Early Symptoms of Arthritis - 
Signs of Arthritis

Early symptoms of arthritis...

The word arthritis stems from...
Arthro for joints and 
itis for inflammation

So generally, arthritis is the inflammation of one or more joints usually accompanied by pain and stiffness, especially in the morning or after exercise.

Arthritis has been around since the beginning of time. Archeologists discovered evidence of it in skeletons of Neanderthals, other prehistoric animals and even dinosaurs.1

Early symptoms of arthritis include:

• Long sustained pain in one or more of the joints and muscles upon awakening
• Pain or swelling in one or more joints, often accompanied by fatigue, weight loss or a fever.
• Persistent or frequent pain in the neck, lower back, knees, wrists or hands.
• Stiffness or pain caused by a repetitive but natural movement, such as exercise.
• Occasional swelling in the joints.
• Bone growths or spurs may develop in the affected joints, increasing pain.

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms:

• All of the joints are affected
• Crippling pain can be experienced
• Swelling
• Fatigue
• Anemia
• Weightloss
• Fever
• Joints can become deformed

Rheumatoid arthritis is seen as an auto-immune disorder, as the synovial fluid in the joints is recognized as "foreign," resulting in inflammation, pain, and eventual destruction of the cartilage. Scar tissue results and bones fuse together. Joints may make a noise similar to a sound like crinkling cellophane when they move.

Physical and emotional stress can trigger a crisis, as well as lack of sleep and high acidity in the body. 
Check body pH.

Osteoarthritis causes:

A degenerative joint disorder which can be inflammatory or not. 

It develops as a result of

• Stress
• Tension
• Trauma or injury
• Toxins in the body
• High Acidity
• Wear and tear of aging, poor diet and lifestyle

Osteoarthritis symptoms:

It begins with the cartilage in a joint that deteriorates to the point where the bone surface becomes pitted and irregular, rather than smooth. This often causes pain and stiffness, but usually no swelling. If left untreated fractures can become a risk as bones become brittle and osteoporosis is evident.

Joints can make a popping, clicking or banging noise.

Calcium deposits can develop into bony outgrowths called osteophytes. These bone spurs occur in the neck and lower back and are detected by x-ray.

The good news is that arthritis can be reversible and in many cases is curable with proper diet and lifestyle changes. 

References:
1. Nelson, E. Miriam. PH.D. Strong Women, Strong Bones (New York: G.P.Putnam'S Sons, 2000) 214-222.

Help with arthritis pain

Submitted by Kathy
(LAWRENCEVILLE, IL)

I have low thyroid tests, take natural thyroid pills, have tendency to be diabetic, and have osteopenia.
I would like to feel good again, so I hope you can help me.
The Doctor diagnosed me with Osteoarthritis, presumably from blood tests.
I hurt in my hips alot, so would like leg aches to leave with that pain dissolving.
Thanks for your help.

Sue-Anne's Reply:

The first thing I would ask is, how is your diet? Are you eating a lot of nutritionally dense, fresh, whole foods? Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, good sources of protein? Staying away from the 4 whites, white flour, sugar, bread, rice and everything containing it?

How much water do you drink per day? 8 glasses would be essential with all that you have going on. I would avoid drinking anything else besides water and herbal teas.

How much exercise do you get each week, are you handling your stress in a proactive way?

There is much you can do to get back on track, if you are ready and willing to make changes.

Eating healthy is key, otherwise nothing will change.

If I were to do a consultation with you I would suggest a pH test to ensure you are not overly acidic as that is important for osteoarthritis as well as osteopenia.

A detox would help rid the body of toxins that are causing the pain and imflammation.

I would go in depth into a healthy eating plan that works for you. My Ebook is a very good place to start for healthy eating for your body type.

And finally look at vitamins and supplements to build your strength and health. If you have low thyroid I would hope that the natural pills are boosting your thyroid back up so that eventually you will no longer need them. If this is not the case, if they are simply alleviating the symptoms I would find a better company.

Supplements can usually be used short term to heal until they are no longer necessary. That is why quality is key.