What is Arthritis? A Definition
Copyright 2006 Wendy Owen
Arthritis is known to affect around forty percent of the Americans and over fifty percent of the people globally. This is one disease that is responsible for the maximum amount of pain worldwide and thousands of dollars have been spent on pain relief medications because of this.
Arthritis is one of the oldest diseases known to mankind which could date back to thousands of years – in fact the Romans were believed to have built the roman baths for therapeutic reasons other than hygiene – as the hot water baths were used by ancient Romans to ease the pains associated with arthritis.
The word 'arthritis' is a blend of the ancient Greek word 'arthron' which translated literally means 'joint' and the word 'it is' which means inflammation – the disease being inflammation of the joint.
Arthritis is an autoimmune disease disorder, which causes inflammation, pain and stiffness of the joints and connective tissues. This may be accompanied by redness, swelling and warmth of the joints, which are medically identified as signs of inflammation of the joints.
Connective tissues are a set of supporting tissues for the joints – typical examples of connective tissue being – cartilages, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Arthritis is a wide spectrum of disease conditions that include well over one hundred diseases – predominantly those of 'Rheumatoid Arthritis' which can occur at any age and 'Osteoarthritis ' which usually occurs after sixty years of age.
Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that is known to occur due to a disorder of the immune system and usually continues throughout life with periods of remission (characterized by total absence of disease symptoms) and exacerbation (with increasing severity of disease). The disease is known to occur more often in women as compared to men.
Arthritis is known to present in a variety of ways such as some arthritic conditions are chronic while others are intermittent such as Gout. The arthritic conditions are either inflammatory or degenerative. The inflammatory form of arthritis is characterized by the presence of swelling, redness and warmth of the involved joints while the degenerative form of arthritis is best identified as having a small element of inflammation and being predominantly degenerative – which is best known for the wearing out of the cartilages lining the joints.
Simply put, arthritis can be defines as any inflammation of the joint and could either be chronic or short term in duration. There is no simple cure for arthritis, however there are many natural remedies available which can ease the severity of arthritis symptoms and effect a repair on cartilage,
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Visit http://www.natural-arthritis-medication.com your resource for information on natural remedies for arthritis. The author Wendy Owen is a health writer and researcher. Join our list and receive a free 6 part arthritis mini course
A Short History of Alzheimer's Disease
The story behind the name: Alzheimer's Disease
By Joe Green
Alzheimer's disease is named after the German psychologist Alois Alzheimer's. Whilst it is presented as a twentieth century disease, the brain degeneration, cognitive impairment and disturbing behavioral and psychiatric problems which characterize the disease have most likely been around for centuries.
While Dr. Alzheimer's is the disease's namesake, Alzheimer's colleague Emil Kraepelin played an equally important role in the identification of the disease. Kraepelin isolated and grouped together the symptoms of the disorder, suggesting they were a unique disease process, while Alzheimer was the first to understand what was actually happening in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. He discovered unusual plaques and tangles in the brain of one of his patients, a fifty year old woman, who exhibited the symptoms of the disorder identified by Kraepelin.
After Kraepelin and Alzheimer's identification of the disease in the early twentieth century, Alzheimer's disease history shows that not many advances were made in understanding or treating the disease. This could have been due to the fact that the disease could only be diagnosed after a patient's death: at the autopsy, until the end of the twentieth century.
Initially, the disease was diagnosed in patients between the ages of 45 and 65 and labeled as "presenile dementia." The name Alzheimer's disease only gained popularity in the 70s and 80s as a label for patients over the age of 65. Now the disease has recognizable and diagnosable symptoms, which can appear in patients as young as 30. Typically, an aggressive type of Alzheimer's disease that occurs in patients under the age of 65 has a known genetic factor, while the appearance of the disease in patients over 65 has a number of other factors in regards to its development, such as health, occupation, and environment.
Recent advances in science and technology have led to a promising new era in Alzheimer's disease history. Cognex, the first FDA-approved drug used to slow the disease process, hit the markets in 1990, and three others soon followed. The medications slow-down the cognitive impairment in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease by boosting depleted levels of acetylcholine in the brain. These are crucial to the healthy functioning of neurons.
