What's going on in this joint?........

Maybe it’s time to be kind to
your joints—they will thank you later. Here is some good advice.

Most everyone realizes that to fully appreciate all life
has to offer you want healthy joints that are comfortable and flexible.*
Healthy joints make it more enjoyable to play ball with your grandson… go for a
walk with your wife (or husband)… play golf. Fun stuff… The ‘stuff’ of which
memories are made.
What strategies can you
use to help keep your joints healthy and flexible?*

Exercise.
There's a common urban legend that exercise is bad for your joints

Most
people have little appreciation for how powerful exercise can be in supporting
joint function. Vigorous low-impact exercise is beneficial – for your joints,
as well as for cardiovascular, pulmonary, and other systems in your body. It's
simply a myth that you can 'wear down' your knees just from average levels of
exercise – and/or normal activity. In fact, inactivity causes your muscles to
become weaker and actually works against optimal
joint flexibility and comfort.

One
caution, however, when using this valuable tool, you need to start slowly if
you have not been exercising regularly, and build up to higher activity levels
otherwise you risk incurring an injury that could really set you back. If
typical vigorous exercise is not easy for you, try walking, tai chi and yoga…
as they are very low impact, yet offer many health benefits.

One of the
outstanding benefits of exercise is its ability to help you achieve and
maintain your ideal weight – which is highly beneficial to your joints.
Overweight and obese people compromise joint comfort more than those who are
carrying their ideal load. Each additional kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body mass
increases the compressive load over your knee by roughly 4 kilograms (nearly 9
pounds).

Research
shows that a weight loss of as little as 11 pounds can have a positive effect
on joint function. And those who are at their optimal weight experience
increased joint health as compared to those who are obese or overweight. So you
go full circle – losing weight reduces the load on your joints and makes it
easier to exercise, and exercising helps you lose weight and supports your
joint health.
Eliminate
sugar and starchy carbs from your diet. And definitely stop drinking soda.
These foods do absolutely nothing to support healthy joints or a healthy body.
In fact, their potential for damage is well documented. I believe you should
limit your total fructose from ALL sources to no more than 25 grams per day, as
it raises uric acid levels, which is hard on your joints. Now, chances are, you
consume substantially more than 25 grams per day. Approximately ¼ of Americans
consume a whopping 134 grams of fructose every
day!
Within your
25 grams of fructose, you could consider including some tart cherries or
concentrated tart cherry juice. They contain anthocyanins and bioflavonoids,
which help support a healthy immune response for your joints and whole body
health.
Vitamin D
also supports a healthy immune response. Please recognize that during the fall,
winter and early spring in most of the U.S., Canada, and Europe, your vitamin D
levels can drop precipitously. If your levels fall, you give up the support
this vitamin offers for your joints and your whole body.

Get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids from krill or high quality fish oil. Omega-3's
support your joint health.
© Copyright
1997-
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2012 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.