As we grow older it is not uncommon to suffer joint pains. In fact, by the age of thirty most people experience at least one chronic or recurring form of joint pain, usually in their lower back, neck, knees, or hands.
By the time we are entering our fifties we will have a few such pains, and they will probably be more painful, and present for longer, than they were when we were younger.
There are a few reasons for these pains, some of which we can address at any stage in our lives by engaging in preventative habits, others which are important steps to take after the age of fifty to protect us against troubles we did not have in our thirties or forties.
The first steps are purely preventative, but even if you already have joint pain they can be good for reducing the effects and development of your condition.
First of all, you need to make sure you keep good posture. It is not good for us to slouch or slump, we already know this. But sitting and standing rigidly is not good for our health either. Make sure that when sitting or standing your joints are not at a right angle, but just below or above one. And make sure your weight is evenly distributed.
Next, don’t stay in the same position too long. Joints need to move to stay in good shape. So get up, pace, and stretch if you have been sitting a while. Practice yoga to improve mobility. And make sure to take weight off your body by getting enough time lying down, even if you are having trouble sleeping, on a supporting and comfortable bed.
For some this may mean something very soft, like memory foam, whereas for others what they need is a hard mattress or a futon on the floor. Try different types of beds and mattresses until you find the one that leaves you feeling relaxed and comfortable after a night’s sleep.
And, above all, stop doing anything if it hurts. A little sweating and discomfort is normal if you exercise, and staying in the exact same position for three hours is bound to glue your joints up, even in your twenties. But if you find a certain movement or piece of furniture hurts your joints instantly or within a few minutes, swap it for something that is better suited to your body.
However, as we grow older we become vulnerable to something which was not a problem before such as mineral deficiencies. This means that we could be doing everything right, and still our joints are suffering because we are not giving them the right materials to rebuild themselves.
In part, this is a lifelong buildup of deficiencies, as we rarely consume the right number of minerals in a normal diet due to the mass production of food in mineral deficient soil.
And, as we grow older we tend to eat less to compensate for a slower metabolism, and then digest less of what we eat because we are less able to properly digest what we do eat – we end up eating and absorbing even fewer minerals than ever before. The consequences are disastrous for our joins.
A deficiency in manganese can cause an impairment in growth of healthy cartilage, including the cartilage that cushions our joints. Although many of us supplement with glucosamine and other essential nutrients for cartilage, if we are not taking enough manganese it will not be utilized. Think of glucosamine as the bricks and manganese as the builder.
Lysyl oxidase is an enzyme which helps combine collagen and elastin to make connective tissue. The right combination of the two guarantees that our connective tissues, such as cartilage, will be strong, springy, and able to absorb shock and handle movements.
If we do not have enough lysyl oxidase, then our cartilage will be prone to wear and snapping. What is more, aneurisms are caused by the same wear and tear. Copper deficiency is the leading cause of lysyl oxidase deficiency.
Many arthritis sufferers live with a chronic selenium deficiency. Selenium is a rare powerful mineral antioxidant which prevents free radical damage and helps with inflammation and immune functions, providing much needed relief from swelling and pain.
