Finding What You Need
A Handbook of Rich Resources for Seniors and Retirees
Stephen Lau
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is a complex chronic condition involving joint pain and joint inflammation. There are more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions, affecting billions of people of all ages worldwide, in particular the elderly. Arthritis is not a new disease: it has been in existence for thousands of years, as evidenced by skeletan remains.
Arthritis is joint malfunctioning. Joints enable bones to bend and twist, and hence all types of body movement. There are three types of joints:
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Mild with pain occurring intermittently
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Controlled without medication or with only over-the-counter medication, such as aspirin
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Debilitating and even life-threatening |
The bad news is:
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There is no cure for arthritis.
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Arthritis comes in many different forms. No two individuals have exactly the same symptoms, and therefore it is difficult for rheumatologists to apply relevant and effective treatments.
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Some type of arthritis may also attack the skin and internal organs of the body. For example, lupus can inflame and damage the linings of the heart and lungs, causing kidney and blood problems.
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Older people are more prone to developing osteoarthritis (degeneraive joint disease) in addition to other forms of arthritis. |
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Joints in the pelvis and spinal column are less mobile, but they may cause pain in the neck and the lower back.
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Mobile joints in the arms, hips, knees, knuckles, legs, shoulders are most vulnerable to arthritis pain.
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Joints in the bones and skulls involve little movement, and hence immune to arthritis pain. |
Pain-Free Arthris
by
Stephen Lau
Your joints were created to help movement of different parts of your body. They were made to be moved - even joints with arthritis. Mobility is extremely important to optimum joint health. Always flex your joints to keep them healthy.
Your joints are protected by muscles, ligaments, and tendons. However, they can be damaged by injuries, too much or inappropriate exercise, infection, and many types of arthritis.
The severity of arthritis
Arthritis is a serious disease: it can even be life-threatening.
The severity of arthritis can be:
The causes of arthritis
The real causes of arthritis are unknown; or arthritis can be caused by many risk factors:
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Gender:
Women are more prone to developing fibromyalgia (a chronic pain syndrome affecting firous connective tissues and muscles), lupus (an autoimmune disorder), and rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease). Nearly twice as many women as men get these types of arthritis.
Men are mostly suceptible to gout (severe pain in one joint, such as the big toe), due to hight blood levels of uric acid.
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Heredity: Genetic factor may pre-determine susceptibility to autoimmune diseases and joint problems.
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Physical injury and stress: Repeated damage accelerates the-wear-and-tear of cartilage in the joints.
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Obesity: Research has indicated that every ten pounds of extra body weight may increase the risk of osteroarthritis in the knees by 30 percent because excess body weight puts chronic stress on the knee joints. |
When you should see your doctor or rheumatologist
Some types of arthritis require early diagnosis and aggressive treatment to prevent any irreversible damage to the joints.
The following are warning signs of potential joint malfunctioning:
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Recurring pain or tenderness in a joint for more than two weeks
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Swelling in joints with heat and redness
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Stiffness in joint in the early morning
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Difficulty in moving a joint |
Common types of arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease. Pain and stiffness in the joints are caused by the breakdown of the cushioning cartilage in joints.
Osteoarthritis is common among people over age 60.
The symptoms of osteoarthritis are:
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Pain that increases with use and decreases with rest
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Stiffness and reduced range of motion
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Enlargement of joints
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Cracking sound during movement
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Swollen and inflammed joints |
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most severe and serious types of arthritis, caused by a dysfunctional immune system. This disbilitating disease can occur at any age.
The risk factors of rheumatoid arthritis are:
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Gender: women having three times the risk of men
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Heredity: family history of having autoimmine diseases
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Smoking: a smoker for more than 20 years having four times higher risk, especially in women |
The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are:
The best ways to treat osteoarthritis are weight control and exercise. If possible, avoid the use of dangerous drugs.
