Natural Home Remedies Blog

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Arthritis Treatment Using Natural Medicines

There are two main players who have shown themselves to be very popular in natural arthritis treatment, these are glucosamine and fish oil.

Glucosamine

Like other tissue in the body, joint cartilage is built and repaired using nutrients. For joint cartilage, one of the most useful nutrients is glucosamine sulfate. It can help to repair cartilage that has been damaged by long term wear. Glucosamine is one of the building blocks of healthy cartilage, used by the body to give the joint cartilage strength and also to carry moisture which is important to allow full normal joint mobility.

Glucosamine sulphate has been tested in clinical trials and found to assist in the management of osteoarthritis helping to reduce joint swelling, pain and inflammation, and increasing joint mobility. Unlike some treatments that mask the joint pain, glucosamine can help to maintain cartilage health while moderating the arthritic pain.

Clinical trials with glucosamine sulphate have generally used a dose of 1500 mg a day, divided into 3 doses. Patience is required when first taking glucosamine as it usually takes 4 to 6 weeks to feel any benefit from the supplement.

Glucosamine – is it suitable for everyone?

It is important to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using glucosamine. This is especially important if you have diabetes. You should not take glucosamine if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Glucosamine is derived from seafood; therefore it should not be taken if you are allergic to seafood or fish.

Chondroitin

Chondroitin sulphate is derived from shark cartilage and is another substance that plays a part in your body’s manufacture of cartilage. Chondroitin is sometimes added to supplements that contain glucosamine and is not usually available by itself. Chondroitin has been as widely researched as glucosamine, but some people find that they have a greater improvement in symptoms when they take a supplement with chondroitin in it.

You should not take chondroitin if you are pregnant, planning to be pregnant or after pregnancy while breastfeeding. You also not take chondroitin if you are allergic to seafood or fish.

Fish Oil

Fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, substances that can be used by the body to help reduce inflammation. Fish oil has been widely used to provide temporary relief from the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. A number of studies have consistently found that fish oil is especially effective in reducing morning stiffness and the number of tender joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis, and may help improve the effectiveness of prescribed arthritis medication.

It is also a good idea to increase the amount of fish they eat. When you increase the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, it is important to reduce the amount of omega-6 fatty acids as omega-6 has the opposite effect as omega-3 in the body and actually encourages inflammation. Foods that are high in omega-6 fatty acids (and therefore should be avoided) include:

  • Nuts – almonds, brazil, cashews, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds
  • Oils and spreads – made from sunflower, safflower, peanut, sesame, and other vegetable oils. Instead, use olive oil, olive oil spreads, canola oil and canola oil spreads

How much Fish Oil do I Take?

The Arthritis Foundation suggests 2 to 3 x 1g (1000mg) capsules of fish oil a day is usually enough to assist in managing arthritis if you are also eating fish. If you are not eating fish you may increase the dosage and take 5 to 6 1g capsules a day. Always discuss your requirements with a health care professional.

It is also recommended to take vitamin E supplements of around 400 – 800mg a day. The vitamin E protects the omega-3 fatty acids fro oxidization so they can work properly in your body.

Is Fish Oil Suitable for Everyone?

If you have rheumatoid arthritis and you are interested in taking a fish oil supplement, you should first talk to your doctor. This is very important if you are taking any other medicines, and especially if you are taking any blood-thinning medicines (such as warfarin or heparin).

You should not take any natural medicine while pregnant or breastfeeding without first talking to your doctor or obstetrician.

You are invited to visit our web site to learn more about arthritis treatment, much more information is available, remember, the more you know the better you can manage it.

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Thursday, May 31, 2007

Use the best teeth whitening method for a beautiful smile

Teeth whitening methods are very common because a large number of people suffer from the condition of stained yellowish teeth. Have you ever stopped to realize how important a smile is? It can make or break your day; in fact a genuine heart warming smile can light up your day or someone's day.

A study has found that more then ninety percent of Americans believe that smile is a very important social asset. A somewhat equal number of respondents have also reported that it is the smile of a person of the opposite sex that attracts them first. So now I take it now you do realize how precious and priceless your smile is. Now if for any reason you are having stained yellow teeth you need to take care of this really fast, your smile is priceless and you must realize this.

Now you no longer need to hesitate and think before you smile, after all there are various methods that you can adopt for whitening stained yellow teeth. The best teeth whitening method is the one thing that you must find out and implement to make your teeth and smile beautiful and charming.

