It's no fun getting Old!

I'm suffering at the moment from an acute bout of arthritis of my right knee. I've had it before but never this bad. I had very little sleep last night it was so uncomfortable. The pain spreads up to my hip and down to my foot. Hot packs, ibuprofen gel and paracetamol haven't been much help. I need to get to the Chemist for more glucosamaine and chondroitin. I'm having to give the swimming a miss until it calms down. I don't remember my toe joint being as bad. although I did have stronger pain relief medication. I've resisted going to the 'Quack' so far as I know I can't tolerate anti inflammatory drugs
I've been trawling through the Arthritis Internet sites to see what else I can do to help my self. I suppose the main one is - GET BACK ON THE HEALTHY EATING REGIME.

On the 'Arthritis Today' website I came across this article

Specific Differences in Finger Lengths May Predict Osteoarthritis Risk

A new way to predict your risk of osteoarthritis (OA) may be right at your fingertips. A study published in the January 2008 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism suggests that having uncommonly long ring fingers raises the risk for developing OA of the knee, particularly among women.
The ratio of index-to-ring-finger length is a trait known for it sexual differences. In men, the index finger is typically shorter than the ring finger; in women, the two tend to be about equal. Smaller ratios between the two fingers have intriguing hormonal connections, including higher prenatal testosterone levels, lower estrogen concentrations, and higher sperm counts. Whether this trait affects the risk of OA, which is associated with both physical activity and estrogen deficiency, has not been examined – until recently.
British researchers recruited 2,049 rheumatology patients with severe hip or knee OA and 1,123 controls with no evidence of OA. X-rays of the participants’ hands were classified in one of three ways: type 1, index finger longer than the ring finger; type 2, index finger equal to the ring finger; or type 3, index finger shorter than the ring finger. Not surprisingly, men were 2.5 times more likely than women to have the type 3 pattern.
Compared with the other finger types, the type 3 finger was associated with an increased risk of OA involving any part of the knee or the hip. The risk of knee OA in participants with the type 3 finger pattern was nearly double that of the risk for participants without this pattern, and the risk was greater for women. Interestingly , among participants of both sexes, researchers found that the smaller the ratio between the upper finger joints, the greater the risk of of OA of the tibiofemoral knee joint.

Mmmm .............. OK fascinating but some what irrelevant at the moment!

Then there was this folk lore remedy for Gin soaked raisins and on the Human Nutrition Research Centre site in California was a remedy involving eating Fresh Bing Cherries definitely sounds better but only good for a certain time of the year.

There's so much information out there and it's difficult sifting the good from the bad and the plain ridiculous. maybe by the time I've made sense of it the pain will have subsided. Well that's what I'm banking on anyway.