Arthritis

By definition, arthritis is inflammation of the joints. Most people get treated with corticosteroids or anti-inflammatory medications. Although effective at managing the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis, these medications do not address the inflammation and/or immune responses at the root of the condition. By decreasing inflammation in your body naturally, you will likely need less medication to manage your pain on a day-to-day basis and may even be able to eliminate the need for regular medication. When you begin to address the immune system as a whole, the damage can often be reduced, stabilized or potentially even reversed.

Many of the services offered at Rooted can help treat arthritis and its symptoms:

• Naturopathic Medicine can help determine if your diet and supplement regime are appropriate for your condition. An anti-inflammatory diet is often used.
  
• Acupuncture may help alleviate some of the pain and inflammation.
  
• Laser therapy helps damaged cells return to healthy function, thus potentially reversing the degeneration that is causing the arthritis.
  
• Massage enhances circulation to the affected joints and works with the surrounding muscles to help relieve pain and reduce tension.

There are many different types of arthritis. Each type of arthritis affects different joints and different age groups and has its own unique set of symptoms:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune inflammatory disease of the joints)
  
• Psoriatic arthritis (inflammatory joint disease with psoriasis)
  
• Osteoarthritis (loss of cartilage and formation of new bone)
  
• Infectious arthritis (begins after viral or bacterial infection)
  
• Gout (uric acid crystals build up in a joint; most often the big toe)
  
• Reactive arthritis (Reiter’s syndrome-arthritis, urethritis, conjunctivitis)