Don't be disabled by arthritis!

Do you experience constant pain, swelling, and stiffness in your hands, feet, and joints? Are you afraid of doing the things you’ve always wanted to do because of this? Is the pain so severe and terrible that it’s affecting your private and social life?

If you answered "yes" to the above questions, then you probably have arthritis, a group of diseases that affects people of all ages. Arthritis simply means joint inflammation but it is a word that has brought pain and suffering to millions of people worldwide. Over 40 million – or one in six people - in the United States have arthritis. That number is expected to reach 60 million by the year 2020 according to the US National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

There are about a hundred different forms of arthritis but the most common form is osteoarthritis that affects over 20 million people in the United States alone. This form of arthritis is usually related to aging (the reason it’s called wear-and-tear arthritis or degenerative joint disease) but it can also result from injury or obesity.

Another common form is rheumatoid arthritis that affects over two million Americans. This is an autoimmune disease where the person’s own immune system attacks joint cells leading to possible deformity and disability.

Just how crippling is arthritis? The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said arthritis is the most widespread crippling disability in the United States today, second only to heart disease as a cause of work disability. Arthritis is responsible for 44 million physician visits annually and 750,000 hospitalizations a year. It accounts for 427 million days of restricted activities, 156 million days in bed and 45 million days lost in work annually. All in all, the total cost of medical care and lost wages due to arthritis exceeds $80 billion a year.

The CDC added that millions of adults are disabled by arthritis that limits vital activities like:
• Walking 1/4 mile - 6 million;
• Stooping/bending/kneeling - 7.8 million;
• Climbing stairs - 4.8 million; and
• Social activities like church and family gatherings - 2.1 million.

"Persons with doctor-diagnosed arthritis have significantly worse health-related quality of life than those without arthritis. These people report more than twice as many unhealthy days and three times as many days with activity limitations in the past month than those without arthritis," said the editors of the Journal of Rheumatology.

Because of the limitations imposed by arthritis, many people are unable to live and function normally and this results in feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, loneliness, and depression.

While there is no cure for arthritis, the good news is you don’t have to live with the pain and misery that accompany the disease. There are many medications that can ease your suffering and help you live a normal life. One safe and effective brand is Flexcerin, a powerful drug that strikes at the heart of arthritis pain without the nasty and sometimes dangerous side effects of other pain-relieving drugs. When taken as directed, Flexcerin lubricates stiff joints, helps reduce pain and inflammation, improves blood supply to the joints, and restores and rebuilds worn joints so you can live life to the fullest. For more information, visit http://www.flexcerin.com.

Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com.