Arthritis is very common but not very well understood. Common joint symptoms include swelling, pain, stiffness and decreased range of motion. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis and it is a degenerative joint disease that it’s made worse by inflammation elsewhere in the body.
Studies have shown that those who eat a diet rich in nutrients and vitamins and low in animal fat and processed food and who are moderately physically active can increase lubrication and synovial fluid in the joints, which reduces the wear and tear on the cartilage.
Here are the top five natural treatments for arthritis:
1. Reach and maintain a healthy weight
Additional body fat can cause more inflammation. Fat is an active tissue that creates and releases hormones which are chemical messengers that can promote inflammation and can contribute to worsening arthritis all over your body.
It is also important that you stay active even though it might be hard to do. Exercise can be good for strengthening the muscles around the affected joint, which provides added support.
2. Follow an anti-inflammatory diet
Add Omega-3 foods to your diet, these are powerful at lowering inflammation. You should also include antioxidant foods and high fiber foods.
Consume Ginger and turmeric. These are powerful anti-inflammatory and A 2005 report published in the Journal of Medicinal Foods stated that ginger extract derived from Zingiber officinale and Alpina galanga plant species inhibits the induction of several genes involved in the inflammatory response. These include genes encoding cytokines, chemokines and the inducible enzyme cyclooxygenase.
To help keep inflammation levels low, try to avoid these foods as part of a healing arthritis diet: excess sugar; hydrogenated oils (soybean oil, cottonseed oil, even canola oil); refined conventional grains like gluten, flour products and wheat products; and if you have an autoimmune disease, then also nightshade vegetables like potatoes, eggplant and tomatoes.
3. Add comfrey
Comfrey is a medicinal herb shown to help with pain. Researchers at the School of Health and Sport Sciences at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia reviewed a cohort of studies on topical herbal therapies for treating osteoarthritis and found that comfrey can reduce the pain. However, comfrey can also contain significant amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), which can be very toxic to the liver, so make sure that you look for PA-free comfrey.
Remember that it is very important that you reduce inflammation, get the body moving, and find the root cause of the symptom instead of covering them up.
References:
1. Susan Blum, M.D., MPH
2. 7 Effective All-Natural Treatments for Arthritis, Dr. Axe
3. Ginger--an herbal medicinal product with broad anti-inflammatory actions, J Med Foods.
4. Topical herbal therapies for treating osteoarthritis, Cameron M
5. New Comfrey Ointment May Relieve Back Pain and Arthritis Symptoms…Safely, Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director, American Botanical Council, Austin, Texas. Date: June 1, 2015 Publication: Bottom Line Health
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