What Can you Do About Joint and Muscle Pain?
Author: Dan Swanson
One of the most common questions I receive: "I'm having pain in my knees and joints. My knees even hurt when I get on the bikes at the gym. Is there a certain exercise that can help in strengthening my knees, or any other advice you can give? Someone said to take fish oil."
Osteoarthritis, or "wear and tear arthritis", is actually common at any age, although more common as we get older and remain physically active.
May people suffer joint pain because of the opposite a" inactivity. In fact, I believe this is the root cause of most joint issues that have nothing to do with injury. Like anything else, we either use our joints or we loose our joints. Over the years, if you've lived a sedentary life, you'll find that the body shifts its biochemistry to support only what you are requiring it to do.
One of the things I speak about is how the body and mind work together. Unfortunately, this is one of those times when the mind has a mind of it's own. I'm going to go out on a limb here and voice my enthusiastic opinion on what's going on. Some doctors will pitch and scream about this, but others back me 100%. I'll let you decide. Then I'll give you some great solutions for helping knee and joint pain that's not being caused by a chronic injury.
First, there's our old friend calcium. Calcium is touted heavily for conditions such as osteoporosis a" however, the media is only giving you one segment of the story. The real culprit here is your hormones. As you age, unless you remain physically active (even more-so than when you were young), the body alters its hormonal production. Thyroid levels and testosterone levels decrease. Low testosterone has been directly linked to problems with bone density. The lower the levels, the more brittle the bone can become.
Enter osteoporosis.
These hormones also cause a drain on the body's nutrients, including calcium. However, replacing calcium will no more cure the problem in many cases than, say, replacing water from a bucket with a hole in it. You have to plug the hole a" and that is best done through hormonal management, dietary shifts, and exercise.
Let's take thyroid: the Mayo Clinic published an article just last week on the connection between low thyroid and joint problems and muscle pain. I overcame hypothyroidism and the associated joint pain that accompanied it. You can, too. It takes some work, and in some cases some medical intervention, but often thyroid levels can be managed naturally.
A friend of mine, Jackie Lee, at age 72, looks 52 at best a" and acts 22. She still tumbles, dances, teaches yoga, competes in figure and even bodybuilding shows a" and she's been hypothyroid for decades. She manages it through a combination of specific amino acids, her lifestyle nutrition plan (she's a vegetarian; I am not), and of course exercise. Her story is quite inspiring.
Now, since we know that thyroid, testosterone, and other bodily hormones have a lot to do with joint and muscle pain, doesn't it make sense to start there and work our way outward to a solution? I think so.
Have your hormone levels checked. A few simple blood tests will let your doctor know if you are hypothyroid (be sure to run free and reverse T3/T4 a" many doctors only run TSH, which is not adequate) or if you have other hormonal issues. Resolve those first.
Again, and I cannot stress this enough, many hormone issues are resolved naturally through exercise and nutrition. Trust me, as I have ALL of them. My hormones took an early nosedive in my 20s. Even though I require natural hormones to make up for a defective pituitary, my hormone requirements are now less than half of what they were. Through training and eating properly, I have managed to cut my medications in half from the time when I was obese. That's the power of exercise and nutrition.
Let's assume that your hormones are fine. What if you're just having 'natural' wear and tear? Well, there are some great places to start before you go diving head-long for the cortisone injections.
First, do consider fish oil. Fish oil (EPA/DHA in the correct ratios, such as in Carlson's Brand) works wonders for the joints and connective tissues, as well as being one of the healthiest substances you can put in your body. Fish oil has been shown to reduce inflammatory markers related to heart disease, reduce blood pressure, lessen the likelihood of stroke, and even control blood sugar levels. Many Type 2 diabetics have removed themselves (under a doctor's care) from medication with the help of fish oil, exercise and proper nutrition.
Again, "proper nutrition" is not a one-size-fits-all prescription. If you're 55 and obese, you do not want to role model a 25-year-old personal trainer whose only fat resides between his ears. Listen to someone who's been there. That makes for certainty, and certainty is the key to success.
Next, look into a three-supplement "stack" I recommend to some of my clients who really suffer from joint pain: MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Each works is a slightly different way. Glucosamine has the most amount of medical research behind it, but MSM is deemed as a "miracle cure" for a lot of people. For others, it has limited use a" but the 'stack' is the best natural approach I've found, when combined with fish oil, for relieving joints and muscles from non-injury-related pain.
Dosages vary, but a good start would be:
Glucosamine: 1,000mg per 100 pounds of body weight
Chondroitin: 400mg 2-3x per day
MSM: 1,000mg 2x per day
Fish oil: 2-4 grams per day in liquid form (Carlson's lemon-flavored fish oil actually tastes good)
Again, be sure to pass these recommendations by your physician.
Last, but not least, move. You may want to start with Yoga, believe it or not. Yoga can relieve joint and muscle pain like you would not believe. I used Yoga stretches when I injured my lower back in 2002, and the healing was remarkable.
Tags: joint pain, lupus, muscle pain, symptoms of lupus disease, what are the symptoms of lupus disease, womens health
What are the symptoms of the disease known as Lupus?
it said to have no cure.
