Understanding Spondylitis SpA

           Spondylitis is the name for a specific type of inflammatory arthritis that causes mostly affects the spine, though other joints may become affected as well. There are several specific diseases in the spondylitis “family”, including; Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), undifferentiated spondyloarthopathy (USpA) a condition which advances over time to AS or another kind of arthritis, juvenile spondyloarthropathy (JSpA) with onset before the age of 16, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) which is preceded by psoriasis, and reactive arthritis (ReA) which is thought to derive as a ‘reaction’ to an infection elsewhere.  

            The specific causes of spondylitis is unknown, but there are very strong links to the genetic marker HLA-B27, found in about 8% of the general population. Though the gene has not proven to cause spondylitis by itself, it has been found that HLA-B27+ individuals are at an increased risk to develop the condition. Over 95% of European people with spondylitis ancestry express HBL-B27, but an environmental ‘trigger’ is typically required to kick start the condition, like a bacterial infection.

            The condition is diagnosed, typically by a rheumatologist, through a thorough physical exam, including x-ray, individual medical history, family history, and bloodwork with possible HLA-B27 screening. There are key points to consider for diagnosis, these include onset usually under the age of 45, chronic pain for more than 3 months, pain worsen with mobility, especially at night and early morning, stiffness tends to ease with physical activity, and a positive pain/stiffness relieving response no non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen. The doctor examines the back, pelvic bones, sacroiliac bones, chest and heels for tenderness and pain. Also limitation of spinal mobility in all directions may be assessed as well as chest expansion limitations when breathing.

            A cure for spondylitis has not been found yet, but treatment has drastically increased quality of life through exercise, physical therapy, medication, and posture changes. Helpful exercises include water therapy, tai chi, and things as simple as walking. One of the problems with spondylitis is bone fusion, which doesn’t always happen, but it is highly preferable to observe good posture and allow fusion in an upright position to avoid further complications. While pinpointing the causes is still a work in progress in the scientific world, individuals who suffer from spondylitis have a lot of pharmaceutical industry support actively looking for a cure, which is in the patient's best interest.

            

sources

Ankylosing Spondylitis and Related Diseases Information: Diagnosos, Symptoms, Treatment and More. (2013, January 1). Retrieved November 9, 2014, from http://www.spondylitis.org/about/as_diag.aspx

What is spondylitis? (2013, January 1). Retrieved November 9, 2014, from http://www.spondylitis.org/about/faq.aspx#cause

Juvenile RA and Physical Therapy Treatment

One branch of arthritis that we never really discussed in class is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or JRA. JRA is the most common type of arthritis affecting children under the age of seventeen. As it does in adults, JRA causes persistent joint pain, stiffness and swelling (usually noticed first in the larger joints). Although it does particularly affect the joints, JRA can affect the entire body and manifest with swollen lymph nodes, rashes and fever. Some patients may develop symptoms in flare-ups and only experience them for a short time, while others can remain symptomatic the rest of their lives. Some forms of JRA can result in serious complications such as growth retardation and eye inflammation (which can lead to blindness).

The causes of JRA remain in question. Like adult-onset RA, it occurs when the immune system begins to attack the patient’s own tissues, particularly the synovial tissue surrounding the joints. It is believed that there are both hereditary and environmental contributions to the onset and symptoms of the disease.

Much research has gone into determining the best treatment plans for children with JRA, with the focus being to control pain, improve function and prevent joint damage.

Because children with RA may struggle to grow up and live normal, fully functional lives, multidisciplinary therapy appears to be the best approach. NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), DMARD (disease-modifying antitrheumatic drugs), and biologic treatments do well to minimize symptoms or slow the progression of JRA, but recently more pediatric rheumatologists are prescribing physical and occupational therapy in addition to traditional therapies in order to maintain joint flexibility, range of motion and muscle strength.

A comprehensive rehabilitation program needs to start early to restore any present loss of function as well as prevent progression to permanent disability. Physical therapy in addition to pharmaceutical therapy has been found to prevent the fates of contractures, osteoporosis, and loss of function that often befall JRA patients. Also, this type of treatment is typically less time-consuming, painful and expensive than having to treat patients after such complications have developed.

