It’s fun meeting up with former schoolmates whenever I’m in Manila. Having a get-together dinner would always be our way of catching up on updates about our careers, travels, hobbies, love-life (or the lack of it) and even politics. One favorite topic that we all loved to discuss was health, especially since one of my friends has decided to go vegetarian (though now she decided to include fish in her diet). I also noticed that another friend was limping due to joint pain while we were climbing up the stairs. She jokingly associated it with age. We just laughed along with her knowing that she’s still young enough to be worrying about getting old.

After browsing through the Internet, I’ve come across a usual joint pain which knows no age; it can strike even the young ones. Uh-oh. Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as degenerative arthritis, a degenerative joint disease, which is a low-grade inflammation resulting in pain in the joints, caused by abnormal wearing of the cartilage (the soft white bone usually found in joints) that covers and acts as a cushion inside joints and destruction or decrease of the fluid that lubricates those joints. This word is coined from Greek words “osteo”, “arthro”, and “itis” which respectively means “of the bone”, “joint”, and “inflammation”.

When there is inflammation, there is commonly pain. There may be no external swelling, it may not be seen but is felt only by the pain suffered, as it exists internally. Sometimes though, skin redness can be seen, or there is a feeling of heat. As the bone becomes exposed due to less protection by the cartilage, pain results especially when standing and the body bears the weight, which naturally affect the joints supporting the body. So now I know! Since the whole process of the affliction is slow, usually this is associated with age, but in cases which are more the exception rather than the rule, young people may be affected too.

There are however oral enzyme formulas, just like Medizym, a natural solution which have been used for long already to arrest inflammation, promote healthy joints, encourage robust circulation, support immune function and promote healthy aging. This directly influences the immune system for a quick inflammatory response throughout the body. Medizym is also recommended for many other conditions such as rheumatism that involve an imbalanced immune response.

Thank God my knees are very much fine and they’re not giving me any problems. But after seeing my friend, it made me realize that I need to care more of my health (particularly regular exercise) especially since I’m not getting any younger. Yikes!