7 Essential Devices For Hand Arthritis: Regain Control of Your Life

10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

Dr. Diana Girnita is a double board-certified physician in rheumatology and internal medicine. With a PhD in immunology (on top of her MD), and training at Harvard and top universities, she founded Rheumatologist OnCall, offering integrative medicine to broaden rheumatology access. Here’s what she has to say about things that make life easier:

Get your hands on these…

The seven devices that Dr. Girnita recommends are:

  • Hand grip strengthener: helps build grip strength with a spring-loaded mechanism. Regular use can improve strength and reduce pain.
  • Finger exerciser: different device; similar principle: it strengthens hand and finger muscles using resistance, enhancing hand function.
  • Moisturizing paraffin bath: a heated paraffin wax bath that soothes hands, providing heat therapy and moisturizing the skin.
  • Weighted silverware: weighted utensils (knives, forks, spoons) make gripping easier and provide stability for eating.
  • Foam tubing grips: foam covers to make kitchen tools, toothbrushes, and hairbrushes easier to grip.
  • Electric can-opener: reduces strain in opening cans, making meal preparation more accessible.
  • Compression gloves: provide gentle compression to reduce swelling and pain, improving hand flexibility and circulation.
  • Door knob cover grips: make it easier to turn doorknobs by providing a larger surface to grip.
  • Wider-grip pens: ergonomically designed pens with a larger diameter and softer grip reduce hand strain while writing.

This writer, who does not have arthritis but also does not have anything like the grip strength she used to, also recommends a jar opener like this one.

As a bonus, if you spend a lot of time writing at a computer, an ergonomic split keyboard like this one goes a long way to avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome, and logically must be better for arthritis than a regular keyboard; another excellent thing to have (that again this writer uses and swears by) is an ergonomic vertical mouse like this one (aligns the wrist bones correctly; the “normal” horizontal version is woeful for the carpal bones). These things are both also excellent to help avoid worsening peripheral neuropathy (something that troubles this writer’s wrists if she’s not careful, due to old injuries there).

For more on the seven things otherwise listed above, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like to read:

Take care!

Don’t Forget…

Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

Recommended

  • What Is Making The Ringing In Your Ears Worse?
  • Cherries vs Cranberries – Which is Healthier?
    Cherries outshine cranberries with a lower glycemic index, more vitamins, and minerals, winning our fruit face-off.

Learn to Age Gracefully

Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:

  • What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    What’s the difference? is a new editorial product that explains the similarities and differences between commonly confused health and medical terms, and why they matter.

    Changes in thinking and memory as we age can occur for a variety of reasons. These changes are not always cause for concern. But when they begin to disrupt daily life, it could indicate the first signs of dementia.

    Another term that can crop up when we’re talking about dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, or Alzheimer’s for short.

    So what’s the difference?

    Lightspring/Shutterstock

    What is dementia?

    Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of syndromes that result in changes in memory, thinking and/or behaviour due to degeneration in the brain.

    To meet the criteria for dementia these changes must be sufficiently pronounced to interfere with usual activities and are present in at least two different aspects of thinking or memory.

    For example, someone might have trouble remembering to pay bills and become lost in previously familiar areas.

    It’s less-well known that dementia can also occur in children. This is due to progressive brain damage associated with more than 100 rare genetic disorders. This can result in similar cognitive changes as we see in adults.

    So what’s Alzheimer’s then?

    Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, accounting for about 60-80% of cases.

    So it’s not surprising many people use the terms dementia and Alzheimer’s interchangeably.

    Changes in memory are the most common sign of Alzheimer’s and it’s what the public most often associates with it. For instance, someone with Alzheimer’s may have trouble recalling recent events or keeping track of what day or month it is.

    Elderly woman looking at calendar
    People with dementia may have trouble keeping track of dates. Daisy Daisy/Shutterstock

    We still don’t know exactly what causes Alzheimer’s. However, we do know it is associated with a build-up in the brain of two types of protein called amyloid-β and tau.

