Arthritis

Introduction

Arthritis affects millions of people in the UK. Although it’s a common condition, it can cause pain, fatigue, and lack of mobility and dexterity, affecting daily activities and having a negative impact on quality of life. In this blog, we’ll look at what arthritis is and its causes, symptoms of arthritis, the different types of arthritis, foods and drinks that can help or harm those with arthritis, holistic ways to help manage arthritis, and the best pain reliever medications for arthritis.

What is arthritis and what is its main cause?

Arthritis is a common condition that causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in your joints. Although it can affect any joint, it’s most likely to occur in your hands, knees, hips, feet, and lower back.

The causes of arthritis can vary, especially depending on the type of arthritis you have, but can include injury, genetics, or a buildup of uric acid. Your risk of developing arthritis may increase if you have a previous injury in a joint or have repetitive joint movements (perhaps from doing certain sports for many years or from working a laborious job). The risk also may increase if you have a family history of arthritis, if you are a smoker, if you drink alcohol, or if you are overweight.

What are the symptoms of arthritis?

Although the symptoms of your arthritis may vary depending on what type of arthritis you have, in general, the symptoms of arthritis commonly can include:

• Pain in one or more joints that may come and go, or which may be consistent.

• Stiffness, especially in the morning.

• Swelling in the joints, especially after use.

• Redness and/or warmth in the joins.

• Reduced ability to move a joint.

• Joint changes that reduce or limit movement.

• Feeling that a joint is loose or unstable.

• Fatigue.

• Fever.

• Weight loss.

If you think you may have arthritis, you should seek advice from your doctor. They can help confirm an arthritis diagnosis and advise you on how to treat your condition.

What are the different types of arthritis, and which type of arthritis is most serious?

The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which occurs as people age. It destroys cartilage and narrows the joint space.

Another type of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, which is an inflammatory disease. It often starts in the small joints of your hands and feet, and it can affect the same joints on both sides of your body. Rheumatoid arthritis is considered one of the most serious types of arthritis, in part because it can damage other organs beyond your joints, such as your skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels.

Gout is a third type of arthritis, which results from the buildup of uric acid crystals in your joints. These crystals are sharp and needle-like, and they form when you have too much uric acid in your body, which can be caused by your diet (if you eat too many foods high in purine, such as shellfish or red meat), your weight (being overweight can make it harder for your kidneys to remove uric acid), how much alcohol you drink (beer in particular), or certain inherited conditions which may make it harder for your body to process uric acid.

Psoriatic arthritis is another type of arthritis, and it is an autoimmune disease that may be linked to genetics, obesity, stress, infection, or injury. This type of arthritis especially affects the joints in your fingers and toes, and you’re also likely to have psoriasis, which appears as red, scaly skin rashes. You may also experience thickened fingernails or fingernail separation from the nail bed.

What foods and drinks should you avoid for arthritis?

Your diet can affect your arthritis. This is because certain food can increase inflammation, which may worsen your arthritis symptoms.

If you have arthritis, you should avoid or consume less of the following:

• Red meat. Red meat is higher in fat, particularly saturated fat, than white meats and plant-based protein, which may worsen joint swelling.

• High-fat dairy products, especially those with added sugar, as high-fat diets may be linked to increased inflammatory reactions. This may include cheese, whole milk, ice cream, sour cream, and butter.

• Omega-6 fatty acids. Although omega-6 fatty acids are crucial for brain function and bone health, too much can cause inflammation, so you need to be careful not to exceed your daily intake. Omega-6 fatty acids are commonly found in meat and vegetable-based oils, such as soybean, corn, safflower, sunflower, and canola.

• High salt foods, as a high salt intake can cause greater inflammation and even increase your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. Salt is used as a preservative in many canned foods, and is also high in processed meats, fast food, savory snacks, and rice and pasta mixes.

• High-sugar foods and drinks, such as candy, ice cream, fruit canned in syrup, processed snacks and cereals, condiments such as ketchup, desserts, soda, fruit juices, sweet tea, coffee drinks, and energy drinks. Added sugars, such as those found in these products, don’t offer any nutritional value, and they can cause inflammation.

• Fried foods, as these are often cooked in oils high in saturated fat and omega-6 fatty acids. They also often contain other ingredients, such as high amounts of sugar or salt, that can worsen inflammation.

• Processed foods, such as frozen meals, lunchmeat, baked goods, fast food, and packaged snacks, as these usually have refined grains and added sugars, salt, and fat, all of which can not only increase inflammation, but which are associated with a higher risk of obesity and insulin resistance, which can also worsen arthritis symptoms.

• Alcohol, especially if you have gout. Although red wine can have some anti-inflammatory properties due to containing anti-oxidants, in general, all types of alcohol may increase your risk of developing gout and experiencing more frequent gout flairs.

• Refined carbohydrates, which are found in products like white flour or white rice due to the way in which the grains are processed. Simple carbohydrates such as those in these foods are more likely to spike blood sugar and increase inflammation.

• Gluten may or may not be something you should avoid, depending on the type of arthritis you have and your personal reaction to it. Those with rheumatoid arthritis may find that maintaining a gluten-free diet helps alleviate their symptoms. Gluten is found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye.

• Purines are broken down into uric acid in your body; if your body has too high a level of uric acid, it can cause painful crystals to form in your joints, which is associated with gout. Purines are high in things like alcoholic beverages, some fish such as shellfish, meats such as bacon, turkey, veal, and venison, and organ meats like liver.

• Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are molecules formed by reactions between sugars and proteins or fats. They exist naturally in uncooked animal foods and can form with certain cooking methods, especially in situations with high temperature and low moisture, contributing to or worsening arthritis symptoms. Foods high in AGEs include high fat animal protein that has been fried, grilled, roasted, or broiled including bacon, steak, chicken, salmon, and hot dogs, chips, aged and hard cheeses, butter, margarine, mayonnaise, and crackers and cookies made by dry heat processing.

• Coffee has antioxidants which may benefit some people with certain types of arthritis such as gout, but on the other hand it may be linked to an increased risk of other types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. It’s best to consume coffee in moderation, and avoid adding cream, whipped cream, sugar, or syrups.

This list may seem a bit overwhelming at first glance, but it’s important to remember that in many instances you can simply substitute some ingredients to make a recipe or dish more appropriate for your condition. For example, use olive oil instead of vegetable oil; eat more white meats such as chicken or fish instead of red meat such as beef; use whole grain breads instead of white breads for toast and sandwiches; and so on.

You can also establish new habits or routines to take the place of old: for example, instead of having ice cream after dinner, try having some low-fat yogurt with healthy, inflammation-reducing fruits mixed in.

Below, we’ll take a look at some foods and drinks you can start including in your diet to help reduce your inflammation and hopefully alleviate some of your arthritis symptoms.

What foods and drinks are good for arthritis?

In addition to avoiding or lessening the consumption of the foods and beverages above, you can help to alleviate your arthritis symptoms by being mindful of what you eat and drink instead.

The following can help reduce inflammation:

• Fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, trout, sardines, and mackerel.

• Nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds.

• Fruits such as berries, grapes, oranges, peaches, apples, cherries, and plums.

• Dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale.

• Tomatoes.

• Beans such as kidney and pinto beans.

• Whole grains such as oats, brown rice, and quinoa.

• Olive oil.

• Garlic and onions.

What holistic ways are there to help manage arthritis?

In addition to making dietary changes, you might find that the following help alleviate your arthritis symptoms:

• Lose weight, if needed, and ensure you don’t become overweight.

• Remain physically active for at least 2.5 hours a week, doing activities such as brisk walking, swimming, or cycling.

• Use moist heat (such as a warm bath, including a product like Deep Heat Bath Tonic if desired) or dry heat (such as a heating pad).

• Use an ice pack (wrapped in a towel) on your joints if swollen or painful.

• Try a light massage, which may increase blood flow.

• Try acupuncture, which may stimulate the release of natural, pain-relieving chemicals in your body.

There are also products you can apply on the outside of your painful areas, such as Flexiseq Max Strength for Osteoarthritis, which is a drug-free gel designed to help ease painful and stiff joints, particularly your knees, shoulders, hips, wrists, ankles, and fingers. Biofreeze Pain Relief Gel also provides targeted relief for sore muscles, joint pain, and arthritis without the use of prescription medications.

If you prefer a patch to applying a cream or gel, we stock Deep Heat Pain Relief Hot Patches as well as Cura-Heat Pain Relief Heat Patches, which are heating patches that can provide relief for joint stiffness and swelling, without the use of medication.

You might also find that vitamins and supplements can help, such as the Diso Collagen Oral Strips, which can help joints remain supple, or the Diso Curcumin Oral Strips, which can help to reduce overall inflammation in your body.

Some people also take vitamin D to help combat a deficiency in this area, which can worsen arthritis symptoms. We carry a variety of products and brands containing vitamin D, such as Vitabiotics Ultra Vitamin D 1000 UI, which are mini-tablets taken once daily, and HuxD3 20000 IU Vitamin D3, which is taken once every two weeks.

Finally, fish oil is a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have an anti-inflammatory effect and can help to alleviate arthritis pain and inflammation. We carry Seven Seas Omega 3 Fish Oil, which comes in capsules.

There are also supplements which combine a variety of arthritis-fighting ingredients, such as the Seven Seas Cod Liver Oil Max Strength Fish Oil with Omega-3 and Vitamin D, Vitabiotics Jointace Omega-3 Glucosamine Capsules with Cod Liver Oil and Vitamin D, and Seven Seas JointCare + Turmeric Duo, which contains omega 3, glucosamine, chondroitin, and vitamin D.

As with all supplements, you should first speak to your doctor before incorporating them into your diet.

Many people, even with holistic management, still find that a pain relieving medication is helpful for their arthritis. You should consult with your healthcare professional in order to determine if and what medication is best for you.

What are the best pain reliever medications for arthritis?

 

We stock a wide variety of medications that can help alleviate arthritis symptoms. This includes basic pain relief medications such as ibuprofen and paracetamol, as well as stronger medicines which are typically only intended to be used for a short period of time. You can view our complete collection here.

There are also medicated gels and creams which are applied externally and can help relieve pain and discomfort, such as Voltarol Max Strength Pain Relief Gel. This gel contains an active ingredient called diclofenac diethylammonium (2.32%), which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). We also carry Deep Heat Rub Pain Relief Cream, which contains the aspirin-like drug methyl salicylate for effective pain relief, as well as warming ingredients that increase blood flow and provide soothing pain relief.

In summary

Arthritis is a common condition affecting millions of people in the UK, and it can unfortunately be quite painful and even debilitating. There are different types of arthritis, and everyone is an individual with different experiences, so it’s best to consult with your doctor to determine how best to manage your specific condition. That being said, there are holistic approaches you can take, including diet changes, that may help manage your arthritis symptoms. We also carry a variety of medicinal products which can further help you to continue living your life as pain-free as possible.