Healthy Eating Can Ease Arthritis Symptoms

For those suffering from the painful, swollen joints of arthritis, movement can be quite a challenge. However, as a chiropractor I know that eating certain foods – and staying away from others – can reduce a lot of the inflammation that comes with this condition.

Certain Foods Can Help Or Hinder Symptoms

Any foods that promote swelling in the body should be avoided. These include anything high in salt, MSG or preservatives like pork and bacon. Diet soda and coffee are also bad choices.

Good foods would include leafy green vegetables, peppers, broccoli, pineapples, cantaloupe and watermelon. All these help the body rid itself of the excess water that can cause or increase inflammation. Certain foods like salmon, walnuts and olive oil also have valuable omega 3 fatty acids that naturally reduce inflammation.

Consider Supplements

A chiropractor will often recommend supplements as part of their treatment. With arthritis, supplements like coenzyme 210, Vitamin C, fish oil, and bromelain (an extract of pineapple) can also significantly reduce symptoms, but you should talk to your physician before starting on any of these. He or she may want to run tests to have a baseline of where you are before starting a supplement regimen.

For Longer Term Relief, Change Your Diet

This can certainly be difficult, but there are two ways to approach it.

First, think about the foods you eat. If you just enjoy something but don’t feel a strong need to have it, you can probably just quit. However, if you feel you really need to have something, then you’re addicted to it. There’s really no reason for the body to crave something that’s not good for it other than addiction.

In this situation, just quitting a food cold turkey brings withdrawal symptoms just like someone coming off cigarettes or drugs. These can include headaches, upset stomach, or flu-like symptoms. If you can deal with these symptoms for one to two weeks, they will get better. The first two to three days are the most intense and then things lessen. If you can’t do this, you need to take another approach and start reducing your serving sizes gradually.

For example, to stop drinking coffee you would begin the first week by cutting back from eight ounces to six ounces, the next week you’d drop to four ounces, then two ounces until you’re done. During this time you should also drink large amounts of bottled or filtered water, not from the tap. The right amount to drink is half your body weight in ounces of water per day. Drinking water filters out toxins and reduces withdrawal symptoms.

If you’re looking for a Virginia Beach chiropractor, I offer a wide range of options, including nutritional consultation and chiropractic treatment, for alleviating arthritis pain. Call me today at 757-473-9900 and start feeling better!

Arthritis Help

Arthritis help used to be considered simply another “downside” of aging, something you have to combat by slowing down, limiting your activity, and taking medications to stay pain-free. Fortunately, those dealing with this painful condition today — characterized by joint swelling, pain, and stiffness — have many additional options, including — of course — chiropractic. Meet Madonna.

We don’t treat 56-year old “Madonna,” but we couldn’t agree more with this chiropractic patients’ reasoning for why she chose chiropractic care to relieve her arthritic pain. Here’s what she says:

“This approach [chiropractic care and yoga] has brought me back to a state of full integrated healing and strength. Taking a pill to further suppress the immune system to relieve rheumatoid arthritis is not what I would ever recommend or do for myself.”

In full disclosure, these aren’t the words of “the” Madonna, although the “material girl” IS a devotee of chiropractic care, even bringing her chiropractor with her on tour in 2009. Still, arthritic pain is immobilizing and debilitating for far too many Hampton Roads residents, and the standard approach to dealing with arthritis involves:

self-medicating with over the counter drugs to alleviate pain;
if that doesn’t work — or no longer works — patients often end up on steroids and / or prescription pain killers;
eventually, in the case of “wear and tear arthritis,” risky surgery is often considered as patients in pain seek a solution.

Arthritis Help

The good news is… your Virginia Beach chiropractor can help, and I can help you in multiple ways. First, I can help your spine stay in alignment. When you are not in alignment, the discs in your spine can wear down more quickly. When you are in alignment, you put less pressure on your nerves and proper motion is restored, reducing your body’s need to build up painful defenses (arthritic areas) to stabilize your spine. In short, we help our arthritic patients move with more ease and comfort.

But, that’s just the beginning. Rheumatoid arthritis is considered an autoimmune disease, and these type of diseases are only exasperated by stress. Chiropractic care also provides neurological support to the arthritic patient, taking stress off of your nervous system so you can rest and heal, and get back to living the life the way you used to.

e-cigarettes

I recently went fishing with my neighbor and good friend, who is a lifelong cigarette smoker. Spending time with him is quite enjoyable.

One of the issues that we have is that I don’t like the smell of cigarette smoke, nor do I like to be around it. About this time last year he switched to the popular E-Cigarettes he is under the impression that E-Cigarettes are much safer and healthier than regular cigarettes. This quite possibly could be true, however I would like to share this latest information with you so that you may determine this for yourself.

Tobacco causes almost half a million deaths in the United States each year. Due to that fact experts say quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. Recently the American Lung Association reviewed the influx of scientific studies on e- cigarette usage. Their conclusion was there is not enough evidence to determine if e-cigarettes are more helpful or harmful for smokers who are trying to quit. The latest recommendation is for people to use other techniques to stop smoking.

e-cigarettes

Companies who make e-cigarettes are claiming that they can help smokers quit. The FDA has not found that any research that show that e-cigarettes are a safe and effective way to help smokers quit. The current stat is that 70 percent of e-cigarette smokers also use traditional tobacco. As with most health care trends most of the confusion around e-cigarettes is because of a lack of regulation. Worries about e-cigarettes include inhaling substances such as metals and propaleinglysol and high toxins released. Another concern is the usage of Formaldehyde in e-cigarettes. There has been much delay in the FDA utilizing research to determine if e-cigarettes ar3e safe or not safe. There have been theories but at this point they are just simply theories. The American Lung Association is looking for more research to be done to help smokers quit and to also determine if e-cigarettes are safe in short term and long term use.

Healthy Eating Can Ease Arthritis Symptoms