    While we all have some amyloid-β, when too much builds up in the brain it clumps together, forming plaques in the spaces between cells. These plaques cause damage (inflammation) to surrounding brain cells and leads to disruption in tau. Tau forms part of the structure of brain cells but in Alzheimer’s tau proteins become “tangled”. This is toxic to the cells, causing them to die. A feedback loop is then thought to occur, triggering production of more amyloid-β and more abnormal tau, perpetuating damage to brain cells.

    Alzheimer’s can also occur with other forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia. This combination is the most common example of a mixed dementia.

    Vascular dementia

    The second most common type of dementia is vascular dementia. This results from disrupted blood flow to the brain.

    Because the changes in blood flow can occur throughout the brain, signs of vascular dementia can be more varied than the memory changes typically seen in Alzheimer’s.

    For example, vascular dementia may present as general confusion, slowed thinking, or difficulty organising thoughts and actions.

    Your risk of vascular dementia is greater if you have heart disease or high blood pressure.

    Frontotemporal dementia

    Some people may not realise that dementia can also affect behaviour and/or language. We see this in different forms of frontotemporal dementia.

    The behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia is the second most common form (after Alzheimer’s disease) of younger onset dementia (dementia in people under 65).

    People living with this may have difficulties in interpreting and appropriately responding to social situations. For example, they may make uncharacteristically rude or offensive comments or invade people’s personal space.

    Semantic dementia is also a type of frontotemporal dementia and results in difficulty with understanding the meaning of words and naming everyday objects.

    Dementia with Lewy bodies

    Dementia with Lewy bodies results from dysregulation of a different type of protein known as α-synuclein. We often see this in people with Parkinson’s disease.

    So people with this type of dementia may have altered movement, such as a stooped posture, shuffling walk, and changes in handwriting. Other symptoms include changes in alertness, visual hallucinations and significant disruption to sleep.

    Do I have dementia and if so, which type?

    If you or someone close to you is concerned, the first thing to do is to speak to your GP. They will likely ask you some questions about your medical history and what changes you have noticed.

    Sometimes it might not be clear if you have dementia when you first speak to your doctor. They may suggest you watch for changes or they may refer you to a specialist for further tests.

    There is no single test to clearly show if you have dementia, or the type of dementia. A diagnosis comes after multiple tests, including brain scans, tests of memory and thinking, and consideration of how these changes impact your daily life.

    Not knowing what is happening can be a challenging time so it is important to speak to someone about how you are feeling or to reach out to support services.

    Dementia is diverse

    As well as the different forms of dementia, everyone experiences dementia in different ways. For example, the speed dementia progresses varies a lot from person to person. Some people will continue to live well with dementia for some time while others may decline more quickly.

    There is still significant stigma surrounding dementia. So by learning more about the various types of dementia and understanding differences in how dementia progresses we can all do our part to create a more dementia-friendly community.

    The National Dementia Helpline (1800 100 500) provides information and support for people living with dementia and their carers. To learn more about dementia, you can take this free online course.

    Nikki-Anne Wilson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), UNSW Sydney

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    Share This Post

  • Dealing With Waking Up In The Night

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Have a question or a request? You can always hit “reply” to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!

    In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝I’m now in my sixties and find that I invariably wake up at least once during the night. Is this normal? Even if it is, I would still like, once in a while, to sleep right through like a teenager. How might this be achieved, without pills?❞

    Most people wake up briefly between sleep cycles, and forget doing so. But waking up for more than a brief moment is indeed best avoided. In men of your age, if you’re waking to pee (especially if it’s then not actually that easy to pee), it can be a sign of an enlarged prostate. Which is again a) normal b) not optimal.

    By “without pills” we’ll assume you mean “without sleeping pills”. There are options to treat an enlarged prostate, including well-established supplements. We did a main feature on this:

    Prostate Health: What You Should Know

    If the cause of waking up is something else, then again this is common for everyone as we get older, and again it’s not optimal. But since there are so many possible causes (and thus solutions), it’s more than we can cover in less than a main feature, so we’ll have to revisit this later.

