Abundant Life with John Arts | abundant.co.nz

The odds of winning Lotto and Powerball in NZ are about one in 38 million. The chance of getting knee osteoarthritis is just under 50%.

OA usually starts decades before you notice that first twinge in your knee, hip or that your fingers are stiffening.  OA can also progress quickly after joint trauma.

Unfortunately, we rarely look at the actual causes to understand the disease process. OA is a disease characterised by cartilage loss. The purpose of cartilage is to allow for smooth joint function and to protect the ends of bones acting like a shock absorber. Cartilage appears to be lifeless tissue, but it is not. It is living tissue that is maintained by special cells called chondrocytes.

The main function of chondrocytes is to make and excrete cartilage matrix to repair damage cartilage. They are amazing cells, but they are vulnerable to damage by free radicals and destructive enzymes. Damaged chondrocytes are less able to maintain cartilage. OA is characterised by the damage and death of chondrocytes.

There are several compounds we obtain from supplements that can help chondrocytes resist damage and produce or maintain cartilage. By far the most important is chondroitin sulphate. This is because adding chondroitin stimulates chondrocytes to produce cartilage matrix and protects them from free radicals, destructive enzymes and inflammation.

Combining high grade chondroitin with glucosamine and 100% water soluble curcumin from turmeric can be very beneficial, especially when combined with an anti-inflammatory diet. Email me for a copy of my Osteoarthritis programme.

John Arts (Adv.Dip.Nut.Med) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health Ltd. For questions or advice contact John on 0800 423559 or email: john@abundant.co.nz. Join his newsletter at www.abundant.co.nz