While going to the doctor and getting prescribed medication may be part of your arthritis regimen, there are plenty of lifestyle changes and home remedies that can be added to your treatment plan. Prescription medication is not the only option when it comes to your joint pain. Take a look at these 3 natural solutions for arthritis and see what works best for you!
Arthritis Types
There are many different types of arthritis, but we will focus on natural solutions for osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoarthritis occurs when your cartilage wears down and your bones rub together. The result of this is inflammation, friction, and damage. Meanwhile, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where your immune system gets mistaken and attacks your healthy joints.
You should always talk to your doctor before trying any natural solutions for arthritis, but many will recommend a natural alternative over prescription medicine if it brings you relief.
1. Exercise
Exercise ties in with losing weight. It is important to keep your body moving and ensuring it is as healthy as can be. Losing just one pound is equivalent to removing four pounds of pressure on your stiff, swollen joints.
Exercise can help you with:
- Strengthening your muscles
- Joint Flexibility
- Fights Fatigue
- Managing your Weight
- Mood Enhancement
If you have trouble finding the motivation to exercise, a trainer or friend can help increase your motivation and get you moving.
With arthritis, low-impact exercise will be the best natural solution for arthritis. Try to do just 30 minutes a day! Low-impact exercises can consist of the following:
- Swimming – Swimming is a great low-impact exercise since water provides a sense of weightlessness that reduces the impact on your joints when exercising. With this reduced impact, there is also an improved level of circulation that leads to relief.
- Tai Chi – Tai Chi offers a vast number of benefits including, but not limited to, improving balance, arthritis relief, and stress relief. It is a Chinese practice that has been around a long time that involves slow flowing movements with a strong focus on breathing and meditation. It can even improve your overall well-being.
- Walking – A low-impact exercise, like walking, keeps your cartilage healthy by increasing the blood flow to that cartilage. This can help lubricate your joints, since your cartilage will get the nutrients it needs to further reduce pain and stiffness.
- Cycling – Cycling is a great cardiovascular exercise! It is low-impact, which is exactly what you need. It limits the impact of stress on your joints while helping lubricate the joints. Cycling also works to strengthen your muscles.
- Yoga – Yoga is one of the best exercises you can do to improve flexibility and reduce stress. Similar to Tai Chi, it involves deep breathing and meditation, but has a stronger focus on stretching. Yoga has been shown to be a great natural solution for arthritis in reducing joint pain and stiffness.
2. Hot and Cold Therapy
Rotating hot and cold therapy is a remedy that has been around a long time. These are great natural solutions for arthritis.
Heat treatments can consist of taking a warm bath or shower when you wake up to reduce joint stiffness and pain. Mornings are often the time when your joints feel the stiffest. As for throughout the day or overnight, heating pads or heated blankets are a great natural remedy. The heat works to relax your muscles and joints. If you do not have a heating pad, you can always create your own by heating up uncooked rice grains in a cotton sock. Put it on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and then wait until it cools down to a nice, warm temperature that won’t burn you. You can then place it on your stiff joints for a relaxing, soothing treatment.
Cold treatments are also a great benefit for relieving joint pain. The best way is to use an ice pack and wrap it in a towel, so the ice does not directly touch the skin. Another great alternative to an ice pack is a bag of frozen vegetables that you can keep on hand in the freezer. This can be done at any time of the day when your joints are feeling stiff or sore. It will provide quick relief.
Besides each of these natural solutions for arthritis used separately, you can always give your joints the hot-cold treatment rotating back and forth. Especially if your joint pain is in your hands or your feet, it will be easy to try this remedy. Fill two containers, one with cold water and ice cubes, the other with warm water. You will always start and end with cold water for a full minute. After the first minute, switch to the warm water for 30 seconds and continue this treatment for 15 minutes to relieve your joint pain.
3. All-Natural Health Supplements
An all-natural joint supplement should be part of your at-home remedies that can provide a natural solution for arthritis. This will help supplement the nutrients you are lacking without needing another prescription medication. One of the most popular supplements, JointFuel360, is full of ingredients that will help relieve your arthritis pain in a natural way. It contains turmeric, which further includes curcumin. Curcumin has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that will assist with your joint relief. Another natural herb that JointFuel360 includes is Boswellia serrata, which is another anti-inflammatory that helps prevent cartilage loss. Type II Collagen even works to restore the cartilage in your joints. What’s better than a combination of all these ingredients?
Conclusion
You have probably used a home remedy at one time or another, whether it is for a cold or a headache. You could have heard about it from a family member that has passed down the remedy or from reading about it on the internet. There are so many out there. Either way, you tried it in hopes of it working. When you find a natural solution for arthritis that works for you, you can ensure you will feel better and get moving again!
