All posts by Arthritis Today Magazine

Natural Therapies Arthritis

Research Shows Which Alternative Therapies Can Ease Arthritis Pain

Scientists evaluated clinical studies on 21 complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to determine if they help the pain and disability associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), fibromyalgia and low back pain. Other forms of arthritis and related diseases were not included in the analysis. Of the therapies included in the studies, they rated acupuncture, massage, yoga and tai chi most effective.

These findings don’t mean that other CAM therapies – defined by this report as any therapy that exists outside normal health care practices – aren’t effective. The researchers stress that, in many cases, there just weren’t enough high-quality data to fully evaluate the therapies. “Where there is no or little evidence, it is very difficult to judge,” says lead author of the report, Gareth Jones, PhD, a senior lecturer in epidemiology in the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
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Gluten Free Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia and Nutrition

Fibromyalgia is chronic arthritis-related condition with symptoms that may include widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, depression, headaches, mental fogginess, and bowel and bladder problems. A type of central sensitization or central pain syndrome, fibromyalgia is believed to result from a problem in the way the brain processes pain signals.

Although the cause of fibromyalgia is not well understood, scientists are finding that certain nutrients or food additives may worsen symptoms for some people. Similarly, consuming or eliminating particular nutrients may lessen symptom severity.

Here are three nutrients that may play a role in fibromyalgia and what researchers are learning about them.
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Shaking Hands Arthritis

What You Can Do When Handshaking With Arthritis Hurts

You’ve been there: You’re meeting someone new and he inevitably extends his hand with a well-meaning, “How do you do?” But if the joints in your hands are fragile and painful, your response may be a frantic, “What do I do?” If the thought of shaking hands makes you shriek, here are some polite alternatives and ways to decline:
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Aromatherapy for Arthritis Pain

Aromatherapy for Pain Relief

Research shows that aromatherapy can have a powerful impact on your well-being, including your level of pain. “Certain scents activate smell receptors in the nose, which triggers a reaction in the nervous system,” says Julie Chen, MD, an integrative medicine physician in San Jose, Calif. This, in turn, stimulates the part of your brain that controls emotion, triggering the release of hormones such as feel-good dopamine.
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Activity for Arthritis

Two Minutes of Activity an Hour To Live Longer

Standing up and walking around for just two minutes every hour may help you live longer. That’s good news as evidence continues to mount that prolonged sitting shortens longevity and further increases the risk for several chronic conditions that commonly occur with arthritis, including diabetes, kidney problems, obesity and heart disease.

Researchers looked at data from devices that gauge activity levels worn daily for up to a week by 3,626 people in a national health survey. They measured how much time each day participants spent in sedentary and in various low-intensity activities (such as standing) and light-intensity activities (such as walking casually) and moderate to vigorous exercise (such as brisk walking or lifting weights).
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