Of course, people only get interested and motivated, once their joints become troublesome.

Sometimes, even then, they don’t necessarily heed the wake up call as they may well be lacking in education. Once joints become troublesome the chances are that the spiral of worsening arthritis is already in motion. The effort to manage the deteriorating joint is then about breaking the spiral and, over time, even reversing it so that you get back to being mobile and pain free.

Arthritis, gingivitis, heart disease and psoriasis are conditions that affect very different parts of the body, yet they all have something in common: and that is inflammation. What’s more, inflammation is now thought to play a role in dozens of other conditions, from allergies, asthma, bowel disease and even with the degeneration of our eyes and our memory.

Inflammation is your immune system’s first reaction against infection, and it is a very effective one. When a thorn cuts through the skin on your finger, damaging tissue and allowing invaders like bacteria into your body, your immune system goes to work immediately, sending out many different types of specialized cells, each with their own action. Mast cells - specialized immune cells - release histamine, along with other immune messengers known as cytokines, to alert your body to the problem. Histamine increases blood flow to the injured area, promoting redness and swelling. Macrophages which are the “large eating cells”, found predominantly in connective tissue and the skin, then enter the fray; they also secrete immune messengers, destroy the bacteria and clean up damaged cells. It’s a bit like sending in the cavalry. Other immune cells travel to the area, intensifying the battle, and as the area is cleared, then more cells arrive to begin the healing process.

The injured area often becomes hot, red, swollen and painful. The heat is produced by the increased blood flow to the injured area. Redness occurs because the battle and repair processes are underway. And the area usually becomes swollen because of all the fluid and immune cells at the site. Pain is often the first indicator of inflammation. It makes you take notice and stop moving the affected area to prevent further injury. Think about your last sunburn: how your skin was hot to the touch, swollen and painful. Think about how your gums became inflamed when you flossed too aggressively. Or think about your body’s response to an insect bite - these are all signs of inflammation that you can see.

Inflammation is an effective way of ensuring that invaders do not enter your body and create havoc, but when it becomes low-grade and chronic, your immune system’s army stays revved up and damages healthy tissues in the crossfire. Scientists are realizing that this life-saving process, designed to ward off bacteria, viruses and parasites, creates disease when it’s left unchecked. It leads to the painful and damaging inflammation that attacks joints, organs or arteries.

Stress, bacteria, viruses, parasites, environmental poisons, certain foods, smoking, high blood-insulin levels and obesity are just a few of the factors that promote inflammation. The fact that we are living a lot longer than our ancestors did may also be contributing to inflammation for as we age, our ability to shut off the inflammatory process often weakens.

There are many different types of arthritis and conditions affecting muscles, ligaments and bones. Historically many arthritic conditions were treated by dietary change from the early part of this century onward. This was true for both conventional medical practitioners and naturopaths. The last fifty years has seen the development of many drugs - anti-inflammatory agents, steroids, immune-altering drugs and others. These are effective but often only partially so, and frequently cause side-effects.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a common type of chronic arthritis where there is much swelling and pain in both small and large joints. The hands, especially the large knuckle joints, are most commonly affected and this usually involves both sides in a symmetrical pattern.

The joint swelling, which is often warm to the touch, is due to considerable inflammation of the synovium, a thin layer of tissue surrounding many joints, responsible for the production of the lubricating synovial fluid. In rheumatoid arthritis much of the swelling is due to an increase in this fluid.

There are antibodies which, instead of being directed at infecting organisms, are actually directed at each other. The “fight” as it were takes place mainly in the joints and involves many other inflammatory chemicals: the equivalent of the body’s police. The real question is what triggered this fracas in the first place, and why it becomes so chronic.

Possible triggers are infections, food allergies and genetic factors. About 1 per cent of the population world-wide suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, with women being three times more likely than men to suffer. The commonest age of onset is in the forties, with it being more likely to start in the winter months.

Rheumatoid arthritis is often a long-term condition and usually a conventional or complementary treatment will relieve symptoms.

Osteoarthritis is the other main common type of arthritis where there is loss of the protective surface of cartilage over the ends of bones, with subsequent changes to the underlying bone. This usually involves an increase in the amount of bone, leading to swelling and distortion of the joint, most easily seen in the joints at the ends of the fingers and in the knees. As well as these joints, the hips, base of the thumbs and the spine are commonly affected.

Age is the main risk factor for osteoarthritis, with some 10 per cent of the over-sixties being affected. Osteoarthritis of the fingers is more common in women, and is particularly likely to run in families. Obesity is strongly linked to osteoarthritis of the knee and to a lesser extent of the hip. This type of arthritis is often considered as a degenerative disease which slowly evolves over many years rather than one where there is a clear-cut trigger to the inflammatory process as in rheumatoid arthritis.

Although there is no cure for osteoarthritis, there are, however, many ways to control or lessen the pain and reduce the degree of disability. The website www.keepingyourjointshealthy.com is a great resource site for information that deciphers the many natural supplements people are taking to stop these degenerative diseases and reduce the pain associated with troublesome joints.