The foremost issue that physical therapists come across in JRA patients is the tendency to keep the ailed joints in the “most comfortable position.” This means that patients seek comfort and relief by placing the joint in a position where joint volume is maximal, and the swollen synovium has little to no weight placing pressure on it. Typically, this position is having the joint in flexion. Maintaining flexion results in weakness of extensor muscles, and contracture of flexor muscles can rapidly develop. Basically, what this means is that the muscles that extend the extremities become weak and those that flex become “stuck” in their contracted position. This contributes to the child’s stiffness as well as pain in movement, and often limping and compensatory movement patterns results. Physical therapy focuses closely on this problem, utilizing exercises to strengthen the weakened muscles and correct the ones that develop contractures.

Growth retardation in children with RA is common, and can result in balance deficiencies.  This is another concentration in physical therapy treatment. JRA patients with these deficiencies will fall frequently due to decreases in fine motor skills and issues in joint development. PT treatment for these problems would include neurodevelopmental and neurosensory stimulation in the hopes to train the balance control mechanisms.

Finally, another major concern with children suffering from JRA is the development of osteoporosis as a result of extensive steroid treatment, nutritional disorders and of course decreased load bearing by the joints. Two studies, one by Cetin et al and another by Celiker et al reported that lumbar vertebral bone density was much lower in children with JRA when compared to a control group. This fact was especially evident in those JRA children who were on steroid treatment. Exercise is essential for anyone to prevent osteoporosis, and is especially crucial for small children who are still growing and whose bones are still fairly malleable. PT programs would integrate weight-bearing and resistance type exercises to encourage improved bone density.

What this information and research has shown us is that treatment for JRA as well as other chronic diseases should be all encompassing. Patients appear to experience the most improvement and the least suffering when their treatment plan includes physical or occupational therapy programs in which they are not just exercising but learning how their bodies and their disease work. Pharmaceutical treatments do well to relieve patients of debilitating symptoms, as well as slow the progression. However, it is clear that medication is not enough to maintain functionality and quality of life.

Sources:

Cakmak, Aysegul, and Nalan Bolukbas. "Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation." Southern Medical Journal 98.2 (2005): 212-16. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

"Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis." Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

Celiker R, Bal S, Bakkaloglu A, et al. “Factors playing a role in the development of decreased bone mineral density in juvenile chronic arthritis.” Rheumatology International 2003;23:127-129. Web.10 Nov. 2014.

Cetin A, Celiker R, Dincer F, et al. “Bone mineral density in children with juvenile chronic arthritis.” Clinical Rheumatology 1998;17:551-553. Web.10 Nov. 2014.

Make Sure to Eat Every Carrot and Pea (or Broccoli) on Your Plate

            As children we were always told to “eat every carrot and pea on your plate” because vegetables are good for us, and usually we were not allowed to leave the table until the task was complete.  However, what if all along we really should be eating broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables not just peas and carrots?

            Cruciferous vegetables are from the family of Brassicaceae, flowering plants that are similar in nature to the cabbage family.  As mentioned above this vegetable family includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, kale, Brussels sprouts and other leafy greens.  Research that is taking place in the UK is suggesting that sulforaphane could help fight OA.  (Sulforaphane is a compound found in cruciferous vegetables.  It is currently known that these compounds posses anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.)  This study was done to show how this compound could influence overall joint health, and furthermore, if sulforaphane was able to make its way into joints in adequate quantities in order to produce effects. 

            The leading professor on the study says that this study is promising because it has already been shown to work in the other three models they have tried (cartilage cells, tissue, and mice).    However, now the study is trying to prove that it can work in humans.  This is a major hurtle though, like we have discussed in numerous class sessions that sometimes it is very difficult to convert data yielded from mouse models to that for humans.  In addition, it further states that this is only going to be “a small trial in 40 osteoarthritis patients who are due to have joint replacement surgery” (Paddock 2013).   The study will be set up so that two weeks before the surgery, half of the patients will eat “super broccoli” that was specially made to contain high amounts of sulforaphane, while the other half received none.  Then after the procedure, the team will compare the two sets of patients and see whether the compound is detectable in the replaced joints or if it altered the joint metabolism. 

