Osteoarthritis is a disease of the joint cartilage and bone, thought to result from continuous "wear and tear" on a joint and with no known cause. There are other types of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, congenital arthritis with congenital defects, the congenital ankylosing spondilitis and other disorders. Arthritic joints usually appear larger, are stiff and painful, and usually feel worse throughout the day the more they are used. And osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. When people use the word 'arthritis' they usually mean osteoarthritis.

Cartilage contains a high percentage of water, but that decreases with age. The joints are uniquely designed to provide flexibility, support, stability, and protection. The combination of the collagen meshwork and high water content tightly bound by proteoglycans creates a resilient, slippery pad in the joint, which resists the compression between bones during any muscle movement.

The first step in arthritis is to change your diet to a diet of raw foods that is living foods or plant foods, preferably uncooked; predominately fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. When I started eating this way from the standard American diet, my arthritis pains disappeared quickly -- within two weeks. After eight years of eating this way, I still have no arthritis pain.

Some people enjoy making a ginger tea, by adding a thin slice or two of fresh gingerroot to hot, but not boiling pure filtered water, steep for a couple of minutes; some people report it's helpful as an arthritis treatment.

Try rubbing or massaging your fingers or other affected joints with organic. virgin coconut oil once or twice a day. Many people have reported to me that going off of dairy products and all foods containing gluten, like wheat, rye, barley, spelt, triticale and kamut, relieved them of arthritis pain entirely. Some of the inflammatory foods and beverages to avoid are inflammatory are: salt, caffeine, meat, dairy products, additives, soft drinks, sugar, white flour, white rice, alcoholic beverages, fast food, processed vegetable oils, trans fats, and refined, packaged and processed food.

Some people swear by a morning cup of pure, filtered hot water with a teaspoon or so of Bragg's raw apple cider vinegar and raw farm honey not raw store honey, to keep them free of any arthritis pain. Some people say that glucosamine and/or chondroitin helps and others say they didn't help at all.

Some supplements commonly reported for relieving arthritis pain are: cherry powder, glucosamine, chondroitin, bromelain, grapeseed extract, omega-3 and omega-6, cod liver oil, manganese ascorbate, MSM, boron, niacinamide, pantothenic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E. I don't know if any of these actually work.

Many people say that cherry extracts, cherry concentrate, especially tart cherries or Montmorency cherries, and dried tart cherries with no sugar, have completely rid them of their arthritis pain and possibly cured them as well.

If you have arthritic hands- keep a basket of arthritic treatment aids handy (Thera-putty, hand grips, Taiji Chinese chime balls, etc.) to use at bedtime or while you're watching television. Exercise all of your affected and unaffected joints every day, to keep them flexible. If weight is an issue for you, try to use exercises that will help you with both your arthritis and in weight loss, such as walking. At bedtime you can try putting on a pair of stretch gloves to help reduce the pain and swelling in your fingers if you have arthritic hands. One doctor I know used to sleep in a sleeping bag and raved about how it relieved his arthritis pain.

Your body has 147 joints that are in motion each and every day so keep them moving! Slow stretching and warming up the joints should be the first step in any exercise routine to make your joints more flexible. Be careful in the morning because you may need an hour or more of moving around a bit first. Start by moving your arms and legs around while you're in bed for a few minutes before you get out of bed. Having a good exercise routine will help beat arthritis pain so keep moving.

When you become completely informed about your type of arthritis you'll be able to plan your own arthritis treatment program, natural or conventional or a combination. Be aware that using pain relievers like NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors do not stop the progression of osteoarthritis. Medications or drugs used for arthritis pain can cause ulcers, heart disease, liver or kidney damage. Some people with severe arthritis actually get addicted to pain killers.

When you know all that you can about arthritis and osteoarthritis and what you can do for pain relief it'll help contribute to your relief of arthritis pain and possibly help you get rid of arthritis forever. Your treatment plan could include an anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritis diet, plenty of movement, exercise, and always a positive mental attitude. Begin your treatment program now with a healthy diet change, the right exercise and best weight loss plan to see quick results and arthritis pain relief.