Joint Pain Relief: Natural Ways to Relieve and Prevent Arthritis

Sometimes I think arthritis is one of the worst diseases of aging. It's not the one that people fear, but it steals so much. It fills your days with pain. It makes even the simplest task into a major undertaking. It undermines your quality of life at every turn.

When you have arthritis you are stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one side you have constant pain. On the other, you have dangerous drugs. Frankly, the whole situation stinks.

Fortunately, there are ways you can escape this dilemma. My favorite, of course, is to just not get arthritis in the first place. People think about preventing heart disease and cancer, but they don't give much consideration to preventing arthritis. There are things you can do though. Here are just a few preventative measures:
• Maintain a healthy body weight. Being overweight puts a greater amount of stress on your joints. By keeping a healthy weight, you'll help to ease the burden on your joints.
• Make resistance training a part of your workout at least twice a week. By building the strength in your muscles, you'll make it so your joints are more stable.
• When you're active, pay attention to pain cues. If something hurts, it means your body wants you to stop. Listen up.
• Use safety gear and proper technique when working, playing, or exercising. Preventing injuries now can prevent arthritis later.

For people that already suffer with arthritis, I think you can do better than over-the-counter painkillers. Over-the-counter drugs damage your liver and your stomach lining. Try these natural pain relievers instead:
• Analgesic creams with menthol relieve pain safely. Since you aren't ingesting anything, you don't put nearly the strain on your body. Menthol is a natural cooling agent that reduces joint pain.
• White willow bark is the original aspirin. It comes from the bark of the white willow tree and contains a natural version of the same ingredients found in aspirin. It can provide ongoing pain relief without the dangerous side effects.

Recent evidence also suggests that pomegranate juice might relieve pain and slow the progression of arthritis. Compounds in the pomegranate help reduce inflammation levels and may also protect cartilage from further breakdown.

When it comes to arthritis relief and prevention, you have a lot of options that are natural, safe, and effective.

Stay well,
Meghan Krohn