Natural Pain Relief for Arthritis in the Knees
… Continued …
- Take a break during stressful period — give yourself permission to step away from the stressor, even just a few minutes could help a lot! This allows you to get a new perspective or new idea to make your situation less overwhelmed.
- Go with regular exercise! In general, sedentary lifestyle may have a role to make stress more likely. Regular exercise can provide benefits your body as well as your mind.
- Having social support is important factor to deal with stress. Try to build a good relationship with others.
- Turn to your spirituality (religion) for more guidance.
- Don’t relieve your stress with bad things (e.g. smoking and alcohol).
- Get enough sleep at night. Take a short nap if necessary!
- (When you can) take a vacation to help recharge and refresh your mind!
Stop smoking!
Tobacco smoke contains lots of harmful substances, which some are bad if you have rheumatoid arthritis (a kind of arthritis that has to do with malfunctions of the body immune system). It is also thought to increase the severity of arthritis.
Experts believe more-severe rheumatoid arthritis is likely to occur in smokers than non-smokers. Smoking may cause remission less likely. It may also interfere with the effectiveness of rheumatoid arthritis medications, making the disease harder to treat.
Smoking makes it harder to engage in activities (exercise), making you become a sedentary lifestyle more likely. It’s also bad for weight control since it’s linked to obesity-related habits such as unhealthy diet. One study shows that smokers are more likely to eat more calories and fats than non-smokers [6].
Use the right shoes!
Your shoes may also have effects on your knee joints. One study from the Rush Medical College Chicago in 2010 showed that using the right shoes was helpful to reduce the load on the knees by about 11-15 % [7].
Choose flexible shoes (e.g. sneakers and flip-flops). For best result, use flexible shoes with arch support.
Alternative therapies
A number of alternative therapies are available to help cope with arthritis and its symptoms, though there is no enough reliable evidence to back them up. The following are probably the most promising ones:
Acupuncture
It’s not clear yet whether this Chinese traditional technique works for arthritis. But since it promotes relaxation and tension relief, it’s not bad idea to try this therapy. Furthermore, it’s one of complementary therapies recommended by WHO (the World Health Organization) to help treat more than 100 different conditions.
If you want to use this traditional treatment, ask your doctor first (particularly if you’re taking chemotherapy and blood thinners since the therapy may cause infection and bleeding). Again, it’s a complementary treatment, not to replace your primary treatment. And make sure to only work with a certified, licensed acupuncturist!
Mediation
This relaxation therapy involves a deep concentration so you gain stress relief, peace, and happiness. It may help for people with painful joints such as arthritis, according to one study from the National Institutes of Health [8].
Compared to other therapies, the study showed that people with arthritis and depression benefitted the most from the practice of mindfulness mediation. It soothes the brain’s response to pain, making pain relief more likely.
Message
Depending on the severity of your arthritis knee pain — massage therapy may help relieve the pain, improving range of motion and your joint stiffness. It improves muscle tension, allowing your knee joints work better.
Work with an experienced massage therapist (if necessary, ask your physician for a recommendation).
How about herbal supplements?
The same goes for herbal supplements. Although there are many folk remedy claims, scientific evidence on their effectiveness for arthritis is lacking. Also, their quality and safety are not comprehensively monitored by FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration).
Some popular herbs for arthritis pain relief include Ginkgo, Thunder god vine, Stinging nettle, Bromelain, and Boswellia.
Consult your physician before trying any alternative therapies or herbal supplements, because some have drawbacks and side effects — particularly true if you’re taking certain medications for arthritis or other health conditions!
Arthritis can get worse over time, causing serious complications such as serious joint damage. So never forget about your doc — do a routine checkup regularly, at least once a year! Once severe damage occurs, it could be irreversible.
