Arthritis weighs heavy on your heart’s health, too

You don’t usually consider arthritis to be lethal. A drain on your quality of life, yes… but deadly?

Well, a team of Swedish researchers recently set out to investigate the link between osteoarthritis and mortality. And I’m sad to report that their findings will come as an unwelcome surprise to anyone who thinks that pain can’t kill you.

Long-term arthritis shortens your life

This new study used population registers to follow nearly half a million Swedes from 2003 to 2014.  Subjects were between 45- and 84-years-old. Roughly 35,000 suffered from osteoarthritis—either of the knee, the hip, the wrist, or another form.

Researchers looked at cause of death for arthritis sufferers, and compared results with those of the general population. Overall, there wasn’t much difference… except when it came to heart disease mortality.

Diagnosis didn’t put arthritis patients in immediate danger. But cardiovascular mortality rose steadily over time, with longer suffering patients facing higher risk. (For example, a person who had arthritis for roughly a decade faced heart risk that was more than 16 percent higher than their pain-free peers.)

Over the long haul, this means that for every 100,000 patients who suffer with arthritis for ten years, 40 more will die of heart disease when compared to the general population of the same age and gender.

Why? Well, this study didn’t investigate that question. But these researchers have a couple of theories…

A safer way to stop the pain

Arthritis causes pain. And pain limits mobility. That’s the easiest explanation—and it’s not a bad one.

It’s no secret that staying sedentary can shorten your life—and not just because it contributes to weight gain. After all, your heart is a muscle….the most important one in your body. But the fact is that sitting disease poses a very real threat to your health, even if you hit the gym regularly.

But arthritis and heart disease also share another common thread: chronic inflammation. So it’s really no wonder that one condition often leads to the other, with ultimately fatal consequences. In fact, mainstream methods that a lot of arthritis sufferers use to address their inflammation may actually be a big reason why.

I’m talking, of course, about NSAIDs like Tylenol or Motrin—which research shows can raise your risk of heart attack significantly, at intakes that arthritis patients often reach by late afternoon. And unfortunately, that’s just one of many risks you run by using these common painkillers.

That’s why I’ve worked tirelessly to find effective pain relief strategies that are safe, natural, and drug-free. And I’ve used them all in my practice, with great success—from curcumin to white willow bark. In fact, I’ve used these strategies, and many others, in my Pain-Free Life Protocol. This innovative learning tool can help you relieve and eliminate any type of acute or chronic pain. To learn more, or to sign up today, click here.

But if you’ve been following my latest discussions, then you know that cannabidiol (CBD) has emerged as my favorite solution yet.

Yes, CBD comes from cannabis—the industrial hemp plant, to be more specific. But it won’t get you high. (That honor goes to marijuana’s other main cannabinoid, tetrahydrocannabinol [THC].) It will, however, relieve your arthritis pain without putting your heart at risk… among several other benefits, which I discuss in this month’s issue of my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives.

So if you suffer from arthritis, I hope you’ll set your skepticism aside long enough to see what CBD can do for you.

I covered the topic extensively in the July issue of Logical Health Alternatives as well. It’s required reading for anyone still on the fence where cannabis is concerned. And you can access all of it by subscribing today.

Source:

“Osteoarthritis linked to higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.” Science Daily, 07/16/2019. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190716095537.htm)