Do You Have Arthritis Symptoms?
Arthritis symptoms include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, aching, swelling and inflammation. Natural remedies can relieve bone and joint pain as well as another annoying symptom: sleeping problems!
My husband and I have successfully used natural dietary supplements for many years to control our osteoarthritis symptoms. In fact, we no longer use medication of any kind, including acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin (Bayer), ibuprofen (Advil), etc. We believe it’s important to use the best natural health products we can find, so we don’t take the cheap route for reasons I’ll explain on this site.
There are more than 100 types of arthritis and related rheumatic conditions. A doctor must make a specific diagnosis after a physical examination.
Osteoarthritis symptoms
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and can affect most joints of the body. Osteoarthritis typically affects joints of the knees, hips, fingers, lower spine and neck. Symptoms typically develop gradually. A joint is swollen, sore or stiff at first. Gait is altered with smaller steps or limping to compensate for painful or damaged joints—especially weight bearing joints. Eventually, running is limited.
Joint soreness is a common osteoarthritis symptom and can occur after both inactivity and overuse. Stiffness occurs after rest, but disappears quickly as activity begins. Often there is a limited range of motion in one or more joints.
Other symptoms of osteoarthritis include morning stiffness lasting no longer than 30 minutes, and aching joints or bone and joint pain that gradually increases throughout the day. Bone spurs and bony enlargements are also characteristic. Osteoarthritis can also be linked to joint injuries and even a bone bruise.
Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory type of arthritis, triggered by the immune system. Again, the joints are primarily affected with early symptoms of redness, warmth, swelling, and pain that often begins in small joints of the fingers, wrists and feet. Another sign is pain occurring in the same joint symmetrically (same joint on both sides of the body). Also, morning stiffness that lasts one hour or more.
Additional symptoms include rheumatoid nodules (a collection of tissue appearing as a knot or knob in the skin present anywhere on the body, but most often seen over the bony prominences) and joint deformities caused by cartilage, tendon and ligament damage.
Fatigue, low grade fever and loss of appetite are other symptoms.
Does stress trigger rheumatoid arthritis? While stress is nearly impossible to measure, some researchers have suggested that stressful life events, such as divorce, job loss, death of a loved one, or accidents, are more common in people with rheumatoid arthritis during the six-month period before disease onset compared with the general population.
It’s not known if stress triggers the disease or if stress worsens the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Either way, it’s beneficial to eliminate as much stress from your life as possible.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis symptoms
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) is a chronic condition that causes inflammation in one or more joints and begins before the age of 16. Because there are three types of juvenile rheumatic arthritis, symptoms are somewhat different, though all have joint inflammation in common.
The most common juvenile arthritis symptom is persistent joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that is typically worse in the morning or after a nap. The pain may limit movement of the affected joint, although many children, especially younger ones, will not complain of pain. Juvenile Arthritis Symptoms
- Systemic onset type begins with very high fevers, frequently as a skin rash and shows evidence of inflammation in many internal organ systems as well as the joints. About 10 percent of children with arthritis have this type.
- Pauciarticular onset disease affects fewer than five joints. About half of all children with arthritis are in this category. Some of these are very young, from infancy to about age 5, and have a risk of developing inflammatory eye problems. Regular eye exams are essential.
- Polyarticular disease affects more than five joints (often many more), and can begin at any age. Some of these children have adult-type rheumatoid arthritis that begins at an earlier age than usual.
We usually think of arthritis as an ‘old person disease’, but arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis, can happen at any age. Even a baby can have inflammation of a joint that could be rheumatoid arthritis.
Now for some good news, at last. Many cases of Pauciarticular juvenile arthritis can spontaneously disappear as you child grows older. This has to be the best outcome of all!
Other types of arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis associated with the skin condition psoriasis. Symptoms include red, patchy, raised or scaly areas on the skin, as well as fatigue, swollen fingers and toes, morning stiffness of joints, tendonitis, low back pain and conjunctivitis (Pink Eye). Any joint in the body can be affected, either symmetrical or asymmetrical. When psoriasis causes pitting and thickened or discolored fingernails, the joints nearest the fingertips are likely to become arthritic.
Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic condition characterized by body aches, widespread pain, sleep problems, extreme fatigue, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms, in combination with tenderness of specific areas (muscles and tender points) on the body.
Symptoms can overlap with autoimmune diseases and other musculoskeletal conditions making it difficult to diagnose. Two primary criteria for the classification of fibromyalgia.
- A history of widespread pain involving all four quadrants of the body (right side, left side, above waist, below waist) for a period of at least 3 months.
- Upon physical examination, the presence of pain in at least 11 of 18 tender points when touched or pressed with force amounting to the equivalent of about 9 lbs. Tender points are specific places on the body (18 specific points at 9 bilateral locations) that are exceptionally sensitive to the touch in people with fibromyalgia upon examination by a doctor.
Lupus can affect the joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, heart, nervous system and other organs of the body. It is not uncommon for symptoms associated with lupus to resemble symptoms associated with other types of arthritis and rheumatic disease, making lupus difficult to diagnose.
A butterfly-shaped rash appearing on the cheeks and over the bridge of the nose (malar rash) is just one of the distinguishing characterisitics of lupus. Lupus symptoms vary, but may include the butterfly skin rash, arthritis, hair loss, fatigue, nephritis (Lupus kidney disease), and other serious problems.
Gout is one of the most intensely painful types of arthritis. Gout is characterized by sudden onset of severe pain, tenderness, warmth, redness, and swelling from inflammation of the affected joint. Gout usually affects a single joint, most often the big toe. The knee, ankle, foot, hand, wrist, and elbow may also be affected. Shoulders, hips, and spine may eventually be affected by gout, but rarely. Often the first gout attack occurs at night.
