Is Turmeric Good For Arthritis?

Turmeric is a key ingredient in curry dishes and has been used for centuries in traditional Indian and Chinese medicines. Research has investigated the effects of turmeric in arthritis. 

A study has compared turmeric to ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug, in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The participants received either 400 milligrams of ibuprofen per day or 2 grams of turmeric extract per day. All participants saw an improvement in pain on level walking and in pain on the stairs. This study showed that turmeric extract can treat osteoarthritis knee pain as well as ibuprofen without the side effects associated to NSAIDs.

Another study involved 820 patients suffering from various forms of painful osteoarthritis. They were treated with turmeric extract for more than 6 months. The data showed that within the first 6 weeks the participants experienced improved pain, articular mobility and quality of life. More than half of these patients were able to stop taking anti-inflammatory and pain medication.

A recent review of 29 randomized clinical trials has been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of turmeric in treating the symptoms of osteoarthritis. The review concluded that these clinical trials provided scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of turmeric extract in the treatment of arthritis.

Turmeric is an effective natural alternative for the care of patients complaining of joint problems, with excellent tolerance and rapid benefits for articular mobility, pain, and quality of life.

Extract from Natural Wellness Products Book

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a group of conditions that cause inflammation, pain, and stiffness in the joints. Arthritis can affect people of all ages. There are around 10 million people suffering from arthritis in the UK.

Main forms of arthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA). OA is the most common form of arthritis and usually affects people from the age of 45 onwards. It starts as a “wear and tear” roughening of cartilage and leads to damage inside joints as well as pain and stiffness. The areas of the body most commonly affected are the knees, hands, hips, and back.

Gout. Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis that causes painful swelling in joints. It is caused by high levels of uric acid in the body. Obesity, excessive alcohol use or eating too much of certain foods (seafood and shellfish, bacon, turkey, veal, venison, and organ meats) can cause uric acid levels to rise. Gout affects more men than women and usually starts with a painful swelling in one of the big toes, that spreads to other areas.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is the second most common form of arthritis. RA occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells and tissues surrounding the joints, causing inflammation and pain. This makes moving the affected areas difficult and painful and can lead to permanent damage to the bones and joints.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS). AS is a form of arthritis that causes pain and swelling in the back, buttocks, hips and around the joints of the spine. This condition typically causes pain in the second half of the night, and painful swelling of the back in the morning.

Psoriatic arthritis. It is a form of arthritis that happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, causing painful swelling and stiffness in the joints, as well as a scaly skin condition called psoriasis. Psoriasis can affect several areas of the body, including the elbows, knees, back, buttocks and scalp.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). JIA is a form of arthritis that affects children. It is triggered when the immune system attacks healthy tissues around the joints and results in swelling and pain in the joints.

There is no cure for arthritis; however, with the right treatment and approaches, the symptoms can be managed.

In the UK, 60% of people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions use a variety of complementary medicine products. Complementary medicine includes acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, medical herbalism, and osteopathy.

I present natural complementary and alternative options to manage arthritis symptoms. I introduce these natural products to allow the reader to make informed decisions about their wellbeing in collaboration with their healthcare professional.

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Natural Wellness Products - A Book To Empower You

Natural Wellness Products

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

I have to thank my daughters for my journey into natural wellness. It is a story from pain point to purpose. Commercial hair care products, even those labelled natural, would inevitably irritate their skin. Five years ago, I was compelled to formulate plant-based and chemical-free products that would not aggravate their eczema and allergies. It was a success. I then moved to manufacturing plant-extract-based oils to relieve their eczema symptoms and reduce our reliance on steroids. The eczema oils proved to be very effective and without side effects; they are now used daily by my daughters and others to relieve their symptoms.

For several years, I have had a personal challenge with chronic pain and insomnia. The prescription medication from healthcare professionals did not provide satisfactory relief and had unpleasant side effects. I then had the good fortune to discover a natural plant extract that did not only reduce pain severity but also improved my sleep without noticeable side effects.