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Soreness, swelling pain, and redness in joints
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Pain or stiffness in the morning, lasting more than an hour
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Pain in several joints on both sides of the body
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Feeling of warmth or fever |
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be prescribed to control inflammation, which can be destructive to cartilage. bone, tendons, and ligaments joints. However, wherever possible, avoid the use of pharmaceutical drugs, which are chemicals.
Use exercise and anti-inflammatory diet to control the symptoms.
Meals That Heal Inflammation
Learn how FOOD can powerfully transform your health, boost your energy and even eliminate inflammatory pain in just 60 days. Embrace the healing of arthritis pain that is inside you!
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome affecting the fibrous connective tissues and muscles. Fibromyalgia, which is muscular, not joint, pain, is the cause of muscle weakness and disability as you age.
The symptoms of fibromyalgia are:
Lupus
Lpus is an autoimmune disorder affecting mainly women. Lupus can inflame and damage joints, connective tissues, and even internal organs, causing problems to the heart, lungs, and kidneys.
Gout
Gout affects mostly men. Gout pain is caused by high blood levels of uric acid. A gout attack occurs in bed at night. Untreated, the attacks may become more frequent and excruciating.
The risk factors of gout attacks are:
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Gender: men having greater risk than women; post-menopausal women
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Overweight
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Too much alcohol, red meat, and shellfish
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Heredity: having a family history of gout attacks |
The symptoms of gout attacks are:
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Excruciating pain on the big toe
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Redness and swelling of the joint
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Fever, chills, fatigue, and loss of appetite |
The only treatment is to change your diet and lifestyle. Stop alcohol addiction, and eat super foods.

Understanding pain
Pain is not a disease in and of itself, but it ages you. Pain is a subjective experience of an individual. Expectations and memories of past pain episodes can be self-fulfilling: they can affect your pain tolerance positively or negatively, depending on those memories.
Pain can be slight, acute, or chronic. Slight pain is usually bearable. Acute pain is sharp, stinging short-lived pain. Chronic pain is lasting pain that occurs frequently, if not daily, for extended periods, and usually not responding to medical treatment.
Pain may lead to profound behavioral problems and psychologicl changes, such as anger, anxiety, depression, depression, insomnia, loss of appetite, and reduced sex drive.
Overcoming arthritis pain
To overcome pain, there are three fundamentals:
Be positive
Although pain is not something just in the mind, according to Dr. Bernie, author of Love, Medicine & Miracles, overcoming your pain begins with a positive attitude towards your pain. You must believe that you are in control of your pain. This positive attitude is crucial.
Be knowledgeable
Be knowledgeable about why you are having your pain, and what are its sources. Knowledge is powerful not only in minimizing your pain but also in preventing further pain episodes.
Be realistic
Be optimistic, but realistic. Even with the most potent pain medication, moderate relief of pain to enable daily function, as opposed to incapacitation or disability, may be the realistic outcome.
Nowadays, there is an array of painkillers available, either over the counter or with prescriptions. With so many choices available, picking a painkiller for a minor discomfort may even be challenging.
For more serious problems, your doctor may start with the safest approach (usually the lowest dosage) and move up to the next level, experimenting different drugs and your body’s reactions to them.
Remember the following:
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All drugs are chemicals, and all chemicals are acidic with potential harm to your cells and tissues. Taking drugs to relieve pain often comes with a price.
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All drugs treat only the symptoms of a problem, not removing the causes of the problem.
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All drugs have side effects; they may cause more problems than they solve over the long haul
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Drugs may result in dependency. Just beware! |
Pain-free arthritis
(1) Writing and keeping a daily journal
Jot down your experience of arthritis pain: the source of pain; the intensity of pain; the possible triggers of pain; the changes in pain perception.
Joint pain may be a type of allergic immune-system reaction to foods. Eliminate the following foods for two weeks:
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Carob (beans, chocolate, egg, peas, peanuts)
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Citrus (oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes)
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Corn (corn syrup)
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Dairy products (butter, cheese, ice cream, milk, yogurt)
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soy bean (lecithin, soy sauce, tofu)
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Tomatoes (ketchup, pizza)
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Wheat (breads, cookies, crackers, noodles)
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yeast (beer, bread, dried fruits, mushrooms,vinegar) |
Gluten Free Low Glycemic Cookbook for Allergy Suffers
Discover a world of satisfying food that is fun to cook and eat! Eat right and be pain-free!
