What Are The Key Foods In A Mediterranean Diet
A Mediterranean diet follows the traditional eating habits of people from the countries closest to the sun-soaked shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
There are regional variations but expect your plate to be filled with plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, cereals and grains.
Youll also see moderate amounts of fish and unsaturated fats such as olive oil. And what youll eat less of are dairy products and meat.
The Mediterranean diet is widely linked with many aspects of wellness, including a healthier heart, as well as benefits to some types of arthritis.
Kevin Ellis Founder Of Bone Coach
Oftentimes, doctors prescribe medication to provide relief from this pain, but many will also acknowledge the importance of natural approaches.
It can be very hard to diagnose lupus for this reason. Symptoms of lupus can range from anywhere from mild to life-threatening, which means that early diagnosis is very important. This disease is often diagnosed by a rheumatologist.
Oftentimes, doctors prescribe medication to provide relief from this pain, but many will also acknowledge the importance of natural approaches, says Kevin Ellis, Integrative Nutrition health coach.
Lubricate With Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The very consistency of olive oil makes it seem like something that would lubricate your joints and ease arthritis pain, and it turns out, it actually does. A main compound in extra virgin olive oil called oleocanthal inhibits inflammatory enzymes COX-1 and COX-2, just like Advil or aspirin does. The study showed that 1 ½ tablespoons is equal to 200-mg of ibuprofen. However, not every oil is created equal. Heat destroys oleocanthal, so it is necessary to use extra virgin olive oil or cold-pressed. The ripeness of the olives at the time they were pressed also determines the level of oleocanthal-generally the stronger tasting the oil, the higher the level there is present. It can be taken internally to reap the benefits, but being high in calories consider replacing any fats, such as butter, with it in cooking instead.
You will need -2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
DirectionsRub a bit of olive oil onto your sore joints twice a day, massaging in to each one gently. You can also take 2-3 tablespoons daily, but be sure to give up some other form of fat due to the high calorie count in the oil
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Up Your Calcium Intake
Getting too little calcium raises the risk of osteoporosis, a brittle-bone condition that accelerates if you have RA. Men and women should get 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, 1,200 for women over 50 and men over 70. Dairy is the most famous source of calcium, but its also found in such veggies as cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, broccoli, and turnip greens. Here are 11 foods with more calcium than a glass of milk.
How To Treat Arthritis Pain At Home
Arthritis treatments like pain medication and bracing can be effective in managing pain. However, there are also a number of at-home and natural remedies for relieving discomfort in your joints.
Terence W. Starz, MD, a rheumatologist at UPMC, weighs in on several methods to help you naturally manage your pain.
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Topical And Oral Remedies
Few natural medicines have any scientific evidence to back up their health claims. This is especially true with respect to psoriatic arthritis. As an informed consumer, it is important to critically evaluate any alternative treatment. In the absence of scientific proof, safety is far more important than potential efficacy.
These Arthritis Home Remedies May Be Worth A Try As Part Of Your Overall Doctor
While medication is a cornerstone and critical part of managing arthritis, home remedies and lifestyle changes can be important in your arthritis treatment plan too, says Susan Blum, MD, MPH, chronic disease specialist, assistant clinical professor in the department of preventive medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and author of Healing Arthritis: The 3-Step Guide To Conquering Arthritis Naturally.
You need to treat arthritis from a whole body perspective, not simply a medical one, which means incorporating all facets of wellness, including what you do at home, she says. She knows firsthand of what she speaks, noting that she uses home remedies to help her own arthritis and autoimmune disorder. She swears by a daily meditation, green smoothies, gardening, and walking outdoors.
However, its important to note that home remedies should not replace medication. And you need a healthy amount of skepticism when deciding which ones to try and implement, says Don R. Martin, MD, a rheumatologist with Sentara RMH Rheumatology in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Many natural remedies arent backed by science or the research is very limited or weak. And even for therapies that have shown to be effective, supplements and natural therapies are not regulated the same way prescription medications are, so the purity and quality can vary widely, he adds.
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What Are The Symptoms
RA sufferers are familiar with the severity of the pain associated with stiff and sore joints. Some describe it as having sprained all the joints in their bodies at once. Now imagine that with simultaneous fatigue, appetite loss, and feeling feverish, and you can easily envision how they are apt to feel downright lousy. Then to add insult to injury, some suffer through those episodes it for years and years. The most common signs and symptoms are:
* Swollen joints* Pain and stiffness in the joints, especially after periods of inactivity * Extreme fatigue
Even though RA is not life threatening, you will feel pretty miserable. And thats no way to live your life. Youll be searching for relief and relief that works.
