How to Treat Arthritis Naturally

Many of the drugs available to treat arthritis have harsh, unpleasant side effects. While these medicines work well for lots of people, others find the benefits they get are not worth the risks. Fortunately, plenty of effective alternatives exist for treating arthritis naturally.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Investigate natural anti-inflammatories. Ginger, turmeric and cayenne pepper are all excellent natural anti-inflammatories that have been proven effective in clinical trials. You can buy the powdered versions of these spices in capsules at most health food stores or you can simply use them daily in your cooking.
2. Take Omega-3 oils. Recent studies have shown Omega-3 oils to be highly effective in reducing the pain and inflammation of arthritis. Omega-3 oils are found in such things as walnuts, salmon and flax seeds and can also be purchased in capsule form at most health food stores.
3. Exercise frequently. Exercising increases blood flow to your joints and also releases endorphins, natural painkillers, into your system. Gentle stretching and light weightlifting exercises are best for arthritis.
4. Use glucosamine and chrondroitin. These natural collagen-builders help to restore cartilage and ligament tissue that has been damaged by arthritis. Glucosamine and chrondroitin can be found in the vitamin section of most grocery stores.
5. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. The naturally occurring antioxidants in fresh produce are believed to have a beneficial healing effect on arthritis and may help to reduce inflammation. For best results, get 7 to 9 servings of a variety of brightly colored produce daily.
6. Avoid trigger foods. Trigger foods are those that are believed to promote inflammation and increase pain. Dairy products, red meat and nightshade vegetables (such as eggplant, bell peppers, potatoes and tomatoes) are some of the most commonly identified trigger foods.

Tips & Warnings

• Some people claim to notice an immediate improvement in their arthritis symptoms when they cut trigger foods from their diets. Others, however, report no changes. To see if trigger food elimination works for you, cut these foods out of your diet for 2 weeks. Then, re-introduce them to see if you notice a difference in your symptoms.
• Glucosamine and chrondroitin are especially useful in osteoarthritis, but can be of benefit in other kinds of arthritis as well.
• Inform your doctor if you are using anything to treat your arthritis naturally. Your doctor will need to know in order to warn you of any potential negative interactions your natural treatments may have with prescription drugs. Natural treatments can also affect bleeding during surgery, another good reason to keep your doctor informed.
• Never abruptly stop any prescription medications. Many of them have to be tapered off in order for you to stop them safely. Always do this under the supervision of your doctor.

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