Arthritis

Knuckle Cracking Does Not Cause Arthritis
healthy living

Knuckle Cracking Is A-OK

I have written about knuckle cracking in the past, exposing the notion that doing so causes arthritis for what it is a health myth — one that is perpetuated by grandmothers all over the US.
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I have written about knuckle cracking in the past, exposing the notion that doing so causes arthritis for what it is a health myth — one that is perpetuated by grandmothers all over the US. One doctor took his research on the subject quite personally.

For 60 years Dr. Donald Unger cracked the knuckles of his left hand repeatedly, but used his right hand as the "control group" and left them well alone. After 60 years of cracking, his left hand did not develop arthritis. For his decades long research, Unger was awarded an Ig Noble award, a lighthearted version of the Nobel prizes. The Ig Noble Prizes "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative — and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology."

Scientific bottom line on your knuckles: keep on cracking. Want more weird body news? Find out the bizarre things that happen to your body when you exercise here or check out weird side effects of certain foods here.

Foods That Cause Gout
Juice

A Glass of Juice or Soda a Day Can Lead to Gout, Study Says

Ah, high fructose corn syrup.
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Ah, high fructose corn syrup. The highly debated sweetener in many processed foods and drinks, recently the subject of a marketing campaign and name change, is again in the news, and it's not good for its image makeover. An extensive 22-year study released this month that followed almost 80,000 women has found that drinking non-diet sodas regularly, leads to an increase in the risk for gout.

Gout, a painful form of arthritis, is caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. While some foods can trigger a gout attack, the illness is not the "rich man's disease" (caused by a meat- and alcohol-heavy diet) that it was previously believed to be. But this new study does show that diet does play a part, and regularly drinking beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup is a major cause — and so are fruit juices like orange juice, since they are high in fructose as well. To find out how much drinking one regular soda or two glasses of orange juice a day increases your risk of developing gout, read more.

Stiff Knees Mean Arthritis?
community

DrSugar Answers: Stiff Knees?

DrSugar is in the house!
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DrSugar is in the house! And she's answering your health-related questions.

Dear Doc,
I just turned 32 and boy are my joints feeling it. This aging thing is real. I run and bike regularly and try to add yoga into my workout schedule, but really only do it once a month. The problem is my knees — well, knee — my right one. If I keep it bent for a short period of time (five minutes or so), like sitting crossed legged or a low kneel with my butt on my heels, my knee gets super stiff. It takes a couple minutes before I can walk normally again. I have just been ignoring the stiffness (it isn’t exactly painful), but is this a sign of arthritis? Or do I need to stretch more? Is there anything I can do to help my knee?
—One Knee Off

This is a great question, as I am also in my early 30s and have noticed that my right knee becomes very swollen and painful after sitting for a long period of time. I’m sure there are many FitSugar readers who have had these same symptoms! First I will discuss knee stiffness and pain and its possible diagnoses. I will then provide some information on treatment and prevention for knee pain and stiffness. For all this information, keep reading.

What's the Deal With Bee Venom Therapy?
healthy living

What's the Deal With Bee Venom Therapy?

I have an irrational fear of bees and was certainly surprised to learn that some people choose to be stung in what is somewhat euphemistically called bee venom therapy.
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I have an irrational fear of bees and was certainly surprised to learn that some people choose to be stung in what is somewhat euphemistically called bee venom therapy. The procedure works like this: a bee, raised solely for therapeutic reasons, is picked up with tweezers and held against skin until it stings. Some people undergo 80 stings a day or more.

It's hard to believe anyone would purposely subject themselves to this kind of pain, but bee stings are thought to ease the symptoms of a variety of conditions. Bee venom contains melittin, an anti-inflammatory substance said to be 100 times stronger than hydrocortisone. Melittin can also help activate the body's adrenal glands enhancing the natural healing process. Also found in bee venom, adolapin is a powerful pain reliever.