How Can You Reduce Arthritis Inflammation Naturally
While your healthcare provider can prescribe a number of treatments to treat your arthritis inflammation, there are some key steps you can take without medication. These include losing weight, eating anti-inflammatory foods, getting restorative sleep, and even taking certain nutritional supplements.
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Dietary And Botanical Supplements
Fish oil.
When working with an RA population, fish oil is probably the most frequently mentioned supplement. The standard western diet contains a low proportion of omega-3 type essential fatty acids , which are said to have anti-inflammatory properties. Two EFAs in fish oil are eicosapentaenoic acide and docosahexanoic acid . The body can actually convert EPA to DHA, but individuals vary with regard to the efficiency of that conversion. EPA and DHA can also be found in vegetable sources, such as flax and algae, respectively. In a report by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine within the National Institutes of Health , it was concluded that evidence for the use of fish oil for the treatment of RA is promising, as a result of several laboratory, animal and clinical studies . Some effect has been noted for symptoms such as tender joints, morning stiffness and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs . What is uncertain, however, is how much of this effect is placebo, as results from randomized controlled trials are inconsistent.
Glucosamine and chondroitin.
Meditation For Pain Management
Meditation is an ancient mind and body practice that goes back to Buddhism and other Eastern religions. It puts your focus and attention on the current moment and not letting lifeâs distractions get in your way.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, meditation can promote âcalmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being.â And research shows meditation can be helpful for managing chronic pain associated with conditions like OA and RA.
A 2011 article in the medical journal Rheumatic Diseases Clinics of North America looked at the possible benefits of meditation on people with rheumatological diseases like RA and OA, which the author cites as the most significant causes of chronic pain.
The reportâs author further argues that while mind-body therapies can be effective for managing pain, only about 20% of people with chronic pain use them. This 2011 piece also discusses an older study that found only eight weeks of mediation therapy improved pain in people with RA.
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Cure : Herbs For Arthritis
Herbs are naturally occurring substances which originated from plants or plant derivatives. They have shown immense potential in curing a lot of diseases effectively, including cerebral disorders, muscular problems, and digestive problems. Herbal remedies are easily accessible and dont bear any side effects.
Make Sure You Get Enough Vitamin C
Vitamin C not only helps produce collagen, a major component of joints, but sweeps the body of destructive free radicals, which are harmful to joints. One of the best-known studies looking into vitamin C and arthritis found that people whose diets routinely included high amounts of vitamin C had significantly less risk of their arthritis progressing. Spread out your intake throughout the day because your body doesnt store vitamin C rather, it takes what it needs from the bloodstream at any given time and flushes out the rest. This means a megadose in the morning doesnt really do as much good. Sip citrus drinks or eat C-rich fruits and vegetables such as strawberries or melon, broccoli, or sweet peppers. And be sure to avoid these foods that might flare your arthritis.
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The Best Natural Remedies For Arthritis
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Pharmaceutical drugs prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis number in the hundreds. If they really worked so well, you have to ask yourself why do we need so many? There are numerous natural remedies for arthritis that are just as beneficial for reducing the pain and swelling which causes arthritis, specifically, from the root cause of inflammation in the body.
Here are 6 of the best ways to reduce inflammation in the body through natural foods. Try these 6 natural remedies for arthritis today:
Wrist Hand Or Finger Splints
If youre going through a bad arthritis flare-up, using resting splints can help quiet the active inflammation and give you some relief, Dr. Osterman says. These are devices, usually made of plastic and secured with velcro, that temporarily immobilize the joint, which allows it time to rest, he explains.
Im only 22, but some of my fingers are already severely bent and fused from having juvenile arthritis. Splints are helpful for the pain and for helping keep them straight so hopefully they dont bend more, says rheumatoid arthritis patient Emma A., from Melbourne, Australia. My favorites are ring splints since they look like jewelry instead of a medical brace.
