How to Treat your Arthritis Naturally

How to Treat your Arthritis Naturally

Arthritis is pain in the fingers, knees, elbows, hips jaw-any place in
the body where there is a joint between bones. It can be very painful. This
because joints are surrounded by many nerves and the nerves are needed to make
the complicated joints work properly. There are many forms of arthritis like
Osteoarthritis or Rheumatoid; to name just two, but we are not going into that
now. What we are looking at here is natural remedies.

A lot of arthritis sufferers very often turn to natural herbal remedies
and botanical methods to gain release from their symptoms. But do these
natural alternatives do what they promise? Can you find relief from herbal
supplements? There are many herbs and such like that has shown some promise in
helping treat the symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis and we will just look at a
few of them:.

Thunder god vine

A supplement that is derived from a perennial vine that is
native to Asia, also in areas of China, Korea, and Japan. The root is peeled
away to make this herbal supplement and is by tradition, been used to treat
autoimmune illnesses and inflammatory conditions. It has been find by research
that thunder god vine does indeed contain anti-inflammatory activity, and some
immune-boosting activity has also been discovered. One clinical trial carried
out at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that roughly
80 per cent of those patients who were given a high dose of the plant
supplement found that their Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms got better
considerably. However, researchers have found that this and other studies are
too small to prove the true efficacy of this plant-derived supplement.

Cherries

To take away the pain of gout, eat 6-8 cherries per day. They can be
tinned, frozen or fresh. This is a Japanese treatment, which they have used
for centuries. They also boil the cherries down into a syrup which makes a
strong sweet drink. The cherry is a very good source of magnesium (which is a
natural painkiller) and potassium. The potassium acts as a diuretic, reducing
inflammation by ridding tissue of fluid.

Dandelion leaves

One of the best remedies for treating arthritic conditions probably
grows right in your backyard: fresh young dandelion leaves. Because of the
high vitamin A and C content, when eaten raw in salads, these greens help the
body to repair damaged tissues and help the liver clear toxins out of the
blood. European herbalists have used these anti-pain dandelion recipes for
many years. Older leaves should be steam or sauté - like spinach, this is
because they are too tough to eat raw. You can also improve the taste by
cooking with garlic or add olive oil for a tasty dish. Dandelion can also be
made into a tea: Steep, just 1 teaspoon of dried leaves or 3 teaspoons of
fresh leaves in 1 cup of boiling water. Or make a coffee-like, but
bitter-tasting, beverage by boiling, and then straining, 4 ounces of fresh
root in 2 pints of water. Taken daily, this is a good guard against winter
colds.

Desert devil Devil's-claw

An ominous-sounding cure - comes from the Kalahari Desert of South
Africa. For at least 250 years, the Hottentots, Bantus, and Bushmen (all
native tribes of this region) have treated arthritis pain with this large
claw-like fruit that can trap and injure livestock. The tribesmen's favourite
method is to draw an extract from the root and brew it into a tea.
Alternatively, devil's-claw can be dried, powdered, and taken in tablet form.
Recent French and German studies found that the pain-relief of devil's-claw is
similar to that of cortisone. The root acts mainly as an anti-inflammatory, an
effect of harpagoside, its active ingredient. Preparations using the whole
plant work even better because it contains additional compounds, such as
flavonoids, that enhance the anti-inflammatory effect. Devil's-claw is
available in many forms through most mailorder herb companies and health food
stores.

Molasses

The British, known for their fondness for sweets, swear by crude
blackstrap molasses dissolved in water. When taken every morning, they say
this preparation eases and even eliminates pain in the joints. This is some
feat in England! (Cold, damp climates usually aggravate a case of arthritis.)
The molasses is an excellent source of minerals, including iron, potassium,
and magnesium. It is also a concentrated sweet. So it is important to rinse
your mouth out or brush your teeth after using this treatment. Otherwise, you
may be trading one pain (arthritis) for another - a toothache!

Cooper bracelets

This does vindicate old wives. Until recently, Western doctors dismissed
as folklore the idea of wearing copper bracelets as a way of treating
arthritis. Indeed, there are many doctors who are still sceptical. Researchers
in Australia, however, have found that copper, when coupled with aspirin, is
more effective than aspirin alone in treating the pain of arthritis. Since
many substances are absorbed through the skin, there may be some truth in this
old wives' tale. Cooper bracelets are available all over the net.

Ginger.

Ginger is very effective in the treatment of arthritis and a host of
other ailments. Recent medical research in Holland has indicated that this,
too, is much more than just myth. Eating ginger does, according to the Dutch
doctors, help alleviate arthritis pain. Use the ginger with anything...soups,
sauces, or salads.

Bee Stings

An arthritis therapy that may sound more like a punishment was used
2,000 years ago by Hippocrates - bee stings. Once considered to be the leading
cure for rheumatism, arthritis, and gout, bee stings were used for centuries
by ancient Europeans.Based on this traditional therapy, scientists in
Switzerland, France, Germany, and Great Britain devised a treatment that
employed a series of injections of the venom- using either a hypodermic needle
or a live bee! The bee venom, like many noxious substances, stimulates the
immune system to release inflammatory substances. This is known as the counter
irritation theory.

Saint Hildegard's Ointment

Hildegard was a mystic from 12th century Germany whose wisdom still
holds true to day. She said " Detoxify, purify, and regenerate the whole
organism." Hildegard's recipe for an arthritis ointment was to take 4 parts
vermouth, 2 parts deer fat, and 2 parts deer marrow, and mix it into a salve.
This ointment was massaged on the painful joints while the sufferer sat in
front of an elmwood fire. The warmth of the fire and the stimulation of blood
flow from the massage were really the important parts of the treatment. So if
you cannot get your hands on any deer fat. goose fat is a much better option
and is available all over the net. To get rid of the rheumatic toxins that
caused pain, Hildegard prescribed eating fragrant, raw quince. The fruit can
be cooked in water or wine, baked in a cake or pie, or made into jellies and
candy ( this is popular today during holiday seasons). Hildegard's advice to
gout sufferers was to slowly chew (before breakfast) 1 to 3 teaspoons of
celery seed powder mixed with spices such as rue, cloves, and saxifrage. For a
better taste, the celery powder can be sprinkled on bread with quince jelly.
Celery is a diuretic, and the loss of excess fluid can reduce the inflammation
associated with the arthritis. Rue contains ruin, which can strengthen blood
vessels (preventing them from leaking fluid into tissue and thus preventing
inflammation).Warning: Don't use rue during pregnancy. It can bring on
bleeding.

Aloe Vera

Aloe, by its self does not cure or heal anything; it is the
beneficial effects of over 200 different nutritional constituents and the way
they react to help reduce inflammation and pain which promote healing. Aloe
Vera gives a great boost to the immune system and energy levels. So, In other
words.....Aloe Vera provides the body with the right agents to take care of
itself and to restore and repair body functions and the body's own healing
process.

Many people think that because they are taking an herbal supplement or
botanical-based drug therapy, there will be no side effects. The truth is that
herbal supplements can be quite powerful and can have strong side effects.
Many if not most of all conventional drug therapies are derived from plants
and herbs.

The bad news is that there is not enough sufficient research to
conclusively prove the efficacy of many of these herbal supplements and
botanical-based drugs. Before you try any herbal supplement, it is
important that you discuss its use with your doctor.