Holistic healing

Natural Ways To Ease Sore Joints

Do you suffer from arthritis? These holistic hacks from Lynne McTaggart will help

Most of us accept that, as we get older, we’ll be more likely to start suffering from aches and pains. Even in early middle age, many people suffer back pain that is so severe that they have to take time off work. We may not even call it arthritis: it might start out as a twinge that just gets progressively worse. It’s just ‘wear and tear’, as our family doctor might put it. But these ‘worn-out’ joints have reached pandemic levels in the Western world. A chronic condition that bedevils conventional medicine, it’s one of the most common diseases associated with old age, and one of the biggest causes of disability at any time of life. Actually, arthritis isn’t a proper disease but an umbrella term that describes a collection of symptoms with many potential causes. It simply means inflammation of one or more joints in the body. Pain and stiffness are the most universal symptoms of arthritis, and the pain, which can be severe, is as crippling as the physiological debilitation itself.

Ways to ease arthritis

Sort out your gut. Get tested for candida overgrowth, parasites or a leaky gut, low stomach acid and fructose intolerance, which are all shown to cause arthritis symptoms. Also get tested for food and environmental allergies and eliminate allergens from your diet and lifestyle.

Change your diet to a low-inflammation one. Avoid the big common allergens like dairy and wheat, red meat, all nightshades, processed foods and those laden with sugar.

Drink at least eight glasses of pure water a day, as well as fresh ginger juice, extract or tea

Take mineral baths with magnesium.

Consider one or more of the following joint-healthy supplements: glucosamine (up to 3,200mg/day) chondroitin (up to 3,600mg/day), bromelaine (750– 1,000mg/day – usually in four divided doses), collagen hydrolysate (up to 1,200mg/day) or hyaluronic acid (40mg/day).

Have massage sessions to increase circulation and mitigate the pain.

Try these nutrition-boosting supplements, which can ease arthritis: vitamin C (1–3g/day), a balanced B-complex supplement, vitamin D3 (2,000IU/day), vitamin E (1,200 to 1,800IU/day) or astaxanthin (300mg/day).

Have acupuncture, which like all the alternative treatments shows scientific evidence of success.

Try these homeopathic remedies: Bryonia alba for pain with inflammation made worse by movement, calccarb for arthritic knees, colchicum for arthritis pain made worse by exercise, guaiacum for gout and joint abscesses, hypericum for nerve pain from rheumatoid arthritis or ledum pal for gout and rheumatism.

Try energy techniques such as qigong, reiki and therapeutic touch.

Look to herbal helpers such as: bromelain (750–1,000mg/day – usually in four divided doses), black cumin (1tsp of black cumin seed oil with meals), curcumin (400–800mg/day), ginger (2–4g of fresh ginger juice, extract or tea daily. Or rub ginger oil directly onto a painful joint), rosehip powder, devil’s claw (750mg three times a day), guggul (500mg/day taken with food), traditional Chinese medicine herbs such as shu guan wen jing and shu guan qing luo, cayenne cream and willow bark.

Need a helping hand in calming arthritis? Here are our top picks

Platinum Health Care Supplement, £34.99, Flexicoll
Plus, use code NHXMAS at checkout to receive £5 off all orders placed on flexicoll.com, valid until 31st January 2017

Udo’s Choice Ultimate Oil Blend, £23.99, available at health food stores, pharmacies and Udo’s Choice

Food Grown Immune Support, £26, Wild Nutrition

If you’ve had any history of arthritis, it’s recommended that you only follow this programme under the supervision of a qualified, experienced professional. Also, consult a professional with knowledge of nutrition about the doses of supplements to take, since these vary depending on your individual needs.
Extract taken from Arthritis: Drug-Free Alternatives to Prevent and Reverse Arthritis, Lynne McTaggart, Hay House UK, £9.99.