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Alternate Remedies For Rheumatoid Arthritis
More and more people are moving toward homeopathic treatments instead of relying on overpriced prescription medications and costly surgeries many of which individuals, especially those without insurance, cannot afford. Not only that, many people are becoming wary of putting so many manufactured chemicals in their bodies on a regular basis. It seems like everything we ingest nowadays is somehow engineered instead of natural. Perhaps returning to nature is a better alternative than the usual go-to treatments. Well discuss the use and effectiveness of seven natural remedies for RA. Well also share what our research has found as far as success rates go.
1. CinnamonProponents of cinnamon in alleviating symptoms of RA contribute its healing powers to the anti-inflammatory qualities of cinnamon bark. In addition, cinnamon is noted to help with aches and pains, especially when they are worse with cold or cold weather.
The Problem? Cinnamon in large doses can be detrimental to your health. In addition, cinnamon has been found to have potential harmful effects to pregnant women and may negatively react with your bodys natural blood clotting as well as interacts with any blood thinning medications you are taking.
2. Willow BarkWillow bark, as the name quite literally says, is the bark off of willow trees. This bark has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties which assist with pain relief. In fact, it has very similar qualities to everyday aspirin.
So Whats The Overarching Verdict So Far
Ambivalent at best. It will be very difficult and time consuming to eat enough ginger, green tea, black pepper, etc. to truly alleviate your RA symptoms in the most optimal way. By the time you ate enough cinnamon stiff joints might not be your only concern anymore. So, now what?
7. Lab Grade Turmeric + Lab Grade Boswellia SerrataThe combination of these trusted remedies is a ONE-TWO PUNCHYouve probably used turmeric while cooking before its a yellow spice that most people associate with curry dishes. Know what it reminds RA sufferers of? Relief. Its true that turmeric is another anti-inflammatory agent. But, what makes this remedy a little different is that youre not just ingesting turmeric. Its the lab grade organic turmeric CO2 extraction that is the key player here. Were talking about the extraction of pure turmeric into a pill or oil form.
Know whats great about this? You dont have to worry about the dosage of eating a bunch of curry. You can take a pill or rub some oil that has the optimal dose for relief of your RA pain. In its un-extracted form, were talking about the spice, the herb. The same thing you flavor your dishes with. And, truthfully, in this capacity, it probably has similar effectiveness to the other six natural remedies mentioned above. With CO2 extraction though, youre extracting the most pure form of turmeric , to aid in your relief.
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Treating Arthritis: Move Around
Exercise may seem like the last thing you want to do when your joints are bothering you. However, low-impact physical activity has many benefits for people with pain from arthritis. The benefits of exercise include:
- Strengthening your joint support structures.
- Improving flexibility and mobility.
- Increasing blood flow to your tissues.
Losing healthy amounts of body weight also can help reduce pressure on your joints. Dr. Starz recommends staying healthy with exercise as a great way to manage your weight. As an added benefit, exercise can also help to strengthen your joints and fight the progression of arthritis.
Relieve Arthritic Pain With Static Electricity
Believe it or not, static electricitythe same kind you experience with a shock when you touch an object after walking across a carpet in a cold, dry environmentcan be used to alleviate arthritis pain.
Every living cell within the body has both a positive and a negative charge. It is the balance of these charges that results in good health. An imbalance leads to malfunction and varying degrees of disease.
For example, when an area of the body has a predominantly negative charge, youll find that the tissues in that area are more alkaline. There will be decreased blood circulation to the area, and it will feel cool. Conversely, when an area of the body has a predominantly positive charge, it is an indication that the tissues in that part of the body are overly acidic. Symptoms that usually accompany over-acidity include excess tissue acids, inflammation, swelling, heat, and pain. Arthritis and other types of pain and inflammation fall into the overly acidic category.
To help reverse these symptoms, we can introduce additional negatively charged particles to the area.
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When To Seek Medical Care
Add Cloves To Your Diet
Cloves contain an anti-inflammatory chemical called eugenol that interferes with a bodily process that triggers arthritis. In one animal study, eugenol prevented the release of COX-2, a protein that spurs inflammation . Cloves also contain antioxidants, which are important in slowing the cartilage and bone damage caused by arthritis. Aim for ½ to 1 teaspoon a day for joint pain relief.
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What Is A Natural Pain Reliever For Dogs Joint Pain
CBD, or cannabidiol is one of the greatest things that you can give to your dog, under the guise of your vet. It is a natural anti inflammatory compound, that you can find inside the cannabis plant. It not only is free of side effects, but also can potentially make your dog pain free. Along with its pain relieving qualities, it can also create a calming effect in your dog,