Other research is being done on ways to prevent Alzheimer's from developing further, and even preventing its onset. Certain hormones such as estrogen and anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin have been found to have a mediating effect, and environmental factors, such as mentally demanding occupations, dance, and chess have been found to decrease older people's chances of developing Alzheimer's. Even something as simple as wearing a seatbelt or helmet could be crucial to preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Early detection techniques are being honed to improve treatment of the disease. For example, genetic research has discovered genetic markers for Familial (as in coming from the family: genetic) Alzheimer's disease as well as non-familial Alzheimer's. In addition, advanced technology, such as MRIs and PET scans, are being used to detect structural changes in the brain that may indicate the development of Alzheimer's disease before symptoms even begin. As the Baby Boomer generation begins to age, scientists fear the strain a large number of dementia patients could place upon the healthcare and social welfare systems; therefore, researchers are scrambling to make Alzheimer's disease history.
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Joe Green is webmaster at http://Good-Health-Matters.com where he is bringing together many resources to help people caring for those with different diseases including Alzheimer's Disease.
© 2006 All rights worldwide reserved.
This article can be published on the internet if it and the resource box is left intact
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How to Get Swimsuit Ready – For Men and Women
Copyright 2006 Joe E. Atlas, Inc.
Summer will be here before you know it (in the USA). Will this be the year that you get into amazing bathing suit shape for the beach or the pool? Follow this fool proof plan, starting today, and you'll be sure to turn heads this summer.
Step1 – This is important! Take out one of your favorite swimsuits or bikinis. Put it on and look at yourself in the mirror. Write down what you would like to change about your body and try to imagine how your body will look with those changes. Also try to imagine how you will feel about yourself after those changes occur.
Take a mental snapshot of how you look in the mirror and make mental note of the things you want to change. This will be extremely helpful as you get closer to the summer season. If you don't like what you see in the mirror, don't get discouraged. Get inspired!
Before you take off the bathing suit, look yourself in the eyes, and make a promise to yourself that you will stay committed to making the necessary changes.
Step 2 – Start exercising. Don't get crazy here, because you will end up quitting. Sit down with your calendar or schedule and write in your workout days, times and places. Not every workout needs to be in a gym. Your home, a local park or even a local playground are great places to have effective workouts.
If you haven't been working out, start slowly and gradually build up your time and intensity. If you have been working out, start to kick the intensity up a bit. In the course of a week, you want to complete 3 – 5 cardio sessions, each lasting 25 – 35 minutes and 2 – 3 resistance/toning sessions, each also lasting 25 – 35 minutes. This is general guideline. Some weeks you may be able to do more and some weeks less. It is ok to do cardio and resistance on the same days if that is what your schedule allows.
Step 3 – Write down everything you eat and drink in a notebook (or PDA). The true secret to having a beautifully defined body is calorie control. The easiest, most realistic way to get them under control is to keep track of them. Don't be obsessive here or you will drive yourself nuts.
Most of our foods have easy to read labels that are easy to understand. Use the calorie info on your labels and record these numbers next to what you eat and drink in your journal. Knowing how many calories you are taking in makes it much easier to adjust if you hit a plateau while trying to lose body fat. This method may require a bit of work in the beginning, but it is the method that has helped many of my clients defeat the body fat monster more than any other method in existence.
Step 4 – Stay committed to your self. If times get challenging, remember your mental snapshot of you in the swimsuit and picture yourself on the beach in the upcoming hot weather season. Remind yourself of the goals you wrote down. You may even want to make few copies of your goals. Put a copy on your refrigerator, one on your work desk, and one on your bathroom mirror. If you are not making progress, add a little time to your workouts or tighten up on your calories a bit.
Step 5 – Realize that you are in control of yourself and that no outside force can keep you from what you are going to achieve. If you miss a workout, tomorrow is a new day. If you eat too much, or you eat junk food (it is ok to 'cheat' sometimes), let that fuel your motivation in your next workout. Better yet, before you even slip up with your nutrition, ask yourself this key question, "Is what I'm about to eat going to help me be swimsuit ready?" If you answer this question honestly, then the proper action will come next.
Don't let your friends, family members or co-workers sabotage your efforts. Live according to what is important to you and acknowledge your own progress.
Your simple, new habits will be the magic that helps you get awesome swimsuit shape.
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Joey Atlas, MS – Exercise Physiology, has been helping people break through psychological and physical barriers to achieve life-changing levels of health and fitness since the late 1980's. He is the creator of the Butt, Hip and Thigh Makeover workout DVDs http://www.ButtHipAndThighMakeover.com - Sign up for your FREE subscription of 'Secrets of a Trainer' e-newsletter, published by Joey Atlas at http://www.TheWizardofFitness.com