Arthritis (Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation) is a degenerative disease which is a group of conditions that cause damage to the joints in our bodies. This degenerative disease is accompanied by pain, swelling, redness and stiffness. The most common are Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis, but there are actually over 300 different types of joint problems & aliments one can suffer from.
Rheumatoid Arthritis or RA is destructive on the joint tissue or the cartilage of the joint or the bone surface or all of these. RA usually begins to affect people after the age of thirty or forty; the condition can be inherited but has also been linked to oxidative stress. Oxidation has two definitions. The first is the addition of oxygen and the second definition is the loss of electrons. The first definition has to do with a chemical reaction in which oxygen is added to an element or compound; an example would be metal rusting.
Whereas the second definition is simply the process of losing electrons from a chemical element or compound, in other words, free radicals. Free Radicals being atoms or molecules missing an electron in its outer ring which make it unstable, because the free radical is unstable it will “steal” electrons from the nearby atoms in healthy cells which again creates a free radical and sets off a chain reaction of free radicals which results in destruction of cells and tissue.
This is where antioxidants like Vitamins C& E are beneficial because they donate electrons to stabilize the free radical and end its electron stealing from healthy cells. And, a Super Antioxidant has far more antioxidant power than vitamins C, E or even beta carotenes.
There are additional symptoms with Rheumatoid Arthritis which includes not only excruciating pain and/or swelling in the joints but also anemia, weight loss and fever. When there is extensive damage, the joints can actually fuse together as the body deposits the scar tissue in and around the effected joints. It has been noted that physical stress and/or emotional stress can trigger RA and aggravate it.
Osteoarthritis is found in older people and is characterized as the wearing away of the cartilage. Cartilage is the gristle or a white elastic substance which attaches one bone to another bone in joints. This cartilage provides a smooth surface to cushion the movement of the bones against each other where they meet in the joints. As this cartilage is worn away, the bones in the joint rub against each other in direct contact without any cushion to protect them and this is extremely painful. It has been noted that stiffness in the joints is accompanied by pain and inflammation after activity. Also damp or humid weather cause flare-ups for Osteoarthritis victims.
Our bodies don’t rust, at least not the way metal does; but the damage is similar as free radicals steal electrons from the atoms in healthy cells in the cartilage, as an example, which damages these cells and then damages the joint tissues and muscles, then finally the bones in the joints. Over time all this creates joint deformity as well as limits the joint mobility and function. According to the Arthritis Foundation some 46 million Americans in 2006 suffer with arthritis or chronic joint symptoms.
Antioxidants neutralize or combat free radicals by donating one of their own electrons, ending the electron-"stealing" chain reaction. Super Antioxidants are up to 550 times stronger than vitamin E
40 times stronger than beta-carotene in antioxidant power and the more the antioxidant power then the less free radicals; which means better health for you.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
