If you’ve never seen it or dealt with it on your own, you probably aren’t aware of how debilitating arthritis truly can be.
While there are numerous, patented prescriptions and over-the-counter medications available to individuals diagnosed with arthritis, patients continue to address their pain.
It is obvious that arthritis medications are only temporarily masking the symptoms instead of curing the underlying causes of arthritis pains and conditions.
Arthritis Drugs
Popular arthritis drugs may cause cardiovascular issues that could lead to heart sudden death or heart attacks.
In the early 2000s, two patent medicines were heavily promoted to relieve arthritis pain – Celebrex and Vioxx. Between March 31st, 2000 and March 31st, 2001, Celebrex sales were $2.3 billion while Vioxx sales were $1.7 billion.
Advertisements for these drugs stated that they, not only, relieve arthritis pain, but they’re also safer than non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (aspirin, ibuprofen etc.) because they cause fewer gastrointestinal issues.
Studies conducted by the American Medical Association raised concerns about Vioxx and Celebrex due to several cardiovascular risks.
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) mentioned that taking Vioxx results in higher risks of “Myocardial infarction, unstable angina, cardiac thrombus (clot), resuscitated cardiac arrest, sudden or unexplained death, ischemic stroke, and transient ischemic attack”.
Vioxx was finally taken off the market in 2004.
Read further to find out which natural solutions you can incorporate into your lifestyle for your arthritis condition.
Arthritis Pain
Firstly, if you’re unsure, you should determine which type of arthritis you have – degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) or rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and it occurs when the cartilage between your joints wear, causing you pain, stiffness and discomfort.
Rheumatoid arthritis includes inflammation, pain, swelling, redness and stiffness throughout the joint linings in your body.
If you’re unsure, you can go to your doctor to determine which arthritis condition you have.
Whether you have one form of arthritis or the other, you will need a starting point for relieving your pain.
First thing that we recommend is a balanced, healthy diet:
No processed foods - Whole foods only!
No added sugars or artificial sweeteners
No soft drinks
No chemical additives
No flavorings, colorings or preservatives
Only whole grains (if you’re not allergic)
Alcohol in moderation
While consuming a healthy, whole-foods diet is easier said than done, there are other remedies to relieving your arthritis pain that we will mention later on.
Osteoarthritis Remedies
Consult with your doctor before considering any of the remedies that the California Institute of the Healing Arts and Sciences recommends to you throughout this article.
Cod Liver Oil + Vitamin-E
Fish oil is great for your body to get the omega-3s that it needs. Make sure the brand that you buy is “certified heavy metal free” and that you take the fish oil with vitamin-e.
You can use the fish oil in your food or take it in its pill form.
We recommend taking 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil with 400 I.U. of vitamin-e once per day, twice if your case is severe.
Nightshade Vegetables
In the 1950, a well-known doctor discovered that eliminating certain vegetables from your diet could entirely eliminate osteoarthritis symptoms.
The vegetables are known as nightshade vegetables: tomatoes, potatoes, peppers (including paprika but not black pepper), eggplants and tobacco.
It was found that nightshade vegetable sensitivity wasn’t an allergy, but an inability to metabolize substances in these vegetables known as “solanine alkaloids”.
There is no test that you can take to see if these foods are triggering your arthritis pain, it is a ‘try and see’ situation that could potentially be your solution.
Keep in mind that these vegetables are infused into various foods you may not think of. However, eliminating them for at least three or four months could make you see a difference in your osteoarthritis pain.
If so, you will understand that you are nightshade-sensitive, and those foods should be eliminated from your diet permanently.
Glucosamine
Glucosamine is known to stimulate the growth of new joint cartilage and in three to four weeks, you should begin to feel pain relief.
Glucosamine may affect your blood sugar, so if you also have diabetes, this remedy may not be the best choice for you.
We recommend 500 milligrams of glucosamine sulfate three times a day for a month, to notice any changes in your pain.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide can be used for controlling the pain and swelling symptoms of osteoarthritis.
We recommend using 1,000 milligrams of niacinamide three times a day to notice relief in swelling and pain in three to four weeks.
As long as you continue regularly taking niacinamide, many patients eventually notice complete relief in pain and swelling.
Niacinamide doesn’t regrow cartilage, so you should consider using glucosamine with it. Even if you are diabetic, niacinamide is known to be beneficial to diabetic patients and cannot alter your blood sugar if paired with glucosamine.
Less than 1% of individuals experienced nausea, queasiness and vomiting while taking niacinamide. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop usage and contact your doctor for further information.
Boron
Consuming small amounts of boron each day (3 milligrams) can relieve your osteoarthritis pain by treating your arthritis and preventing cancer.
S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe)
SAMe isn’t a sufficient cure for osteoarthritis, however, if the other remedies didn’t work for you, it’s worth a try.
This remedy is more expensive than the others so if you decide to take it, 400 milligrams once or twice per day should be enough.
Willow Bark
Willow bark is an all-natural example of aspirin, as it is proven to relieve pain just as well as some prescription pain medications.
We recommend taking tablets containing 400mg of willow bark extract and 60mg of salicin, two to four times per day.
Breastfeeding mothers should use willow bark with caution because the remains in the breast milk can cause rashes to babies.
Any blood-thinning medications or NSAIDs should also not be used with willow bark.
Myristin
Myristin pills were developed from a topical form of CMO (cetyl-myristoleate) and can be found in natural food stores and compounding pharmacies.
