Health and arthritis

When we think of epidemics that change our world, we often focus on viral or bacterial outbreaks that make the news. Other areas that grab our attention are the epidemics of obesity and heart disease that drive up health costs and kill so many people before their time.

There is one chronic health crisis that has been around for a long time and has continued to expand over the last 20 years. I think it would be fair to identify arthritis as a growing epidemic. We have all become accustom to hearing about the various treatments and medications that arthritis sufferers must consider. Arthritis, in its many forms OS, RA and others, has become so common, we just don’t think about it being a growing health problem.

When we look at the numbers around who and how many are affected by arthritis, it becomes extremely concerning. With stats that show the likelihood of 1 in 2 people will develop osteoarthritis in their knees by age 85 or look at the fact that almost 50 percent of all adults 65 years or older have some form of arthritis, it’s fairly certain you or someone close to you is already dealing with this or will be in your lifetime.

We may look at these numbers and think about arthritis as one of those “I am just getting old” things. This thinking is flawed and off the mark as health statistics around arthritis shows it is an equal opportunity affliction across age groups, gender and ethnicity. The CDC numbers indicate that by 2040, an estimated 78 million Americans ages 18 years or older could be diagnosed with some form of arthritis. The CDC also estimates that 294,000 children under the age of 18 have some form of arthritis or rheumatic condition. This means almost 1 in every 250 children in the U.S. face daily challenges from arthritic conditions.

The cause of arthritis varies widely and can be somewhat controversial depending on the source or the information referenced. One of the most common causes of arthritis was from years of hard work and impact on your connective tissue and joints. Overuse and hard physical work can have a degenerative effect on your body.

This wear-and-tear, which causes inflammation, can certainly lead to arthritic conditions along with hip and knee replacement surgeries. As we age, our joints do not heal as effectively as they should and our synovial membranes and fluids thin, adding to the onset of osteoarthritis. Synovial fluid is the viscous gel-like substance which reduces friction in your joints that must be considered when we look at factors leading to arthritis. These are the old-school issues around arthritis and have been around for thousands of years.

The newer aspects or triggers for arthritis come in the form of inflammation from the foods we eat and the sedentary lifestyles we live. Let’s take a look at foods first. Grains, processed sugars and trans fats have a huge impact on inflammation in the body. Grains introduce gluten, lectin and Phytates into your body, all of which can cause chronic inflammation. Along with trans fat, these highly processed foods and a high sugar diet have all been linked to autoimmune diseases, obesity and metabolic disease. What gets missed by many is any one of these food-based inflammation triggers are bad, but most people ingest all these substances together, making for a highly synergistic mix way that helps magnify health-damaging inflammation.

A poor diet high in inflammatory foods can lead to a number of other health issues that go beyond arthritis, such as suppressed immunity, leaky gut, cardiovascular disease, bone loss and cancer. The unfortunate aspect of grains, trans fats, sugars and highly processed foods is they have been linked to a number of autoimmune conditions that is especially hard on your overall health and joints. When your immune system fights the inflammation in your body, especially the soft tissue around your joints, it can lead to rheumatoid, psoriatic and other severe arthritic conditions.

Let’s look at how a sedentary lifestyle adds to the problem of arthritis. When it comes to inactivity and being sedentary, people concerned about arthritis certainly are faced with a mixed signal of what to do. For many years, people were told to keep activity to a minimum if you have arthritis. Many arthritis sufferers find it painful and lack energy if they are active, so they just minimize how much movement they do.

Heath care professionals working from new research are finding that properly managed exercise and activity can in fact be helpful for those suffering from various forms of arthritis. A recent study showed adults that were diagnosed with arthritis by a physician and participate in targeted physical activity as prescribed by a health care provider saw improvements in range of movement, joint mobility, increased energy and some pain relief.

What is clear across a number of studies around strength training and other proper types of exercise is physical activity and conditioning will not make your arthritis any worse. Besides the fact that being active keeps your body stronger, it also can help you shed weight that takes pressure off arthritic prone areas such as knees, hips and ankles. It is important not to overdo physical activity and consult a health care professional to assist with a proper fitness regimen designed to help those with arthritis. It is also important to note that some extreme forms of arthritis need highly specialized health care guidance before those folks can take on an exercise regimen.

Here are a few things to consider if you have or know someone who has arthritis:

1. Movement and strength training can be a very good thing for those with arthritis. Discuss this with your health care professional and take action. It may be tough at first, but you may find it is a simple way to help your condition.

2. Eat healthy, non-inflammatory foods. Reduce or remove grains, trans fat and sugar from your diet. This is true if you are elderly or have kids with arthritic conditions developing. You may find that some of your aches, pains and movement issues are based on inflammation caused by poor nutrition and highly processed foods.

3. Consider supplementing with hyaluronic acid to help promote synovial fluid support in your joints. You can also get a fair amount of hyaluronic acid from seeds, nuts and fruit. One other thing to consider is to ensure you are getting plenty of zinc and magnesium. Both zinc and magnesium have been shown to be essential to hyaluronic acid synthesis in your body.

The human body is designed to move to remain healthy. We are not designed to eat inflammatory foods, so get on a healthy diet. Arthritis can be managed through a few simple changes in your lifestyle.

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Judd Jones is a director for The Hagadone Corporation in Coeur d’Alene.