These experiences caught my attention and crystallized my interest in natural products that could be safe alternatives or complements to the pharmaceutical drugs used in conventional medicine. I was hungry for relevant information and advice but could not get it from my doctor. I decided to learn about products used in alternative and complementary medicine (CAM).

Mainstream medicine views products used in CAM with suspicion and derision; it dismisses them too easily as ineffective or dangerous. I focused my search on natural products used in different traditional medicines that have also been investigated in preclinical or clinical studies. My preferred studies were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Placebo-controlled means that the effect of the natural compound is compared with a non-active compound (placebo) in real-time. Double-blind means that during the trial neither the patient nor the physician knows who has the active compound or the placebo. Finally, randomized means that the participants in the study are assigned randomly to receive either the plant extract or the placebo.

This book summarizes the result of my research. For the small number of conditions I have explored so far, I provide examples of natural alternatives and list the scientific evidence supporting their use at the end of each section.

The book also succinctly describes examples of tried and tested plant-extract-based formulations of the Norfolk Wellness Initiative, which are improving people’s lives.

I strongly recommend that you investigate further the findings herein and discuss them with your doctor or pharmacist before applying them.

This book is for information purposes only. By providing the information contained herein I am not diagnosing, treating, curing, mitigating, or preventing any type of disease or medical condition.

My goal is to provide you with facts about natural alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs and synthetic chemicals so that you can feel empowered to take your health and wellness into your own hands and make informed decisions under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

To your wellness!

Best Foods for Arthritis and Joint Pain

Best Foods for Arthritis and Joint Pain

8 Natural Pain killers

It may come as quite a surprise to some that there are many effective natural painkillers available for a countless number of illnesses that can at least do just as well as pharmaceuticals. Then unlike those potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals with their side effects, natural painkillers have been known to be a lot safer.

-In short, whatever pharmaceuticals can do as painkillers so can plant; herbs and oils, a lot safer.

The problems of dealing with pain, particularly the chronic sort have been a constant problem for doctors on knowing how to help the patient by prescribing the right medicine... The medical community has been criticized for not solving the problem very well.

It doesn't help when patients suffering from ailment pains of sorts eat junk foods long term with their nasty cheap trans-fats, high refined sugar content devoid of fresh fruits and vegetables, etc. This makes it difficult for any painkiller to do its job effectively.

For natural painkillers to do the job of pain relief first it is necessary to rid one's self of junk food. Once this is done it's time to move on to try the appropriate painkiller from a vast selection of analgesic herbs and oils available.

Here are just some of the highly effective painkillers available and how they can be used for specific ailments.

1. Ginger

This natural painkiller has been used for over a thousand years. It can be used to treat anything from arthritis pains such as osteoarthritis to general aches... Some people are more sensitive to ginger than others so if using be careful by building up the dosage on a slow and steady gradient.

2. Capsaicin

Another centuries-old natural medicine, capsaicin is what gives peppers their hotness. It's another one for treating arthritic pains and has been shown to be highly efficacious.

3. Devil's claw

In spite of its ominous sounding name this herb provides highly effective relief for a number of conditions including heartburn and liver problems. Having anti-inflammatory properties it can also be used to treat arthritis as well as back pains and headaches.

4. Wintergreen oil (essential oil)

Wintergreen contains some 85 plus percent methyl salicylate. This painkilling compound is found in aspirin. Known for its mentholated aroma it is used for treating sportspeople. Wintergreen can be used for muscular and joint pains, rheumatism, arthritis, headaches, tendonitis and drives away stress or tension.

5. Cherries

Containing anthocyanins belonging to the phytonutrients group of compounds cherries inhibit pain-causing enzymes. This has the same effect as aspirin. Cherries are said to be one of the best anti-inflammatory foods there is.

6. Cloves and 7. Peppermint

Cloves and peppermint provide relief for toothache.

8. Glucosamine sulfate

Available as supplements convincing evidence has shown that glucosamine sulfate provides pain relief for joint pains such as knee pains, osteoarthritis... It works well in conjunction with chondroitin giving extra benefit.

-That ends an all-too-brief guide of natural painkillers. It is hoped that the reader follows on with his/her own research...

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