Water
If you want to put out a fire, use water. If your arthritic joints are inflamed and hurting, drink more water. If your brain is tired from all the pain in your life, drink more water. Simples. Both simple and effective.
Ginger & Turmeric
These are warming spices that are very helpful for inflamed joints and soft tissues. An inch or so of fresh root ginger can be roughly chopped up and either left to infuse in cold water at room temperature for an hour or two, or add hot water and infuse to make a tea. And it’s another way to sidle more water into your life.
Turmeric can be added to lots of savoury recipes, or smoothies, or even on its own to plain rice as it cooks. It gives a lovely yellow tinge. I have a friend who makes a smoothie every morning with a whole lemon, plus fresh root ginger, plus turmeric – it packs quite a punch!
Stretch and Exercise
If your joints are aching, try some gentle stretching. If you are too scared of the pain of movement to try stretching, then visualise that you are stretching. This is still sending nerve impulses to the muscles. One useful thing to try when you hardly dare move because of pain, is simply to gently tense the muscles in the painful area, and then relax them. Do this a few times and this will help to pump fresh blood into the area and begin to flush out the waste products – as even these can cause pain. Drinking more water also helps this.
Fish Oil & Glucosamine
Eating oily fish several times a week (or taking fish oil supplements) is another useful way to reduce inflammation. When our bodies become inflamed, there is a whole cascade of different chemicals at work. Fish oils help to calm down that inflammatory response, and so reduce pain. The Omega-3 oils that they contain are very helpful to brain health, as well as to skin and joints. Glucosamine offers gentle background support to joint health – sometimes people only realise the benefit when they stop taking it because they have run out. As an osteopath, what I notice with patients who do take it is that their joints and muscles tend to have a better quality of glide, there is a smoothness there that helps everything move that bit more easily.
The Nightshade Family & an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Some people find that eating foods from the nightshade family – tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and potatoes – can increase their pain. One patient of mine, an elderly lady who was in so much pain and discomfort that she was willing to try anything, tried cutting out these foods and then reintroducing one at a time to see if that had any effect. For her, she found that potatoes were the culprit, and as long as she avoided potatoes she felt a lot better. Other foods that can contribute to inflammation are refined carbohydrates, so that is white flour, white rice, white pasta. Sugar in all its forms is a big trigger for inflammation. Cut the sugar out as much as you can!
REST
Ah, that 4-letter word…. it is really important for the health of our body that we get enough rest, and enough sleep. A lot of the body’s repair processes happen while we sleep. Think of a wounded animal – what does it do? it finds a quiet place to be still and REST. Our bodies need the same care and respect. When we are in pain from our arthritis (and I speak as a sufferer myself, for many years) – yes, gentle movement is important, but so is rest. In the modern world we can keep pushing ourselves and pushing ourselves, and then we wonder that we are in pain. We need rest as well as activity – a healthy balance; and you will know when you get this wrong, and you will know when you get this right- but will you remember? And do I practise what I preach? Er – sometimes…. could do better!
Hands-On Treatment
Having some kind of physical therapy is really helpful for arthritis – whether my own profession of osteopathy (or our cousins in physiotherapy or chiropractic), or a massage, or reflexology. If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (or one of the other auto-immune arthritides), this needs gentler care and you need to make sure that your therapist understands this. Treatment can help to:
loosen up tight joints, improve the circulation, flush out pain-causing waste products, help you relax – what’s not to like?
So, if you live or work near Bromley, London SE20, or Baldock, Herts, and would like some gentle yet deep-acting osteopathy from a practitioner who really understands the pain of arthritis, call me and leave a message, or text me, on 07535 350 343 – and we’ll take it from there.