You start and end your day with pain. When the weather is humid, it’s worse. You feel older than you are. You wonder if it will ever end. That’s the predicament of joint pain sufferers. This predicament was definitely not the way you planned your life to be. Is there a remedy?
Defining the Joint Pain Dilemma
What It Feels Like
You know the symptoms because you feel them every day. The signs could be slightly different for each person: a mild ache, a severe burning, or a sharp sensation. For some people,it could include joint swelling and stiffness or red and warm skin. Sometimes it could produce weight loss, fatigue, or even fever.(1) Sometimes there is the challenge of lack of coordination and increasing disability.
What are the Causes?
Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, gout, and other forms of arthritis are the most common causes. There are also joint pains from strains or sprains or other injuries. In America, we eat too often,and we overeat. These bad habits cause inflammation, which causes disease.
Are There Different Kinds of Joint Pains?
Most joint pains, except from injuries, are related to some form of arthritis. And there are more than 100 forms of arthritis. Prominent among these 100 forms are Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Juvenile Arthritis, Spondyloarthropathies, Lupus erythematosus, Gout, Infectious and reactive arthritis, and Psoriatic Arthritis.(2)
The Enormity of the Problem
According to a study referenced by Web MD, a survey found that one-third of adults reported having joint pain in the last 30 days. The Arthritis Foundation has estimated that in America, about 50 million adults and 300,000 children have arthritis.(3)
Treating Joint Pain With Conventional Medicine
Medications and Physical Therapy
For both moderate and severe pain relief,non-steroidal medicines are recommended. Advil, Motrin, aspirin, Aleve, and Celebrex are common examples. Sometimes Tylenol works. If these do not produce the proper results, then a more potent form of opioid is prescribed.
Sometimes topical medications like Capsaicin and Ben Gay are used with a beneficial effect.
If the oral and topical medications do not help,you may choose one of several options of steroid injections. These may be effective for 3-4 months.
Sometimes the provider may recommend physical therapy and various home remedies. If a person is overweight, then exercise and losing weight will help.(4)
Preserve Joints
The primary goal of preserving joints, whether it is the shoulder, hip, knee, or elsewhere is to accomplish it without surgery, if possible. The top five non-surgical methods are listed below:
Injections of hyaluronic acid
Injections of platelet-rich plasma
Cellular stem-cell injections
Cartilage Transplant
Partial joint replacement
If the other remedies are ineffective, then a complete joint replacement is recommended.(5)
Are There Successful Proven Alternatives for Treating Joint Pain?
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting usually means that you eat all your meals during a period of 8 hours and then fast for 16 hours. The usual routine is to fast just two times a week, however some people do this every day as long as the fasting duration is not more than 16 hours. The time spent fasting depends on your choice. Common variations include fasting for ten, sixteen, twenty, and twenty-three hours. You eat your meal(s) in the remaining hours of that day. During the time of fasting you will need to drink an adequate amount of water.
Intermittent fasting helps with weight loss –which lessens the pressure on your joints. It also reduces inflammation in your body. Through weight loss and inflammation reduction, you can significantly reduce joint pain and preserve your joints.
Intermittent fasting is also known to relieve Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms by boosting antioxidants’ blood levels and cutting inflammation.(6)
Ketogenic Diet
The ketogenic diet is high in fat and low in carbs, typically about 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbohydrates. It substitutes body fat and diet fat (what you eat on the ketogenic diet) for carbohydrates to bring you to a natural metabolic state called ketosis.(7) At this point, fat is rapidly burned, causing weight loss. When you lose weight, you reduce the strain, pressure and weight on your joints.
The ketogenic diet is also an anti-inflammatory diet. It reduces ROS -reactive oxygen species which, in turn, reduces inflammation. It also boosts Adenosine –a human body produced chemical that reduces pain and inflammation. This anti-inflammatory benefit reduces joint pain significantly.
According to Healthline, here are some more benefits of the low carb ketogenic diet:
Reduces your appetite
Visible weight loss results occur in the first couple of weeks
A significant portion of fat loss from your abdominal cavity
Triglycerides drop significantly,lowering your heart disease risk
Increases your HDL (good) cholesterol level
Reduces Blood Sugar and insulin levels?May lower blood pressure
Useful in combatting metabolic syndrome –thus lowering heart disease and diabetes risk
Lowers your bad LDL cholesterol level
Healthline concludes their report with this comment: “Few things are as well established in nutrition science as the immense health benefits of low-carb and ketogenic diets.”(9)
What Happens When You Combine Intermittent Fasting and Ketogenic Diet?
(Caution: These methods may not work for everyone. If you have a pre-existing health problem or are pregnant, you should discuss this with your doctor).
The benefits of these health tools or methods are listed earlier in this article.
But when you combine them? WOW!
Each one alone is a powerful tool, but you are headed for some spectacular results when you combine them. You will reach ketosis faster. Fat loss will be more rapid. You may preserve muscle mass,and your energy level will be up. You may reduce hunger and promote a full feeling.(10)
What Are You Waiting For? Get Started Today!
Sources:
1. “Joint Pain Causes and Treatment Options,” Last updated June 19, 2020 https://www.verywellhealth.com/severe-joint-and-muscle-pain-arthritis-22499812
2. “What Type of Arthritis Do You Have,” Last updated December 10, 2018 https://www.healthline.com/health/arthritis-types
3. “Joint Pain,” Reviewed June 17, 2019 (https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/joint-pain#1)
4. Ibid
5. “Joint Preservation vs. Replacement: What’s Your Best Option,” August 22, 2017 https://health.clevelandclinic.org/joint-preservation-vs-replacement-whats-your-best-option/
6. “Popular Diets and Your RA,” Reviewed October 8, 2020 https://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/ra-popular-diets
7. “What Is Ketosis, and Is It Healthy?,” Reviewed October 13, 2020 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-ketosis
8. “Can Keto Help With Rheumatoid Arthritis?,” Reviewed September 12, 2019https://perfectketo.com/rheumatoid-arthritis-diet/
9. “10 Health Benefits of Low-Carb and Ketogenic Diets,” Written and reviewed November 20, 2018 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-low-carb-ketogenic-diets#TOC_TITLE_HDR_11
10. “Intermittent Fasting and Keto: Should You Combine the Two?,” Written November 5, 2018 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-and-keto#benefits
And Many Additional Sources
