Health And Fitness News 

Arthritis Treatments

Science doesn't have a cure for arthritis yet, but there are many types of treatments available that can help relieve the pain and keep you active.

The exact type of treatment available depends on the particular details of your specific situation, including the joints affected, the extent of the damage, the severity of your pain and how the condition affects your daily activities.  Your physical care practitioner also takes into consideration, when treating you, your age and your occupation.

Ultimately, treatment attempts to focus on eliminating the underlying cause of your arthritis.  But, keep in mind, that the chances are great that the cause of your arthritis is not curable.  Therefore, your personal care practitioner will try to alleviate the symptoms as much as possible.  He'll try to maximize your comfort, minimize your pain, and prevent any disability or further damage.

Your personal care practitioner will try to alleviate your symptoms through a variety of medications starting with acetaminophen – commonly sold as Tylenol.  More than likely, he'll instruct you to take a maximum of  four grams of acetaminophen daily.  That equals two extra-strength Tylenol tablets every six hours. 

If you are using this method, be sure that you don't exceed this dosage.  And  don't drink alcohol in any excess.  Doing either of these – or both – may cause damage to your liver.

Not every treatment recommended by your health care practitioner needs to be prescription strength.  And this recommended approach is one of those. This initial treatment option can be very effective.  It can provide significant relief of the pain associated with arthritis without subjecting you to the adverse side effects of prescription drugs.

Another option that doesn't include prescription drugs involves a class of over-the-counter pain relievers called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, better known as NSAID's.  These, too, are more effective than many people realize.  But they also come with a price, especially if you use these for an extended period of time.  These include ibuprophen (which you may know better as Advil or Motrin), aspirin and naproxen, sold under the brand name of Aleve.

First, keep in mind that you should not take these in any large amount without consulting with your health care practitioner.  Long-term use, in large amounts, can have very serious consequences, including increased risks of hart attacks, strokes and stomach ulcers.  Extended use of these over-the-counter drugs may also cause bleeding in the digestive tract as well as kidney damage.

If these non-prescription drugs do not relieve your symptoms sufficiently, then your health care practitioner may prescribe Cox2 inhibitors.   These medications work by blocking the inflammation promoting enzyme called a Cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2).  These drugs were initially hailed as an improvement over the NSAID's.  They perform the same duties, but with supposedly less risk of potential stomach problems.

In recent years, though, this class of drugs has been in the news for its potentially deadly side effects.  Marketed under such names as Vioxx and Bextra, arthritis patients soon discovered an increased risk of heart attacks.  Indeed, several deaths were supposedly attributed to these medications.  These two, in particular, were removed from the market.

However, Celcoxib, sold under the brand name Celebrex, is still available to those with arthritic pain.  But most professionals recommend that it be prescribed for only the shortest amount of time with the least possible dosage.  Only you and your health care practitioner can determine whether this is the proper treatment for your particular case of arthritis.

Another weapon in the arsenal against arthritis symptoms your health care practitioner may pull out is classified as a "steroid".  This class of drug is more formally called corticosteroids, which work by suppressing the immune system.  By doing so, it effectively alleviates the inflammation.  This can be administered either orally or through injection.  While it's an option in most forms of arthritis, it should not be used in cases of infectious arthritis.  Moreover, steroids, too, are not without their side effects.  These include upset stomach, gastrointestinal bleeding, high blood pressure, thinning of the bones, as well as cataracts.  The risks are far greater the longer you're taking them or with the higher dosages.

For natural joint care treatments, click here.

Should You Take Nail Changes Seriously

I was doing some research on curved nails, and I came across a startling range of material suggesting, at one end of the spectrum, serious diseases, and at the other end, simple nutritional difficulties. There was also the absurd - one palmistry site suggested that men with long, curved nails were 'not of good character', and tended to have lots of affairs with women - getting a bad name for themselves along the way (perhaps they wouldn't take out the garbage :-))

What surprised me was how different nail abnormalities were given such a range of possible causes. Reading this, two things could happen. You might get overly anxious, convinced that you had anything from Aids, melanoma, heart disease, or rheumatoid arthritis, to liver or kidney disease.

Or, you could overlook a potentially serious disease, going instead for the nutritional or vitamin recommendations that accompany specific issues.

The problem is that both are valid points of view. Changes in nails, in texture, color, or shape, can occur when serious illnesses are in the early stage. Nail changes often show up before other symptoms appear. Medications can also affect nails. For example, some cancer medications can make nails streaky or cause different color bands to appear.

Yet the fact remains that for many, specific vitamins and minerals, or a lack of protein or other nutrients, can show in the nails. Although it sounds like a caliche, the best thing to do, if there are changes you are concerned about, is to check in with your doctor, to eliminate more serious possibilities.

Causes Of Pink Eye

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, is a fairly common problem affecting children, adults, and many cats! My Tonkinese, Oscar, gets it fairly regularly, though he is otherwise healthy (fortunately!).

But pink eye, both in people and animals, can be caused by a number of different things. In cats, it is commonly caused by chlamydia, although this is not the case with people. People can get chlamydia-associated conjunctivitis, but not generally in developed countries. One thing to be careful of, is if this is affecting your pet, be sure to wash your hands carefully after applying ointment, or otherwise touching, their eye. People can get chlamydia from their pets in this way.

The most common cause of pink eye in people is bacteria. The bacteria concerned are generally staphylococcus, pneumococcus, and streptococcus. Antibiotic eye drops or ointments, and bathing the eye with warm-hot water or herbal compresses work well against these bacteria. Other home remedies for pink eye can also be tried, although if the eye hasn't improved after about 4 days, conventional antibiotics should be sought.

Viruses are another cause of the contagious types of conjunctivitis. Viral pink eye usually clears up on its' own after about 7 to 10 days, and other, systemic symptoms are usually present.

Pink eye is not always contagious. These cases are usually allergy related, or caused by chemical irritants. Allergy related pink eye is usually very itchy, and causes strong swelling. My brother had a real problem with this when he was younger, caused by an allergic reaction to the family cat (he learnt not to sleep with our Siamese after waking up one morning with both eyes almost completely closed). Animal allergies, pollen, and dust are common irritants to allergy prone people.

If a conjunctivitis reaction occurs from any chemicals such as smoke, cleaning products, or industrial chemicals, it's important to wash eyes straight away, with a lot of water. Make sure your hands are free of any chemicals first! It's also important to go to a doctor just to be on the safe side.