Treating Joint Pain

The feeling of constant pang of joint pain can be overwhelming and painful.  Things as simple as taking a walk, gardening, or cooking are taken for granted until these things become limited by arthritis or chronic pain.  Finding ways to combat this inflammation and pain can be helpful in getting you back to living your everyday life. Rather than taking a series of prescription drugs or pharmaceutical grade anti-inflammatories, using natural remedies could provide a welcome relief. Sometimes some kind of combination of both (always consult your doctor) could be what works best. These natural additions to youe diet could be the remedy for osteo and rheumatoid arthurtis. Whether caused by wear and tear or from an autoimmune disorder, trying these home remedies sure can't hurt (the joints!):

 1. Turmeric 

Research on turmeric (the spice that gives curry it's bright yellow color) had found that it is an anti-inflammatory. Reducing inflammation in the joints will help ease the pressure of both osetoand rheumatoid arthritis. The active ingredient in this poignant spiceis curcumin, a powerful antioxidant and inflammation fighter. Using it in tea or food can help make arthritis sufferers a little more limber. 

2. Stock up on dark leafy greens

Leafy greens like spinach, kale and Brussels sprouts are packed with the essential mineral magnesium. Since our bodies can't make this themselves it's important to eat enough of these bone and muscle healthy greens and keep our bodies working in tip top shape. According to some studies magnesium serves to relax muscles, nerves and joint - lessening the pain we might feel in these areas. Magnesium is something our bodies need, but we can’t make it ourselves. It is used in over 300 different biomechanical responses in our body. You can also get magnesium in nuts and beans, making it easy to incorporate into your diet. 

3. White Willow

Touted as the original aspirin, white willow bark has been made into tea since ancient times. It contains an active ingredient called salicinwhich the body converts into salicylic acid.  This compound is similar to the active compound in aspirin - acetyl salicylic acid. The upside is that the natural white willow version has little to no problematic side effects. 

4. Exercise

Pain and exercise don't sound like a good combo but it's actually great for getting you moving. Exercise can strengthen muscles and bones, relieving pressure on joints and mitigate the effects of joint pain and arthritis. Exercise can also help with weight control, which puts less strain on the joints giving them less weight to move around. The more your body moves the less likely joints are to stiffen, and the more freely you will be able to continue to move in the future.