If you or someone you know suffers from Arthritis, a debilitating, painful disease, you know how much it can reduce quality of life. Painful, swollen and inflamed joints are the hallmark symptoms that present mostly on weight-bearing joints but can affect almost any part of your body. Arthritis can also affect anybody at any age, even children, but is mostly considered a disease of our older generation as it becomes more prevalent with increasing age.
The three most common types of arthritis are:
Osteoarthritis –
is the most common form, usually affecting those aged 50-plus but can also affect other ages. Presents with reduced cushioning of the joints due to cartilage degradation and also affects other parts of the joint including ligaments, lining, and muscles. Any joint can be affected but most often fingers, knees, hips, neck and lower back.
Higher risk categories are the overweight or those with a previous joint injury.
Rheumatoid arthritis –
is an auto-immune condition affecting 3x more women than men, and usually presents between the ages of 20-55. This inflammatory condition occurs when the body’s immune system incorrectly attacks the cells around the joints resulting in pain and swelling affecting mostly the hands, feet and wrists. With continued swelling the joint capsule is unable to hold the correct position leading to joint instability and damage. Whole-body inflammation (where other body systems are affected with inflammation) contributes to the pain, stiffness and fatigue found in those with RA. Quality of life is reduced as symptoms make doing daily activities difficult.
Gout arthritis –
is an arthritic condition resulting from the kidneys improperly filtering out uric acid. The excess in the body then forms crystals which deposit in the joints. Severe joint pain, swelling and redness arises suddenly, most commonly in the big toe, and progresses to other joints. Attacks are often short but continued episodes cause damage to the joints and often the kidneys. It can affect anyone and is linked to genetics, diet, weight, age, medications, existing kidney problems, and blood pressure.
Treatment options vary across presentations and include medication, diet, appropriate exercise movements, joint protection, stress management, hot/cold therapy, weight management and therapies.
How to reduce arthritis pain?
Studies have shown increasing omega-3 helps manage arthritic symptoms by reducing the inflammation associated with arthritis. Especially in Rheumatoid Arthritis where the immune system incorrectly attacks the tissue lining the joint capsules. This lining houses the fluid that nourishes and lubricates the joint. When this lining becomes irritated and inflamed, movement is restricted through pain, subsequent swelling and bone erosion.
IMMUNE SYSTEM
Omega-3s have been shown to influence immune activity by modulating the immune response and inflammatory action.
INFLAMMATION
Attenuating the inflammation helps reduce irritation of the lining thereby ameliorating painful, swollen joints of arthritis.
NSAIDS
Research also shows those that regularly take omega-3 supplements are less likely to take NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) that are often prescribed to reduce pain.
HEART DISEASE
Rheumatoid Arthritis is associated with a 1.5-2.0-fold increased risk of heart disease when compared to the general population. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce heart attack, stroke incidences and a 45% reduction in sudden death outcomes from heart attacks.
So many reasons to add Omega-3 supplementation to your treatment plan to help with arthritic symptoms. Many of our customers have felt such relief but why OmegaNZ oils?
What have we got? Why OmegaNZ?
When you take one of our supplements whether the softgel or by spoon, you can trust you are getting the highest quality. You also know exactly where your supplements have come from.
How?
We have our own factory where we produce the bulk of our oils from NZ-grown and produced plant seeds. These seeds are cold-pressed to extract the oil and controlled under our traceability and batching processes. This means, the oil produced from every single one of our NZ grown seeds can be traced back to the source farm. Your surety is guaranteed. Depending on availability, sometimes other components of our capsules such as Kiwi Seed Oil or Evening Primrose Oil may be sourced externally or imported from reputable sources.
- We've been producing nutritious consumable oils from our own New Zealand crops since 2002, so we've got this process down pat.
- Our seeds are grown in some of the most arable, nutrient dense soils of New Zealand enabling growth of the highest grade of seed.
- We are a fundamental force in research and development and adhere to the strictest policies in food safety and standards ensuring traceability at every stage of the supply chain.
Our oils are derived from plants.
- This means there's no mercury toxicity as can be a concern with some fish oils.
Our oils have no chemical residues!
- What you're getting then is pure, unadulterated, free-from chemical residues with no added preservatives or nasties. It's just plain, cold-pressed oil with all the health benefits retained.
Our plant-based products are sustainable.
- They're not farmed in reservoirs being fed the omegas they need to produce for later like fish are, nor are they depleting our oceans of wildlife through fishing.
Our oils have NO fishy after-taste.
Need we say more?
Our plant omegas don't repeat!
Fish oil tends to give some more susceptible people heartburn/acid reflux and nausea. Plant omegas don't produce the same reactions and are therefore easier to digest. Symptoms can be reduced if taken straight before food so that the oil is distributed throughout instead of sitting on top of gastric juices on an empty stomach.
Did you know?
Fish oils don't need to be approved by Medsafe! This means that manufacturers can sell these supplements with just 'claims' that they are safe and effective. Our oils are extracted and bottled in our own factory and are batch-tested to ensure the highest quality, every time. We know where every single drop of our oils are sourced from. Not too many company's can tout that! And, we're proud we can.
Our oils are in convenient softgel capsules or liquid.
This makes them easy to take in whichever is your preferred method.
Sources:
https://www.verywellhealth.com/synovium-anatomy-function-and-treatment-4686347
https://www.verywellhealth.com/fighting-rheumatoid-arthritis-with-omega-3-fatty-acids-89342
https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/g/gout-overview/
https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/o/osteoarthritis/
https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/r/rheumatoid-arthritis/
https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/a/arthritis-an-introduction/
https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/medicines/o/omega-3-and-fish-oil-supplements/
https://edu.cdhb.health.nz/Patients-Visitors/patient-information-pamphlets/Documents/Omega-3-Cardiovascular-disease-3468.pdf
https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/chemicals/mercury/Pages/default.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3890244/
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/circulationha.114.015176
