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The worst months for joint aches are coming up but there’s lots that you can do that makes a difference. Of course, lack of sun and consequently lack of exercise, plus the effects of cold on the joints, makes matter worse but there are ways to combat these factors. For starters make sure you’re getting 2,000 ius (50mcg) of vitamin D.

But the usual story we are told is that joint aches and arthritis are just about ‘wear and tear’ on the joints but this is a very partial truth.

Firstly, more and more younger people are diagnosed with arthritis. According to Phillip Conaghan, rheumatologist and spokesperson for the Arthritis Research Campaign, “We start seeing signs of it in people in their thirties and forties. All of our joints have a protective layer of cartilage covering the end of each bone. This thins in arthritis and becomes pitted, or wears out completely, allowing the bones to rub together. This is the main cause of pain and inflammation”.

But what causes this process to happen in some and not others? Recent research makes it very clear that joint degeneration as seen in arthritis is actually a metabolic disorder – an extension of ‘metabolic syndrome’ the driving force behind diabetes, heart disease, obesity and Alzheimer’s.

Keep your cartilage healthy There are two sides to bone and joint health. The first is keeping bone, and the cartilage that surrounds it strong and healthy. The second is reducing the inflammation, which is the primary cause of the cartilage destruction that makes joints painful. Cartilage is made up from collagen, which comes from Vitamin C and a compound called proteoglycans that is made from glucosamine. The only dietary source of glucosamine is prawn or shrimp shells, although crunching them up is not to everybody’s taste! Glucosamine is a basic building material of your joints, while the mineral sulphur acts like the nails that hold it together. The best source of sulphur, found in onions, garlic and eggs, is MSM (see below). The combination of glucosamine hydrochloride and MSM has proven particularly effective.

Does glucosamine work? The popularity of glucosamine for joints dates to a 2001 study published in the Lancet, where Belgian investigators reported that it slowed the progression of osteoarthritis of the knee while the knees of the patients taking the placebo steadily worsened. In another study, 1,500mg of glucosamine sulphate daily reduced knee pain as effectively as 1,200mg of ibuprofen and was better tolerated. It’s also been shown to be as good as NSAID painkillers for easing arthritic pain and inflammation, with less irritation to the stomach. Glucosamine may work better in combination with other anti-inflammatories, such as omega-3 fish oils for hip or knee osteoarthritis.

Another trial found taking it with MSM was significantly more effective than glucosamine alone. MSM – Please make sure you don’t have a SULPHUR ALLERGY. Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a source of the essential mineral sulphur that is involved in a multitude of key body functions, including pain control, detoxification and tissue building. Extraordinary results have been reported for pain relief from arthritis. Patients taking 2,250mg a day had an 80 per cent improvement in pain within six weeks, compared with 20 per cent for those who had taken dummy pills. The therapeutic dose appears to be 1,500–3,000mg a day. Some people experience a worsening of symptoms in the first ten days, followed by an improvement.

Oil your joints with omega-3's Omega-3 fish oils are one of the most potent natural anti-inflammatories, because they turn into type-3 prostaglandins, which switch off pain and swelling. There have been lots of positive studies proving benefit.

Keep your body moving If the cartilage in the joint’s degenerates, the joints become painful when you move. Two major causes of cartilage degeneration are too much weight on the joints and poor postural alignment.

Joints need space to move and that’s why exercises that strengthen and stretch them are so important. Exercises need to aim for mobility in the back as well as the joints. Most people don’t do these on a regular basis, however, and then suffer the consequences as they get older. That is why one of the hallmarks of unhealthy ageing is losing flexibility. Building regular – and preferably daily – joint-stretching exercises is a vital part of keeping your joints healthy.

If you have arthritis in your knees, you need to strengthen your quadriceps – the main thigh muscles. You’d be better doing it with some non-weight-bearing exercise such as cycling or swimming, that don’t make the joint pain worse. Yoga is excellent for both joint stretching and strength. Yoga, and also Pilates, are both good for flexibility and building strength, but the critical thing is finding something you enjoy and then doing it regularly.

Nature’s painkillers Natural foods are full of potent anti-inflammatories, and our favourites are turmeric, containing curcumin; olives, rich in hydroxytyrosol, onions (especially red) for their quercetin; and also lots of omega-3 fish oils.

For more about Dr Geraldine, you can find her here:

Contact: 061 718 0209 Address: P14 Centre, 62 14th Avenue Northcliff

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Website: https://www.drgcchiropractor.co.za/