Arthritis and Rosehip

Arthritis comes in many forms and can affect people at any stage in life. The two most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Although these have different causes and risk factors they share a common symptom of persistent joint pain.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form and affects millions of adults worldwide. It starts with the breakdown of joint cartilage resulting in pain and stiffness. This is most commonly felt in the fingers, knees, hips and spine.

Work-related repetitive injury and physical trauma may contribute to the development of osteoarthritis. For example, if you have a strenuous job that requires repetitive bending or kneeling, you may be at high risk for osteoarthritis of the knee.

Osteoarthritis usually comes on slowly. Early in the disease, joints may ache after physical work or exercise. If you are experiencing symptoms such as joint pain and stiffness, see your doctor.

Although the exact cause of OA is not known, some scientists believe that joint damage begins in response to physical stress (such as an injury or repetitive movement).

Also known as "wear and tear," this stress can erode the cartilage that normally encases the ends of the bones in a joint. Cartilage serves to cushion the bones and to help the joint move smoothly and easily.

As cartilage breaks down, the ends of the bones thicken and the joint may lose its normal shape. With further cartilage breakdown, the ends of the bones may begin to rub together causing pain. In addition, damaged joint tissue can cause the release of certain substances called prostaglandins, which can also contribute to the pain and swelling characteristic of the disease.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive and disabling autoimmune disease. It is an incredibly painful condition, can cause severe disability (this varies between individuals and depends on how severe/aggressive your disease is) and ultimately affects a person's ability to carry out everyday tasks.

The disease can progress very rapidly (again the speed of progression varies widely between individuals), causing swelling and damaging cartilage and bone around the joints. Any joint may be affected but it is commonly the hands, feet and wrists.

It is a systemic, disease, which means that it, can affect the whole body and internal organs (although this is not the case for everyone with RA) such as the lungs, heart and eyes.

Despite much research, the reasons why an individual develops rheumatoid arthritis remain unknown. The possibilities can broadly be divided into: those factors, which are inherited and those factors, which are encountered in our environment.

If you are unfortunate enough to have arthritis you may gain some relief from taking rosehip.

It's been long known that rosehip can help with joint pain in some people who have osteoarthritis but a new clinical trial has shown the plant extract can have a remarkable effect on those afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis.

In a double blind trial based in Copenhagen and Berlin 74 people with severe RA were given rosehip or a placebo along with their conventional medicine.

After 6 months those taking the supplement were 25% more active and had a 40% improvement in joint pain and tenderness. More trials are being planned.

Rosehip is yet another natural remedy with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties similar to those of lipoic acid.