A very common early sign of osteoarthritis is a knobby bony deformity at the smallest joint of the end of the fingers. This is referred to as a Heberden’s node, named after a very famous British doctor. The bony deformity is a result of the bone spurs from the osteoarthritis in that joint. Another common bony knob (node) occurs at the middle joint of the fingers in many patients with osteoarthritis and is called a Bouchard’s node. Dr. Bouchard was a famous French doctor who also studied arthritis patients at the turn of the last century. The Heberden’s and Bouchard’s nodes may not be painful, but they are often associated with limitation of motion of the joint. The characteristic appearances of these finger nodes can be helpful in diagnosing osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative arthritis because of the degeneration of the cartilage that causes it. Among the over 100 different types of arthritis conditions, osteoarthritis is the most common and affects over 20 million people in the United States alone. Osteoarthritis occurs more frequently as we age. Before age 45, osteoarthritis occurs more frequently in men. After age 55 years, it affects women more frequently. Osteoarthritis causes no symptoms in many patients. Symptoms of osteoarthritis include local pain, stiffness, tenderness, and occasionally swelling in the affected joints.

“If I have minimal or no symptoms with early signs of osteoarthritis, what should I do?”

The ideal steps to take should lead to a proper diagnosis and an optimal long-term treatment plan. While many steps are discussed here, the plan must be customized for each person affected by osteoarthritis, depending on the joints affected and the severity of symptoms.

An opinion regarding the cause or the type of the arthritis can usually be adequately obtained by consulting a general family doctor. It is often unnecessary to see an arthritis specialist (rheumatologist), like myself, for this purpose. However, if the diagnosis or treatment plan is unclear, a rheumatologist might be consulted.

When I determine that a patient has a classic node formation from osteoarthritis (Heberden’s node), I may make the diagnosis solely based upon the examination, without the need for any additional tests, such as blood or X-ray testing. Sometimes, testing can be helpful to better understand the degree and character of the osteoarthritis affecting a certain joint. It can also be helpful for monitoring and to exclude other conditions.

Treatment may not be necessary for osteoarthritis of the hands with minimal or no symptoms. When symptoms are troubling and persist, however, treatment might include pain and antiinflammatory medications, with or without food supplements, such as glucosamine and/or chondroitin. Furthermore, heat/cold applications and topical pain creams can be helpful.

As a first step, I recommend that patients go ahead and try the over-the-counter food supplements, glucosamine and chondroitin. Each of these supplements has been independently shown, by studies presented at the national meeting in 1999 of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), to relieve the pain and stiffness of some (but not all) patients with osteoarthritis. These supplements are available in pharmacies and health food stores without a prescription. If patients do not benefit after a two-month trial, I tell them that they may discontinue these supplements. The manufacturers sometimes make claims that these supplements “rebuild” cartilage. This claim has not been adequately verified by scientific studies to date

Primary Symptoms

As with rheumatoid arthritis, the primary symptoms of seronegative arthritis include pain, inflammation and stiffness in the joints. This can occur in the hips, knees, ankles, feet, toes, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands or fingers. Sometimes inflammation also occurs in the spine and at tendon attachment points. A flareup may involve only one side of the body.

Diagnosis

The specific subtype of seronegative arthritis can be diagnosed more definitively by taking into account additional symptoms. These include acne and other skin lesions, canker sores, nail deformities, inflammatory bowel disease and inflamed eyes.

Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis, for instance, occurs in up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. In addition to pain and inflammation, nail deformities can occur, including pitting, thickening, yellowing and deterioration. People also may feel fatigued, and have red and sore tissues around their eyes. To make diagnosis even more complicated, psoriatic arthritis is itself an umbrella condition encompassing five types of psoriatic arthritis.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Another type of seronegative arthritis mainly affects the spine. This disorder is called ankylosing spondylitis, and usually begins with dull, chronic pain in the lower back and hips. The pain and stiffness eventually spread up the spine and into the neck, and may move further to ribs, shoulder blades, hips, thighs and heels. People also may feel fatigued, and have mild fever and anemia. Many people with this disorder experience bowel inflammation and eye inflammation.

Reactive Arthritis

Reactive arthritis is often a temporary condition that is triggered by a bacterial infection. Joints in the knees, ankles and feet can become inflamed and swollen, and there also can be inflammation in the eyes and urinary tract. Skin rashes, nail disintegration and genital sores can occur. About 15 to 20 percent of people with reactive arthritis will eventually develop a chronic form of the disorder, according to the Spondylitis Association of America.

The most common culprits are:
1. sugar
2. caffeine
3. citrus
4. salt
5. red meat
6. dairy products
7. additives
8. soft drinks
9. corn
10. flour

Some have said that nightshades are a problem. They are not. This is an old myth that has been going on for years.
This is the list.
1. eggplants
2. red peppers
3. tomatoes
4. white potatoes
5. tobacco

If you do eat any of these foods, pay attention to any reaction you might have in the next 24 hours. If you notice a reaction, you are indeed allergic to that food item.

