| When asking what arthritis is, one must merely | | | | Another common form of Arthritis, called |
| look to the roots of the word, which has Greek | | | | rheumatoid arthritis, is actually a disorder of the |
| origins and literally translates into "Inflamed Joints." | | | | immune system, where one's body is literally |
| As diseases go, arthritis has had a long and | | | | attacking its own joints. This type of arthritis |
| prosperous history: Paleontologists have | | | | manifests itself in many, sometimes in every joint |
| discovered signs of the bone disease in human | | | | at once, and causes soft tissues to swell. It is a |
| skeletons that date as far back as 4500 BCE. | | | | chronic disorder that, if left unmanaged, can cause |
| Arthritis has been discovered in the buried | | | | deformation of the hands (as the joints in the |
| remains of pre-colonial Native Americans as well | | | | fingers begin to twist themselves due to swelling), |
| as in ancient bodies all along Europe. Signs of | | | | deformation of the neck, |
| arthritis have even been discovered in Egyptian | | | | Unlike Osteoarthritis, which is attributable to old |
| mummies. | | | | age, the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is entirely |
| Despite the thousands of years that arthritis has | | | | unknown, though many in the medical field believe |
| plagued humanity, it wasn't until about 500 BCE | | | | it to be infectious. While rheumatoid arthritis can |
| that people discovered a way to relieve the | | | | be treated with anti-inflammatories and analgesics, |
| primary symptom of arthritis: pain. Through one | | | | Xenobiotic agents are the only known treatment |
| method or another, some bright soul discovered | | | | known to stunt the disease's progressions. |
| that willow bark relieved aches and joint stiffness, | | | | Gout is another type of arthritis, and is caused |
| and this became the primary reagent in elixirs and | | | | primarily my poor diet, where one consumes too |
| potions for centuries. It wasn't until the early | | | | many high purine foods, and not enough vitamin C |
| 1800's when the scientific community isolated the | | | | and vitamin B complex. Gout manifests itself |
| pain killer Salicin from the tree bark. Unfortunately, | | | | through the swelling of joints on the hands and |
| salicin by itself irritates the stomach, so it wasn't | | | | feet, and often causes a large painful lump to |
| until 1897, when a dye company called The Bayer | | | | appear on one's big toe. |
| Company found a way to use Salicin without it | | | | Arthritis, although it exists in hundreds of forms, |
| being noxious. The resulting product was | | | | always has one common symptom: joint pain and |
| trademarked as Aspirin. | | | | stiffness. With common symptoms come |
| Arthritis comes in hundreds of individual forms, as | | | | common cures. Canes, walkers, and braces are all |
| it is a generic word for a specific type of ailment. | | | | simple solutions that take the pressure off of an |
| One of the most common forms of arthritis is | | | | arthritic joint and help afflicted people move about |
| called Osteoarthritis (Osteo means "Relating to | | | | in relative freedom. Bad arthritic conditions are |
| bones.") This type of arthritis is also referred to | | | | sometimes treated with corrective surgery. |
| as Arhrosis, and in more colloquial terms, | | | | Not all arthritis is chronic and incurable, as its |
| "wear-and-tear arthritis." A study in 2001 states | | | | reputation lets on, and it can, nine times out of |
| that over 80% of the U.S. population will show | | | | ten, have its progression slowed through proper |
| signs of Osteoarthritis by age 65. Osteoarthritis is | | | | diet, exercise, and discretion in one's daily |
| the natural result of aging, though it can also | | | | activities. |
| occur through damage to the joints. | | | | |