Monday, December 29, 2008

Osteoarthritis and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

By Andrew John

Osteoarthritis affects almost an eighth of population and is certainly the most popular form of arthritis. Most of us will sooner or later suffer from it. This form of arthritis attacks the cartilage, causing pain and preventing joints from moving.

As many other chronic diseases, osteoarthritis can't be really cured. Despite hundreds of research concerning anti-arthritis medications, all we can do now is to slow down the disease or decrease the chance of its appearance.

Your prime weapon against osteoarthritis isn't the doctor's prescriptions, but remaining fit. A mix of sport, cardiovascular exercises and a healthy diet may do wonders to your condition. Generally, anything that increase your muscles abilities to move joints is good - it reduces stress put on the cartilage and thus slows down the speed of its loss. Every pound of muscles you gain is a year more in good health. Every pound of fat you lose during the exercising is a pound less for your joints to carry.

Heat and cold are another means you can use to bring some relief. They are a very effective way of decreasing pain. Heat in a form of a shower or a hot bath are best used in the morning or in the evening is a very effective pain reliever as it increases the blood flow. However, do not use it on sore joints - apply cold instead. Heat will only make the problem worse.

If heat and cold are not enough, you may consider taking Acetaminophen. This pain killer is sold over the counter and is very effective in case of mild cases of osteoarthritis. In long-term problems however, it is usually a good idea to contact your doctor and ask for some stronger medications. A tip: do not get too attached to pain killers. Remember to discuss the whole issue with your doctor - osteoarthritis is here to stay, so may consider some pain to be better than ruining your health by abusing pain killers.

Another thing you may do is to add more Omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. They have the strong anti-inflammatory effect and are often used to treat heart diseases and arthritis. As most of the times it is difficult to create a tasty and varied diet with enough Omega-3 fatty acids, it is often a good idea to rely on the food supplements such as Omega Daily.

The bottom line is: if you have osteoarthritis, stay healthy. Overweight, lack of exercises and bad diet will only speed up the pace of arthritis. Staying fit and keeping your joints safe are two most important things you have to do. - 16003

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