Doctors practicing conventional medicine commonly use a combination of prescription drugs — like anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids, biologic agents that alter the immune system or painkillers — to help control RA symptoms. While these are necessary for some people, natural treatments can also make a huge impact in terms of helping lower pain, reduce swelling, prevent further joint damage and increase someone’s quality of life. Natural treatments also won’t cause unwanted side effects, which are common due to arthritis medication use — including liver damage, anemia, low platelet count, hair loss, kidney issues and heart problems. (11)
Here are some ways you can manage rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and prevent complications from developing naturally:
- Eat an Anti-inflammatory Diet
High-antioxidant foods and those that are “whole”/unprocessed help control RA symptoms best. Experts emphasize the importance of eating a healthy “arthritis diet” that includes foods naturally high in omega-3s ( like wild-caught fish and nuts/seeds), plenty fresh vegetables and fruit, bone broth, high-sulfur foods, and healthy fats like olive oil and coconut oil. It’s also important to steer clear from foods that trigger inflammation — like added sugar, synthetic ingredients, hydrogenated/trans fats, fast foods, and common allergens like gluten or pasteurized dairy.
- Stay Active
Although RA can cause flare-ups of pain along with limited range of motion, staying active in general is a very important for controlling symptoms and managing joint inflammation. Joint pain associated with RA tends to be worse after periods of inactivity (which is why sleeping causes morning stiffness) so exercise has many benefits. (12)
The best type of activities or exercises for people with rheumatoid arthritis are those that are low-impact and don’t overly stress sensitive joints, including cycling, walking, water aerobics and yoga. Your exercise routine should ideally combine a form of aerobic activity with strength training and stretching to improve flexibility, muscle strength and cardiovascular health.
When symptoms become very bad, extra rest is helpful — however, stretching can still help manage inflammation.
- Manage Stress and Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep and limiting emotional stress allow joints to heal best, so these habits are especially important during episodes of increased inflammation, pain, swelling and stiffness. Fatigue and stressful episodes tend to make inflammation worse and can also contribute to complications like muscle pains, low immunity, infections, overeating, inactivity and weight gain.
Studies have found that by practicing relaxation techniques — such as guided meditation, yoga or stretching, deep breathing, guided imagery, and visualization — you have better protection against painful episodes since these help your muscles relax, balance hormones, decrease cortisol and strengthen your immune system. In fact, the Arthritis Foundation points out that stress-relieving activities, having a positive attitude and receiving support from family/friends have been shown to significantly help patients with RA cope with their pain. (13)
- Control Pain Naturally
Research shows that natural pain-reducing techniques, including massage therapy, acupuncture or acupressure, essential oils used on the skin, and heat/ice treatments (like ice packs or warm baths) all help manage rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Many of these can double as natural stress relievers since they improve body awareness, help you stay active, can help with sleep, and ease stress or anxiety. Essential oils for arthritis include ginger, orange, myrrh, frankincense and turmeric oils. You can also try using topical treatments on the skin containing salicylates or capsaicin, which some studies show help reduce joint pain. (14)
- Reduce Inflammation with Supplements
Anti-inflammatory supplements that can help reduce arthritis pain include:
turmeric and ginger extract
boswellia/frankincense
omega-3 fish oils
proteolytic enzymes
glucosamine
MSM
Final Thoughts on Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
An estimated 52.5 million U.S. adults suffer from some sort of arthritis — or 23 percent of the adult population — and there is no more common form than rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms affect 1.3 million to 1.5 million Americans at any given time.
RA tends to last for years and usually affects joints on both sides of the body simultaneously.
The most common rheumatoid arthritis symptoms include joint pain; redness, heat and tenderness near inflamed joints; morning stiffness; fatigue and muscle aches; trouble moving normally; loss of appetite; and low-grade fever.
Inflammation associated with RA can be triggered by a number of factors, including poor gut health or leaky gut syndrome, a poor diet and food allergies, obesity, genetics, toxicity, low immune function, and smoking.
Women are three times more likely to develop RA than men. About 75 percent of RA patients are women and estimates now show that between 1 percent to 3 percent of women will get rheumatoid arthritis in their lifetimes.
You can naturally treat rheumatoid arthritis symptoms by eating anti-inflammatory foods, staying active, managing stress and getting enough sleep, controlling pain naturally, and reducing inflammation.
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Nice post.. tumeric is great, it needs to be taken with black pepper to be absorbed better.