The reason, quite simply, is that arthritis hurts. And people, in general, don't like pain. And arthritis pain is always present, affecting every aspect of its sufferers' lives. And-contrary to some advertising claims-there is no cure, which leaves people always scrambling to find something new to help them feel better.
There. I've said it. The unfortunate truth. Arthritis, regardless of the type, is an incurable condition for which existing treatments are designed purely to alleviate the pain.
There are many types of arthritis which basically fall under one of three categories, 1) mechanical arthritis, in which there is a structural degeneration of one or more of the joint components such as bone or cartilage, 2) inflammatory arthritis, in which the body's immune system attacks something in the joint tissues it doesn't like and 3) arthritis as a result of both structural damage and inflammatory processes. I think it's safe to say that many with arthritis, no matter what the type, suffer from pain caused by a combination of structural damage and inflammation. Sometimes the structural damage comes first and sometimes the other way around but eventually, you end up with both processes acting to cause arthritic pain.
The vast majority of medications for the treatment of arthritis deal with the inflammatory component. When the inflammation is reduced, the pain associated with it is lessened. The same is true with herbal remedies. In this and in the article which follows, we will learn about the commonly used herbal therapies for arthritis, explore how they work and sift through the available research on their use.
First, I'd like to talk a bit about glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. They are both popularly used these days by many arthritis sufferers. Many people I know swear by their effectiveness and use them faithfully for arthritis relief. There is research which indicates they are effective. They are not herbs, though, but rather are glucosaminoglycans, chemical substances that are the precursors to healthy joint cartilage. Because they have no particular anti-inflammatory properties, there is no reason not to also use an herb or conventional medication along with them in order to help alleviate the inflammatory component of arthritic pain.
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