The Weather and Your Joints

Some people check the news for the weather forecast. But for many people with arthritis and related joint pain, they already know when a storm is on the way.

Joint pain occurs from a variety of factors, one of the most common being arthritis, a broad term to describe the 100+ forms of chronic joint inflammation that can wear away at cartilage. Arthritis deteriorates this rubbery substance and its ability to absorb movement, until, in some people, it's completely worn down to the point that bones rub against each other.

And there's an interesting link between arthritis and the weather: many patients � and the doctors who care for them � report that joint pain and arthritis symptoms flare up before a storm or changes in the atmosphere.

What's the Link?

The idea that weather influences pain goes back at least 1,600 years, to Hippocrates in the fourth century BC, and probably earlier. The scientific term is 'human biometeorology', and there's a definitive link between the two in obvious scenarios; you'll get burnt if you leave your skin unprotected in the sun for example. There are few studies between arthritis and weather changes, however.

So what's the connection?

In theory, it's caused by barometric pressure. This is the pressure exerted by air, and it often drops before a storm. If this drop in barometric pressure caused the tissues around the joints to swell, it is conceivable that changes in the weather, like an impending storm, could trigger a flare-up of arthritic symptoms.

There is some evidence to support this thesis. In the 1960s, researcher John Hollander isolated patients with rheumatoid arthritis in a sealed chamber and gradually increased the barometric conditions. The result? Minor swelling with a rise in humidity and decrease in pressure.

Bear in mind the huge variety of possible atmospheric conditions and combinations with joint pain symptoms. Many doctors are believers too, and experience a surge in patients complaining of joint pain on rainy days. There's clearly a link between the weather and joint pain. Perhaps a better question is how do you manage that pain?

A Natural Way to Manage Joint Pain

The answer to this may already be within you. Specifically, several compounds that occur naturally in cartilage, including glucosamine and chondroitin. They're both lost in the ageing process, and there are no rich food sources for either one.

A study conducted in 2006 revealed that patients who supplemented with glucosamine experienced a "significant improvement" for pain symptoms related to osteoarthritis. And four clinical studies suggest that chondroitin can lubricate the joints and block the enzymes that break down cartilage.

Further reason to use a natural joint relief supplement: traditional joint relief medications, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cox-2 inhibitors are not recommended for long-term use because they're linked to adverse side effects, including gastrointestinal bleeding and increased risk of stroke and heart attack.

Studies show comparable joint pain relief from willow bark extract � found in Joint Relief Solution � and even reduced loss of cartilage, from avocado soybean unsaponifiables, as seen in a 2002 study of patients with osteoarthritis of the hip.

Conclusion

You don't control the weather. But many arthritis patients live with chronic pain that flares up from changes in the atmosphere. They literally "feel it in their bones", and with roughly one in three Americans living with ongoing joint pain, they want relief.

The best way to reduce joint pain, quite frankly, may simply be to pursue natural treatment for arthritis with a joint relief supplement with chondroitin and glucosamine. Multiple studies demonstrate these two compounds not only reduce joint pain, they may also protect cartilage and offer greater mobility. That's more that most arthritis medications offer, and probably safer as well.

Try Joint Relief Solution. A blend of natural ingredients, including glucosamine and chondroitin, it's also formulated with willow bark extract. You might be surprised to learn that willow bark has the same active ingredient as aspirin, and shows dramatic reduction in pain symptoms, with less reliance on NSAIDs as well.