[senior citizen]

I recently read the below article by a young woman who has chosen to use acupuncture for her familial arthritis symptoms.............I can relate totally to her words.
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“”When genealogists put together their medical family tree, they tend to include information that points out which ancestors had certain kinds of cancer, or who had heart issues. You might also want to make a note of relatives who have arthritis.

Arthritis is something that seems to run in my family. I can remember my grandmother telling me when her arthritis was bothering her. As far as I can tell, it seems to have affected her mostly in her hands. Sometimes her joints would be visibly swollen.

Once, she told me that if she kept her hands doing something, like crocheting, that it would help prevent her fingers from becoming stiff. She crocheted a whole lot of blankets, which she would then give to relatives. She also enjoyed playing solitaire, which she did with actual cards, that required a person to physically shuffle them with their hands, instead of playing the game on a computer.

I remember being “warned” that I should expect to start feeling the arthritis shortly after I turned thirty. In addition to my grandmother, I was told about some other relatives who also had arthritis. If I remember correctly, my father’s arthritis affects him in his legs, which can get quite stiff if he sits still for too long a time period. I’m fairly certain that he mentioned which of his siblings also had arthritis. My grandmother who had arthritis is the mother of my father, and of his siblings. Therefore, it would appear that arthritis runs in my family.

Today, I am much closer to forty than I am to thirty. I have noticed that some of the joints in my hands have started swelling from time to time, just like my grandmother’s did. I suppose that I shouldn’t really be surprised by this, and that I should count myself as lucky that I have only noticed these symptoms fairly recently, (and not for nearly a decade). Still, I wondered if what I was experiencing truly were symptoms of arthritis, and not simply a side effect of being a writer who spends hours typing every day.

My family tended to choose to treat their arthritis by either complaining about them, or by finding ways to keep their affected joints moving. Other treatments include anything from medication, to surgery, to a certain amount of exercise. Personally, my plan is to use acupuncture as a treatment. It seems to be working pretty well so far. “”

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As all of us who do live in northern climates can attest to, when the temperatures drop and the cold weather sets in, our arthritic pain increases........especially when it is not only cold, but rainy, damp, icy, snowy , barometer falling, etc.
Sunshine and warmth seem to soothe the pain, as does a heating pad.

Some of us notice flare ups after eating any of he nightshade vegetables.

Osteo arthritis is also known as the wear and tear disease which leads to bone on bone conditions and is very painful. Athletics and work conditions can lead to this type.....

Likewise, rheumatoid arthritis which causes great stiffness, pain and lack of mobility, is an auto immune disease.........not caused by something you eat. Sometimes relief can be found by eliminating foods that contribute to inflammation.........but it's not a "what came first , the chicken or the egg" scenario.

Under the umbrella of R.A. are many types of auto immune diseases with joint pain, nodules and lack of mobility.

Just as arthritis tends to run in family groups, cancer also can run in family groups.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, from my own personal experience with close friends who all died of cancer (which ran in their families) irregardless of the healthiest of life styles, the Spartan diets of rabbit foods, the energetic exercise, long distance cycling, skiing, jogging, etc. they still died of cancer. So, sometimes it is just God's will if not our genetics.......
We can do everything "right" and still become ill.

It's simply a "fact of life" and to blame everything on food.........is nuts.
To deprive all of us of festive holiday meals to live a longer life, doesn't always work.
So, better to have some JOY in life.........no matter how long or short and not sweat every morsel that crosses our lips..............nuff said.

I come from a very long lived family of Italians who had that JOY.....didn't take drugs, etc.
I hope I have some of those genes left in me.......I like to think positively that I do.