Arthritis is often mistakenly thought of as simply joint pain or rheumatism, but this understanding is not accurate. Arthritis is a general term for a group of inflammatory diseases that affect the joints. It is characterized by inflammatory signs in the joints, such as redness, swelling, heat, pain, and dysfunction, or by pathological changes in the various tissues that constitute the joint, such as degeneration, exudation, and hyperplasia. To prevent arthritis, in addition to keeping warm and maintaining good health, attention to diet is also necessary for better prevention and treatment.
6 Foods That May Worsen Arthritis Symptoms
1. Excessively Acidic and Salty Foods: Consuming too many acidic foods like peanuts, white liquor, white sugar, as well as chicken, duck, fish, meat, and eggs can cause the body's pH value to temporarily rise above normal. This increases lactic acid secretion and depletes certain ions like calcium and magnesium in the body, thereby worsening symptoms. Similarly, eating salty foods like pickled vegetables, salted eggs, and salted fish can increase sodium ions in the body, aggravating the patient's symptoms.
2. High-Fat Foods: During the oxidation process in the body, fat produces ketones. Excessive ketones can have a strong irritating effect on the joints. Therefore, patients should not eat too many high-fat foods such as whole milk and fatty meat. When cooking or making soups, it is advisable to use less oil.
3. Seafood: Patients should avoid eating scaleless fish and seafood such as catfish, loach, eel, kelp, sea cucumber, sea fish, and sea shrimp. These contain uric acid, which, after being absorbed by the body, can form urate crystals in the joints, worsening joint symptoms.
4. Reduce intake of sugars and fats, avoid fried foods, and use less oil when cooking. Choose low-fat or skim milk. Try to eat ice cream as little as possible.
5. Tea, coffee, citrus fruits, and dairy products may also worsen symptoms for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
6. For patients with signs of damp-heat, alcohol consumption is not advisable. Alcohol is considered "hot" and can injure the liver, while its "dampness" can harm the spleen. If combined with "hot" herbs like Aconite, Cinnamon Bark, or Asarum, it can worsen internal heat, swelling, and pain. Long-term use of painkillers, which irritate the gastrointestinal tract, is often required. Alcohol can further irritate the stomach and intestines, increasing the side effects of these medications.
6 Foods That Can Relieve Arthritis Symptoms
1. Foods that invigorate blood, unblock collaterals, expel wind, and relieve pain, such as snake and insect dishes, can be cooked or consumed as a wine浸泡 (tincture). They can relieve local redness, swelling, heat, and pain, and also help prevent the condition from spreading to other joints.
2. A variety of vegetables and fruits can meet the body's needs for vitamins, trace elements, and fiber. They also improve metabolism and have the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling, and relieving pain, thereby alleviating local redness, swelling, heat, and pain.
3. Foods like mushrooms and black fungus can boost the human immune system and help alleviate symptoms such as local redness, swelling, heat, and pain.
4. Foods like bitter melon, bitter herbs, purslane, and loofah have the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, which can help relieve local fever and pain.
5. Consuming iron-rich foods can help prevent anemia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. These include animal livers and bone broth; green leafy vegetables like spinach, tomatoes, Malan head, shepherd's purse, rape, and amaranth; and fruits like red dates, peaches, plums, apricots, and oranges.
6. Eating pork, beef, mutton, and bone broth can help expel cold and dampness. Foods and medicinal herbs like snake meat, dog meat, eel, Millettia, Aconite, Cinnamon Twig, Asarum, Astragalus, Red Sage Root, Polygonatum, and Ligusticum have the effects of nourishing qi and blood, benefiting the liver and kidneys, and expelling wind and dampness.