While the scientific search goes on for a cure for arthritis, whatever its type, many sufferers find relief from the condition’s painful symptoms in more natural remedies.
Gentle exercise through yoga can maintain joint mobility and strengthen muscle tone, while relaxation techniques such as reiki can reduce stress and allow sufferers to develop a more positive outlook.
Diet, too, plays a key role in managing a chronic condition such as arthritis. Depending on what type of arthritis you have, you are likely to suffer joint pain, inflammation and swelling. Many food products naturally contain properties that can reduce inflammation, such as the omega 3 fatty acids in oily fish such as herring, sardines and mackerel. A healthy diet may reduce the symptoms of arthritis and also contribute to your general health and wellbeing.
Here are some products to consider incorporating into your daily diet to maximise the benefits to your health.
Garlic is one of the best natural anti-inflammatory products around and one clove a day, either raw or in capsule form, will open your body up its effective analgesics.
Ensure you eat a vitamin-rich diet, particularly foods containing A and D to fortify your immune system. Carrots, leafy greens, butternut squash and sweet potatoes are among those high in vitamin A; while you should also include those oily fish such as salmon and tuna for vitamin D. Cod liver oil supplements are a good way of adding this vitamin to your diet.
Try raw juices such as carrot or beet juice, or why not make your own juice from apples, bananas, melons and bananas? The alkaline reaction they create can help painful joints. Pineapple juice is particularly effective because it contains bromelain that can reduce inflammation. It doesn’t sound very appetising but juicing an unpeeled potato and mixing it with water can help with pain relief. To strengthen your bones, drink alfalfa seed tea regularly.