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The exact form of osteoarthritis may vary from mild to serious, but its prevalence (12% of population suffers from this disease) makes it extremely important for the public health. The stiffness of the body and pain in the joints are two main results of osteoarthritis. While they often can mild enough to be treated as a natural state of aged organism rather than a disease, sometimes they may cause serious problems, effectively paralyzing people. As many other chronic diseases, osteoarthritis can't be really cured. Despite hundreds of research concerning anti-arthritis medications, all we can do now is to slow down the disease or decrease the chance of its appearance. Staying fit and in good shape is the first thing everyone suffering from osteoarthritis should do. There are three main reasons for that. First, you have to keep your joints from doing more than they can - and being overweight puts an enormous stress on the joints and speed up the cartilage loss. Then, joints work less hard if they are supported by strong muscles. Finally, a good diet will keep your body much less prone to osteoarthritis attacks. Ice and hot baths are the two best methods of getting rid of the pain which comes along with osteoarthritis. Hot bath makes blood flow faster and muscles relax, thus decreasing the pain. The affected joints however, have to be treated with ice rather than hot water - unlike in case of rheumatoid arthritis, heat will only increase the pain. If heat and cold are not enough, you may consider taking Acetaminophen. This pain killer is sold over the counter and is very effective in case of mild cases of osteoarthritis. In long-term problems however, it is usually a good idea to contact your doctor and ask for some stronger medications. A tip: do not get too attached to pain killers. Remember to discuss the whole issue with your doctor - osteoarthritis is here to stay, so may consider some pain to be better than ruining your health by abusing pain killers. Omega-3 fatty acids are a necessary add-on to the diet of everyone suffering from osteoarthritis. Their anti-inflammatory effects are very well-known, and they are one of the few things that can reverse the course of arthritis (though even they can't heal us completely). As they appear mostly in seafood, it is quite difficult to get enough of Omega-3 fatty acids without eating tons of fish. That;s why many doctors encourage their patients to take Omega-3 food supplements such as Omega Daily. The bottom line is: if you have osteoarthritis, stay healthy. Overweight, lack of exercises and bad diet will only speed up the pace of arthritis. Staying fit and keeping your joints safe are two most important things you have to do.
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About this Author: Andrew John reports on subjects that are important in helping people help themselves. For more information on Omega Daily and Osteoarthritis just click on one of the above links.
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