Natural Osteoarthritis Treatment

Osteoarthritis:  Osteoarthritis is often confused with Rheumatoid arthritis, but the two disorders have different causes and progressions.  Osteoarthritis may affect only a single joint and can be triggered by localized wear and tear resulting in painful inflammation. According to the NIAMS it is estimated that nearly 1 out of 8 Americans age 25 and older suffer from osteoarthritis, but osteoarthritis treatment is most common among adults over 65 years old.

Risk Factors of Osteoarthritis:

• Excessive weight or obesity
• Injury
• Certain careers
• Hormones
• Genetic factors
• Weak thigh muscles
• Congenital or developmental deformities
• Race
• Other diseases which change cartilage structure

Osteoarthritis Inflammation: Osteoarthritis inflammation is characterized by swelling, pain, localized heat, and redness. Inflammation is a process in which the body’s white blood cells and chemicals help protect us from infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses. In some cases inflammation is triggered by a non infectious event like osteoarthritis and aims at the body’s tissue, causing significant damage.

Natural Osteoarthritis Treatment:  The lead researcher of a recent study of Pycnogenol’s natural beneficial effects for osteoarthritis treatment, Dr. Petra Hogger of the University of Wurzburg in Germany suggests that Pycnogenol supplementation inhibits the enzymes involved in the development of pain associated with inflammatory disorders such as osteoarthritis. Pycnogenol is an extract from the bark of the French maritime pine, consisting of phenolic acids, catechin, taxifolin and procyanidins.

Natural Osteoarthritis Treatment Studies Show: Pycnogenol treatment has shown to inhibit accumulation of inflammatory cells, and reduce the output of inflammatory substances caused by osteoarthritis (Bayeta and Lau, 2001). Natural osteoarthritis treatment with Pycnogenol has also shown to help normalize capillary permeability to prevent the leakage of fluid that causes edema (swelling), and helps by neutralizing free radicals that promote swelling and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis (Blazso et al., 1994, 1995).

Best Source for Pycnogenol: A natural supplement Isotonix OPC-3 (Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins) is an isotonic-capable food supplement that is made from a combination of bilberry, grape seed, red wine, pine bark extracts and citrus extract bioflavonoids, all found to be potent antioxidants. Isotonix OPC-3 contains the only isotonic form of Pycnogenol in the world.