Natural arthritis relief
There are more than 100 types of joint diseases that make up the general term arthritis. According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis affects 53 million adults and 300,000 children in the U.S. — that’s 1 in 5 people over the age of 18!
Common arthritis joint symptoms include swelling, pain, stiffness, and a decreased range of motion. If you are looking for a way to find relief for your arthritis without taking another pill, try one of these pain relief techniques.
Exercise
Benefits: Exercise may be the single most effective non-drug treatment you can do for your body. Although this may be the last thing on your mind, exercise is a key component to improving health and may be what you need to ease pain.
How-to: The Your Exercise Solution (YES) tool can help provide a personalized exercise plan. After logging in, you can identify where you have pain and choose an activity that is right for you. You can even learn how to modify exercises to perform them safely.
Some arthritis-friendly exercise videos can be found here.
Yoga
Benefits: Scientific studies of people with various types of arthritis show that practicing yoga regularly can help reduce pain, increase your flexibility, help to lower stress, and promote better sleep. Additional studies show a decrease in pain and improved joint stiffness from yoga after classes have been taken once a week for eight weeks.
How-to: Discover how to find an arthritis-friendly yoga class or try these arthritis-friendly yoga videos.
Meditation
Benefits: On a physical level, meditation can help ease arthritis symptoms and help with pain management. On a mental level, meditation can help decrease anxiety and promote emotional stability.
How-to: You can learn more about meditation and try different meditation options to help ease your pain.
Massage
Benefits: Research shows massage can provide a significant reduction in pain for people with arthritis and can help reduce tension and stress.
How-to: You can learn more about which type of massage would be best for you.
Weight loss
Benefit: A 2005 study of overweight and obese adults with osteoarthrosis found that losing one pound of weight resulted in four pounds of pressure being removed from the knees. That means losing 10 pounds removes 40 pounds of pressure off of your knees!
How-to: If you find that managing your weight is a challenge, try these weight-loss resources.
For a better living toolkit or more information on natural arthritis treatments, including healthy eating, tai chi, and wearing the right footwear, visit the Arthritis Foundation’s website.
For more information on health coaching for weight loss, creating a physical activity routine, or help managing your stress, contact a health coach at 1-866-778-6073.