If there are two major factors that we could examine in the past 50-60 years that has lead to an increase in the numbers of people who suffer from arthritis, it would be these:

1. Sugar has become a major part of our daily diets
2. The consumption of soda pop has become widespread.

Let’s talk about soda. It is difficult to believe but every time you drink a (regular) soda,
you are consuming 11-13 teaspoons of sugar. (Some of you may remember that old trick of putting a penny in a glass of soda.
It corrodes that penny to the point of virtual destruction.) In short,
soda is not something that you should be drinking on a regular basis if you are concerned about arthritis.

Read the labels contained on the foods you are buying in your local grocery. Be especially careful and avoid as much food as possible that contains preservatives and/or additives. (Take an extra careful look at labels on ice cream and candy for example.) The more natural your diet in terms of the food you eat, the greater your chances are of defeating arthritis.

Those meals you buy that can just be “popped” into the oven are also something you should avoid if possible. Some contain as much as 1200 mg of sodium and as much as 60 mg of cholesterol. (You might consider some of the other health factors at play here and not just your arthritis.)

There are many types of arthritis; two major groups of these types are rheumatoid arthritis and seronegative arthritis. While we may be most familiar with rheumatoid arthritis, and often consider all forms of arthritis to fall within that category, seronegative arthritis is something different. Seronegative arthritis is actually a collection of several different types of arthritis. What these types have in common is that the Rheumatoid Factor (RF) is absent, and does not show up in blood tests as it would in all cases of rheumatoid arthritis.

Differences – While rheumatoid arthritis affects primarily the joints, seronegative arthritis has a number of different, and sometimes seemingly unrelated symptoms. With only an occasional exception, seronegative arthritis affects only males. There also appears to be a strong genetic link involved as seronegative arthritis has a tendency to run in families. Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative arthritis often affects more than just the joints, extending to inflammation of tendon attach points, and often damaging cartilage. Symptoms of seronegative arthritis can also be observed in the skin as psoriasis, the eyes and the bowels. The larger joints, often just a single joint, tend to be affected more than many smaller joints.

Seronegative Arthritis – Seronegative arthritis can at times be symmetric, that is affecting joints on both sides of the body. When this is the case, approximately half of the people affected become to some extent disabled. When the disease is asymmetric, it tends to be much milder, and usually only affects only a very few different joints. The most destructive type of seronegative arthritis is arthritis mutilans, which is usually quite severe to the point of being deforming. Only a small percentage of people are ever affected with this type. Since all of these types are the result of inflammation, treatment involves controlling, or where possible reducing, inflammation.

Reactive Arthritis – A subset of seronegative arthritis types is reactive arthritis. Reactive arthritis is arthritis triggered by a disorder somewhere in the body, or an infection. While the joints are ultimately affected, early symptoms very often involve the urinary tract, the skin (especially the feet), and the eyes. A burning sensation when urinating, and a need for more frequent urination are two symptoms. A rash at the sides of, or bottoms of the feet is another. About half the people affected will experience eye discomfort. It’s easy to see that if only one of these symptoms is being experienced, arthritis would seem to be the last thing one would expect to be at the source of the problem. If all symptoms are there however, it is very likely a case of reactive arthritis that is involved.

The following are types of seronegative arthritis that can be describes as Rf-factor negative:
psoriatic arthritis
Reiter’s syndrome
enteropathic arthritis
reactive arthritis
ankylosing spondylitis
undifferentiated seronegative arthritis

Many people have experienced the benefit of green tea for health and weight loss. Increasing research has shown many benefits to the natural anti-oxidant rich plant. The increased interest in green tea has shifted to the hair and skin. New research is being done to study the effect of green tea on hair loss. Many of the antioxidants that are found in drinks can benefit from the hair and scalp and some research shows that by adding green tea in your diet can help control or prevent hair loss. The chemical in green tea is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In Korea scientiest are researching hair follicles were treated with EGCG in a lab environment. Research Saitama Cancer Center Research Institute in Japan and Seoul National University College of Medicine both evidence that EGCG stimulates hair growth. The Saitama study reports that green tea inhibits the production of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), a molecule that is linked to cancer, arthritis and hair loss.The experiement cultures showed increased hair growth and hair follicle elongation compared with control cultures.

A green tea tincture that 10 percent EGCG was also applied to the scalp of humans volunteers with positive results. A high intake of green tea leads to higher levels of six hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that binds to testosterone. Free testosterone travels through the bloodstream is able to come and hair follicles are converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that causes male pattern hair loss. Testosterone that is bound to SHBG can not be converted into DHT. Research also suggests that green tea can help with scalp conditions like dandruff and psoriasis by soothing skin and reducing inflammation.

Using a hair loss shampoo like Zenagen, which contains powerful patent pending extracts including green tea, can help fight hair loss. Using green tea or green tea contains a rinse after washing can help reduce scalp irritation. Panthenol, a provitamin, softens and strengthens hair and prevents split ends. Choose products that her real green tea extract EGCG or contain.Green tea contains vitamin C, vitamin E and panthenol, which are all common ingredients in conditioner. Vitamin E restores dry or damaged hair, while vitamin C protects against damage by UV radiation.

The best hair vitamin to grow your natural hair long.

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