Natural Arthritis Treatment Options

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone replacement therapy may protect against osteoarthritis in the knee by preventing the loss of cartilage.. A study has shown hormone replacement therapy (HRT) users had almost 8% more cartilage volume than women who did not take the drug. Osteoarthritis, is a major cause of disability in the over-65s. It is more common in women than in men. But only one in five postmenopausal women take HRT.

Natural Herbal Heat packs that work both hot and cold A couple of minutes in the microwave and you are on your way to relief

Support for your hands and Knees A large range of braces and supports for your wrists and knees when you need additional support.

Back braces back braces support the lumber region with compression and/or semi rigid panels

Chiropractic Pillows Some pillows feel good others make you feel good.

Improve bone strength Natural supplements to improve bone strength and joint health

Massagers - Hand Held Massage tools that make giving a professional massage a snap. Give a longer more penetrating massage without tiring.

HRT Study Details

Researchers from Alfred Hospital in Victoria, Australia looked at 81 women, all aged 50 and postmenopausal. Forty-two of the women had been taking hormone replacement therapy for five years or more. The others had not used HRT. Factors including bone size, whether or not they smoked and exercised and size and weight were taken into account by the researchers.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to scan the women and determine how much cartilage they had. Cartilage loss 'protection' The study, published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, said HRT may protect against the development of osteoarthritis by protecting the knee cartilage. That could also suggest that a lack of oestrogen can affect the joint. Previous studies have either been inconclusive, or have shown HRT may be linked to a reduction in knee and hip osteoarthritis. It is now believed HRT could also prevent bone loss as "oestrogen receptors" are present in joints which are healthy. This latest research confirms earlier research published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases that demonstrated a 60% reduction in osteoarthritis of the knee in woman who took HRT.

DHEA Hormone Treatment

A hormone produced by the adrenal glands, may be helpful in rheumatoid arthritis, particularly in those people who have low DHEA levels due to adrenal suppression caused by the medications they are taking. Even though DHEA is available over the counter, it is a hormone that may have potentially dangerous side effects if used inappropriately. Therefore you should only use DHEA under medical supervision.

Probiotics

In the late 1800's, microbiologists identified microflora in the gastrointestinal tracts of healthy individuals that differed from those found in diseased individuals. The beneficial microflora found in the gastrointestinal tract were termed probiotics. Probiotics, literally meaning "for life," are microorganisms proven to exert health-promoting influences in humans and animals. For example, Tissier demonstrated that Bifidobacteria were helpful in treating infant diarrhea.

Antibiotic Resistance

Interest continues today as recent technological advances have enabled microorganisms to be isolated and colonized to determine their specific therapeutic properties. Studies show these microflora are capable of providing numerous health benefits beyond basic nutritional value. In 1994, the World Health Organization deemed probiotics to be the next-most important immune defense system when commonly prescribed antibiotics are rendered useless by antibiotic resistance.

Probiotic supplementation has both direct and indirect effects. Probiotics exhibit direct effects locally in the GI tract, including modulation of resident bacterial colonies and vitamin production. There are also indirect effects exerted at sites outside the GI tract, including the joints, lungs, and skin. Health promoting bacteria such as acidophilus, lactobacillus, bifidobacterium and others may be of benefit in rheumatoid arthritis. Changes in the balance of bacteria in the colon seems to correlate with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. A commonly used dose of probiotics is 1-2 grams twice daily.

It is speculated that inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis may be modulated by the use of probiotics. Thirty patients with chronic juvenile arthritis were randomly allocated to receive Lactobacillus GG or bovine colostrum for a two-week period. Immunological and non-immunological gut defenses were investigated in blood and feces. The authors concluded that gut defense mechanisms are disturbed in chronic juvenile arthritis and suggested orally administered Lactobacillus GG has potential to reinforce mucosal barrier mechanisms in this disorder. When inflamed, the gastrointestinal tract becomes permeable and may serve as a link between inflammatory diseases of the GI tract and inflammatory disorders such as arthritis.

Read on for both medical and natural treatments collagen to Magnets

Some of our products for Arthritis ....