            This is a really great idea and direction that this experiment has, however, there are some issues.  The major issue being that the broccoli had to be specifically made to contain higher than normal levels of sulforaphane.  Therefore, if this experiment did work as planned and the sulforaphane did have its intended effect(s), then it would not be able to cross over from the experimental world to the practical world where people do not eat those doses of compound.  Also, it is said that the safety for taking sulforaphane orally is unknown, proving that there would be no way to continuously give the doses of sulforaphane to the public in needed amounts.  The second major issue is the time period that the sulforaphane is given to the patients.  They are only giving the patients two weeks to take this compound.  Why would they not give the patients longer periods of time to take this compound?  Longer periods of time would probably prove to give better results due to more sufficient data.

            Another experiment that is being done involves the use of milk.  In addition to being told to eat all of our vegetables, we were also told as kids to drink milk because it keeps our bones strong.  This experiment wants to find if there was an association with milk consumption and progression of knee OA.  This study is much larger than the first containing almost 3,100 participants that were followed for 12, 24, 36, and 48 months.  They were able to determined the progression of OA by joint space width between the medial femur and tibia of the knee by radiographs.  This experiment was able to conclude that frequent milk consumption may be associated with reduced OA progression in women.  However, stated in this experiment, other replications of this study are needed to determine that these findings are solid, however I think that this study is on the right track.

            With all of that being said, I think that these are two new paths for furthering progression of OA, however, more experiments need to be done.  In the meantime, everyone should continue to eat their broccoli and intake calcium!

Sources:

"Sulforaphane: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings - WebMD." WebMD.

WebMD, 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1070-sulforaphane.aspx?activeingredientid=1070&activeingredientname=sulforaphane>.

"Cruciferous Vegetables." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 9 Nov. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruciferous_vegetables>.

Lu, Bing, Jeffery B. Driban, Jeffery Duryea, Timothy McAlidon, Kate L. Lapane, and Charles B. Eaton. "Milk Consumption and Progression of Medial Tibiofemoral Knee Osteoarthritis: Data From the Osteoarthritis Initiative." Arthritis Care &amp; Research 66.6 (2014): 802-09. Osteoarthritis. American College of Rheumatology. Web. 9 Nov. 2014. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acr.22297/abstract>.

Paddock, Catherine. "Eating Broccoli May Help Prevent Osteoarthritis." Medical News Today. Medical News Today, 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2014. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265310.php>.

A healthy lifestyle can be used to prevent and provide relief for arthritis

It really shouldn't come as a surprise that choosing to live a healthy life style can provide benefits for people with arthritis. Exercising and eating right can prevent many diseases such as cardiovascular disease and can also cause reduces symptoms in others but what exactly is helpful for arthritis patients and how exactly are they working to reduce joint damage and inflammation in arthritis patients. 

One of the most common things suggested to patients with arthritis is to remain active, which often seems difficult considering the thought of walking around the block with join pain seems especially unpleasant. The truth is exercising has so many beneficial functions that make it well worth their time. Exercising helps strengthen the muscles around the joint and maintains bone strength which is helpful in preventing the progression of the disease. Exercise also has the added effect of keeping one’s weight under control. It is common knowledge that obesity can make the symptoms of arthritis worse but it also increases the chances of getting it. According to a study done by the CDC 1 in 5 Americans has been diagnosed with arthritis but that number jumps to 2 in 3 among obese people. OA is the most common form of arthritis and logically it makes sense that adding more weight will hasten the breakdown of cartilage. For every one pound of fat that a person adds they are adding 4 pounds of pressure on the joints so you can image that an obese individual would be adding a lot of extra pressure on their joints. 

While exercising and maintaining a healthy weight can prevent and alleviate symptoms of OA smoking may trigger autoimmunity in RA patients. The gene-environment interaction is what can cause certain people to develop RA and it begins with the HLA, which plays a key role in the immune system. The main genetic risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the shared epitope (SE) of HLA-DR and in order to determine the role of genetics one of the best methods used are twin studies. Studies show that someone with an identical twin that has RA has roughly a 15 percent change of also developing the disease indicating that environmental factors play a huge role in the pathogenesis of RA. A study done in Sweden was done to test the link between smoking and RA and the results showed a significant correlation between smoking and the SE gene. In people who never smoked but had the gene there was a 2.8% risk while in people who did smoke and also had the gene there was 15.7% risk.

