What Aggravates Arthritis?
Arthritis is a seriously crippling disease that affects millions of people world-wide. Arthritis is the inflammation of the joints due to infection, disease, or simply old age. There is no cure. Only the symptoms can be treated. However, there are also ways to make arthritis worse for the person who suffers from it. These methods are simple to understand and usually easy to treat. Understanding how to minimize the effects of arthritis on your body can help make life easier for you, if you suffer from this debilitating disease.
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Weight
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The body is greatly affected by its weight. When a person is overweight, they put pressure and strain on the joints that wouldn't normally occur if the person was the correct weight. This extra pressure only makes the pain of arthritis worse. It is important to lose weight in a careful and healthy manner if one suffers from arthritis because arthritis will only get worse as you age.
Dieting
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Although weight loss can help treat some of the pain of arthritis, dieting will not. Dieting actually deprives the body of precious nutrients and will only make the condition worse. Arthritis can sometimes be soothed by eating healthy. Dieting is not eating healthy. By dieting you are simply hurting yourself even more. So although weight loss is important, do it carefully through food monitoring and exercise.
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Lack of Excercise
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Exercise is very important in treating arthritis. Not only does it help you lose weight, but careful moving and stretching of the affected joints can actually improve their condition. It is common and understandable that many people who suffer from arthritis move their affected joints less and less due to the pain. This atrophy only worsens the condition. Keeping the joints active and moving will help keep them feeling better.
Drinking and Smoking
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Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes are already the cause of many health problems today. Arthritis is another one. Every time a smoker inhales smoke, they are depriving themselves of oxygen. This oxygen deprivation can lead to a thinning of the bone tissue, which increases not only the risk but the severity of arthritis. Alcohol is a nasty poison that does a great many things, including killing the liver. Another lesser known affect of alcohol is that it thins bone tissue. Smoking and drinking should be avoided at all costs if one wants to avoid arthritis.
Medications
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It has been found that certain medications can actually increase the chance of arthritis and even exacerbate the condition. Corticosteroids, a treatment for asthma, often lead to bone loss. Treatments for endometriosis often make arthritis worse. Aromatase inhibitors, used to treat breast cancer, are another common medication that will exacerbate arthritis. If you are taking these medications, it could be hard to avoid making your arthritis worse.
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