Years of constant use eventually takes its toll on your joints. You end up with pain, limited movement and stiffness upon arising in bed. Joints that are commonly affected are the knees, hips, hands, elbows and shoulders. Although other joints, among those mentioned, may experience the same symptoms as well.

If one day you feel some pain and tenderness at a particular joint of your body, you may be suffering from arthritis. While it can affect people in the older age bracket, it can, in fact, affect anyone at any age. Arthritis simply means inflammation of the joints. Of course where there is swelling, there’s also pain.

The most commonly known type of arthritis is called osteoarthritis. This is due to the wear and tear of cartilage in the joints, usually because of overuse through time. Cartilage acts as your joint’s cushion – it helps in easeful movement. Damage it and movement becomes excruciating. There are hundreds more types of arthritis. And it keeps growing as more and more are discovered by medicine.

When afflicted with arthritis, joint pain and inflammation need to be eased to achieve normal physical functioning. People suffering from it scramble for arthritis remedies. Usually, the first defense is by taking analgesics – paracetamol, ibuprofen, NASIDs and others – to get rid of the pain and swelling. But of course they do come with side effects. For severe ones, cortisone injections or even surgery is done.

However, there are many natural means of dealing with arthritis. For repairing the wear and tear incurred by the joints, glucosamine is taken. Glucosamine is naturally produced by the body, but in minimal amounts. Supplements containing the substance are mainly derived from animal sources. These include crabs, oysters and other shellfish.

For vegans or those with allergies to such food sources, there’s vegetarian glucosamine. This type comes from vegetable sources. Through a special fermentation process, the glucosamine contents may be extracted. It can also be easily absorbed in the intestines, providing an effective alternative to one that’s derived from shellfish.

The alkaline diet also helps in alleviating the signs and symptoms of arthritis. The diet involves consumption of only fruits and vegetables. Alkaline rich, they are able to offset excessive acidity in the body. You see, too much acid is linked to a variety of diseases. And it includes arthritis. The alkaline diet also helps in boosting your immune system, as the recommended foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.