When we speak of bone health, calcium is usually the hero of the story. However, by itself, calcium is not enough for healthy bones. Vitamin D is equally important for healthy bones and the prevention of orthopedic conditions.

What does Vitamin D do?
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium from the food being eaten. It also controls the calcium and phosphate levels in the body. This is critical for the growth and development of new bones. Vitamin D also controls how much calcium and phosphates are being expelled by the body. In this way, vitamin D helps strengthen the bones and improve overall bone health.

Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D is not commonly found in food. It is present only in certain types of oily fishes, egg yolks and mushrooms. Most of the vitamin D we eat comes from fortified cereals, breads and dairy products. The sun is an important source of vitamin D but exposing yourself to too much sunlight could cause various skin problems. Thus, vitamin D deficiency is very common. When it comes to bone health, vitamin D deficiency can cause low-density bones. This, in turn, can cause rickets and osteoporosis. People with vitamin D deficiency are likely to suffer frequent fractures. Vitamin D deficiency can also cause skeletal deformities such as bow legs and a stooped spine.

Vitamin D and Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a musculoskeletal condition that is marked by low bone density. Studies have shown that people with osteoporosis have lower levels of vitamin D as compared to others. Some studies also suggest that fractures are more common in winter as compared to summer. The winter sun is often hazy and many days can go by without strong sunlight. Thus it can be inferred that people do not get their required quota of vitamin D from the sunlight in winters leading to a deficiency and aggravated osteoporosis-related fractures.

Who is most susceptible to bone conditions caused by vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D deficiency is a very common condition across the globe. Some surveys have claimed that approximately 30% of the global population suffers from vitamin D deficiency. People with dark skin, women and elderly people are most susceptible to this deficiency. People suffering from kidney diseases may also be affected by vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D supplements are usually very helpful in combatting this deficiency. These can be taken by young children as well as adults.

Relation Between Vitamin D Deficiency And Bone Problems!

People who suffer from arthritis are more likely to experience osteoarthritis symptoms. The intensity of the feeling of knee pain in winter is often linked to barometric pressure. In winter, there is a reduction in the pressure exerted by the air around us. This drop in pressure can cause the tissues around the joints to swell resulting in increased pain. The other possible cause of knee pain in winter can be explained from the influence of heat. Fluid in tissues becomes more viscous during winter. As a result of this increased viscosity, the elasticity of the muscles decreases, resulting in winter aches and pains. 
Some scientists believe that the higher pain intensity in winter is to be more of a psychological thing. Seasonal affective disorder is more during winter, and people suffering from mental depression seem to sense more pain during winter as the weather restricts outdoor activities. Improper intake of food also causes knee pain in winter due to undigested material. Even though winter arthritis is uncomfortable, the following tips help to make the joints work better and make you withstand the season easier.

Tips to Manage Joint Pain in Winters

Physical activity in winter can reduce winter aches and pains and enhance overall health benefits. Low impact activities like aerobics, swimming in a heated pool, weight training, and riding a stationary bicycle can reduce stiffness, increase the blood flow, and support the knees. Thus, winter arthritis can be well managed by doing exercises.
Diet also plays a vital role. Eating a balanced diet that comprised of low saturated fat, lean proteins, more fiber, and refined carbs helps to improve body functions during the winter. Drinking water throughout the day helps to reduce winter aches and pains. It is essential to consume easily digestible foods like vegetables. Consuming vegetables like carrots and cucumbers that have diuretic properties can help to eliminate waste products from the body.
Vitamin D deficiency may worsen osteoarthritis. It is necessary to take a supplement vitamin D or ensure to make your diet is vitamin-D rich. Fish oil is a potent source of omega 3 fatty acids. Increase your intake of milk, a rich source of protein and calcium that help to strengthen the bones. Exposing the body to sunlight help to obtain vitamin D.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen can be used to reduce inflammation and pain. Injecting a viscous substance can decrease the friction of the bones and ease the condition.
Home Remedies for Knee Pain in Winters