Supplements treat arthritis symptoms without side effects
In treating arthritis symptoms, the public is increasingly concerned about the drug side effects and long-term health risks of traditional pain relief therapy. This apprehension spurs them to look for natural pain relief as lesser-risk sources.
Natural arthritis pain relief complements, or in many instances, replaces traditional pharmacological or over the counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapies.
Building the body from the inside out with the help of natural supplements and natural vitamins is a popular consideration for relieving inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis symptoms.
Natural products can relieve arthritis symptoms and improve health but how do you know which ones to buy? As an osteoarthritis of the neck patient, I was faced with the same question. It was clear that I was unable to ‘stomach’ drugs, whether prescription or over the counter. So I began to research the “alternative natural industry”.
You must be careful when choosing a natural supplement
If you investigate the information on this site, you will discover like I did why you must be careful when considering natural remedies for arthritis symptoms. The industry is rife with hype. Claims made by some products sound irresistible. The old adage applies--“if it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true.”
The truth is, there’s a wide variance in quality of natural products on the market. The last thing you want to do is waste your money.
Fair warning: the dietary supplement industry is not regulated and hasn’t been since 1994. However, the current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) final rule that requires testing of raw ingredients will be finally phased in by June, 2010. In the meantime, some companies remain free of regulation.
Even the new cGMPs don’t require supplement manufacturers to prove the efficacy of any product. It’s perfectly legal to sell you a supplement for arthritis symptoms that’s worthless and has no ability to produce the affect its label declares for arthritis symptoms. How is that possible you ask.
Dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) like pharmaceutical drugs. Dietary supplements are considered a food, and do not have to pass rigid clinical testing to prove the product's efficacy. As incredible as it sounds, they can be marketed without the power to produce an effect in the body.
This seems very strange to me, especially since people use dietary supplements to treat the same diseases that doctors treat with highly-regulated drugs.
Recommendation for finding the best natural arthritis products
One truth I discovered--if you can find the best company, you will find the best natural products for arthritis symptoms. It’s the integrity of the company behind the product that’s most important. That means science. Solid science. It’s the science behind the product that makes the difference. Find a dietary supplement company with an unwavering commitment to science and you’ll have a winner.
The natural dietary supplement manufacturer that my husband and I use has been in business for 50-plus years and is known as the number-one natural nutrition company in the United States. It has invested more than $250 million in clinical testing, research and development and has over 90 published studies in peer-reviewed scientific journals—more than any other nutritional company!
I developed a list of 30 standards of excellence questions to find the best companies in the industry. The answers led me to the one I consider the best.
I’ll give you a hint--the best natural products money can buy are backed by double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies conducted at the manufacturer’s expense prior to marketing the finished product. You know you’re getting high quality with these supplements.
Only one dietary supplement company has a 20-year landmark study
When investing in dietary supplements, consider it first as an investment in your health. This way, you won't want to waste your money on poorly formulated or synthetic supplements containing artificial colors, sweeteners, binders, and fillers that will not be readily absorbed into your bloodstream.
Instead, you'll want a high quality dietary supplement for your arthritis symptoms with ingredient purity, potency, and guaranteed efficacy that the body's cells will happily absorb.
There's only one natural supplement company that can claim a 20-year clinical dietary supplement landmark study on its consumers that verifies from blood samples that its supplement users retained normal levels of blood pressure, HDL, cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein and homocysteine.
The 2006 study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the U.C. Berkeley School of Public Health, comparing one company's supplement users to people who took either no supplements or other brands of multivitamins from different companies. For details go to:
Landmark Study
Featured natural supplements for arthritis symptoms
We've been very happy with this company's natural supplements for relief of our arthritis symptoms without any side effects whatsoever.
Over time, three pain treatments have remarkably improved our flexibility of motion and reduced or eliminated pain, swelling and stiffness from neck and knee arthritis. Best of all, we're free of pain medication.
One of the products is a natural boswellia and safflower extract complex for pain relief.
A second is a natural glucosamine and cat's claw complex for joint health improvement.
The third is a natural menthol/aloe vera combination in a pain relief rub that we think is the best found anywhere on the market.
We use each daily and can't imagine life without them. For further details, click on three natural pain products.
From personal experience since 2003 when these dietary supplements for arthritis symptoms were first introduced, I can wholeheartedly recommend the above trio of natural products.
Disclaimer: Health statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Joint Pain Relief. Doctors are aware that high quality dietary supplements can relieve pain from degenerative joint disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Their concern is that natural and herbal joint pain remedies are virtually unregulated on the market. Your doctor doesn't want you to waste your money by using those that don't have science and don't work. Click here to find out more
Arthritis Statistics. Arthritis affects 46 million Americans and will spike to 67 million by 2030 because of baby boomers. There’s no cure but natural treatments can control symptoms and slow progression. Click here for additional facts
Arthritis Types. What is arthritis? It’s not just a single disease as I once thought.. Arthritis is a complex disorder that can affect people at any stage of life, including children, with over 100 types that symptoms can be relieved naturally. Click here for details
No Arthritis Cure. One of the facts of arthritis is that there’s no cure. This may surprise you. Don’t believe the hype of some products on the market. There is no scientific evidence that any treatment can cure most arthritis. Click here for more information
Arthritis Prevention. Exercise, weight control and natural dietary supplements have become popular alternative treatments for early arthritis symptoms without side effects of over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Click here for more
Chronic Pain Relief Naturally. Natural treatments not only relieve chronic pain, they can help the body rebuild. An estimated 50 million Americans are aggravated by the frustration of chronic pain. Click here for more information
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