Write down your body's reactions to these food eliminations. Then, gradually, add back these foods, one by one, to your diet. Observe your body's allergic reactions to these foods. Identify your arthritis-food allergy connectrion. Discuss your findings with your doctor or rheumatologist on your next visit.
Also, use the journal to record your blood pressure, your blood sugar levels, and your body weight.
(2) Being mobile
Your joints should never be stationary. Be mobile at all times to keep them flexible and healthy.
Tips on anytime workouts to promote mobility and flexibility to eliminate arthrits pain:
Put away your TV remote control, so that you need to get up to change your channels.
Place a tennis ball under your feet while sitting at the computer. Roll your feet over the tennis ball to strengthen your ankles and reduce pain and stiffness.
Do simple stretching wherever you are:
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Stretch out both hands in front of you.
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Lock your fingers with your palms turned outward.
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Straighten your back and keep your posture erect.
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Extend your hands in front of you as straight and as far as possible.
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Gently turn your shoulders to the right.
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Stretch for a count of 10.
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Return to the original position.
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Repeat the process to turn your shoulders to the left. |
(3) Exercising
Exercise has substantial benefits for your arthritis pain:
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Keeping your muscles strong and flexible
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Building your physical endurance
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Boosting your bone density to prevent fracture
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Improving your mood and inducing sleep at night to eliminate stress
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Burning fat to maintain your optimum body weight
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Reducing the risk of developing diabetes
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Enhancing your body's reaction to reduce the risk of falls |
Exercises that relieve artritis pain include: stretching exercises, brisk walking, strengthening exercises, qi gong, and tai chi.
Better Balance Exercise: Stretch exercises to expand your range of motion to give you greater flexibility not only to relieve pain but also to avoid falls!
No-Nonsense Muscle Building: There is no rhyme or reason not to build your muscle at any age. Build your muscles and increase your strength endurance to prevent arthritis!
Stretch, Stabilize, Strengthen: Stretch, stabilize, and strengthen to treat and prevent injuries and arthritis pain!
Qi Gong: Expand your mind and intellect through qi gong exercises.
Beginners Guide to Tai Chi: Integrate your body, mind, and spirit in a powerful practice for pain management through intense internal concentration and body awareness. Tai Chi is known as "meditation in motion." Find out how to breathe in and breathe out at the same time as moving your arms or feet to enhance your qi (internal life energy) circulation.
Basic Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi breathing uses all parts of the lungs to nourish your body and to massage your internal organs to relieve arthritis pain. Find out how to breathe in and breathe out at the same time as moving your arms or feet to enhance your qi (internal life energy) circulation.
Towel Workout shows you how to be athletic, lean and agile with dynamic flexibility through a towel workout.
Workout Without Weights shows you how to have an atheletic body without using weights.
The Five Tibetan Rites shows you how to use easy-to-do exercises and diet of Tibetan monks to rejuvenate your body for weight loss.
(4) Maintaining optimum body weight
Weight control holds the key to avoiding many types of arthritis pain, especially pain on the knees.
Weight control also prevents the development of other diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, which aggravate arthritis pain.
Get a FREE copy of my e-book All-Round Weight Loss, which covers everything you need to know about losing weight. Click here for your FREE download!
(5) Adjusting diet
Arthritis is inflammation in or around the joints that results pain, stiffness, and swelling. Use diet to control the inflammation, thereby controlling arthritis pain.
Consume foods rich in antioxidants, which can prevent cellular damage by free radicals (destructive molecules in your blood and cells). Eat foods rich in antioxidants:
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Beta carotene (a vegetable form of vitamin A, such as carrots and sweat potatoes
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Vitamin C (citrus fruits and cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbages, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, collard greens, kale, spinach)
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Vitamin E (beans, grains, nuts) |
Research at the University of Pennsylvania showed that the natural oil in borage seeds reduces arthritis pain.
