Arthritis

What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints which affects the movement. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells. To a surprise , there are about more than 100 types of Arthritis of which two most common types are Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA) and Osteoarthritis.
Symptoms of Arthritis: Different people show different symptoms. In some people symptoms occur suddenly while in some people symptoms gradually develop and take time. Out of which few most common symptoms are :
• Stiffness in joints
• Joint pains
• Swelling in joints
• Redness around the joints
• Fever
• Chills
• Loss of appetite
• Tiredness
• Fatigue
• Decreased range of motion
These symptoms are generally more severe during the morning.


Causes of Arthritis:
Actually, there is no definite cause of arthritis but few general causes that can be possible are :
• Any Injury in the joints can lead to osteoarthritis
• Heredity : Chances are more if your family have a history of arthritis.
• Infection : bacterial or viral infection
• Immunity system: E.g. Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder i.e. body’s immune system attacks healthy cells. In this, the fluid produced by the joints get affected.
• Metabolic Problems: Such as increased uric acid blood levels in gout.


Treatment of Arthritis:
To reverse the symptoms of Arthritis good healthy diet, physical activity and medications are required.
Medications:
Talking about medications there are many medicines such as:
• NSAIDS i.e., Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: These are responsible for reducing inflammation and pain. E.g., Ibuprofen
• Analgesics: They help in reducing pain but not inflammation. E.g., acetaminophen
• Immunosuppressant: They have a role to play in reducing inflammation. For e.g., cortisone

Dietary Treatment
As Hippocrates once said, let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. So, here in this case too food can act as magic and help in relieving symptoms and severity of the disease. There are many foods that can boost the immunity and are anti-inflammatory too which are very effective during arthritis.
• Fruits and Vegetables: They are the treasure house of essential Vitamins and Minerals. They are packed with natural flavours. They are filled with antioxidants which help in
fighting with free radicals and are responsible for relieving inflammation. We must include 2-3 servings of fruit and 5-6 servings of vegetable every day.
• Fish: They are good source of omega-3 fatty acids. For instance, fishes like tuna, salmon and scallop are known to reduce the inflammation.
• Nuts and oilseeds: Feed your body with little munchies known as Nuts which are very healthy and nutritious. They are high in fiber and contains healthy fats i.e., omega-3 fatty acids. They are also foods which help in reducing inflammation.
Just as important as knowing what to eat, is knowing which food you should avoid.
• Avoid Processed Food: These foods are packaged with a lot of sugar, salt, fat, additives and preservatives. These foods have undergone a lot of processing which leads to loss of essential nutrients. These foods may also worse the condition and
may increase inflammation. We must ditch these packaged foods and consume natural, local, seasonal foods.
• Avoid Junk Food: Same as processed foods, these foods are also high in salt, fat and sugar. These foods only provide calories and no other nutrient. They can also trigger the inflammation and arthritis can be worsened by the intake of these foods.


Lifestyle changes:
We all are leading a sedentary lifestyle nowadays. We are not physically active. But being physically active is as important as eating healthy. According to WHO we must do 30 minutes exercise 5 days in a week. Especially, patients having arthritis must be physically active. Exercising regularly will make the joints more flexible. Person with arthritis can do stretching, swimming or brisk walking. Regular exercising will also help in maintaining their weight.
Changing these few things in your lifestyle here and there can greatly reduce the symptoms of arthritis and improve the quality of life.

Written by
Rakshita Mehra
Founder of Nutrishala