Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made! They are designed to take us through nearly 100 years if we take care of them. We are living longer now than at any other time in modern history, but what good is it to live a long time if you feel awful for the last twenty years? Are there ways to ensure that we keep our mobility until the very end? Yes! The answer is a resounding “Yes!” This month we share simple tools for reducing or eliminating joint pain so you can live the happy & healthy life you deserve! The first question to ask ourselves is, “What is causing that pain in my joints?”
Joints are the connection points between two or more bones in your skeletal system. They are made up of bone and soft tissues like ligaments, cartilage, and tendons. Joints allow us to use different kinds of movements like walking, reaching, spinning, swinging, and gliding. We classify joints according to the type of tissue in them. Some joints are fibrous, some are cartilaginous, and some are synovial. Many conditions, circumstances, choices, or chemicals can cause joint pain, so let’s dive into the most prevalent of these.
Arthritis is what we call conditions that cause joint pain. It affects more than 50 million adults and 300,000 children in America according to the Arthritis Foundation. Something as simple as chronic dehydration (where you don’t get enough water in your body) can cause joint pain as dehydration robs the joints of its synovial fluid—that thick lubricating fluid that is 80% water. Osteoarthritis happens when joint cartilage degenerates, leaving a “bone on bone” situation with no synovial fluid to lubricate the joint. When this happens, I recommend this product, Muscle & Tissue, to ease pain! This is typically found in hips, knees, ankles, and hands. Overweight or obese people have a much higher rate of mechanical friction in the knees, hips, and ankles due to the load being carried by those joints with every step. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that affects all the body’s joints. Psoriatic Arthritis is linked with psoriasis and causes joint pain and stiffness. Gout is severe joint pain from uric acid crystals. Uric acid is a waste product of sugar in the body. Lupus is also an autoimmune disease with joint pain as one of its major symptoms.
Each one of these conditions is treated with pharmaceuticals by most physicians. Unfortunately, the side effects of these drugs are numerous and unpleasant. When you get tested for arthritis, your tests include a C-reactive protein test, and a Sedimentation Rate Test. The C-reactive protein test measures systemic inflammation in the body. The Sed Rate Test measures “crud in the blood.” So, we know that certain toxins cause systemic inflammation, and inflammation causes pain! There is never pain without inflammation. It makes sense then, that if we reduce inflammation, we reduce joint pain. Two of my favorite products for keeping down inflammation are here: Turmeric and Muscle & Tissue
Underlying Causes of Arthritis
Strep can cause several disease processes including arthritis. Some people are “strep carriers” meaning they carry this pathogen constantly even without the normal symptoms of sore throat and fever. Lyme disease can also trigger arthritis type symptoms because it is a neuro toxin. Created by the United States government during the cold war years, Lyme has become a causative factor in systemic inflammatory diseases like arthritis. If the spirochete of Lyme burrows into the joints, it can cause autoimmune arthritis with all its inflammation and pain. Mold can cause fungal arthritis when it enters the bloodstream and travels to joints, infecting them with its poison, so it’s important to know if you have been exposed to mold. Candida, a common fungus in the human gut, can spread to the joints causing severe pain and discomfort. Sugary drinks and sweet foods can cause Gout which is a painful form of arthritis. When your body has extra uric acid, sharp crystals can form in your joints. Other pathogens like hepatitis, rubella, mumps, pneumococcus, and Haemophilus influenza can all trigger infectious arthritis. Finding out what is causing your pain is very important! Alternative practitioners can help locate the source of your discomfort and guide you towards a less inflammatory diet and lifestyle.
Stress is the culprit! Ultimately, stress in the body causes arthritis. Mechanical stress from carrying weight on the joints in your lower extremities, chemical stress from sugar, gluten, dairy, and highly processed, inflammatory foods, infectious stress from bacterial, viral, mold, fungal, and parasitic infections, and even spiritual stress from unresolved anger and bitterness, unforgiveness, and resentments can instigate arthritis or make it worse. Anger and bitterness can have a negative impact on our emotional and physical health.
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” Proverbs 17:22.