Arthritis

Arthritis

Arthritis is known as inflammation of the joints. The most common cause of Arthritis is chronic injury to the joint area as well as destruction of the soft tissue. The joint is protected by soft tissue, called cartilage, and fluid. It is also surrounded by other soft tissue such as ligaments and tendons.

In a time of injury, the soft tissue may become damaged. Soft tissue damage can be influenced by multiple factors such as poor function of the body due to genetic factors which leads to joints rubbing together, aging, low physical activity, excessive physical activity, and poor posture. Sports or accidents can also effect how the joint functions. One can typically heal from an injury with time but some may have done too much damage and suffer from reduced function of the joint leading to chronic inflammation.

Another form of joint inflammation is due to an autoimmune disorder, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis. With RA, the body literally attacks it’s own soft tissue. It may only show up in certain joints but progress to others such as elbows and knees.  This type if inflammation is due to a hypersensitive immune response which may be due to other underlying metabolic dysfunction.  An autoimmune response may be triggered by food allergies or intolerance, leaky gut, toxin overload, fatty acid imbalances, hormonal imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, and much more.  Much of the inflammatory response in RA can be reduced by discovering where the imbalance is coming from. Sometimes, simply correcting gut health can reduce the autoimmune response and alleviate or eliminate the inflammation.  RA patients should seek further diagnostic testing to find the underlying cause of the autoimmune response.

Both forms of arthritis can be reduced or eliminated by correcting the cause of the inflammatory response. The use of supportive supplements along with appropriate diet changes, functional exercises and toxin reduction can greatly restore joint health and quality of life.  Lifestyle changes should be the FIRST line of defense before administration of pharmaceuticals.

See Metagenics “Wellness Essentials: Joint Focus”