Wrap the inflamed knees with blanched cabbage leaves. This can cool down inflamed knees.  Aloe vera also helps to reduce inflammation.
Comfrey (symphytum officinale) can act as an anti-inflammatory agent. Create a compress using mashed root or comfrey tea soaked bandages can also be used to reduce inflammation.
Applying an ice-pack can help to reduce swelling and alleviate winter aches and pains. While applying ice-pack, ensure to cover the entire knee. Applying a bag of frozen peas to the area also works well. While using ice or heat therapy, make sure to do them carefully as over agressive and over doing it, can cause problems. 
Steam therapy also helps to reduce pain in your knees. Soak your knee in a steaming hot water for 15 minutes. Applying hot water bag also can relieve knee pain in winter effectively.
Winter aches and pains all over the body can be relieved by administrating massage therapy by a professional.
Avoid applying strain or pressure on your knees. Take adequate amount of rest to reduce pain and swelling.
These are basic guidelines to help you. Contact your doctor for further management.

Tips For Managing Joint Pain in Winter

Joint pain is considered to be one of the first few signs of aging. According to the science of Ayurveda, joint pain is triggered mainly by an accumulation of toxins in the body. These toxins can create an imbalance in the doshas which in turn can cause pain and inflammation on the joints. Along with joint pain, a person is likely to experience a loss of flexibility, weakness, tenderness and enlargement of the joints.

Unlike some popular forms of medication that focus on relieving the pain, Ayurveda addresses the root cause of the issue. Panchkarma aims at cleansing the body of toxins and clearing blockages in the body s digestive and circulatory system. This helps the vatta dosha flow easily through the body and reduces pain associated with arthritis etc. Panchkarma can be defined as a collection of five ayurvedic techniques. These are:

Vasti or Medicated Enema: Vasti aims at removing toxins and waste products from the body through the colon. In doing this, it cleanses the digestive channels and improves circulation of air or the vatta dosha in the body. With better circulation, joint pain is effectively reduced. An enema also nourishes the body and gives it the strength to rebuild tissues while boosting the immune system.
Abhyanga or Full Body Massage: This technique helps I the removal of toxins from deep tissues within the body. It pacifies the vatta and nourishes the body while simultaneously reducing stress and enabling better quality sleep. A full body massage also helps calm the body both physically and mentally.
Potli or Poultice Massage: As the name suggests, a potli involves massaging the body with medicated herbs tied together in a tiny bundle that has been warmed with medicated oils. This potli is then used to massage the entire body. This technique helps relax the muscles of the body and soothes the aggravated vatta dosha. It is very effective when it comes to providing relief from joint pains caused by arthritis, spondylitis, muscle cramps etc.
Pizhichil or Rich Oil Massage: A rich oil massage involves subjecting the body to streams of lukewarm oil that has medicinal properties while simultaneously softly massaging the body. This type of massage helps relieve tension and stress and is a very effective remedy against joint pains. It is highly recommended in the case of rheumatic diseases.
Svedana or Steam Bath: A steam bath helps cleanse the body both physically and mentally by aiding in the removal of toxins through sweat and calming the mind. It also helps soften the muscles and tissues and dilates the channels in the body.

Joint Pain - How Panchkarma Therapies Can Help You?

Hot and Cold therapy is one of the most popular home remedies for any kind of joint pain or muscle sprain. In some cases applying heat therapy and cold therapy alternatively, can help relieve the pain while for others only one form of therapy is necessary. To understand what to use when, one should first understand the effect of heat and cooling on the body.

Applying a heat pack or immersing the affected limb in hot water improves blood circulation and makes the muscles more flexible. Thus, it can help relax a muscle and fasten the healing of damaged tissues. On the other hand, cold therapy or cryotherapy reduces blood flow to the affected site. This helps relieve inflammation and pain caused by it. It can also make the area feel numb by reducing nerve activity temporarily.

Types of Heat Therapy
Heat therapy can be categorized as dry heat and moist heat. Dry heat involves using saunas or dry heating packs to relieve pain. This is also known as conducted heat therapy. As the name suggests, moist heat involves the use of steamed towels, hot baths and moist heating packs. This is also known as convection heat therapy. Moist heat is usually considered more effective than dry heat.

Types of Cold Therapy
Cold therapy may be applied to a part of the body or to the entire body. This includes ice packs, coolant sprays, ice baths, ice massages and whole body, cold therapy chambers.

