Many of us are affected by arthritis, or know someone who is. Arthritis is a condition of moderate to severe pain that affects the joints, but what exactly is it that causes some people to get arthritis while others don't?

The quick and easy answer as to what causes arthritis is that we really don't know yet. There's no one answer that explains every case. There's no 'arthritis disease' that you catch like a cold that causes you to develop symptoms.

Arthritis is simply a joint disorder that develops with time. In fact, there are over a hundred types of arthritis and many of them are probably caused by different factors.

What we do know is that there are some risk factors that increase your chances or having a problem. While they may not be the root cause of your arthritis, they could definitely be helping to further the problem along.

One of the biggest risk factors associated with arthritis is age. You know that as you get older, there's more wear and tear on your body.

Arthritis may not be caused specifically by wear and tear on the joints, but it will definitely speed up the process or increase symptoms. That is why a large number of people over 65 have arthritis, regardless of the other factors.

Another factor that can increase your chances of developing arthritis is weight. If you are overweight, you're going to increase the stress on your joints and will likely have more problems with arthritis. Starting a diet and exercise plan now may reduce symptoms or slow the progress of the disease.

Joint injury is often a factor in developing arthritis. Just like all the other factors, it's not a root cause; however, you're more likely to develop arthritis in a joint that has had a previous injury.

If you do injure yourself, be sure to care for it properly so it heals quickly and doesn't get damaged again.

Doctors aren't really sure how big a part genetics plays into the development of arthritis, but they do know it's related. If your parents have arthritis, it's more likely that you will as well.

Although this doesn't mean that just because your parents had it, you will too. By reducing the likeliness from other causes, you can reduce your risk.

Many people associate arthritis with athletes and other physically active people. While it would make sense that physical work would put more stress on joints and increase the likelihood of arthritis, studies really haven't shown this to be true.

While the risk of athletes developing arthritis is higher, this is associated with their increased chance of joint injury. This means you can continue your daily exercise routine (it will probably even help), but always take precautions to avoid injury.

When most people think of arthritis, they're often thinking of osteoarthritis. However, rheumatoid arthritis is a less common but very serious illness. While symptoms can be similar the causes are not.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, which means the body is actually attacking itself and causing damage to its own joints.

While you can't prevent arthritis or control all these factors, you can take steps to reduce them, keeping yourself pain free for longer. Here are some natural remedies to help control your arthritis pain.

Arthritis Hand Relief Bath

* 2 drops Rosemary
* 2 drops Chamomile in Jojoba
* 2 drops Juniper
* 1ml Evening Primrose Oil

Add 4-6 drops of mixture to warm water and soak for 15 minutes.

If skin needs nourishment, mix the essential oils in 5ml Sweet Almond Oil before adding to water.

Follow the hand bath with a soothing hand massage, to nourish and protect the skin.

Circulation and Painful Joints Bath

* 2 tbsp Almond oil
* 2 drops each of Lemon grass oil, Coriander oil, and Clove oil

Measure Almond oil into a small bowl, Slowly add all the oils. Mix ingredients and pour into running water.

This bath helps stimulate the Circulation and relive suffering joints and muscles

Gentle Arthritis Bath

* 15 drops Lavender
* 5 drops Clary Sage
* 10 drops Geranium
* 3 drops Ylang Ylang.

Place oils in bath under running water.Warm is sometimes better than hot.... Rinse thoroughly when finished.