What Can You Do?
The first thing to do when you suspect you might have arthritis is to visit your doctor. There are approximately 100 different forms of arthritis, but the most common types are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. There are a variety of medications used to control inflammation and pain. There are also things that you can do at home that can help reduce swelling and pain, such as:
- Heating pads and cold packs: These can be applied directly to the affected joints to ease the pain.
- Exercise: Regular stretching exercises can increase flexibility and strengthen your supporting muscles.
- Swimming: This is great when you have arthritis pain in your legs.
- Skip the A/C: stay away from the A/C unit and if you have to lower the temperature or use a fan to avoid the cool air to affect you.
- Magnesium: Taking a magnesium supplement can help relax muscles, ease pain and have stronger bones.
- Cook with olive oil: Make it a habit of making salads and meals with extra virgin olive oil, or use it directly and lubricate your joints. In fact, 1.5 tablespoons are the equivalent of a 200mg of ibuprofen.
- Soak in Epsom salts: Soaking your sore joints in a warm bath with Epsom salts can help relax muscles since it contains magnesium sulfate.
- Turmeric: This powerful yellow root is anti-inflammatory and it can be made into a tea with ginger and honey.
Living with arthritis doesn’t have to be painful and can be manageable, but you have to take the necessary precautions. Talk to your doctor to see what works best for you.
