Arthritis is a general term that describes inflammation in joints . Some, but not all, types of arthritis are the fallout from misdirected inflammation. Some types of inflammatory arthritis include:rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis and tendinitis and Gout .

While not all need to be present , the basic symptoms of inflammation are Redness, a swollen joint that is warm to the touch, pain and stiffness in the joint and a loss of joint function. Also , Inflammation might as well be associated with general “flu-like” symptoms like – feeling chilled or feverishness tiredsness and a loss of energy, headaches, stiff muscles and a loss of appetite.

While the original pain caused by inflammation can seem bad enough, the added cells and it can get much worse – in the long term wearing down of cartilage (cushions at the end of bones) and joint lining. Inflammation can also be a problem for organs. The type of symptoms depends on which organs are inflamed .

* An inflamed heart (myocarditis) may result in shortness of breath or leg swelling
* Inflammation of the narrow tubes that bring air to the lungs may set off an asthma episode
* Inflamed Kidneys (nephritis) may lead to high blood pressure or kidney failure
* Inflammation of the large intestine (colitis) might lead to cramps and diarrhea.

Pain may not be a primary symptom of the inflammatory disease , since many organs do not have a lot of pain-sensitive nerves.

There are several treatment alternatives for inflammatory diseases , but as a rule , the medical community will rely on prescription anti-inflammatories, pain medication, rest, exercise, and surgery to correct joint damage.

The goals of treatment are to:

* Avoid or modify activities that aggravate pain
* Relieve pain with analgesics (pain-relieving medications ) and anti-inflammatory medications
* Maintain joint movement and muscle strength through physical therapy
* Decrease stress on the joints by using braces, splints or canes as necessary

What’s absent are any preventative steps or treatment courses designed to basically help your body by increasing your antioxidant levels , making dietary improvements , reducing stress in your life and neutralizing everyday toxins – because they truly are everywhere. Antioxidants will help your body to fight toxins and in particular the family of antioxidants known as Betalains are particularly well suited as antioxidants that fight inflammation.

That’s why the new H’Urban Garden self watering kitchen garden is such a fabulous idea. With and abundant 18 gallon reservoir and the ongoing replenishment of nutrients, you can grow anything from tomatoes to basil and get outstanding results. And it’s all because your kitchen garden will grow without any stress to your plants or to you. Self watering – now that’s what you need.

Most of the greens you’ll grow – from spinach to lettuces to basil are all what are short season annuals. This means they are ‘wired’ to sprout, put on an abundance of green growth (that’s what we’re eating) flower, set seed and die, all in one year. It’s the job that nature gave them to set those seeds and if your plants are allowed to wilt dangerously from a lack of water, their biological clock is kicked into high gear and they’re quickly leave the stage of green growth prematurely and “bolt” to seed.

To learn more about growing a lush and delicious crop of vegetables and herbs using the self watering, self feeding H’Urban Garden System check out the site at www.hurbangarden.com

A study published recently from Oregon State University identifies to some of the more obscure benefits of Vitamin D. It’s the presence of Vitamin D that allows the immune system to “turn on” in response to microbial attacks. Actually, vitamin D is a type of hormone circulating in your blood and it’s abundantly produced as a result of exposure to the sun.

Vitamin D also aids in the prevention of an over reaction by the adaptive immune response and therefore reduces the potential for inflammation. For someone suffering from the flu, this inflammation could show up as something as dangerous as bacterial pneumonia, an infection of the lungs.

Research has shown that Vitamin D can benefit your immune system and help prevent influenza, but no one is getting that news out to people. Instead the health system is pushing flu shots, mass produced by the pharmaceutical industry. Sadly, it’s no surprise that they would much rather buy chemical injections, than educate people about what our bodies are perfectly created to do, naturally!

In addition to powering up our immune system’s ability to respond to pathogens, Vitamin D is already recognized for its ability to address types of seasonal depression, strengthen kidney function and support people with diabetes. I personally find its ability to counter-balance our immune response that creates inflammation to be particularly interesting – much like the role that anti-oxidants like glutathione play in combating inflammation and contributing to pain relief.

The human body is a fabulous, if somewhat abused machine. We have more brilliant little bells and whistles built into us than an iPhone. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of work to cut through the popular propaganda that shows that our only road to good health is drugs, drugs and more drugs (followed by surgery if that doesn’t work)

Consider the benefits of a few minutes of real sunshine to boost your own vitamin D levels and kick your immune responses up a notch or two before you slather on the SPF skincare products every time you decide to step outside. If you’re not comfortable with that idea any more (which is really a shame) then look to other sources of Vitamin D like marine omega-3 oils and high quality Vitamin D supplements.

Like glutathione, our body can produce its own Vitamin D, but when we don’t have the sunshine that acts as a Vitamin D precursor we can take supplements like Vitamin D from R-Garden.