Millions who are affected by painful, swollen joints long for an arthritis cure that will give them relief. While there are medical treatments and a variety of prescription medications manufactured to help relieve the symptoms of this painful condition, natural cures and home remedies are among the safest treatments available to everyone. The first step in an arthritis cure, however, is to understand what the condition is and to determine what causes it.
Definition
Arthritis is characterized by joint inflammation, which is the body’s natural response to injury and disease. Besides swelling, inflammation also causes pain and stiffness. If allowed to persist, inflammation eventually damages surrounding tissues. There are more than 100 types of arthritis, but Osteoarthritis is the most common, followed by rheumatoid arthritis and gout.
Osteoarthritis is most common in the elderly. Due to a deterioration of cartilage over time, bones come in contact with one another and this friction causes swelling and pain.
Rheumatoid arthritis is commonly seen in younger people and is the result of the immune system mistakenly attacking itself. As a result, inflammation spreads to nearby tissue and, in time, injures cartilage and bone.
Gout occurs when a person’s body is unable to eliminate uric acid, which results in it forming very sharp crystals in the joints and causing excruciating pain.
Causes
A Few Causes of Arthritis:
- Joint injury
- Obesity
- Long-term physical performance (common to athletes after years of participating in a particular sport)
- Nutritional deficiency
- Hormonal changes
- Cold, damp weather
- Weakened immune system
- Genetics
- Food allergies
Symptoms
Symptoms of Arthritis:
- Joint pain
- Enlarged or deformed joints
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Fever
- Rash or redness at the joints
- Fatigue
- Back pain
- Tenderness
Remedies
Those seeking an arthritis cure are advised to cease the consumption of all processed foods, including those made with white flour and processed sugar. Also, coffee, tea, alcohol, red meat, pork and fried foods, especially fried potatoes, should be strongly avoided to allow the body to detoxify. It is also advisable to cleanse the bowel in order to relieve constipation. Teas made with dandelion leaf can help in this effort.
Other home cures include:
- Consuming foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, calcium and zinc (or supplements may be used)
- Arthritis Diet
- Regular massages with warm olive oil (adding oils from garlic, thyme, sassafras, sage, lavender, juniper or castor oil can also help)
- Rub affected areas with hot vinegar at bedtime
- Daily steam baths
A particular massage that can be helpful when joints are not inflamed involves a mixture of equal parts of the oil of lobelia and oil of origanum, combined with a few drops of oil of capsicum (or capsicum extract). If this mixture is too strong, it can be mixed with coconut oil.
Herbs that can be taken alone or combined with one another, but that are particularly helpful in an arthritis cure are:
- Alfalfa
- Arnica
- Ashwagandha
- Bearsfoot
- Bitterroot
- Black cohosh
- Boswellia
- Buckthorn bark
- Feverfew
- Holy Basil
- Kava
- Nettle
- Saw palmetto berries
- Skullcap
- Sassafras
- Turmeric
- Wintergreen
- Yellow dock
- Yucca Root
People who are afflicted with arthritis should move daily to prevent stiffness. However, it is important not to over-exert oneself as this can cause injury to vital ligaments. Daily walking and yoga exercises are suggested as each helps in creating a healthy balance of movements without causing intense strain. In regularly applying healthy folk remedies, it is possible to experience an arthritis cure.