    Meanwhile, take care!

    Share This Post

  • Peanuts vs Walnuts – Which is Healthier?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Our Verdict

    When comparing peanuts to walnuts, we picked the peanuts.

    Why?

    What heresy is this?!

    “But walnuts are more expensive!”, we hear you cry. “They have omega-3s! They look like little brains!”

    And, we must confess, all of these things are true. However…

    In terms of macros, peanuts have much more protein, and a little more fiber, while walnuts have more fat. And yes, those fats are healthy, and yes, the omega-3 content of walnuts is worth noting. However, while walnuts are higher in total and polyunsaturated fats, peanuts are higher in monounsaturated fats, which are also beneficial. All in all, we’re calling it either a tie on macros, or a win for peanuts, as it really is a lot more protein, and we always consider fiber of top importance.

    In the category of vitamins, peanuts have (a lot) more of vitamins B1, B3, B5, B9, E, and choline, while walnuts have a (very) little more of vitamins B2 and B6. So, a clear win for peanuts here, and that’s without considering that in terms of margins of difference, peanuts have 11x the vitamin E, for example.

    Looking at minerals, peanuts have more iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while walnuts have more calcium, copper, and manganese. Another clear win for peanuts.

    When it comes to polyphenols, peanuts have more diverse polyphenols, while walnuts have a greater total mass of polyphenols. A tie here, or possibly a subjective win for walnuts.

    In short, both are great and both have their merits, but by the numbers, and adding up the sections, peanuts take the win today. Still (assuming no allergy), by all means enjoy either or both; diversity is good!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like:

    Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts

    Enjoy!

    Share This Post

Related Posts

  • What Is Making The Ringing In Your Ears Worse?
  • The Many Health Benefits Of Garlic

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    The Many Health Benefits of Garlic

    We’re quite confident you already know what garlic is, so we’re going to leap straight in there with some science today:

    First, let’s talk about allicin

    Allicin is a compound in garlic that gives most of its health benefits. A downside of allicin is that it’s not very stable, so what this means is:

    • Garlic is best fresh—allicin breaks down soon after garlic is cut/crushed
      • So while doing the paperwork isn’t fun, buying it as bulbs is better than buying it as granules or similar
    • Allicin also breaks down somewhat in cooking, so raw garlic is best
      • Our philosophy is: still use it in cooking as well; just use more!
    • Supplements (capsule form etc) use typically use extracts and potency varies (from not great to actually very good)

    Read more about that:

    Now, let’s talk benefits…

    Benefits to heart health

    Garlic has been found to be as effective as the drug Atenolol at reducing blood pressure:

    Effects of Allium sativum (garlic) on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension

    It also lowers LDL (bad cholesterol):

    Lipid-lowering effects of time-released garlic powder tablets in double-blinded placebo-controlled randomized study

    Benefits to the gut

    We weren’t even looking for this, but as it turns out, as an add-on to the heart benefits…

    Garlic lowers blood pressure in hypertensive subjects, improves arterial stiffness and gut microbiota: A review and meta-analysis

    Benefits to the immune system

    Whether against the common cold or bringing out the heavy guns, garlic is a booster:

    Benefits to the youthfulness of body and brain

    Garlic is high in antioxidants that, by virtue of reducing oxidative stress, help slow aging. This effect, combined with the cholesterol and blood pressure benefits, means it may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia:

    There are more benefits too…

    That’s all we have time to dive into study-wise today, but for the visually-inclined, here are yet more benefits to garlic (at a rate of 3–4 cloves per day):

    An incredible awesome recipe using lots of garlic:

