Your Remedy No. 2
Stretch Gently for Strength and Mobility.

When it comes to arthritis, moving hurts, but not moving destroys.

Incorrect moving harms, but intelligent moving heals.

Yoga teaches movement with proper joint alignment which helps bring deformed joints back to normal position as appropriate muscles are lengthened and strengthened.

Consider a private session with an Experienced teacher or buying a book to leam the correct poses.

But remember, Smart Yoga Exercise is the key to restoring health to arthritic joints. Work within the limits imposed by the disease, but don't let yourself be immobilized by it.

Your Remedy No. 4
Try Night Prevention for Morning Stiffness.

Almost 90 per cent of the patients suffer from some type of Morning Stiffness.

Apply a muscle ointment at night before going to bed. It will relaxe you and gives you a psychological boost as well.

The reason? People with arthritis tend to feel much better all day if they aren't stiff when they wake up in the morning.

Your Remedy No. 5
Float The Pain away.

Studies have shown that floating in specially designed floatation tanks, also known as isolation or sensory deprivation tanks, can relieve arthritic pain.

You usually spend about an hour in the tank.

The pain relief is produced by stress reduction. The body is relaxing, the muscles are relaxing, and this seems to stimulate a release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.

Water in the tanks is heated to precisely 93.5°F, the same temperature as the skin, and the surrounding air is warm and tranquil, leading to deep relaxation.

Your Remedy No. 6
Mix Oil and Water.

Recommendation: Heat and eucalyptus ointment, in the form of a thick, oil-based product called Eucalypta-Mint, work for both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Use that in conjunction with moist heat when feeling stiff or having pain.

Simply rub it on and wrap the joint in plastic wrap. The moist heat can be applied with warm towels, or you can soak your hands or feet in warm water.

Your Remedy No. 7
Copper Bracelet

Sometimes longevity confers respect along with age.

Artifacts that were rarely noticed in their day take on new meaning and value as they persist throughout time.

Such is the case with the copper bracelet, which for decades has been worn for arthritis relief and remains popular today.

Studies have shown that some people with arthritis seem to have difficulty metabolizing copper from the food they eat, leading to increased pain.

The dissolved copper from [a copper] bracelet bypasses the oral route by entering the body through the skin. This might be the only way arthritics ever receive the copper their bodies need -copper that studies have shown can indeed relieve pain.

Physicians remain somewhat skeptical about bracelets but don't entirely dismiss them, either.

Copper may have a role. It's possible that a copper deficiency does increase joint inflammation, and it doesn't seem that supplementing copper in the diet has the same effect as wearing it.

Your Remedy No. 8
Work Wonders with Water Excercise.

Ask a dozen doctors about the merits of any arthritis treatment and you'll get a dozen different opinions. But ask them about exercising in water and they all seem to agree.

Water exercises are excellent.

Your pain will be significantly reduced in the water, and you become much more flexible in water than you are in air.

The beginning exercise techniques are easy for anyone to follow. They consist of waving, walking, and bending motions performed in chest-deep water.

The more advanced movements look like aquatic dance steps designed to take advantage of water's natural resistance and gentle buoyancy.

Your Remedy No. 9
Get Your Spouse Involved.

Though it's only natural for a husband or wife to do whatever's possible to help a mate who's hurting, such help can often do more harm than good.

When a wife tries to do everything herself and is constantly asking her husband how he feels, she is reinforcing his pain.

Advice: Don't be attentive and supportive only when your spouse is in pain, but also when he or she is feeling good and being active.

That's the time to say, "I'm really happy to see you doing things".

Praise is really important and something people tend to forget to do.

Your Remedy No. 10
Use Ice to Prevent Pain.

Recommend cold treatments for those times when a joint's been stressed from overuse or overwork.

Use a gel pack but ice in a plastic bag or a bag of frozen peas will do just as well.

Apply for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove for 10 to 15 minutes. That can be repeated for hours at a time if needed.

Your Remedy No. 11
Use Heat to Reduce Pain.

When joints become hot, swollen, and tender, heat is the best solution.

Cold would make them very painful.

Your Remedy No. 12
Don't Baby Your Joints.

You should follow an aerobic exercise program for arthritis such as walking, bicycling, or swimming because they don't traumatize the joints.
But do whatever type of exercise you can tolerate that will elevate the pulse rate to at least 120 beats per minute and give you a beneficial effect on the heart and lungs.

Research shows that vigorous exercise can even be safe for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and often results in both physiological and psychological improvements.

To see if symptoms such as fatigue and depression were the result ofpoor physical conditioning, 54 patients were put through a low-impact aerobics program.

The result? The vigorous exercise did not result in joint inflammation, but it did improve the walk time, physical activity, and health status of the participants, while reducing their joint pain and swelling, as well as their general pain.

Consult Your Doctor before starting on any exercise.

Your Remedy No. 13
Get off Addictive Drugs.

Sleeping pills, tranquilizers, and narcotic painkillers can become part of life for a person with arthritis-unfortunately.

