Arthritis sufferers often turn to the dietary supplement chondroitin to ease their pain. Despite its popularity, new research suggests you may be better off adding foods like cherries to your diet than spending money on pills.

Tart cherries (the variety sold as dried, frozen and juice) are one of the richest sources of anthocyanins, which have anti-inflammatory properties that are similar to some types of pain relief medications. There have been 75 research studies dating from the 1950s which shown that these compounds in cherries possess anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and anti-carcinogenic properties.

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Arthritis is a crippling disease. The good news is that studies have shown that regular physical activity in people with arthritis decreases the pain, improves function, and delays disability. A recent study conducted in Australia suggests that simply adding some walking and moderate activity to your life can have a big benefit. According to findings recently published in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy ( arthritis-research.com/ ), even exercising as little as one hour and 15 minutes a week now can make a difference over the next three years.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arthritis affects 1 in 5, or 46 million, US adults, making it one of the most common chronic conditions. Over 40%, or nearly 19 million, adults with arthritis are limited in their activities because of their arthritis. Increasing physical activity, losing excess weight, and participating in self-management education classes have been shown to reduce pain, improve functional limitations and mental health, and reduce disability among persons with arthritis.

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There is a great deal of debate in the medical world about the effects of overall diet on arthritis and using diet toward alleviating the condition. Doctors have known for a long time that diet affects gout, a specific type of arthritic condition, however the jury remained out for a long time on other common types of arthritis such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

However, overall dietary health is important and does come into play. Being overweight can affect certain arthritic conditions, forcing some joints to carry more of a load. This added weight stresses the joints, causing overuse or more wear to components, and pain, especially in the knees. So making sure arthritic sufferers eat good foods and get help from healthcare providers to create and follow a well-balanced dietary plan is advised.

To begin, here is a look at some vitamins, minerals, nutrients/foods and some herbal applications to consider. Read the rest of this entry »

Juvenile arthritis, also known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis, is the most common form of arthritis in children. Juvenile arthritis can occur in both boys and girls at any age, but symptoms most commonly begin during the toddler or early teen years. The cause of juvenile arthritis is still unknown, although theories suspect that it can have both genetic and environmental factors. Read the rest of this entry »

A great place to begin taking charge of you arthritis pain relief and prevention planning is by making an appointment with your healthcare provider and finding out more about your condition and treatment options.

Make sure to jot down questions ahead of time, and take them along in your journal or notebook, armed with a pencil to fill in his or her replies. Some questions to begin with may be centered around these: Read the rest of this entry »