Don’t take your time in finding the right treatment for your arthritis, and don’t let your unawareness of the condition allow it to overcome you with pain. There are several things that can be done to combat arthritis pain and even target your joint damage so you aren’t seeing worse arthritis as time goes on. With the arthritis tips of this article in use, you could even find a balance between wellness and pain management that gives you the break you need.
Learn as much as you can about the disease. The more you know about the symptoms and treatments for arthritis, the more of an active role you can play in your treatment plan. It can also help you to feel less alone, to read about what others with the condition are going through and what they’ve been trying.
Buy accessories for your life and your home that make things easier. For example, you can purchase products that make it easier for you to open doors or take the lids off of jars. If you can increase the ease of your daily life, you’ll reduce pain and stress and improve your attitude.
For arthritis sufferers, it is important to lose weight if you are overweight or obese. Excess weight just puts more strain and pressure on your arthritic joints, which can make your arthritis even worse. It is a proven fact that every pound you lose is four less pounds of pressure on your knees.
Add additional vegetables to your diet, and reduce your meat consumption. Research has shown that a vegetarian diet can have a beneficial effect on arthritis sufferers, reducing pain, swelling, and inflammation. If your carnivorous side is too strong to ignore, try to eat only a small portion of meat while filling at least half of your plate with vegetables, and you can still garner the majority of these benefits.
Do not neglect yourself and your needs, if you are a parent with rheumatoid arthritis. Make sure you make time to stretch and exercise to keep yourself strong and your symptoms under control. It is easy to forget yourself when you are taking care of children, but make sure you set aside some time that is just for you, so that you can take care of your body’s needs.
Do not expect to follow the same schedule you followed before your diagnosis. Some types of arthritis can cause serious fatigue and discomfort, and you need to listen to your body. Rest if you need to, or change your schedule around to do activities at the times during the day that you have more flexibility.
Physical therapy can improve your arthritis symptoms. A professional can establish an efficient workout routine to help you deal with pain on a daily basis and reduce the swelling. Listen to what the therapists recommend in order to get back to enjoying your life again.
If you suffer from arthritis in your fingers or your hands, you may want to consider rubbing mineral oil on your hands. The natural ingredients of mineral oil have been proven to ease the pain of arthritis in the hands and fingers. To make this method effective, be sure to put the mineral oil on your hands and then put rubber gloves on them.
Try acupuncture. While many people believe this method does not really work, studies have shown that using it can actually release pain relieving endorphins. This can work wonders for arthritis sufferers by targeting painful inflammation and swelling points in the joint, and sending these relieving chemicals to the area to trigger immediate relief.
Use gardening as an effective therapy against arthritis. There are so many studies out there about arthritis, natural therapies, and one of the top therapies identified is gardening. Simply planting a small garden in your backyard or gardening with some pals can be such a great help in relaxation and relief of your pain.
If you are overweight or out of shape, address these issues. Extra weight definitely increases the strain of arthritis. By extension, losing weight is an easy way to lessen arthritic pain. You will be shocked at what losing weight can do for arthritis pain.
Make sure you drink lots of water. If you are feeling thirsty, water is most nutritious thing you can drink. Don’t drink dehydrating liquids, like those with caffeine.
Just because there is no cure for arthritis doesn’t mean you can’t find relief from the pain. Be sure to pay close attention to your doctor’s advice regarding diet, exercise, supplements and pain relievers. By remaining pro-active in your treatment plan you can overcome a great deal of the pain and debilitation of arthritis.
Do as much reading and researching as you can to learn about all the new innovations in arthritis therapy, both in the mainstream world of medicine and in a vast variety of alternative therapies. By knowing what’s available to you, you will be able to create the most effective and creative therapy plan to address your arthritis pain needs.
Arthritis Medications
Ask your doctor WHEN the best time is to take your arthritis medications. Some medicines might be most effective right after you take them, so they would be best to use first thing in the morning. Others might take a few hours before they start working, so you’d want to take those before bed.
Ask your pharmacist if any of the arthritis medications you are taking cause fatigue, and if you would be better off taking them before bed. Many arthritis prescriptions do cause lethargy, so it’s up to you to find out which ones do cause fatigue and make sure you’re taking them at times when they won’t affect your daily activities.
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