Fitness School

Antioxidants are nature’s way to fight illness and disease, Many fruits and vegetables contain these compounds called ‘phytonutrients’, which have the beneficial effect of keeping us healthy by improving our immune system. Although only nine hundred if these phytonutrients have been discovered so far it is the scientist opinion that many more will be found and will change tomorrows health care needs,but medical researchers believe that they are only just beginning and this could be the future of preventative health care in the world. To date a large number of health giving benefits of these phytonutrients have been found,the anti-aging power of blueberries and the effect that cherries have on reducing joint pain, are just two of the benefits found so far.

Blueberries contain an array of antioxidants while having a lower natural sugar content than many other fruits you can care to mention. The easiest way to inject concentrated amounts of these fruits is by drinking juice every day,some of the many benefits have been improvements in the body’s capacity to heal itself and benefits to circulation. The antioxidants are also efficient at fighting disease and dealing with infection. Even the humble apple is not immune with properties to help ward of heart problems.

Now citrus fruits too are showing that they have a use with a number of beneficial phytochemicals contained in them. The particular combination of properties found in tart cherries offers an anti-inflammatory benefit, which is appreciated by those suffering from joint pain caused by arthritis, gout, fibromyalgia or over-exertion. The benefits of vitamins B, C, E and certain other minerals are well studied and widely known. Phytoalexins, also antioxidants like resveratrol, are found in mulberries, blackberries and blueberries have special properties which prevent infection and viruses.

These compounds can help or suppress harmful body aging processes that often end in heart attacks, stroke, faulty blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s disease. Tomatoes too are able to help in the prevention of conditions like heart disease and some cancers. There are a number of ways you can use tomatoes to gain the greatest antioxidant benefit from them and these include pureed, juice concentrate and sauce. In the heat of summer, a watermelon can be one of the most refreshing of fruits but it has also been found to have a range of the most important phytonutrients so far discovered. Now you know the benefits of these fruits to your health, there is no longer any reason not to use them more regularly.

Arthritis usually means pain in the joints but it is a disease of the muscles and the bones so there could also be swelling and pain all over. Cartilage is considered to be a living tissue that covers both ends of the bones, which protect them as they begin to rub together. The cells they are made of are called chondrocytes. The life cycle of the chondrocytes is like all cells and they die and new ones come in.

When there is long time inflammation, cartilage cells are destroyed and die faster than the body’s ability to replace them. This is more so if the body is undernourished and lacks the required nutrients to repair or the joint has suffered an injury. Arthritis makes the joints to become weak and instable. A typical treatment of arthritis includes lifestyle changes and physical therapy. Health care providers use joint replacement surgery as their last resort, once they have tried all of the less intrusive interventions to try and relieve the discomfort.

Arthritis is divided into to major groups that may affect the ‘localized’ or ‘generalized’ parts of the body or even depending on the joints that get damaged; it is further divided into sub-groups. Localized conditions are where the soft tissue around the bone or joint is affected; it refers to conditions like tendonitis and bursitis. One of the localized conditions could affect just the hip or the knee joints. Generalized Conditions: The first sub-category for generalized conditions is for those that affect the muscle and soft tissue where there is no evidence of swelling or inflammation. The condition is not associated with joint damage; Fibromyalgia is a common type of arthritis that is placed under this category.

The second sub category is one where there is inflammation and the whole body is affected. Other generalized conditions are polymyositis (muscles); systemic lupus erythematosus (skin, kidneys, or other organs); and vasculitis (any organ). Some of the other generalized conditions are known to include: muscles or polymyositis, vasculitis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

However a person may suffer from multiple kinds of arthritis, in the United States of America around forty six million adults and abut three hundred thousand children suffer from hundred medical conditions. Arthritis may affect people in infancy and its effects are more prominent in adulthood and are most common in the form of osteoarthritis. The number of sufferers is on the increase at the same pace as the population of America.

Medical care and indirect expenses costs over 124 billion dollars in the US where arthritis and related problems are the main cause of disability. Osteoarthritis can easily be prevented by following few easy steps: consume more fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin c and vitamin d and also maintain appropriate weight. By taking the time to make sure that you are consuming enough calcium, participate in regular exercise and avoiding injuries that are brought about due to sports activities, you can also help with prevention of this condition.