Millions of people suffering from arthritis can improve their health by committing themselves to do regular work-outs, according to doctors.

Earlier, patients were asked to rest their joints if they became too painful or swollen but now doctors say that the simplest way to beat the painful problem is to do regular and gentle exercise, the Daily Express reported.

Professor Mark Batt, a consultant in sport and exercise medicine at Nottingham University Hospitals, said that doing regular exercise is important to keep joints healthy and the long-term benefits of exercise far outweigh the risk of injury.

Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, said that exercise has become increasingly relevant in the treatment of arthritis, as research has shown that the joints, bones and cartilage rely on stimulation of physical activity to repair themselves.

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Why pop a pill, when you can kill the pain naturally? Read on to find out more about a handful of gems in the treasure of herbs.

The best herbs for your health

St John’s Wort: One of the best herbs, used extensively for the treatment of different mental disorders, St John’s Wort has earned the reputation of acting as a good replacement for Prozac. Now that’s definitely something!

Echinacea: Used as an immune boosting herb by well-known herbal medicine practitioners, Echinacea is thought to work by stimulating the body’s production of interferons (type of proteins produced in the body), which increase the body’s natural resistance against diseases and infections. People suffering from auto immune diseases should consider making Echinacea as a part of their food intake.

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From tension headaches, ulcers to blood pressure and diabetes, stress effects your body in numerous ways. So it’s time you took action!

Stress – what it does to your body!

Stress is stressful not just for our minds but also for our bodies. We know some of the problems stress can accelerate, but it’s important to be aware of all of them. So here’s a comprehensive list of all the possible negative effects stress can have on us – phew! Brace yourself, the list runs long.

• Bad for your immunity. Stress decreases your immunity and makes you prone to infections. When you are stressed out, your immune system becomes weak and hence you are prone to picking up an infection, which may not happen when your resistance is good. Common colds, the flu and even the progression from HIV positive to full-blown AIDS can be blamed on stress.
• Makes you tired. Stress can make you fatigued and you may complain of various muscle pains. This is basically the body’s way of making you sit up and take notice. Your body is telling you to stop; pain is the language the body uses to get your attention to its sad state and clear up the mess.
• Stress and ulcers. Ulcers in the oesophagus and stomach can be caused or exacerbated due to stress. This is because stress causes the release of hydrochloric acid from the stomach, which contributes to acidity and in the long run may cause peptic ulcers to form.
• Stress headaches. Stress causes blood vessels in the head region to constrict and thereby leads to headaches. The most common type is the ‘tension headache‘ but stress can even trigger a migraine in those susceptible to it.
• Lead to chronic illnesses. Chronic illnesses, like asthma, which causes narrowing of the air passages in the lungs and some skin conditions like eczema (extremely dry skin associated with itching) have been linked to stress.
• Hormone imbalances. Stress affects the hormones in the body and a common effect is hyperthyroidism. In this condition the thyroid gland produces excess thyroid hormones, which lead to symptoms like palpitations, tremors and insomnia.
• The rise of lifestyle diseases. Lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes mellitus and hypertension are all related to stress. To deal with stress you may reach out for unhealthy and high-calorie foods, which leads to obesity; stress affects insulin production by the pancreas which in turn controls blood sugar; and stress causes the blood pressure to go higher thus causing uncontrolled hypertension.
• Bad for your sex life. A stressful lifestyle is definitely to blame for lack of desire for sex, erection problems and low sperm count, which may lead to infertility in the long run.
• Not good for the heart. Stress may directly or indirectly contribute to heart ailments. Direct stress may be a cause for heart attacks while indirectly stress may cause heart failure and arrhythmias (irregular heart beats).
• It even affects arthritis. Stress also plays a role in arthritis. Most people having arthritis will remember a stressful event that brought the ailment on or a stressful event at the time they were diagnosed.
• Mouth sores. Stress is blamed for poor oral hygiene which in turn may cause dental plaque formation and gum disease. Mouth sores may also result from undue stress.
• Stress and hair loss. Hair loss increases during stressful times. Male pattern balding or alopecia areata, as well as telogen effluvium — where multiple hair cells enter the resting phase and cause significant hair loss are both associated with stress.
• Bad for your stomach. A stomach ache which comes on and off and interferes with the daily functioning of one’s life can be pinpointed to stress.
• Keep you up at nights. Stress interferes with normal sleep patterns and may keep you tossing and turning in bed.  You may be unable to go to bed or may wake up earlier than normal because of the stress.
• Stress and poor breathing. Stress hampers your breathing and, therefore, the amount of oxygen entering your body. Lack of oxygen to the brain leads to inability to concentrate and focus on mental tasks and productivity at work may suffer.

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People suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma — in which psychological stress plays a major role — may benefit from mindfulness meditation techniques, researchers say.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction, originally designed for patients with chronic pain, consists of continuously focusing attention on the breath, bodily sensations and mental content while seated, walking or practicing yoga.

