Answer true or false to the following questions:
1. Vitamin D helps protect against osteoarthritis.
2. The best way to control joint pain is to stay off your feet as much as possible.
3. Eating low-fat foods can keep joints healthier.
4. Swallowing gold is a medically sound treatment for arthritis.
5. The only way to cure arthritis is to use the proper combination of medications.
Answers
1. True. Recent research from the ongoing Framingham Heart Study, (which has followed participants for more than 40 years), revealed that people with very low vitamin D intake and low blood levels of vitamin D were three times more likely to experience progressively worse osteoarthritis knee pain than those with high levels of vitamin D intake. But taking separate vitamin D supplements is not recommended because too much can be harmful. The best sources are sunlight (from which the body manufactures its own vitamin D), liver, salmon, fortified milk and butter, and egg yolks.
2. False. The Arthritis Foundation recommends low impact, weight-bearing exercise-such as walking and gardening-to help control joint pain and inflammation. Another way to gain the same benefits is to run in place, or swim in a heated pool.
3. True. Dietary fat contributes to osteoarthritis because excess weight subjects joints to extra wear and tear, causing inflammation, pain, and stiffness.
4. True. Oral gold (auranofin) is sometimes prescribed to slow the progression and relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (But it is not used for arthritis.) The auranofin drug, Ridaura, can take several months to be effective, and those taking it must be monitored closely.
5. False. There’s no cure for most forms of arthritis. But treatment can reduce pain, and medications are used most often for this purpose. Other important therapies include losing weight, guarding against overuse of joints, and resting during flare-ups. Surgery can return mobility to some people with severe arthritis.