Overall lifestyle changes are an effective way of not only treating the symptoms of arthritis but preventing it as well at many other diseases. It seems like a lot of time and effort is put in to treating different diseases once they have already started I believe that choosing lifestyle choices that prevent the onset of diseases in the first place is something that needs to be stressed a lot more. I understand that many people can get arthritis and other diseases regardless of their lifestyle choices but there are also many people who could have prevented or delayed it by making better choices.

"Arthritis." Exercising with Arthritis: Improve Your Joint Pain and Stiffness. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

Dregar, Debra. "Related Features." Smoking and Arthritis. Arthritis Foundation, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

Kane, Andrea. "Related Features." Obesity and Arthritis. Arthritis Foundation, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

 Padyukov, Leonid. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. 

Rheumatoid arthritis' ill-intentioned advantage over osteoarthritis

Arthritis can lead to further complications if the right treatment is not adopted. Based on the nature of two major kinds of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, treatment must be focused on reducing inflammation or managing pain. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammatory disease, meaning there is inflammation throughout the whole body, not only in the joints. The problem in rheumatic joints is, in fact, caused by inflammation of the synovial membrane, the soft tissue found around the joint’s cartilage.

                In rheumatoid arthritis, abnormal immune responses produce continuous inflammation that can lead to tissue destruction and loss of functionality. Some of the complications may include; joint deterioration and pain, peripheral neuropathy, anemia, fatigue, weakness, corneal damage, infections, osteoporosis, lung disease, and vasculitis among others. It is imperative to treat the autoimmune disease accordingly to prevent those degenerative complications. Some treatments involve nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, biologic response modifiers, and corticosteroids.

                In osteoarthritis, there is no impact on the rest of the body other than what happens around the joints involved. Cartilage breaks down, letting the bones rub together, causing stiffness, pain, and loss of movement. Symptoms usually develop gradually and involve sore or stiff joints for inactivity or overuse, stiffness after resting that goes away after movement, and pain that is worse after activity.

                There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but there are medications to reduce and control pain. Also lifestyle changes can be made, in addition to physical therapy to help improve strength and function. Once pain impedes daily activities surgery may be considered. Some of the surgical options include arthrodesis (fusing bones to impede movement), arthroscopy (smoothing bone surfaces), hip resurfacing, joint replacement, or osteotomy (bone shape correction). Staying physically active and maintaining a healthy weight are key to coping with osteoarthritis, inactivity can lead to stiffness and weak joints, and strong muscles protect joints.

                There are not many advantages of suffering osteoarthritis besides possible handicap parking permits, but it seems agreeable that it is the lesser of two evils when it is compared to rheumatoid arthritis. It turns out, most reasons patients with rheumatoid arthritis en up hospitalized is because of cardiovascular complications associated with the condition. It is increasingly evident that arthritis must be approached as more than an inconvenience, so it is crucial to identify and properly treat rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis at the early stages to avoid reaching the condition's progressive form. 

Sources:

Harvey, S. (2013, March 18). Rheumatoid Arthritis. Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/rheumatoid-arthritis

Osteoarthritis. (2014, July 11). Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://www.arthritis.org/arthritis-facts/disease-center/osteoarthritis.php

Osteoarthritis - Surgery. (2013, October 17). Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/tc/osteoarthritis-surgery

Ruderman, E. (2008, August 15). How Do Symptoms Differ When Comparing Osteoarthritis And Rheumatoid Arthritis? Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/PainArthritis/story?id=4569028

Treatments for OA

            Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis, and can also be referred to as degenerative joint disease.  Healthy cartilage in the joint permits the bones to move around one another, while also absorbing shocks from physical activity.  The breakdown of the joint tissues (the bones under the cartilage begin to come into contact and rub against one another) is what eventually leads to pain, stiffness, and swelling.  Over time you can get a loss of joint motion, bone spurs (small deposits of bone that grow on the edges of the joint), and pieces of bone/cartilage can detach and float inside the joint space; all of which can lead to increased pain and damage of the diseased area.  The most commonly affected areas are the knees, hips, and those associated with the hands and spine.  Onset of OA is usually after the age of 40 and there is currently no cure.  However, there are ways to relieve symptoms.

