Hyaluronic acid (HA) 0 also known as hyaluronan- is found in all tissues and body fluids. What this article will describe is what HA does in the joints, particularly the knee.
HA is a major component of synovial fluid. Synovial fluid is the naturally-occurring lubricant found in joints.
HA has a variety of functions within the joint including lubricating effects, water balance, and stress distribution through what are termed 0viscoelastic properties.0 What this means is that at low levels of impact (standing and walking), HA has mostly lubricating properties. At high levels of impact (running and jumping), HA functions to cushion the joint.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is often used as a treatment for osteoarthritis (OA), particularly in the knee. HA therapy supplements HA in the knee, restoring the synovial fluid’s ability to cushion, lubricate, and protect the knee joint.
A number of different mechanisms of action are thought to be responsible for the beneficial effects of HA. These include fluid replacement, inducement of the body0s own HA production by the knee joint, increase in cartilage synthesis, reduction in cartilage degradation, inhibition of inflammation, protection of the cells that make cartilage, and decrease in pain through inhibition of pain stimulus on nerve fibers within the […]
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Ever since the voluntary withdrawal of rofecoxib (Vioxx) from the market, debate has raged regarding the risks of COX-2 drugs. Another casualty of the COX-2 0wars0 was valdecoxib (Bextra), for an unrelated reason (rashes).
The debate has been fueled, in part, by hysteria, rather than data. What do we know about COX-2 drugs right now? For one, we know that they cause many fewer severe side effects in the gastrointestinal tract than traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).
Also, investigations regarding specific damage to the small bowel show that COX-2 drugs cause less damage in this location than NSAIDS combined with proton-pump inhibitors (drugs like Nexium, Protonix, Prilosec, etc.) As a result, it is recommended that in patients requiring an anti-inflammatory drug, that COX-2 preparations are preferred for patients with gastrointestinal risk factors such as a prior history of ulcers or who are taking medicines such as anticoagulants (Coumadin) or corticosteroids.
Two other advantages of COX-2 drugs are that they cause much less bleeding than standard NSAIDS because they do not affect platelet function and that they can be used in patients who have aspirin-induced asthma.
An increase in cardiovascular events in patients taking COX-2 drugs was first noted during studies assessing the effect of […]
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A lot of people believe that rheumatoid arthritis only affects older people, but it is in fact also prevalent among people aged twenty to fifty. It can, however, affect people younger or older than the given age range; is more common with women than men. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the worst types of arthritis - it doesn’t stop with joint pain but gradually progresses to joint deformity.
There is no known cure for this disease, but the right rheumatoid arthritis diet and lifestyle, coupled with regular medication and other treatments, could allow people to continue leading normal lifestyles.
What Research Says About Rheumatoid Arthritis and Diet
Research is needed to accurately gauge the effects of diet on rheumatoid arthritis. As symptoms of this disease change in frequency and intensity from one day to another, it is virtually impossible to determine which foods caused which episode. Expert studies, however, have been able to determine that healthy food choices will always benefit individuals of any age afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis.
Today, researchers acknowledge the link between diet and rheumatoid arthritis. Nutritional supplements have been proven to be helpful as well not only for rheumatoid arthritis but other musculoskeletal problems like reactive arthritis, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis.
Researchers […]
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