The ABCs Of Arthritis - Understanding The Basics

Arthritis is not a single disease. Arthritis refers to any disorder that causes “inflammation” of the joints. The term “arthritis” covers more than a hundred diseases and conditions affecting joints, the surrounding tissues, and other connective tissues.

Arthritis includes:

•    Osteoarthritis
•    Rheumatoid arthritis
•    Gout
•    Systemic lupus erythematosus
•    Juvenile (children) rheumatoid arthritis
•    Bursitis
•    Lyme arthritis,
•    Carpal tunnel disease and other disorders

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and the most frequent joint disorder especially in seniors. Arthritis is a common disease. As the population ages, arthritis is expected to affect an estimated 67 million adults in the United States, alone, by 2030.

What causes arthritis?
Arthritis is due to the wearing down of cartilage, which is the material that cushions the ends of the bones. Some researchers believe that when the joints are unable to react properly to stress, the cartilage is damaged. This leads to the development of arthritis.

Who is at risk of arthritis?
Race: arthritis is less prevalent among African Americans and Hispanics than among non-Hispanic whites.
Gender: Arthritis prevalence is higher in women, 24.4%, than in men, 18.1%.
Family: Some very specific types of arthritis can result from hereditary factors. Some families may pass on the tendency for defective cartilage;
Obesity: Arthritis co-exists with other conditions such as overweight or obese individuals. Additionally, physical inactivity has been found to be higher in those with arthritis.
Diabetes: In 2005 and 2007 over half of those with diabetes had arthritis.
People at risk of injuries: Sports injuries, occupation-related injuries and repetitive use joint injuries can increase the risk of arthritis.

Signs & symptoms of arthritis - How would you know if you have arthritis?
While many people with arthritis do not experience any symptoms in the initial stages of the disease, following warning signs are mostly observed:

•    Pain in or around a joint
•    Stiffness or problems moving a joint
•    Swelling (sometimes) in a joint

Complications (What arthritis can lead to?)
Disability: Arthritis (being mainly a disease of bones and joints) is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
Immobility: Arthritis limits everyday activities such as walking and dressing. Of working age adults (18 to 64 years), 1 in 20 reports that arthritis affects their ability to work whereas over one-third of those with arthritis reports that their work is affected by their condition.
Infection: Persistent presence of inflammation for long term increases the risk of buildup of bacteria and bacteria, leading to infections.

What is the treatment of arthritis?
Medications for some types of arthritis, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, can limit disease progression, control symptoms and prevent serious complications. However, there are a number of limitations and drawbacks associated with the use of medications in arthritis:

•    Not all medications are considered equally effective for every kind of arthritis.
•    Like any other medical drugs, medicines used in the treatment of arthritis are not free of side effects especially if used for long term.
•    Medicines only target the effects (signs and symptoms) and often not the cause.

10 Tips to Avoid Tick Bites

Finding an engorged tick on your body is never fun. Ticks do carry diseases, which might make you think twice about your next hike into the woods. You don't have to avoid the outdoors, though. Your first line of defense is avoiding their bites. Follow these 10 tips to avoid ticks, and more importantly, tick bites, when you head outdoors.

1. Use a product with 20% DEET or higher on both skin and clothing. Carefully apply the repellent by hand to your face, neck, and ears – you don't want DEET in your eyes or mouth! Adults should apply DEET products to young children. You may need to reapply DEET products after several hours.

2. Apply permethrin to clothing, hiking boots, tents, and camp chairs. Permethrin products should never be used on skin. It remains effective on clothing through several washings. Permethrin is sold under the names Permanone and Duranon.

3. Wear light-colored clothing. You'll have a better chance of seeing a dark tick crawling on you before it makes its way to your skin.

4. Wear long pants with sneakers or hiking boots. Tuck your pant legs into your socks, and keep your shirt tucked into your waistband. In areas where ticks are abundant, you might even want to wrap some duct tape around your ankles, over the top of your socks. You'll look ridiculous, but it works.

5. Outfit yourself in bug repellent apparel. Want a sporty, outdoor look with built-in tick protection? Ex-Officio sells a line of clothing that is pretreated with permethrin. The treatment lasts through up to 70 washings.

6. Stay on the trail. Ticks hang out in high vegetation, waiting for a passing host. When your leg brushes through the vegetation, the tick transfers to your body. Walk on designated trails, and avoid blazing your own through meadows or other high vegetation areas. You'll avoid ticks and leave a minimal impact on the wild places we love.

7. Avoid tick-infested places. In some places, ticks may be too abundant to avoid, even with the best repellents and long pants. If you venture a few feet into a wooded area or field and find your legs covered with ticks, turn around.

8. Be vigilant – do a daily tick check. Strip down and search all those places that ticks love to hide: in your hair, under your arms, between your legs, behind the knees, and even in your belly button.

9. Put your clothes in the dryer, and tumble them on high heat. Research shows many ticks can make it through the washing machine, even when you wash in hot water. Most ticks will die during a cycle in the hot, dry air of your clothes dryer, though.

10. Check your pets and your kids before letting them loose in the house. Ticks can easily drop off on carpets or furniture, where they will wait for a bloodmeal to come along. Give Fido's fur a check, and make Junior remove clothing and do a tick check.

Ps.: Article taken from About.com Insects.