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.
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?
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 the following