As well as leading a healthy lifestyle, there are other holistic remedies that can help you live a more comfortable life.
One of these is an extract from the bark of the pine tree. But not just any pine tree, the French maritime pine tree grown in forests in the Bordeaux region of France.
The effect of pine trees on your health is not a new phenomenon, but unless you or your doctor has a good knowledge of holistic medicine, you may not have realised just how much it can help with your arthritis.
The bark of the pine tree is the part that posses the power and the part used to produce the herbal supplement Pycnogenol.
Pycnogenol is full of antioxidents, usually found in fruit and vegetables, which have anti-inflammatory properties.
They target molecules in our body, known as free radicals, which are caused by stress and our natural environment. These free radicals can cause damage to our cells and inflammation to the joints.
The anti-oxidants stimulate the cells to trap free radicals in the blood stream and clear them from our bodies and the natural extract from the pine trees helps blood flow and circulation, easing joint pain experienced by those with arthritis.
Research has found that Pycnogenol can be more effective on ridding the body of free radicals than both Vitamin C and Vitamin E, but also that the natural extract can also make Vitamin C and E in the body work more effectively.
Natural remedies, taken alongside formal medication, can offer relief to symptoms. But before using these, consult your doctor.