    • Take small potatoes (still in their skins), cut in half
    • Add enough peeled cloves of garlic so that you have perhaps a 1:10 ratio of garlic to potato by mass
    • Boil (pressure-cooking is ideal) until soft, and drain
    • Keeping them in the pan, add a lashing of olive oil, and any additional seasonings per your preference (consider black pepper, rosemary, thyme, parsley)
    • Put a lid on the pan, and holding it closed, shake the pan vigorously
      • Note: if you didn’t leave the skins on, or you chopped much larger potatoes smaller instead of cutting in half, the potatoes will break up into a rough mash now. This is actually also fine and still tastes (and honestly, looks) great, but it is different, so just be aware, so that you get the outcome you want.
    • The garlic, which—unlike the potatoes—didn’t have a skin to hold it together, will now have melted over the potatoes like butter

    You can serve like this (it’s delicious already) or finish up in the oven or air-fryer or under the grill, if you prefer a roasted style dish (an amazing option too).

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:

  • Mung Beans vs Soy Beans – Which is Healthier?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Our Verdict

    When comparing mung beans to soy beans, we picked the soy.

    Why?

    Mung beans are great, but honestly, it’s not close:

    In terms of macronutrients, soy has more than 2x the protein (of which, it’s also a complete protein, containing significant amounts of all essential amino acids) while mung beans have more than 2x the carbs. In their defense, mung beans also have very slightly more fiber, but the carb:fiber ratio is such that soy beans have the lower GI by far.

    When it comes to vitamins, mung beans have more of vitamins A, B3, B5, and, B9, while soy beans have more of vitamins B2, B6, C, E, K, and choline, making for a moderate win for soy beans, especially as that vitamin K is more than 7x as much as mung beans have.

    In the category of minerals, soy wins even more convincingly; soy beans have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. On the other hand, mung beans have more sodium.

    In short, while mung beans are a very respectable option, they don’t come close to meaningfully competing with soy.

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    How To Sprout Your Seeds, Grains, Beans, Etc

    Take care!

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:

  • Black Bean & Butternut Balti

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Protein, fiber, and pungent polyphenols abound in this tasty dish that’s good for your gut, heart, brain, and more:

    You will need

    • 2 cans (each 14 oz or thereabouts) black beans, drained and rinsed (or: 2 cups black beans, cooked, drained, and rinsed)
    • 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½” cubes
    • 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
    • 1 red onion, finely chopped
    • 1 can (14 oz or thereabouts) chopped tomatoes
    • 1 cup coconut milk
    • ½ bulb garlic, crushed
    • 1″ piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
    • 1 fresh red chili (or multiply per your preference and the strength of your chilis), finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp black pepper, coarse ground
    • 1 tbsp garam masala
    • 2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 2 tsp ground coriander
    • 1 tsp ground turmeric
    • 1 tsp ground paprika
    • ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
    • Juice of ½ lemon
    • Extra virgin olive oil

    Method

    (we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

    1) Preheat the oven to 400℉ / 200℃.

    2) Toss the squash and cauliflower in a little olive oil, to coat evenly. No need to worry about seasoning, because these are going into the curry later and will get plenty there.

    3) Roast them on a baking tray lined with baking paper for about 25 minutes.

    You can enjoy a 10-minute break for the first 10 minutes of that, before continuing, such that the timing will be perfect:

    4) Heat a little oil in a sauté pan (or anything that’s suitable for both frying and adding volume; we’re going to be using the space later; everything is going in here!) and fry the onion on medium for about 5 minutes, stirring well.

    5) Add the spices/seasonings, including the garlic, ginger, and chili, and stir well to combine.

    6) Add the tomatoes, beans, and coconut milk, and simmer for 10 minutes. You can add a little water at any time if it seems to need it.

    7) Stir in the roasted vegetables (they should be finished now), and heat through. Add the lemon juice and stir.

    8) Serve as-is, or with your preferred carbohydrate (we recommend our Tasty Versatile Rice recipe), or if you have time, keep it warm for a while until you’re ready to use it (the flavors will benefit from this time, if available).

    Enjoy!

    Want to learn more?

    For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

    Take care!

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails: