One of the things that I don’t often talk about is a little thing called arthritis. The kind of arthritis that I have is like a tag-a-long to my thyroid disease and very much connected to the fun world of auto-immune disorders. I am lucky that when my thyroid is ok I am not really aware of any extra joint pain from rheumatoid arthritis. (and in case you are wondering, my thyroid levels have been helped tremendously by monitoring and medication)
My Grandmother had arthritis and now Mother battles it. I have seen both women wince in pain from the simplest of movement. Cold weather is especially hard on my Mom right now (it is the only reason I will hate on cold weather because I hate how it triggers joint pain in my Mom).
I’m telling you all of this because I care about you. And I care about the people in your family that are dealing with arthritis. This friday is World Arthritis Day. Observed every year on Oct. 12 since 1996, World Arthritis Day is part of a global awareness initiative by the United Nations-endorsed Bone and Joint Decade. That means it is a day for educating, a day to help each other with resources, and a day to share our stories.
The number of people who are battling arthritis is staggering. One in every five adults is dealing with it and it is the nation’s leading cause of disability.
Arthritis.org has teamed up with the Ad Council to bring you a site all about fighting arthritis pain. It is packed with resources, inspirational stories, a quiz to see if you are at risk, and ways that you can get involved if you want to help others.
If you decide to share your arthritis story you can connect with all of us on twitter at #WorldArthritisDay
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
My grandmother suffered with arthritis and my mother has a severe case, as well. I have De Quervain Tenosynovitis (which is currently flaring up, not a good thing for a writer!), which is affecting more of my hand and wrist as I get older, plus biceps tendonitis, and I have no doubt I will eventually have arthritis. Thank you for the heads up about World Arthritis Day. Everything else that happens this month (including Domestic Violence Awareness and Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness) often gets pink-washed in the breast cancer awareness campaign, and it’s refreshing to see some attention paid to another worthy and notable cause.
I hope there’s something on there about dietary choices. For some people, a gluten intolerance can lead to arthritis, or arthritis-type pains. For others, it might be the chemicals in artificial sweeteners. Or dairy. If they really want to help fight arthritis pain, then they should at least mention testing for food issues and/or elimination diets. I’m discovering I have a lot more immune weirdness and food intolerances than I used to realize and finding out that even autoimmune issues can be linked to food. [I tried to view the site, but when I tried to click on tips it said my version of IE was too old.] But, you know, suggesting that people go gluten free doesn’t make any money for the pharmaceutical industry, so I’m not hopeful that they’re spreading that sort of information.
I didn’t remember there being any mention of diet/food on their site so I just did a scan and you are right – there wasn’t anything there. You bring up some really good points and you should message the arthritis site and suggest they add some suggestions. I am learning so often that food and diet is connected to how I FEEL.
Actually, I ate a good amount of bread last night. I’m going to have some allergy/immune testing done on Friday and haven’t had gluten for a while, so I wanted to make sure any potential gluten antibodies show up. Within 2 hours, I had arthritis pains in the knuckles in my hands and feet. 2 hours! And I’d never even noticed that before as an issue for me with gluten – I thought it was all GI issues. So now I know I get arthritis-type pain from diet coke and bread. I did some googling yesterday for arthritis and gluten, and found SOME official-looking sites reporting on research. But nothing in their main info. pages?? Grr.
I read Wheat-Free Belly a few months ago, and it strengthened my decision to be as wheat-free as possible. I was starting to experience joint pains in my hands in the last year or so. Since going gluten-free in January? Not a twinge. Unless I fall off the gluten wagon for a couple of days in a row. Anecdotal, I know. But it’s definitely working for me.
I also read Wheat Belly! I feel so much better now.
That was it – Wheat Belly! Thanks Sarah.
I have osteoarthritis, and it’s really not fun. The pain in my joints when it gets humid or cold, the stiffness when I try to move–yeah. And yet I know I’m a lot better off than a lot of people. I remember watching my grandmother’s gnarled hands, and trying to imagine what she felt.