Many people mistakenly believe that arthritis is a normal part of the aging process, but many older adults never get it and most of the people that are diagnosed with it are under the age of 65 years old. In fact, 2/3 of those diagnosed are not seniors, and some include children.
US statistics report that almost 1/4 ( 22.7%) adults have doctor-diagnosed arthritis — with significantly higher age-adjusted prevalence in women (23.5%) than in men (18.1%). While arthritis is not a normal part of aging, the likelihood of getting a diagnosis increases with age[1]. Only 7.3% of adults aged 18 to 44 years have been diagnosed arthritis, almost 50% (49.7%) of adults aged 65 years of age have been diagnosed[1].
There are different types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis, gout, and juvenile arthritis. More on each of these, below.
Osteoarthritis (OA)
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and is a degenerative joint disease that results from a breakdown of the cartilage within a joint. This breakdown results in the bone actually changing, or remodeling in order to try and accommodate the lack of cartilage. The bone does this by producing bone overgrowth called osteophytes, or ‘bone spurs’. An osteophyte is a smooth, bony deposit that grows slowly over time, and often has no symptoms but can be painful if they impinge on nerves or affect the movement of the joint. It most commonly occurs in the hands, hips, and knees and changes usually develop slowly, and get worse over time. OA can cause stiffness, swelling and pain and in some cases it results in some people are no longer able to do daily tasks.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) an autoimmune and inflammatory disease where the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells in the body, resulting in inflammation and painful swelling. It mainly attacks the joints in the hands, wrists, and knees, and often many joints at once. In a joint with RA, the lining of the joint becomes inflamed, causing damage to joint tissue and this damage is what results in chronic pain, difficulty with mobility and joint deformity.
Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is the most common form of a group of inflammatory arthritis called spondyloarthritis and is an autoimmune disease, which means it is caused by the body’s immune system attacking healthy tissue. AS leads to rigidity of the spine, and the sacroiliac (SI) joints which attach the pelvis (hips) to the base of the spine. Ankylosing’ means “fusing” and spondylitis’ means “inflammation of the spine”. AS
Gout
Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis that usually affects one joint at a time, (often the big toe joint. In this form, symptoms wax and wane, with times where there are symptoms being known as ‘flares’. Gout is associated with high levels of uric acid, which can also contribute to kidney stones, so controlling the level of uric acid through diet may be part of treatment. This includes keeping levels of purine-containing foods constant (not eliminating them). Repeated bouts of gout can lead to ‘gouty arthritis’; a worsening form of arthritis.
Juvenile (childhood) Arthritis
The most common type of childhood arthritis is ‘juvenile idiopathic arthritis’ (JIA), which is also known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (J-RA) which can cause permanent physical damage to joints and make it hard for the child to do everyday tasks such as walking, or even getting dressed by themselves.
Arthritis, Other Conditions and Quality of Life
Arthritis in adults is more common in people with other chronic health conditions, including;
– 31% of those with arthritis are obese
– 47% of those with arthritis have diabetes
and
– 49% have heart disease [1].
This isn’t all that surprising given that all of these conditions are linked to different types of systemic inflammation.
Having any of these other chronic conditions â — along with arthritis makes it all the more difficult for people to enjoy life. The pain associated with arthritis may be a barrier to physical activity for those with heart disease[1] and those who are overweight or obese already struggle with having little energy to be active and the pain of arthritis only makes that more difficult [2].
That said, physical activity â — whether it is simple aerobic activity like walking or swimming or strength / resistance training can benefit all of those conditions, so reducing the pain in arthritis is an important key to being able to be active, and have a much improved quality of life.
Reducing Inflammation – the role of an Anti-inflammatory Protocol
Many people when they get diagnosed with arthritis want to know if there is an “arthritis diet”. There is no diet specific to people diagnosed with arthritis, except perhaps a diet that lowers uric acid in those with gout, however eating in such a way as to lower inflammation can help a great deal!
I have offered an Anti-Inflammatory Protocol Package for close to ten years and recently completely updated the materials that I used to teach it, as well as the 27 pages of handouts I provide, in light of the most current research.
The goal of the Anti-Inflammatory Protocol is simple; to reduce stiffness and pain by lowering inflammation. It is divided into 3 sessions of an hour each and covers everything from the components of foods that contribute to inflammation; from grains and seed oils, to otherwise ‘healthy’ foods and even that may make symptoms worse and why, as well as those that are fine to use. I provide teaching on “nightshades” and the reasons why these should be limited and provide a list of fruits, vegetables and spices are in this family. I teach about the effect of alcohol and sugar alcohols used as sugar-substitutes and their effect on inflammation, as well as different gums and thickeners that are commonly used in many food products and that can contribute to inflammation.
My purpose in offering this package is to help those diagnosed with arthritis (and other inflammatory conditions) to improve their quality of life.
As well, I understand what it’s like to live with osteoarthritis (which I was diagnosed with in my 20’s) and the need to reduce symptoms, through diet whenever possible.
More Info?
You can find out more about the Anti-Inflammatory Protocol Package that I offer by clicking here and if you have questions, please feel free to send me a note using the Contact Me form above and I will reply as soon as I can.
To your good health!
Joy
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References
- Barbour KE, Helmick CG, Boring MA, Brady TJ. Vital signs: prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation — United States, 2013—2015. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;66:246—253. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6609e1External.
- Hootman JM, Murphy LB, Helmick CG, Barbour KE. Arthritis as a potential barrier to physical activity among adults with obesity—United States, 2007 and 2009. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011;60(19):614—618. PubMed PMID: 21597454
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