too... LOL...
Pineapple is truly an excellent remedy for my recuperating knees (from the mountain hiking) not to mention I encounter less cough from these weird weather lately.
Do drop by for one of my most beginning articles about pineapple ^_^
The goodness of pineapple
Thanks again for such sharing. Have a blessed day!
Jessicca
Comment by Wilson Pon
Health 2 Know
Techno Stuffs
Thanks for the well written arthritis article, Katyzzz as you're really saved my day!
Comment by Cheryl J
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Great information.
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