It's not that these drugs don't work. They do-but for most people they are needed in ever-increasing amounts and end up creating many more problems than they solve!

Though it may require professional help, drugs should be slowly replaced with biofeedback or other forms of therapy, or occasionally, with non-narcotic pain relievers.

Your Remedy No. 14
Those Sometimes Helpful Herbs

The word is out about relieving arthritis pain with herbs, and the word is a strong "maybe". Some may help, but the majority probably don't.

In the long run, the most beneficial herb probably is willow bark. That's simply because it contains salicin, which is similar to aspirin. But to treat arthritis properly, you would need a lot of bark.

Another possible arthritis herb is pokeweed berries, an Indiana favorite that's been used since pioneer times.

The pokeweed plant, however, is potentially toxic, so it should be used only in consultation with your doctor. Do not give to children.

Your Remedy No. 15
Fish for Relief.

Some people do indeed respond to fish oil. Not everyone, but some.A report published by researchers at the Albany Medical Center in New York confirms that observation.

It showed that patients with rheumatoid arthritis who took fish-oil capsules showed improvement in joint tenderness and fatigue.

Though fish oil has received plenty of press in the last few years, the active ingredient in fish oil-omega-3 fatty acids- has been around in the form of cod-liver oil for years.

Studies have shown that 1 teaspoon per day of cod-liver oil may help alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis by providing the body with substantial amounts of
vitamins D and A.

Vitamin D is important for bone growth, while vitamin A may have anti-inflammatory effects. Fish oils also compete with other types of fatty acids that are believed to trigger arthritis inflammation.

Please note, both vitamins D and A can be toxic in large amounts, so limit your intake of cod-liver oil to only a teaspoon a day.

Also, too much of these vitamins can cause liver damage over time. Consult with your physician if you think you need fish-oil supplements or supplemental vitamin D.

Or, instead of using supplements, try a low-fat diet that includes fish such as mackerel or salmon, which contain omega-3s.

Your Remedy No. 16
Master Massage.

When it comes to massage for arthritis pain, the best results are when you work the muscles that are attached to the tendons leading to your painful joints.

For example, if you have arthritis in your hands, then work the forearms from the wrists to elbows, using a compression technique.

To do this, use either the heel of your hand, your thumb, or your elbow to press down on the muscle and hold it for several seconds, then release.

For arthritis in the ankle or foot, work the calf and front of the leg.

Your Remedy No. 17
Boost Your Vitamin C Intake.

Studies have shown that people with rheumatoid arthritis are deficient in vitamin C.

Medical models have shown that a lack of vitamin C can aggravate rheumatoid arthritis and that strong doses of vitamin C can bring about regression of the disease.

Vitamin C is definitely a good home remedy for someone with rheumatoid arthritis.

The toxicity of vitamin C is virtually zero, and if a person took about 500 milligrams spread throughout the day, which is not excessive, that would get enough of the vitamin through to do some good.

Before trying vitamin C therapy, get an okay from your doctor.

Your Remedy No. 18
Practice Food Avoidance.

The most dramatic results are seen when rheumatoid arthritis patients avoid foods from the nightshade family and milk products.

The nightshade plant family consists of white potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, tobacco, and all peppers except black pepper.

Arthritis sufferers develop their own personalized diet by utilizing a food-avoidance testing plan.

One testing plan worth trying calls for removing all forms of a food you crave from your diet, under the theory that you may be literally addicted to the foods you're allergic to.

If, for example, you really crave tomatoes, remove all traces of that food from your diet for a week. Make sure there is no tomato in anything you eat-which means checking labels on processed foods as well as avoiding tomatoes in their raw form.

If your symptoms get worse over the next three to four days, you may have an allergy to that food, because a worsening of symptoms can be a sign of addiction.

By the fifth or sixth day without the food, you should feel better.

If so, this may be a good time to make an appointment with a physician for a complete allergy screening.

Your Remedy No. 19
Cut back on Vegetable Oil.

There's no question that vegetable oils are generally beneficial to most people, but studies show that people with arthritis may be a special case and may need to minimize their intake of vegetable oils while increasing their intake of oils rich in omega-3's.

That doesn't mean doing without vegetables but it does mean cutting back on oil-containing products like salad dressings, fried foods, and margarines.

These foods contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which have been shown to cause inflammation in those with rheumatoid arthritis.

Two oils that are low in Omega-6's are canola oil, made from rapeseed, and olive oil.

These two oils can be used in moderation and it's best to keep the overall level of fat in your diet at less than 30 percent of total calories.

Your Remedy No. 20
Fast on with Carrot Juice.

A vegetable-juice fast significantly reduces pain for many patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Carrot juice, celery juice, cabbage juice, or tomato juice can be used.

Fast on nothing but the vegetable juice for one day during the first week to get started.

Follow that by alternate fasting for two days during the next week (i.e., Monday and Wednesday) and three days during the third week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday).

Don't attempt any type of fasting without your doctor's supervision, however.

END.

Dr. Rashid’s MendYourHealth.Com Series
  
Website: http://www.MendYourArthritis.Com