Rheumatism
What does rheumatism mean?
Rheumatism is a collective term for more than 100 diseases of joints, muscles and tendons.
Anyone can get arthritis at any age. One in every nine people in the Netherlands has a form of rheumatism and every day there are 700 new people.
More than 2 million people live with daily pain, stiffness and tiredness due to a rheumatic disease. Most forms of rheumatism are treatable but not (yet) curable.
The different types of rheumatism can be divided into:
- autoimmune diseases / inflammatory rheumatism
- arthritis
- gout
- osteoporosis
- soft tissue rheumatism
Most people with rheumatism experience pain, stiffness in joints or muscles and tiredness. If you suffer from arthritis, your joints will thicken and get warm. Because of the complaints it can get hard to move and can give limitations in a daily life. Rheumatism often goes erratic: one day it goes well, and the other day not.
The role of the dietitian
The dietitian can look at your diet and give advice, so that your diet is correct according to the guidelines of rheumatism. Even though there are no official regular research results known, we certainly know that a Mediterranean diet, omega-3 fish oil and vitamin D have a positive effect on the joint pain.
There’s also a connection with the body weight (especially large waist size). The dietitian can also give advice in order to get a healthier body.
We can explain how you can follow a Mediterranean diet and how you can adjust your current intake in accordance with these guidelines.
We can also assist you in losing weight and/or making your waist size smaller to reduce your symptoms. Often, a low-carb diet is the most appropriate. Replacing nutrients and having sufficient variation is very important. We can make sure this all happens with a personal diet.