Eat more chili peppers, containing capsaicin that blocks a pain transmitter in your body.
Eat copper-rich foods, such as barley, nuts, red wine, and wheat germ. But copper-rich foods are not good for gout pain.
Eat fish, such as salmon and sardines, which are also rich in omega-3 oils.
Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 oils, which is effective in relieving inflammation. Sprinkle organic flaxseeds in your dishes, or simply take the flaxseed oil.
Ginger is an anti-inflammation. Make tea from ginger, or juice an inch of ginger with carrots. Add ginger to all your dishes.
Various studies have indicated that resveratrol in the skin of grapes blocks cell inflammation, which is linked to arthritis pain.
Drink more green tea, which contains a type of polyphenol linked to arthritis-inflammatory response.
Olive oil, according to a Greek study publishedx in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, may reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Pineapple contains bromelain, a key enzyme that reduces inflammation.
Consume more protein (not animal protein) to make up for the protein lost in the inflammatory process.
Turmeric is an ancient Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis, because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Use turmeric with other spices in your cooking.
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Borage, black currant, or evening primrose oil, containing 1.4 grams of Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in beans (lima, pinto, navy beans)
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One tablespoon of flaxseed oil
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Vitamin E (400 IU) for protection agsinst oxidation of the oils |
(6) Taking dietary supplements and herbs
A typical anti-arthritis regiman includes the following:
Traces of these natural vegetable oils may help stop inflammation. However, more is not necessarily better: excess oils may cause the production of free radicals, especially fish oils.
Control excess iron, which may derive from vitamin supplements and meat consumption. Check your iron status with blood tests. If you have too much iron in your blood, eat less meat, and donate blood regularly to unload excess iron.
Supplements that may heal arthritis pain include: Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Melatonin, and Selenium.
Take natural herbs to eliminate arthrits pain: Boswellia, Cat's claw, Devil's claw, Evening primrose, Feverfew, Myrrh, Nettle, and White willow bark.
These herbs and supplements can be obtained at the one-stop-shop: Herbal Remedies, where you can also get detailed information on the use of different herbs and supplements.
(7) Alternative therapies
Acupuncture is an ancient practice developed by the Chinese centuries ago for relieving pain and treating arthritis. In acupuncture, very fine needles are inserted into the skin at strategic points on the body based on the theory that energy (known as qi) flows through channels between the surface of the body and internal organs.

Acupressure is Chinese massage - a way of accessing and releasing blocked or congested energy paths in the body, known as meridians. It has become an ideal alternative to arthritis pain relief.
Acupuncture and acupressure are some of the natural healing options for arthritis pain relief.
Aromatherapy uses essential oils of herbs and medicinal plants to treat arthritis pain and other health conditions. Natural aromas are all around you, influencing not only your moods, but also your health.
Hydrotherapy uses water to treat aches and pain, as well as disease and rehabilitation. It harnesses the healing power of water through immersion in warm or cold water to induce or reduce blood flow.

Massage therapy employs systematic touch, such as kneading, pressing, stroking, and thumping, to relieve aches and pain.
(8) Mind therapies
Mind power is capable of enhancing and activating the immune system to initiate the process of healing and fighting pain.
In hypnosis or hypnotherapy, the state of consciousness is deliberately altered through concentration on a single image or thought.
Meditation is a mental discipline by which you can go beyond your pre-conditioned "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or consciousness. Meditation requires you to focus your attention on a single point of reference. Meditation techniques are easy to learn and master.
Visualization uses strong mental images to overcome pain and heal the body. Research studies have shown that visualization not only can gain control of the mind through manipulation, but also is capable of strengthening your body’s immune system.
Visit my blog: Increase Mind Power. Harness your mind power; it is always mind over matter.
Recommended reading:

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