Do You Know About These Surprising Arthritis Triggers?

When it comes to managing the pain, discomfort, and other symptoms that come with a diagnosis of arthritis, there are some pretty well-known steps to take in order to restore mobility and retain an overall quality of living. Stretching the limbs and joints, taking warm baths, and applying heating pads or ice packs to particular affected areas are all great ways to reduce pain and improve the other harmful symptoms that arthritis can bring to various areas of the body.

However, there are some habits and lifestyle choices you may be making that are actually causing your arthritis to flare up more often and more severely, even if there doesn't seem to be any sort of connection between your habits and the area of your body where the pain is located. I recently came across an article by Everyday Health that described some of the more surprising lifestyle choices that many people make that actually often serve to make symptoms of arthritis even worse, and I would like to share these facts here with you in order to shine a light on this issue.

You already know that smoking is bad, yes, but in case you still need one more reason to quit, consider the fact that nicotine can not only raise the risk of a person developing rheumatoid arthritis in later years, but can actually make arthritis worse and more severe in smokers who already have developed and been diagnosed with arthritis. If you want a reduced amount and frequency of painful flareups, do your best to quit smoking right away if you haven't done so yet. Since smoking can increase inflammation in the body, getting rid of that bad habit will also lower the amount of inflammation causing pain to your joints.

You may be surprised to learn that a vitamin D deficiency can actually have a strong negative impact on arthritis development and severity. You can get plenty of vitamin D not only from short daily walks, but from foods such as egg yolks, milk, yogurt, and even sardines. 

Finally, avoid drinking excess amounts of alcohol. Alcohol can not only contribute to joint pain, but it can actually interfere with the effectiveness of arthritis medications your doctor may have prescribed to you. If you can't completely abstain, do your best to keep your limit to two drinks per day. 

Combined with regular chiropractic therapy, these small yet effective lifestyle changes will work to improve the symptoms of arthritis in no time.

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