This excerpt from the Lupus Foundation website might be helpful, or you can visit the link…
The most common symptoms of lupus, which are the same for females and males, are:
extreme fatigue (tiredness)
headaches
painful or swollen joints
fever
anemia (low numbers of red blood cells or hemoglobin, or low total blood volume)
swelling (edema) in feet, legs, hands, and/or around eyes
pain in chest on deep breathing (pleurisy)
butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose
sun- or light-sensitivity (photosensitivity)
hair loss
abnormal blood clotting
fingers turning white and/or blue when cold (Raynaud’s phenomenon)
mouth or nose ulcers
I am presenting symptoms of Lupus. What kind of doctor treats Lupus? They are dermatological now, so I am…?
seeing a dermatologist. Currently I have two different auto-immune responses happening – I just found a two inch in diameter bald spot on the back of my head and I have had two dry skin patches under each of my eyes, looks like the butterfly pattern. The bald spot happened last week and the butterfly patch has been there since October and my doctor cannot make it go away – only temporarily through topical steroids. I am 38 now. Twenty years ago in college, I had vitaligo, which is when your skin looses pigment under my left eye – I remember not being able to tan there, eve a self-tanner would not change the color in that one spot. I had a TIA – mini stroke when I was 25 and have no other symptoms of heart disease. I had HELLP when I was pregant. That is where your liver is inflammed and your body stops making red blood cells. I had to get 16 units of blood products after I delivered. My son was also premature. I also have a gastro-intestinal condition that my doctors cannot treat.
Rheumatologists treat systemic lupus as well as other autoimmune disorders.
Scleroderma, mentioned in another answer, is not limited to the skin. It can affect organs, too.
It sounds like you are very bright and able to descrbie your symptoms and history clearly. That will help you get to a diagnosis. You could quite possibly have several autoimmune disorders in overlap. That’s common.
Be persistent and make certain that all the doctors you see know what the others have done as far as diagnosis goes. Get a huge, fat looseleaf notebook and keep all your records in it. This will be helpful along the line.
I hope you find your answer.
Is it normal for people with autoimmune diseases ie lupus to have irregular periods?
I’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease (symptoms of lupus) and fibromyalgia and sometimes I get really irregular periods where I have my cycle twice in a month. I’ve also had tests done where I wasn’t even on my period where they would find a tiny bit of blood in my urine but I wasn’t even actually on my period but the docs kind of passed it off as not that big of a deal. I’d definitely like to go to a good gyne doctor but none of my docs have been willing to get me a referral even when I’m having some problems. Anyways what I would like to know is if these kinds of things are normal in autoimmune diseases.
Only Mature Answers Please
Irregular periods are normal for everyone. Spotting between periods happens to everyone.
In school they teach us the period will come every 28 days, perfectly, it’ll go 4-7 days, and stop. And then 28 days later, the same routine.
What they don’t tell us is that’s the ideal scenario. The truth is that it’s unusual to have a perfect period without spotting. Also, as you get older and your hormones change, so does your body’s response to the changing hormones and your cycle can change too. There is nothing constant about the way a woman bleeds.
Do I have the Disease Lupus?
i went to the docter today because of some symptoms ive been having. My hands turn green and blue and they tingle. Im constantly tired and im very stiff. Sometimes i get rashes. My docter sunt me to get blood work done and she wants to check if i have Lupus. What are the symptoms of lupus? Does it sound like i might have it? What do i do if im diagnosed with Lupus? Please let me know asap!
so my c reactive proteins came up high can a doc find the source of inflammation?
okay so here are my symptoms,feeling like i have to puke, naseau, headaches, feeling weird, kinda like disconnected feeling, body feels like i have the flu (body aches), extreme fatigue,anxiety, yes i know i said anxiety but i have been taking welbutrin and that keeps any of that away and kinda makes me feeel more energized but i still get really sickl feeling and only NSAIDs can get rid of the feeling, the doctors tried telling me it was mood and anxiety based but since taking welbutrin i feel more like me and slightly more alive and less anxious, but i still feel like im being dragged down by something and im perfectly happy with my life, for once things are going in the right direction and i have alot of oppurtunity ahead of me, the pain kinda hangs around right where my stomach is but kinda near the intestines, i cant tell which one it is but its sickening feeling and makes me feel like i have to puke everyday all day but i fight it back, along with that i get lower back pain, i kinda feel like i cant focus as much, mostly when i get tired and the headaches are sometimes like pressure and my ears ring, and ive had high blood pressure but it seems like its gone down some, when im tired though i feel like i cant think or concentrate or remember anything as well, obviously i mean i am tired but im tired at like 6pm and when i wake up i feel completely rested just kinda blegh, sometimes i have to sleep upright cuz it feels better on my body, less pressure i guess, idk what to think of this, i mean it could be lupus since i know i already have an immune disease or it could be sometihng else, all i know is im virus,bacteria and std free and all my organs work, but ive never had levels this high and ive had worse psoriasis, in fact it hasnt broken out nearly as bad as it has in the past.