Tag Archives: arthritis

Natural Pain Relief Treatments For Arthritis – Rheumatoid And Osteoarthritis

Healthy Me, , ,

As the weather changes, people suffering from inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis tend to experience more pain and sometimes more swelling in their joints as well. The morning stiffness tends to get a little worse as well. Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are classified as “ Bi syndromes” and tend to be effected by weather elements – particularly cold and humid temperatures. Here are a few naturopathic treatments you can try at home for arthritis that might provide some relief to your joints and bones.

1. To do have a diet that is free of the night shade family vegetables – this includes egg plants, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes. These vegetables tend to worsen inflammation, particularly in people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. A complete avoidance for a while would be ideal. Inflammation in the body can be measured by testing various indices such as CRP, ESR and CORTISOL through your naturopathic clinic.

2. Try to maintain a diet that is gluten free and dairy free. This may help in reducing the pain and inflammation in the joints. An overload of different foods in the body, particularly allergens such as wheat and dairy can exacerbate symptoms of arthritis. Inflammation could be effected by food allergies and intolerances you have but are not aware of. You can test these using food allergy/ intolerance blood tests.

3. Mild exercise and stretching in rooms that are a little warmer and more humid may provide relief as loosening up stiff joints. The warmth will loosen and relax muscles, which in turn will release some joint tension. One of the reason why people tend to wake up stiff is because of lack of proper circulation in the body, leaving hands and legs quite stiff on waking. Improving circulation is a great way to reduce stiffness and joint pain. Mobility is great for improving circulation as is massage and acupuncture.

4. Massaging joints with warming oils – such as mustard, castor oil, peanut (if tolerated), rosemary and thyme may also be beneficial in improving circulation and reducing pain related to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. If you are suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, talk to your naturopathic doctor and see what the best natural treatment option for you would be to be pain free.

By: Sushma Shah, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Is Arthritis Effected By Foods I Consume?

Healthy Me, , , ,

Arthritis is a condition which affects joints and bones, depending on the type other areas may be affected and quite often deformed by it. The – itis stands for inflammation in the area. There are various types of arthritis. The most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is one that affects your joints, can cause deformities of the joints and is significantly affected by the type of diet an individual has.

The vegetables in the night shade family particularly has a significant effect on the swelling and tenderness of the joints. The night shade family vegetables include tomatoes, potatoes, green peppers and eggplants. If you do suffer from arthritic type symptoms, and do have family members who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, you may experience some relief by avoiding the night shade family vegetables from your diet for a while. Another factor that may affect the amount of inflammation is how acidic your diet is. The more processed and meaty your diet is, the more acidic the body becomes, which can also impact how much inflammation your body produces.

A diet that is high in green leafy vegetables, good quality fruits and grains will quite often help reduce the inflammation in the body. In practice, I have quite often found food intolerances and mild allergies can also cause quite a bit of inflammation in the body due to histamine release in the blood stream. If you suffer from any type of arthritis, take a look at the following factors:

1. Diet – how is your diet – a weekly diet diary of what you ate and how your joints felt will help you narrow down possible triggers in food.

2. Stress – how stressful is your life and what relaxation techniques are your using to help deal with day to day life and other stressors. REMEMBER – stress is not only work and family related, stress is anything that puts your body out of its normal state of being – this could include mental, emotional, psychological, physiological, environmental and dietary factors.

If you are having difficulty identifying what might be making your symptoms worse, talk to your naturopathic physician or your doctor about possibly looking into other causes that might be affecting you.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Arthritis And Foods

Healthy Me, , ,

Quite often I see patients in the clinic suffering from various types of arthritis, and majority say that they get flare ups quite often during this hot and humid weather. When i ask them more detailed questions about their arthritis and ask them if they see a connection with the coincidence of flare ups and what food they ate the night or day before, majority cannot recall if there is a connection.

Here is one for all the arthritis sufferers out there: if you are suffering from flare ups for no apparent reason, look at the foods you are eating. Especially for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, try to avoid the night shade family vegetables (green peppers, egg plants, tomatoes and potatoes) – these foods tend to make the inflammation in the body worse.

Also pay close attention to any other foods that could potentially be worsening your symptoms and if you are still unable to pinpoint what foods are causing the symptoms to get worse, it might be worth investing in the food Igg screen test which helps determine what foods you, specifically are reacting to.

Other parameters you want to look at are stress. A lot of times I find clients getting flare ups after stressful events, hence learn some techniques to help you ease the stress and improve the body’s ability to deal with stress, go for a swim or yoga or massage, alternatively learn some deep breathing techniques or relaxation methods.

Homeopathic remedies may help ease the pain and swelling in joints related to humid weather, ruta may help with bone pain, however you are much better of seeing a naturopath or homeopath for your specific remedy for your symptoms.

Some nut and fish oils are great as natural anti-inflammatory, along with ginger and turmeric powder.

Having more of a vegetarian diet would be quite beneficial initially to help reduce the inflammatory burden on the body as well.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.