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May is National Arthritis
Month
Millions Are Affected By the Disease
Younger Women Are Not
Exempt
Here you will read about some of the types of
arthritis – what doctors say – and why I believe I
still have no trace of it at age 69.
Just because May,
National Arthritis Month, is coming to a close, we should not
forget that millions of people, mostly women, are afflicted
with this disease and that, for some, it’s debilitating.
What is arthritis?
It is an
autoimmune disease whereby the body mistakenly identifies some
of its own cells and tissues as foreign. The immune
system, which normally helps to fight off harmful invaders,
such as bacteria or viruses, begins to attack healthy
tissues. The result is inflammation, marked by redness,
heat, pain, and swelling. The cause of this is unknown.
The most common
form of arthritis is Osteoarthritis, affecting more than 16
million people in the U.S., 4 times more women than men.
Rheumatoid
arthritis is present in more than 2 million Americans, 3 times
more women than men.
What is the difference between Osteoarthritis and
Rheumatoid arthritis?
There are
similarities between the two and sometimes it’s difficult to
tell  the difference. There
is a blood test to determine
which it is, but, in 20% of the cases both can show normal
blood tests.
The main
difference is in the symptoms. Rheumatoid arthritis
almost always affects the hands and the wrists and usually on
both sides of the body, although it can affect any joint in
the body. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint anywhere,
too, and often affects sporadic joints.
How many other forms of arthritis are there besides
the most common, Osteoarthritis and
Rheumatoid?
About 100!
But just to name a few:
Gout.
Causes sudden severe attacks, usually in the big toe, but any
joint can be affected. Affects about 1 million Americans
(75% men).
Juvenile
Arthritis. Affects about 200,000 Americans, but many
children recover completely.
Psoriatic
Arthritis. Bone and other joint tissues become inflamed,
and, like rheumatoid arthritis, it can affect the whole
body. About 160,000 Americans have it.
Fibromyalgia
syndrome is a soft-tissue rheumatism that doesn’t lead to
joint deformity, but affects an estimated 5 million Americans,
mostly women.
Pregnancy often
improves Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Nobody knows
why.
Millions of people do not seek
help!
Millions of
people just put up with chronic joint pain, like arthritis,
never seeing a doctor. This is a sad fact, since early
treatment can reduce disability and permanent joint
damage.
In a survey last
year, an estimated 10 million people, 20% of adults with
chronic joint problems, have not seen a health professional
for the problem. Most of these people simply put up with
their joint pain, perhaps because it is not life-threatening,
or because they believe, mistakenly, that there are no
effective treatments.
According to Dr.
John H. Klippel, medical director of the Arthritis Foundation,
people must take their joint health seriously and see a health
professional at the earliest warning signs of arthritis.
If you are one of
these people, or, if someone close to you is, you/they can
take an active role in keeping joints healthy. This will
mean seeing a doctor. It could mean losing weight.
It may mean getting physically active.
So, if you suffer from any form of arthritis, what
should you do?
First and
foremost, see a doctor. Believe me, while there is no
known cure, the pain can be eased and progression of the
disease slowed. 
Second, stay
healthy and fit. OK, I know you’re saying, sure, Oleda,
easier said than done, and I agree, it is easy to say.
But the progressive pain of serious arthritis should be
incentive enough for you to lose the weight and get into a
fitness program. All the research indicates this is a
major arthritis therapy, particularly exercise.
Proper exercise
should include stretching, strengthening and
cardiovascular. Talk with your doctor about exercise
that would work for you and also ask about physical
therapy. NOTE: if your arthritis is in a flare up
condition, you should be careful with exercise, go easy during
such a period, since incorrect movement could exacerbate the
condition. Again, ask your doctor.
Why I
believe I have no trace of arthritis even at age
69.
THE PAIN OF
ARTHRITIS IS CAUSED BY INFLAMATION IN THE JOINTS – THE
SWELLING OF THE JOINTS. If you can reduce
inflammation of the joints, you have an excellent chance of
reducing the pain as well. It’s the pain that wears you
down and takes its toll on your day-to-day life.
The main reason I
have developed certain nutritional products for my company is
to keep the cells of the body as healthy as possible. I
take some of these nutritional products myself, every day, and
I believe they have been very helpful in keeping my body
flexible and free of arthritis and pain. To this day, I have
no trace of arthritis.
There are 4 very
important nutritional products that I feel have helped prevent
inflammation in my body. Please go to our Web site, www.oleda.com, “Vitamins and
Supplements” and read about these 4 products. They are
VEGGIES & FRUIT Concentrate, which
helps rid your body of toxins and is a great Cell Renewal
Builder; Super
Age Enhancer, an
excellent Milti-Vitamin/Mineral/Trace Mineral Vitamin; and
Aloe
Vera Concentrate Capsules, which help the body’s immune system to cut
down inflammation in the body.
In additional to
these three supplements I take every day, I have used
Vitamin
B-Complex for 30
years. We now offer this much underestimated nutritional
complex as a new item in our range of products. You can
find this, too, under Vitamins & Supplements in
our Web site, or on page 39 of our brand new catalog.
The body needs B-Complex more and more as we age, since
the regeneration of cells gets slower as we grow older and
needs the assistance of this supplement to help keep our cells
splitting.
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