            The goals for OA relief include: controlling pain, improving joints function, maintaining normal body weight, and a healthy lifestyle.  The two most common forms of treatment include exercise and weight control.  Exercising will strengthen the muscles that support the affect area(s) while allowing your joints to stay limber.  Maintaining a normal body weight with a healthy lifestyle is also beneficial.  A healthy weight can ensure reduced stress on weight-bearing joints, decrease likelihood of further injuries, and increase mobility.  All of the above are inexpensive and easy enough for the average person to do to improve upon their condition.  However, what if this is not enough?  Are there other plausible options?  The answer is yes.

            There are additional nondrug therapies for OA.   The most interesting is acupuncture.  Scientists believe that the needles stimulate the release of natural, pain-relieving chemicals produced by our bodies.  A study with backing by the NIAMS and NCCAM found that acupuncture relieves pain and increase function in knee OA.  Another interesting therapy includes transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).  TENS is a technique which directs mild electrical pulses to nerve endings under the skin in painful areas.  It is believed that TENS functions by blocking pain messages to the brain and modifies pain perception.

            However, what if these nondrug therapies still aren’t enough?  OA is known for severe pain that can make everyday activities debilitating.  Besides the obvious over-the-counter pain relievers and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs i.e. Aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.) is the use of corticosteroids (Cortisone shots).  Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory hormones naturally made by our body (or man-made for use in medicine).   These hormones are usually produced in your adrenal gland, and when you experience stress, they are released to minimize inflammation. These can be injected into joints to temporarily relieve pain.  However, this is only short term, and not recommended to be used more than two to four times a year due to the known side effects.  Since it is known to cause great relief, even if only for a short amount of time, it would be interesting to see if a new corticosteroid could be synthetically produced that could give longer lasting affects or was able to be used more frequently.

            As our population is living longer and experiencing OA to a long degree, joint replacements are becoming more prevalent.  However, the most extreme treatment for OA is joint-replacement with artificial joints called arthroplasty.  When OA becomes so debilitating and painful that causes normal functioning impossible, many patients become candidates for the procedure.  The most established replacement is with the hip followed by the knee.  In addition, surgeons are exploring new techniques for “minimally invasive” approaches for arthroplasty surgeries.  They are looking into these new methods to give patients a shorts recovery time and less post-op pain.  Also, total hip replacement is a severe surgery.  Hip resurfacing is a surgical alternative.  It consists of scraping the surfaces of the hip joint and femur and placing a metal cap over the bone.  Therefore more of the bone is able to be preserved (allowing for a hip replacement to be done later is needed).  This is a good option for younger patients who are physically active.  There are a variety of surgeries that can be done, the conditions for each depend on the needs of the patient.

            It can be seen that there are multiple ways of relieving pain for OA patients.   These treatments range from mild (exercising and healthy eating) to more intense (Cortisone shots).  Nonetheless, all types of treatment allow for there to be a reduction in pain due to less stress or even a decrease in inflammation which all allow the patient to live a more normal life.  This wide range of treatments allow the individual to choose the best option for them, and hopefully in the near future more will become known and available.

Sources:

McCoy, Krisha. "Pros and Cons of Cortisone for Osteoarthritis."

             EverydayHealth.com. Everyday Health, 10 July 2010. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. <http://www.everydayhealth.com/osteoarthritis/the-pros-and-cons-of-cortisone-for-osteoarthritis.aspx>.

"Osteoarthritis." Handout on Health: Osteoarthritis. National Institute of Arthritis and 

             Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), 1 Aug. 2013. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.   

            <http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Osteoarthritis/>.

"Osteoarthritis." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 May 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/osteoarthritis.htm>.

"Osteoarthritis." University of Maryland Medical Center. 25 Sept. 2012. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.<http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/osteoarthritis>.