People suffering from arthritis, multiple sclerosis, tendinitis, and fibromyalgia claim they've benefited from the healing power of bee stings. Do you think you could handle bee venom therapy?

Things to Know About Running and Your Knees
Running

Things to Know About Running and Your Knees

Let's face it, running is a convenient form of exercise and can make you high.
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Let's face it, running is a convenient form of exercise and can make you high. The only downside, I seem to experience is the occasional aching knee.

I take care of this important joint by strengthening my quads and rolling out my ITB. I do find it heartening that many studies have found that running doesn't contribute to osteoarthritis in the knee joint. Many of the studies on avid runners, weekend warriors and non-runners found that running did not increase the risk of developing arthritis. While little aches do creep up every now and then, the benefits of running seem to outweigh the pain.

Speaking of weight, it is true that every extra pound you carry on your frame creates an extra four pounds of stress on the knee. Running to stay in shape and keep off weight helps your knees, which in turn will keep you running. So get out there, and don't pound the pavement, run softly on the trail and enjoy your strong legs and healthy knees.

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5 Things: Cayenne Pepper
master cleanse

5 Things: Cayenne Pepper

Oooohh . . . It is getting hot in here.
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Oooohh . . . It is getting hot in here. Red hot. Red hot pepper that is. I am talking about cayenne pepper. This spice is hot right now for so many reasons — here are just five.

  1. Cayenne is made from ground dried pods of chili peppers. It has hardly any aroma, but makes up for its lack of smell with a powerfully hot taste. The active ingredient in cayenne is capsaicin and it this component that created the heat in peppers.
  2. Recent studies indicate that capsaicin, the chili pepper derived compound, kills cancer cells but doesn't injure healthy cells. It is too soon to recommend capsaicin as a cancer cure, it is promising to think it could someday replace current cancer therapies which indiscriminately kill all cells, healthy or damaged.
  3. Cayenne has proven to be an affective topical pain reliever for sore back muscles as well as joint pain caused by arthritis. You can make a treatment at home using this recipe.
  4. Cayenne may also help to regulate blood sugar levels by affecting the breakdown of carbohydrates after a meal. Based on these studies, capsaicin is being investigated to see if it would be useful in treating obesity. These studies, however, are still ongoing.
  5. A principal ingredient in the Master Cleanse and in other food based detox diets, cayenne helps stimulate the body's self cleaning process and breaks up mucous that is clogging the body. And I mean mucous all over the body.

    6. Source

Does Cracking Your Knuckles Cause Arthritis?
cracking knuckles

Does Cracking Your Knuckles Cause Arthritis?

In order to answer this question, we first need to talk about arthritis.
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In order to answer this question, we first need to talk about arthritis. It's the name for a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints. Here are some examples:

  • Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are autoimmune diseases in which the body is attacking itself.
  • Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection.
  • Gouty arthritis is caused when uric acid crystals get deposited in the joints, which causes inflammation.
  • The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis (also known as degenerative joint disease), occurs after an injury or infection in the joint, or simply as a result of aging.

Hmm, I see that of these 4 examples, none of them are caused by popping your joints.

Now let's talk about knuckle cracking. A joint is an area where 2 or more bones meet. This area is surrounded by joint fluid that protects the bones from rubbing against each other. When you "crack" or "pop" your knuckles or other joints, you are NOT grinding your bones together. Carbon dioxide is dissolved in that joint fluid. The sound you hear is a result of the high pressure being released, when the gas comes out and forms a bubble. That release of pressure allows a temporary increase in the joint's range of motion, which is why it feels so good. The reason you can't re-crack your knuckles immediately after is because it takes a little time for the gas to get re-dissolved back into the joint fluid.

There is no evidence that cracking your joints causes arthritis, or any other permanent damage - it just offers relief.

So the next time you crack your knuckles and someone says "Stop! You're going to get arthritis!," just smile and politely explain that you're just releasing the pressure of your joint fluid.

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