While interest in meditation as a means of reducing stress has grown over the years, there has been little evidence to support benefits specific to mindfulness meditation practice.

This was the first study designed to control for other therapeutic mechanisms, such as supportive social interaction, expert instruction, or learning new skills.

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Dr. Sreedhar Archik has an M.Sc. in Orthopaedics from Oxford University. He practises at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai and specialises in joint replacement surgeries using computer navigation system. Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every fortnight.

This week’s answer:

1. Before 4 month I was done my operation of right side hip replacement and left side drilling
But still I have pain in thai knee of right side and more pain in right side leg and back side I don’t understand what I have to
Do plz help me iam fersated with my life …
tarique quraish
you need to send me the xrays so that i can help

2. My mother aged 55 is being diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis for last 5 years. Her left knee joint is in pretty bad condition where the doctor have given her medicines like HCQS, Sazo, Osteokit, Alanz and lot more. She is stable but without much improvement. After lot many X-Ray’s the doctor says she won’t recover much for the better as the joints have deteriorated bad and if things get worse have to consider knee replacement.
Currently, the doctor have prescribed an injection Acton Prolongatum daily for next 4 weeks after which every alternate days for next 4 weeks and then once a week for the next 4 weeks with a checkup after 1 month. He has also prescribed oral tablets such as Lasilactone, Oncotrex. Also Folvite as she is suffering with lowActon Prolongatu hemoglobin count.
Request you to suggest with the treatment and if m injection is fine for her without much side effects?
Advance thank you for your response.
Sourav.
she is on the right track. acton p is a steroid and is given by doctors in rhumatoid arthritis if everything else fails. it has its own side effects.

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Researchers have identified a molecular mechanism central to the development of osteoarthritis (OA) pain.

The finding from researchers at Rush University Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers at Northwestern University, could have major implications for future treatment of this often-debilitating condition.

“Clinically, scientists have focused on trying to understand how cartilage and joints degenerate in osteoarthritis. But no one knows why it hurts,” said Dr. Anne-Marie Malfait, associate professor of biochemistry and of internal medicine at Rush, who led the study.

Joint pain associated with OA has unique clinical features that provide insight into the mechanisms that cause it. First, joint pain has a strong mechanical component: It is typically triggered by specific activities (for example, climbing stairs elicits knee pain) and is relieved by rest. As structural joint disease advances, pain may also occur in rest.

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Regular exercise and early treatment can help people suffering from arthritis to beat the pain of the disease, according to researchers.

A review of scientific research concluded that physical activity could cut the risk of disability and help relieve the pain of a range of conditions including arthritis, back pain and brittle bone disease.

For some, the level of improvement increases with the number of exercise sessions, the researchers found.

A second study also hailed the benefits of aggressive, early treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, the Daily Express reported.

The researchers noted that the chances of disability could be significantly reduced when drugs, which can halt the disease’s destructive process, are started soon after it begins.

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Researchers will be undertaking a new stage of a study aimed at improving the health and mobility of those suffering from the common complaint of “walking on marbles” associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in the feet, it has been revealed.

Forefeet often contain some of the first joints to be affected and those with the condition often say that they feel like they are “walking on marbles”.

Mostly, people have thought that this was due to walking on foot joints that are affected by the RA.

The Health Sciences’ FeeTURA study however, developed new ways of assessing the forefeet through the use of diagnostic ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging techniques.

From this work, the University of Southampton researchers discovered that some of the swellings and associated feeling of ‘walking on marbles’ were related to inflamed bursae (a fluid-filled sac usually found in areas subject to friction) that had developed underneath the forefoot joints. These inflamed bursae were rarely detected by clinical examination.

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World Arthritis Day is celebrated each year on 12 October to raise awareness of the disease amongst the public and the medical community. It also aims to ensure that patients are aware of the support network available to them.

This year, the theme of World Arthritis Day is move to improve which focuses on the benefits of physical activity for people with arthritis.

Even though it may seem that arthritis can be too painful for you to move, physical activity is the best way to keep arthritis pain at bay. Add more movement to your daily life – include doing tasks in the house, playing with children, cleaning the kitchen counter, walking the dog and grocery shopping – and you will benefit in a number of ways:

Exercise provides stronger muscles and bones
Gives better joint mobility
Reduces pain
Decreases disease progression
Helps in weight loss

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Got a health query? Ask our experts

Researchers have developed a potential new approach to treat chronic diseases such as arthritis, which involves the inflammation of one or more bone joints.

David Fairlie and his colleagues from The University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience have developed an experimental treatment that effectively eases symptoms and stops the progression of the disease.

Arthritis management with yoga and Ayurveda

“Human enzymes called proteases stimulate the secretion of immune cells that, when the correct amount is released, play important roles in digestion, fighting infections and healing wounds,” Fairlie was quoted as saying in the journal The Federation of American Societies For Experimental Biology.

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