I was recently reading this article. I should share it with you all..

WHAT IS INFLAMMATION?
Inflammation is a local response to injury whereby capillaries (blood vessels) dilate and immune cells rush to the area causing redness, heat, pain, swelling which often causes a loss of function to the area to ensure no further damage occurs.


Millions of people suffer from one form of ARTHRITIS or another and contrary to popular belief it is not a disease affecting only the elderly. Some forms of arthritis strike toddlers still in diapers, while thousands are stricken in the prime of their lives. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases report that one in seven persons have some form of arthritis.
Everyday Arthritis
Arthritis is not just one disease. Arthritis (\"arth\" meaning joint, \"itis\" meaning inflammation) consists of over 100 different conditions from gout to rheumatoid arthritis . Although most of these disorders occur with joint or muscle inflammation, many like lupus involve the skin, lungs andkidney. Inflammation, swelling, redness, heat and most importantly pain, are hallmarks of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, often referred to as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a chronic joint disorder
where a gradual wearing away of the cartilage that cushions the joints causes the bones to scrape together. New research points to an abnormality in the body's ability to make new components of cartilage such as collagen. Secondly the cartilage may grow too much or grow over the edges of the joint thereby interfering with joint mobility. Once the surface of the cartilage becomes misshapen the joint can no longer move with ease. Repetitive activities and sports injuries are associated with the development of osteoarthritis. Obesity aggravates arthritis because greater strain is put on the joints. Poor nutrition and dehydration as well as food and environmental allergies can contribute to the condition. Although aging is usually cited as a factor (70% of the elderly have it), there is a false assumption that it is an inevitable aspect of aging. This is not true. If care is taken to address the factors mentioned here, then living life without osteoarthritis is possible.
Types Of Arthritis
The following are just a sampling of many forms:
• Osteoarthritis (the most common type)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Psoriatie Arthritis
• Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
• Sclerodennit
• Sjogren's syfltdrome
• Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Gout
• Fibromyalgia
• Polymyaigia Rheumatica
• Pseudo Gout
• Raynaud's Phenomenon
• Better's Disease
Devastating Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the second most common form, is an autoimmune disease whereby the immune system produces antibodies that attack and destroy the synovial membranes surrounding the lubricating fluid in the joints. RA may begin in fits and starts, taking years to progress, but for about 25% of sufferers it begins abruptly and severely.
The joint pain and stiffness of RA is more noticeable in the morning and like osteoarthritis the joints become swollen. Unlike osteoarthritis, however, RA can strike suddenly in cases and at any time of life, even in childhood (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis). Other symptoms include fatigue, fever, depression, anemia, weight loss and night sweats. When the joints are inflamed they take on a purplish
health/immunity
color and as the disease progresses the hands and feet become deformed.
When diagnosing RA four out of seven criteria must be met: morning stiffness that lasts more than an hour; the arthritis is symmetrical meaning that both the right and left sides are affected; three joint areas simultaneously inflamed (not just bony overgrowth); arthritis is present in any of the hand joints; nodules lay under the skin on bony prominences; serum rheumatoid factor levels are abnormal; and erosions or decalcification detected by X ray.
Stress and its ability to disrupt hormones that promote inflammation, allergies, obesity, nutritional deficiencies, vaccines, a hyperactive immune system, and even viral or bacterial infections, are just a few of the potential causes of RA. Ten years ago rheumatologists would have disagreed that these factors play a role in promoting arthritis but new research has shown otherwise.
Although I have only discussed the two forms of arthritis, in all forms the key to eliminating the condition is repairing the immune system abnormality. Good nutrition, stress reduction, allergy elimination along with key nutritional supplements will go a long way to alleviate arthritic symptoms.
The Immune System and Pain
Until recently few realized that the immune system is involved in promoting pain and inflammation. Yet upon injury to the body or in conditions like arthritis, several immune factors send chemical messengers to the brain that cause us to feel pain and create inflammation. If we could inhibit the release of these chemical messengers from the immune system we would be able to control pain and inflammation.
The immune messengers associated with pain and inflammation, include the following Interleukins: (IL-1, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-12). Carl Germano and William Cabot in their book Nature's Pain Killers state that, \"IL-1 is directly responsible for breaking down collagen and other connective tissue increasing inflammation and dilating blood vessels - all actions that create pain. IL-6 is a powerful pro-inflammatory factor that contributes to the symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis.\"
The first step in dealing with arthritic conditions is repairing the immune system and stopping the release of immune messengers that cause the destruction of joint tissues. Many of you reading this article may have already tried glucosamine sulphate, and/or MSM for your arthritis with limited success. If you want to eliminate arthritis, use Moducare™ to halt the immune system from creating the damage in the first place. Then when you take glucosamine it will actually do what it was shown to do in the research - repair the damaged joint. This is a two-fold process: stop the damage and keep it in check by using Moducare™ every day then take the glucosamine to repair the damaged joint. Osteoarthritis sufferers will then experience relief from inflammation.