Once you realize that you are suffering from the condition of stained yellow teeth the first thing that you must do is seek the services of a good dentist that is operating in your city. Well this is not at all a difficult thing you can look at the local yellow pages and find a dentist, or you can find one through the internet and even talk to someone you know who has been to the dentist.

One can be suffering from stained yellow teeth due to several reasons and the dentist will be able to guide them properly as to what should be done to correct the condition. Stained teeth can be due to the unhealthy food and dietary habits that most people follow. Intake of large amount of cola, tea, coffee, wine and tobacco products are the major reasons why a person suffers from stained yellow teeth.

Sometimes it can also happen that the condition is due to some health condition that a person must be experiencing. Of the different methods of teeth whitening, going for teeth whitening in the dentist's office is the best. Here the dentist can do the procedure very quickly and you can have this done in one or two sittings with then dentist. You have to make a choice about the methods and make sure that you have chosen the best teeth whitening method for this.

You can also find teeth whitening gels and toothpastes in the market for the whitening your teeth. Applying the paste is very time consuming and messy as well, so this is not very popular among the public. Also the paste needs to be applied on a regular basis for a certain length of time and this can be come really bothersome at times. Now if you want to use whitening pastes or gels just make sure that the paste has been recognized by The American Dental Association.

Brad Taylor has a special interest in health related topics and advises people on many aspects related to health. Among other health related topics, dentistry is one field that he is specially interest in in.To know more about Teeth whitening Manhattan,Cosmetic Dentistry NYC,Restorative Dentistry and Best Teeth Whitening visit www.rubinsteindmd.com

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Anemia - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Anemia is a condition where there is a lower than normal number of red blood cells in the blood, usually measured by a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin. " It is a common problem for cancer patients and often results from the therapies used to suppress or control tumors. Anemia is associated with fatigue - a feeling of weakness or diminished physical and mental capacity unrelieved by rest (fatigue).


Additional symptoms include diminished ability to perform daily functions and possibly impaired cognitive function, headache, dizziness, chest pain and shortness of breath, nausea, depression and occasionally pain. These symptoms are often complicated by coexisting disease(s).There are many compromises that are necessary when one has symptomatic anemia. This can affect the tolerability of therapy.

Anemia is also associated with a poorer prognosis and increased mortality. Anemia is a common blood disorder. Women and people with chronic diseases are at increased risk of the condition. If you suspect you have anemia, see your doctor. Anemia can be a sign of serious illnesses. Treatments for anemia range from taking supplements to undergoing medical procedures.

Although there are over 400 different forms of anemia, this health profile will only address the three most common: iron-deficiency anemia, vitamin B12 anemia and folic acid deficiency. Anemias can also be caused by such conditions as external bleeding, chronic disease, pregnancy , alcoholism, bleeding disorders, infection and hereditary conditions

Causes of Anemia

Except for the acute form, anemia is a result of systemic toxemia and acidosis-a condition of poisons, toxins and accumulated waste products floating in the blood - and lymph-streams, and of enervation or lowered nerve-tone. There is either an accumulation of these injurious substances due to failure of eliminative organs to handle a normal amount of such products, or they are produced in such considerable quantities that even normal organs, eliminating a normal amount or more than a normal amount of eliminations can not remove them rapidly enough. They have the effect of poisoning the organs that make the blood cells, which produce a deficient amount of blood cells or altered blood cells.

Symptoms of Anemia

Anemia goes undetected in many people, and symptoms can be vague. Most commonly, people with anemia report a feeling of weakness or fatigue, general malaise and sometimes a poor concentration. People with more severe anemia often report dyspnea (shortness of breath) on exertion. Very severe anemia prompts the body to compensate by increasing cardiac output , leading to palpitations and sweatiness, and to heart failure . Other useful signs are cheilosis and koilonychia .

Treatment of Anemia

Treatment should be directed at the cause of the anemia. In some cases, blood transfusions and the medication erythropoietin will correct anemia. For example, treatment for sickle cell anemia is different than treatment for a diet low in iron or folic acid. Talk to your HCP about the best treatment for the cause of your anemia.

Other Treatment Injectable EPO (e.g., PROCRIT®, EPOGEN®) is an alternative to blood transfusion to treat critically ill patients with anemia. Exogenous EPO is identical to the natural hormone in its role of stimulating the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. EPO has been used safely in many clinical settings, including chronic renal failure, oncology, and surgery. In the ICU, use of EPO has been shown to reduce the amount of blood transfused by almost 50%, at the same time significantly increasing hemoglobin levels.

Juliet Cohen writes health articles for health care clinic. She also writes articles for women health.

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