How to use heat and cold therapy?
The sooner heat and cold therapy is given to a person, the faster they will recover from their pains. Heat therapy can be given to a person for extended periods of time but when giving cold therapy, a person should not be exposed to a cold pack or ice bath for more than 10-15 minutes. Care should also be taken no to apply ice or a frozen pack directly on the skin as it can damage the skin and nerves.

When not to use Heat Therapy?
If the injury site is swollen or bruised, cold therapy is better than heat therapy. Heat therapy should also not be applied to an open wound. People suffering from conditions such as diabetes, dermatitis, deep vein thrombosis, vascular diseases and multiple sclerosis should also avoid heat therapy as these conditions can increase the risk of burns and other such complications. Pregnant women should also consult a doctor before using a hot tub or sauna.

When not to use Cold Therapy?
Cold therapy is avoidable for treating stiff joints and muscles. People suffering from poor circulation and sensory disorders should also avoid using cold therapy without a doctor s supervision. 

Hot & Cold Therapy - How It Can Treat Pain?

Pain in the joints continues to bug mankind till this very day. There are different types of joint pains, which might occur all of a sudden, with no signs of receding. The most common of them all are arthritis, tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, back pain and repetitive muscular strain. These joint pains are sometimes impossible to diagnose properly by the regular modes of diagnosis. In those cases, resorting to the homeopathic mode of medication might be a good idea as it is a medication based on treating the actual cause of the disease and sustained use might result in complete remission of the pain.

Some commonly used homeopathic medications for pain in the joints are as follows:
1. Rhus Tox: This is the most commonly used in homeopathic preparation for severe joint pains, the symptoms of which include severe pain after relaxation, pain triggered by slightly wet weather and pain after walking or running for a long time.

2. Arnica Montana: When the symptoms are pain in every joint of the body resulting in body aches and pertaining injuries due to accidents, Arnica Montana serves as the perfect medication.

3. Actea Spicata: This medicine is primarily used as a remedy for pains in the small joints of the hands. The symptoms for which the medication can be implemented are rheumatoid arthritis in the joints of the finger and swollen wrists after usage of the hand.

4. Colchium: This medicine can be used in case of Rheumatoid Arthritis (inflammatory and chronic form of arthritis).

5. Bryonia Alba: This medication can work wonders if the symptoms include severe pain in the knee joints while walking, severe swollen joints and osteoarthritis (affects the flexible tissues present at the bone ends).

However, it is always advisable to take medication as prescribed by your doctor, as the potency and frequency can only be decided by your doctor.

Homeopathic Treatment for Pain in the Joints

Taking into account the hectic lifestyle we lead, most of us end up suffering from aches and pains. But that does not mean we have to continue to suffer from them. There are plenty of easy exercises that one can follow in order to keep themselves healthy and problem free!

In order to avoid aches and pains, the first thing that a person needs to do is 

Practice hamstring stretches regularly: What this entails is that he or she needs to lie on the back, raise a leg and hold the back of it with both hands. While it may be called the hamstring stretch and one would probably normally think that the beneficial impact of doing it would be limited to the hamstring, it works quite a bit of special magic which has an ability to ease the pain in the lower back. Now, for an exercise which is so simple, is it not worth it?
Side Stretch: Talking about stretches, another form of a stretch happens to be the side stretch. Even this is rather simple and all that needs to be done is to lie on one s side and pull the ankle of the leg which is not in contact with the ground towards the back. While this is being done, the ankle of the lower leg should apply pressure on the thigh.
Straight leg raise: It may seem that most of the exercises which reduce pain are stretches! However, this is not really the case as there is a place for exercises such as the straight leg raise and the like. What exactly is the straight leg raise? Well, it can be done when a person is either in a sitting position or is lying on his or her back. The toes are to be kept pointed upwards and the leg is to be raised. It is to be kept in mind that the challenge of the straight leg raise is that the knee should not be bent, at all.
The cat and camel exercise: The terms cat and camel generally refer to members of the animal kingdom. However, jointly, in terms of exercises, the cat and camel is an exercise well worth remembering as it can save the individual quite a lot of pain. All that needs to be done is to alternatively arch one s back towards the floor and the ceiling while resting on one s hands and knees.
While our way of living may come with certain side-effects ,but it would not be right to say that we are helpless. We need to take charge and make little changes to enjoy a healthy and happy lifestyle.

4 Easy Exercises for Aches And Pains

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