WHAT IS MODUCARE™?
licare™ contains a special blend of plant sterols and sterolins available in a capsule. This daily essential nutrient has been proven to balance the immune system. It is difficult to obtain enough sterols and sterolins from our (fet due to food processing and our limited intake of fruits and vegetables. The only way to get a therapeutic dose is to supplement.
ARTHRITIS DRUGS
This issue of the newsletter is devoted to arthritis. Over 40 million North Americans suffer this condition and half of those are on some type of pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory. With this many people taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) I thought it important to address some of the concerns surrounding these medications. Individuals taking these medications may not be aware that over 20 percent will get an ulcer or gastrointestinal bleeding or, more seriously, kid­ney and liver damage. Over 120,000 people per year are hospitalized from the side effects of NSAIDS in North America.
The Canadian government recently released a warning about the top selling arthritis drug called Celebrex because it has been found to cause ulcers. Celebrex, which is much more expensive than common arthritis drugs, was compared in a clinical trial to patients taking ibuprofen and Vbltaren (also known as diclofenac). According to Ryan Baker of Health jCanada, \"This clinical trial has shown that there is, in fact, no difference between the three drugs alone when it comes to gas­trointestinal illness.\" Health Canada has received hundreds of reports of serious adverse reactions connected with Celebrex. Nearly 70 cases of stomach bleeding and 10 deaths have been reported in Canada alone.
Several years ago I reported in Healthy Immunity that Celebrex was not as safe as the drug manufacturers pro­claimed. Research performed at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center found that Celebrex may increase your risk of heart attack and/or stroke. Now with the warnings that it is no better than other drugs at preventing ulcers 1 hope that those using this medication adopt some of the recommendations in the newsletter to reduce pain and inflammation.
I reported years ago that joint damage is another side effect from long-term use of NSAIDS. Now a new study published in The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, has also shown bone repair problems. Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey gave 253 rats with a broken leg either Vioxx, Celebrex, Indomethacin or no drug. The rats given Vioxx or Celebrex weren't fully healed until after two months and the new bones that formed had a weakened shell. The rats given Indomethacin took a week longer to heal than untreated rats. Some bone experts say the research is compelling enough that doctors should explain the risk of taking such drugs for bone injuries and spinal surgery. See http://www.healthyimmunity.com" rel="nofollow">LINK for the full story on these research studies.
Spread the word to your friends and family that NSAIDS may be doing more harm than good. Tell them about the safe and effective natural anti-inflammatory nutrients mentioned in the arthritis article in this issue.
Vitamins to the Rescue
Multi-mune™ (Read the full article on the nutrients in Multi-mune™ on page 4) contains nutrients that have been researched to help control the immune system as well. When taken with Moducare™ they are effective at supporting and normalizing immune function. The vitamin A and vitamin C in Multi-mune™ have been shown to turn off inflammatory and pain-causing immune factors. As well vitamin E decreases the inflammatory factors that are associated with pain and inflammation. It also decreases the negative effects of stress. Stressors cause the release of our stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol then causes the inflammatory immune factor Interleukin-6 known to worsen the destruction of joints in osteo and rheumatoid arthritis to be released.
Willow Bark
For a fast acting pain killer Willow bark is nature's aspirin. It is an ancient remedy used to treat fevers and arthritic complaints. Salicin is its active ingredient. Many human studies have evaluated willow bark's ability to rapidly relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Standardized willow bark is available and dosages range from 200 milligrams to 1000 milligrams.
Water and Exercise
Yes, water cushions your joints and if you are not drinking 6-10 glasses of water everyday your joint cushions are dehydrated. For every juice or caffeine beverage that you consume, you must have another glass of water.
Non-weight bearing exercise like water aerobics, swimming, stationary cycling and yoga should be performed. Be careful not to overburden joints or cause pain and inflammation.
Health Tips to Enhance Healing
• Stress reduction is key because we know that when we are under stress our immune system sends out more inflammatory messengers making arthritis worse.
• Avoid citrus fruit, milk, red meat, sugar products, salt, paprika and cayenne pepper, tobacco and any member of the nightshade family (potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, etc.) to prevent arthritis flare-ups.
• Focus your diet on organic, healthy, whole foods: fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, eggs, whole grains, healthy fats and oils, seafood and fresh fish. They are the key to halting inflammation at the source. Eat foods with a high sulfur content that will help remove metals from the body including garlic, onions and asparagus.
• Lose weight since even 10 extra pounds can cause an additional 40 pounds of pressure on arthritic knee and ankle joints creating pain and further inflammation.
• Use hot or cold compresses on the area to alleviate pain and inflammation. Take hot baths or saunas to keep the joints warm.
• Topical ointments may help. Look for products that contain capsaicin, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or quaternary amines.
• Start a diet diary and write down everything you eat and see if there is any correlation to your arthritis symptoms. Ask for a referral to an allergy specialist and get tested for possible triggers. Once you know what you are allergic to avoid those allergens. ••