Joint Health - Optimum Health Telehealth: Wellness Resources

Joint health is extremely important if exercise will continue to be pleasant. Let’s start by understanding healthy joints. In healthy joints, the tip of each bone has a cushion layer made of cartilage just like the gristle at the tip of the bone of a chicken leg. The cartilage layer in healthy joints protect the tip of the bone as it rubs against the tip of the next bone. Healthy joints also have a “water bed” of fluid between the two bones depicted in the diagram to the left as the blue area labelled synovial fluid.

Why Does Joint Health Decline?

To understand the decline of joint health, think of a water bed. If you have too much water, the waterbed becomes very hard. So too the synovial fluid feels hard to the tips of the bones if there is too much fluid in the synovial fluid compartment. This can cause the rapid decline of joint health leading to stiff and possibly painful joints that will be called arthritis. This can also damage the cartilage at the tips of the bone leading to osteoarthritis.

In the case of metal toxicity, metal can be stored in the joint acting like sandpaper, destroying the joint. Or, a lack of minerals can cause the joints to lose their elasticity and become brittle. This can lead to many needless injuries and unwanted pain. You will know if your minerals are low by the amount of your gray hair. Yes, the same minerals that the joints need are also used by the hair to make color pigments. Therefore, when the gray hair appears, think “troubled joints.”

Damaged cartilage can look like this picture. Notice the reddened area of bone peeking through the hole in the cartilage. Whenever this reddened area rubs against the bone or cartilage below it, an excruciating amount of pain might be felt. Again, this is what is known as osteoarthritis.

How is Joint Health Attained?