Try taking six capsules of Myristin per day for 80 days to see any changes and if not, it is likely not ever going to work.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Remedies
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease that manifests itself as inflammation of multiple joins. The severity of this disease varies by person and ranges from minor discomfort to severe pain, joint damage and deformities.
Because RA is considered an autoimmune disease, it can also attack other parts of the body and cause heart disease, anemia, nerve damage, lung disease and general debilities.
Some of the recommendations are the same as those of osteoarthritis, however, some have minor changes and are different.
Diet
We mentioned that diet is important when you have any type of arthritis.
Paying attention to your diet if you have RA is much more vital than if you have osteoarthritis.
Food allergies can cause flare-ups in your arthritis and it is best to eliminate certain foods and slowly incorporate them back into your diet, in order to see if your diet alters your symptoms.
Start off by trying to stick to only eating rice, spinach and beef for a couple weeks. Slowly start incorporating foods one at a time in order to notice any changes in your pain.
Eliminating milk and dairy from your diet is proven to relieve pain associated with RA.
Hydrochloric Acid/Pepsin Therapy
Individuals with RA are sometimes known to have stomach malfunction because of low levels of hydrochloric acid and pepsin in their bodies.
Symptoms of hypochlorhydria include bloating, belching, burning immediately after consuming meals, feeling full after a small amount of food, constipation, diarrhea.
Individuals who suffer from these symptoms should ask their doctor about having a gastric analysis done in order to see if you have low acid and low stomach functions.
Start off by consuming one 5, 7.5 or 10 grain capsule before your meals and if you have no issues, gradually work your way up to taking 40-70 grains per meal.
Speak with your doctor to ensure that this is safe and needed for your body.
Do not take any anti-inflammatory medications with hydrochloric acid as you could be at a higher risk for ulcers or stomach bleeding.
DHEA Supplement
You should be tested for low levels of DHEA – an adrenal hormone and important regulator of the immune system that is useful for autoimmune diseases like RA.
This requires a lab test signed by your doctor.
If you have low levels of DHEA, you can find supplements at natural food or vitamin shops.
Cod Liver Oil + Vitamin-E + DHA
Fish oil is known to significantly reduce the pain and inflammation of RA.
We recommend taking 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil with 400 I.U. of vitamin-e (as mixed tocopherols) twice per day.
Studies show that some fractions of fish oil are more helpful than others such as DHA and EPA. If you want to try these, we still recommend taking the plain fish oil as well. For example, take 2,000 to 3,000mg of DHA (DHA capsules always contain EPA) along with 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil, and 400 I.U. of vitamin-e every day.
Ginger
While ginger is great for stomach functions, studies also proved that regularly consuming ginger root for three months helped RA patients with their pain, joint movements, and swelling.
You can use ginger in your cooking or as a supplement to consume it in your daily diet.
We recommend taking 1,000mg of ginger three times per day.
Zinc and Copper
Prolonged use of one mineral can cause a deficiency in the other.
You should use zinc and copper together, however, not at the same time.
Take 30mg of zinc (from picolinate or citrate) and 2mg of copper (from sebacate) two to three times per day.
If your arthritis is more severe, we recommend that you take three doses per day.
Selenium
Two foods that are high in selenium are garlic and onions.
If you’re not allergic, incorporating these into your daily diet – along with ginger – could help with your RA pain.
We also recommend supplementing the onions and garlic with 200 to 500 micrograms of selenium daily.
Do not overuse selenium because it is possible to overdose at 1,500 to 2,000 micrograms per day.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide is particularly useful for any “ankylosed” joints that have been partially or completely stiffened or immobilized by prolonged RA.
After several months of regular niacinamide use, these ankylosed joints should gradually regain mobility.
We recommend taking 1,000mg of niacinamide three times per day.
Arthritis Relief Overview
Here’s an outline of each of the natural remedies that we recommended you take if you are suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis:
Osteoarthritis
Eliminate nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants, tobacco, etc.) from your diet for three to four months to see if your arthritis pain decreases.
Have an allergy screening test for non-nightshade food sensitivities.
Glucosamine sulfate – 500mg, three times per day.
Cod liver oil – 1 tablespoon, once or twice per day.
Vitamin-E – 400 I.U., once or twice per day. Take with the cod liver oil.
Niacinamide – 1,000mg, three times per day.
Boron – 3mg, twice per day.
SAMe – 400mg, once or twice per day.
Willow bark – take two to four doses per day of tablets containing 60mg of salicin and 400mg of willow bark extract.
Myristin – six capsules a day for 80 days.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Do a food allergy/sensitivity screening.
Do a stomach function test using hydrochloric acid/pepsin therapy.
Test your DHEA levels with your doctor.
Cod liver oil – 1 tablespoon, twice per day.
Vitamin-E – 400 I.U. (as mixed tocopherols) twice per day, along with the cod liver oil.
DHA – 2,000 to 3,000mg once per day. Reduce your vitamin-e and cod liver oil intake to once per day if you’re taking DHA supplements.
Ginger – 1,000mg, three times a day.
Zinc (picolinate or citrate) – 30mg, two to three times per day.
Copper – 2mg, two to three times per day.
Selenium – 200 to 500mg, once per day.
Niacinamide – 1,000mg, three times per day.
Millions of individuals suffer from some form of arthritis each day.
The California Institute of the Healing Arts and Sciences hopes that our natural remedies work to alleviate your arthritis symptoms and pains, so that you can live an easier and better life going forward.
Consult with your doctor before trying any of these remedies to ensure that they’re fit for you and your body.
If you have any questions about this article, feel free to contact us on our website!
