Advice on Home Remedies for Arthritis
While you should always consult with your doctor concerning arthritis and joint pain in the first instance, it is worth knowing that there are some useful remedies that you can try at home that are all-natural and therefore generally safe.
The effectiveness of home treatments for any condition will differ from person to person, which is why you should always follow the advice of a qualified medical practitioner like your own doctor. He will have access to your medical case history and be in the best position to make an informed diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatments for your specific case.
In addition to this, your doctor will also be able to accurately diagnose the exact condition you are suffering from. It's not enough to say you simply have arthritis, as there are several forms with different treatments for each.
Self-Treating at Home
Once you have determined which form of the condition you are suffering from, then you can go ahead and work with home remedies in conjunction with medical treatments prescribed by your doctor.
For those of you who are interested to work in conjunction with your doctor's recommendations by making use of natural remedies that you can utilize at home, here are some suggestions that might be helpful for you.
Health in General
Regardless of which condition you are experiencing, an overall, whole body approach to health is a good way of helping to limit the progression of the disease and the damage that it is doing to your body. This involves being mindful of what you are eating and drinking.
Eating a healthy diet is essential if you are to work with yourself to reduce the impact of all forms of joint related disease. That means really being tough with yourself and writing down everything that you eat and drink each day for a week or two, so that you can see in black and white what you are doing to your body.
Chances are that diet includes a lot of things that shouldn't be there.
Most of the foods that will cause you to gain weight are the same ones you need to avoid to treat arthritis at home. All processed foods and drinks high in fructose should be avoided. This includes most ready meals that come in a packet or are found in the frozen section of the food store. It also includes soda and other sweetened and flavored fruit drinks.
Protect Your Joints
It helps to also be mindful of how your joints are being used and to minimize the stresses placed upon them, especially the smaller joints in the hands, fingers, wrists as well as feet and toes. Avoid lifting heavy items if possible. If you have to move a heavy item of furniture for instance, get someone else to do it for you!
For opening stiff jar caps or bottle tops, you can buy inexpensive devices that can greatly reduce the amount of pressure you have to apply with your hands, fingers and thumbs. Look for things in stores like zipper pulls as well as buttoning aids for when dressing and undressing to make those tasks easier on your joints.
Watch Your Weight
It may sound like a well worn record, but you really must watch your body weight and if you have gotten overweight, then you should take steps to reduce it. As already mentioned about diet, you should try and eat as healthily as possible and avoid sugar/fructose rich foods.
Being overweight places much more stress on your load bearing joints such as knees, ankles the balls of your feet, your hips and spine when walking or even just standing. Take the weight off and you'll notice less pain in those areas over time as the stress on those joints is lessened.
Be More Active
While it may sound like a counter-measure especially when you are experiencing severe joint pain, getting your body moving and getting out doors into the fresh air is actually good for your joints. Regular movement through light exercise helps keep the joints from seizing up and becoming even more painful over time.
A well-rounded light workout routine will include a range of flexibility exercises to increase your range of motion along with aerobic exercises to improve endurance and decrease fatigue. These exercises will also help to strengthen and improve muscle fitness.
A physical therapist or other specially trained health professional will be able to show you several range-of-motion and strengthening exercises that are useful for arthritis sufferers. Walking, general light exercise, swimming and aquatic therapies as well as Tai Chi are all highly beneficial.
Stay Positive
It may seem like a tough thing to do, but when you stay as positive as you can, you are actually helping your body to help itself. To do this effectively, you need to keep yourself as happy as possible.
Listening to music that you enjoy is one way, or if you must watch TV, avoid watching the news (because it is almost all bad news!) and tune in to comedy shows and things that will make you laugh. If you prefer not to watch TV, then listen to funny radio shows or read a hilarious book or magazine.
There is a lot of truth behind the saying that "laughter is the best medicine". It really does distance you from the aches and pains of the disease for a while and takes your mind off them. A happy mind promotes a healthier body and enables tissue damage to be repaired faster and illnesses to be cleared up more effectively than when you're down in the dumps.
So surround yourself with happy, joky people who will make you laugh. I know it's human nature for friends and family members to want to sympathize or empathize with your suffering, but by offering serious condolences and showing pity no matter how sincere, it is not helping you! If family are calling round, warn them in advance that you want them to be happy, in good spirits and they better be prepared to make you laugh a lot!
Be Comfortable
It's no fun wearing clothes that are tight, stuffy and uncomfortable at the best of times.
It's doubly worse when you have joint pain and are hobbling around in shoes that are tight just because they look good. Wear specially designed shoes for arthritics that allow extra space for your toes to move, especially if they have become a little deformed and your feet to swell a little without discomfort.
Swap tight fitting jeans for loose, comfortable casual pants if you're a man, or wear flowing skirts and if you're a woman to give your hips and knees room to move freely.
Take a relaxing hot (but not too hot) bath before bed to help loosen joints and allow your whole body to un-tense and relax. Adding some Epson Salts to the bath water will also help to draw out of your body some of the excess acidity that will have built up during the day.
This will relax you deeply, but don't spend too long soaking and do take care not to fall asleep in the bath!
Health Supplements
There are several supplements that you may take that can help to bring relief, although results will differ from person to person.
Look for omega 3 and 6 supplements as these essential oils have been shown to improve joint movement. A Calcium supplement is also helpful to keep bones strong, especially for osteoarthritis sufferers as is Glucosamine AND Chondroitin Sulfate.
There is an all-natural treatment available called Provailen that uses an ancient Chinese remedy derived from a form of fungus that has been synthesized and marketed in pill form. See my Provailen review (live link below) for more information on this product.
There are many ways in which you can help to reduce the pain and upset of arthritis while at home. Many ideas follow simple common sense, while others are diet and exercise based to help your body to help itself.
If you are looking to buy Provailen, the all-natural arthritis remedy, please read my first!
- Terry Didcott
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Posted on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 in Arthritis | 0 Comments