Lifestyle Changes Can Have Positive Impact On Arthritis

It is estimated that about fifty million adults in the United States of America have been diagnosed with some form of arthritis. Arthritis is a condition that comes in over one hundred types and causes a painful inflammation of the human body joints. According to medical experts, those people who are suffering from arthritis can take some steps that are not related to medication in order to manage the pain that accompanies this condition. There is a variety of steps that can be undertaken; and they range from diet changes to more complicated operations like surgery.

According Dr. Tania Ghosh who is a member of Porter Physician Group and a Geriatrician and internal medicine specialist in Glendale Primary Care (Valparaiso)s, it is important for one to undergo medical tests so as to determine the type of arthritis which will eventually aid in determining the best treatment pain that will be administered. 

In carrying out a diagnosis procedure; according to him, you are required to start by determining the root cause of the problem. By this he meant that in normal cases, you are required to know the how the problem started, how it has progressed over time, the duration it has lasted and you should also determine other related symptoms the patient has been exhibiting. All these are vital in performing a proper diagnosis procedure and thus you will be able to know the correct medication for the problem.

In order to confirm your diagnosis, radiological testing like X-rays and MRIs are carried out.  Alternatively, blood work can be carried out as further prove. After successfully unearthing the underlying cause, proper treatment modalities can then be carried out.

According to DR. Ghosh, the overall health status of an individual has a direct relationship to the amount of arthritic pain. He recommends that if the arthritic pain is related to weight, the appropriate lifestyle change should be weight loss.

For those suffering pain due to Gout, which is a very complicated form of arthritis and can cause extremely painful joint pain; these individuals need to adjust on their dietary arrangements. With this, they are required to reduce the in-take of some foods that accelerates this condition. Some of the dietary products that should be avoided include according to Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine include dairy products, sugar, fats, citrus fruits, caffeine and nightshade plants (tomatoes and eggplant). Further, more research on this topic point out that the use of some dietary products likes adding polyunsaturated oils and omega-3 supplements to a diet can help reduce the amount arthritic pain.

Other foods that are beneficial to relieving arthritic pain include Vegan diets. This diet contains low-fat and high antioxidant qualities and this makes it beneficial to managing the inflammation associated with arthritis.

According to Dr. Ghosh, if by any case lifestyle changes do not solve the problem of arthritis; one should resort to the use of appropriate medication. And for successful administration of medication, a correct cause of the problem should be diagnosed. Some of the medications that can be administered include types of pain pills, oral medications to help reduce the inflammation in the joint, some injections into the affected joints, and medications that can treat any systemic problem that could be directly related to causing the arthritis.

Dr. Ghosh continued to say that if the arthritic condition proves difficult to treat by both lifestyle change and administration of medications, it is recommended that surgery be carried out. Some of the most surgery procedures that can be carried out include finger and hand surgeries, arthroscopy and arthroplasty. 

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