![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blueheronhealthnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/10_things_to_beat_arthritis.jpg\" "\\"10_things_to_beat_arthritis\\"")
It seems like every news program on TV anymore has a health and wellness segment where experts and journalists alike weigh in on the latest health trends and give their advice and opinions.<\/p>\nIt seems like every news program on TV anymore has a health and wellness segment where experts and journalists alike weigh in on the latest health trends and give their advice and opinions.<\/p>\n
Most of the time it\u2019s pretty sound and is frequently backed by studies that support whatever it is they are trying to convince people to do or stop doing.<\/p>\n
Online articles like this one are the same. The reason they\u2019re so prevalent anymore is that I think most people by and large are honestly interested in health topics- but we still continue to have problems. Why is that? If so many people are consuming this free info, why are there so many preventable diseases still running rampant through society?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s amazing the proliferation of reality health shows, news programs, and health columns there are for public consumption anymore. People just can\u2019t seem to get enough of experts telling them what changes they need to make in their lives to increase health and reduce disease.<\/p>\n
But why isn\u2019t all that advice translating to better health in reality? With so much information available one would think that people would eventually \u2018get it\u2019 and start taking real action.<\/p>\n
Old habits, however, die really hard. We can read and watch and listen to all the sound advice in the world, but unless we know that the changes we need to really make are easy to make and even easier to maintain, we tend to fail.<\/p>\n
Below, we\u2019ll look at 10 things you can start doing right now to beat back the annoying symptoms of arthritis and maybe even reduce your dependency on arthritis medications.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with number ten and work our way to the number one easiest and most important change to make.<\/p>\n
Ten-<\/strong> Get a diagnosis. In order to face an enemy, you have to be able to see it and know what you\u2019re dealing with. Tests like Ultrasound for arthritis<\/a> are being used a lot more these days as a more accurate, less invasive, and much cheaper alternative to x-rays and MRIs. <\/p>\n Nine-<\/strong> Get other diseases under control. If you suffer from diabetes<\/a> or high blood pressure<\/a>, you are naturally going to be at higher risk for being negatively affected by damaging inflammation. Get your other diseases and stress under better control and reduce your likelihood of having arthritis in the first place.<\/p>\n Eight-<\/strong> Stop inflammation in its tracks. Countless studies have shown that inflammation is the cause of arthritis\u2026not the effect. Diet is the biggest player, so go back through all the articles you\u2019ve read and \u2018logged away\u2019 that talk about what foods to stop eating if you are suffering from inflammation<\/a> processes and start making some changes to get rid of the fire-causing food.<\/p>\n Seven-<\/strong> Start adding in foods that heal. You might not like some types of herbs or vegetables<\/a> now, but try to find a way to chop up the vegees you don\u2019t eat a lot of right now and hide them in the food you do like. Start increasing the amounts of vegees and cut slowly back on the delicious-but-offensive foods until you\u2019ve shaped your taste buds to be more responsible<\/p>\n Six-<\/strong>Get off your duff and get moving. Exercise for arthritis<\/a>, when done properly and in moderation, can become not only something you can be consistent in doing, but you\u2019ll eventually get to where you crave it if you make incremental changes right now. Overdoing it can cause a lot of problems<\/a>, though, so just start slow and maybe consult a professional trainer who works with arthritic clients.<\/p>\n Five-<\/strong>Get more Vitamin D.<\/a> Deprivationof this absolutely critical vitamin causes problems all over the body. This is like the superhero fighting the villainous bad guy. <\/p>\n Four-<\/strong> Start cutting back on the pain pills. You\u2019ll want to talk to your doctor to find out how to do this the safest way, but over the long term arthritis pain relievers end up causing more harm than good<\/a>. This only perpetuates the problem. You may find, anyway, that as you start making changes with your diet and exercise habits that you don\u2019t need as high of a dose as before the changes were implemented.<\/p>\n Three-<\/strong> Keep a diary. Studies show that people who not only record what they eat and when they exercise but also how they feel are more successful in their long-term goals and sticking to a plan.<\/p>\n Two- Stay on the rails. If you start feeling better and you decide, \u201cI\u2019m cured!\u201d and go back to bad habits, where do you think you will wind up?<\/p>\n One- Make a plan. If you are going to start a journey with a destination in mind, wouldn\u2019t it be easier to get there (and less expensive, less apt for getting lost and less frustrating) if you had a map or some traveling directions? Make a general plan with a few achievable goals to start with. Once you master those, you can add a few more in. Eventually, you\u2019ll find yourself in the place you\u2019d always dreamed of being.<\/p>\n Finding the right information is easy. Knowing what to do with it and acting on it- consistently- is a little harder. But you\u2019ll know when whay you are doing is working and that can be really energizing for the motivation to keep going.<\/p>\n