Mythbusters: Arthritis Edition

In the article from Environmental Nutrition we discussed this week, we came to the conclusion that the author of this article was promoting an overall healthy lifestyle (in addition to traditional treatment) to help manage one’s arthritis symptoms. With the “arthritis diet” idea becoming more and more prevalent, I decided it might be interesting to look into a couple of the more prevailing and bizarre diet-related arthritis myths that have emerged over the years, and examine them for the possible “science” behind them.

Arthritis is the leading cause of physical disability in older adults in the US. The word arthritis means joint inflammation, and it is a blanket term for hundreds of rheumatic diseases and conditions that affect the joints and the tissues surrounding them. Patterns, progression, severity and location of symptoms can vary significantly depending on the form of arthritis that one has. As we discussed in class, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two most common forms of the disease. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease of the entire joint in which the hyaline cartilage surrounding the joint begins to break down, resulting in molecular and mechanical events in the joint that cause pain and inflammation. OA is characterized by focal and progressive loss of hyaline cartilage, resulting in pathologies such as joint-space narrowing, osteophytes and bony sclerosis. The joints that are most commonly affected are the knees, spine, hands and hips. Disease onset is gradual in OA, and tends to begin around age 40. Traditional treatments are typically pharmacologic, mostly involving anti-inflammatories. On the other hand, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered an autoimmune and systemic inflammatory disease, which can manifest in multiple joints. The inflammatory process affects primarily the synovial membrane of the joints, leading to erosions of the cartilage and sometimes bone and joint deformity. RA can begin at any age, and is believed to be the result of a faulty immune response in which the synovial membrane is attacked by the immune system and broken down. Treatments for RA have ranges from corticosteroids, NSAIDs, non-biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), biologic therapies, and occupational and physical therapy. Both OA and RA can result in similar prognoses of reduced joint mobility and eventual physical disability with varying speeds of disease progression. 

With the prevalence of arthritic disease being as large as it is, many patients are seeking relief from their symptoms that traditional drug and non-drug therapies just don’t provide. Among the many rumored remedies for arthritis and arthritis pain are several diet-related myths that have emerged over the years.

One claim is that drinking vinegar reduces arthritis pain and disease progression by altering the pH of your blood. Natural health advocates claim that joints become stiff and achy when acid crystals harden in them and that the vinegar works to dissolve these crystals and flush them from the body. While this sounds appealing, the truth of the matter is that neither of these claims is valid. First, the things that we ingest do not alter the pH of our blood because not only do our bodies adjust their pH before they are absorbed into the bloodstream, but the gastrointestinal tract is designed to absorb nutrients we need and eliminate the ones we do not through waste.

Another radical arthritis remedy is the consumption of gin-soaked raisins. Years ago, Russian researchers reported that the compound dimethyl sulfoxide helped to alleviate destructive joint changes in mice. Other studies have claimed that different sulfur compounds like methulsulfonylmethane helped to ease OA pain. The reason for soaking the raisins in gin comes from the Middle-Age practice of prescribing juniper berries (from which gin is made) as an anti-inflammatory. Despite the fact that these research findings were inconclusive and not heavily supported, many arthritis sufferers utilized the remedy when it was popularized by radio personality Paul Harvey in 1994.

Finally, there is the claim that red wine helps to alleviate arthritis symptoms. Research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that patients taking supplements with resveratrol displayed suppression of the action of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This incited a flurry of red wine and natural health advocates who insisted drinking red wine, which contains resveratrol, would improve arthritis symptoms. However, this study only lasted 6 weeks, included only 20 participants and did not involve red wine.

The combination of conflicting opinions, unreliable resources and desperate arthritis sufferers has resulted in a number of interesting ideas about what can help ease or prevent arthritis. It is unfortunate that so many invalid claims not only gain as much attention as they do, but often turn some patients away from traditional, research-based treatments for their arthritis. While diet and nutrition should never be downcast, perhaps they should be encouraged as an integral part of not only disease treatment, but also overall lifestyle change.

Sources:

"Arthritis Basics." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 06 Aug. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.

Linder, Larry. "Arthritis Food Myths." Arthritis Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.

"Osteoarthritis." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, 16 May 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.

"Rheumatoid Arthritis." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2014.