Joint Health Part I

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Got a joint pain? Join us and learn about your body’s joints and how to keep them healthy, naturally.

This is the first part of our Joint Health Series planned for the month of May. As an intro, we will go over some common facts and fictions about the joints. Then we will focus on joint issues and their causes in part 2, followed by the third and last part of this series on natural and holistic approaches to joint health.

First of all, let’s establish one thing, there is no known exact number of joints in a human body. Since joint is defined as the locations where 2 or more bones meet, getting a precise number of bones is a prerequisite. And the answer to that is it depends on age. A fetus has about 300 bones but by the time of birth, many of them have fused together. On average, an adult has about 206 bones. Definition of a joint is also not as simple as I first described. For example, the human skull is made up of a group of bone plates that are sort of knit together along their edges. Some folks think of them as a single bone unit while others considers them as multiple bones with multiple joints. Unless you like to count all the joints for yourself (somehow), you would not be wrong if you guess-estimated at about mid-200 to 300 joints in a single adult.

Here are some more myths and facts about joints:

Fact or Fiction: All Joint Pains Mean Arthritis

One of the more common myths about joint pain! The answer is no! Joint pain is the most commonly experienced symptoms but they are not always necessarily due to an arthritic condition. Joint pain can be a symptom of infectious diseases as well as by one of the 50 or more inflammatory arthritis issues. Epstein-Barr viral syndrome, hepatitis, influenza, measles, chicken pox, and lyme disease and more, all can contribute to joint pains.

Fact or Fiction: Weather Affects Joint Pain

Research evidences tend to agree with this assertion as a fact. One scientific theory suggest cold temperature, low barometric pressure, and high humidity are the worst weather conditions may cause swelling of the joints. This, of course, adds more pressure and thereby pain for those who are already suffering from inflamed joints.

Fact or Fiction: Exercise Can Aggravate Joint Pain

All literature I have read tells me that one should NOT stop doing exercise because of joint pain. Of course, if you are in pain, do only the light exercise that are not taxing on your joints. Personally, I used to do quite a bit of walking on the treadmill machine until I found it to be hard on my foot and pelvic joints. Now, I walk on grass outdoors (weather permitting) and indoor elliptical machines where there is less pounding on the feet and related joints. The most important thing here is to continue to move your body despite of the joint pains but moderately only to your comfort level. Our body is made to move, so don’t stop. Exercise strengthens your muscles around your joints and helps to maintain bone strength. It will also likely keep your weight under control which is another important factor to your joint health. Plus exercise gives you more energy and help you get a better sleep. So, keep on moving.

Fact or Fiction: Pain Killer Meds Are The Only Solution to Joint Pain

When the pain level is intolerable and significantly affecting your normal routines, pain killers are good for the pain relief. However, make sure they have anti-inflammatory properties and take note of their adverse side-effects. That’s why I believe they are only temporary measures. There are a variety of alternative options available from the herbal side (last part of this series – stay tuned) to chiropractic and acupuncture therapies that can be of great assistance to reducing pains. Please see the new Thermo-therapy we are introducing that you may want to consider for relief of joint pains and all sorts of other bodily aches. Read my recent blog here.

Fact or Fiction: Healthy Lifestyle Can Prevent and Relief Joint Pain

The answer to this one is most definitely. Consider the medical facts linking arthritis and other types of joint pain concerns to over-weight, smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, and inactivity, you would have to agree that healthy lifestyle is key to prevention and bring much relief to existing joint conditions. I will be covering in greater detail on how additional supplementation can further aid in your with joint pains but for now, here are some general things you can do right away to keeping your joints healthy.

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