If you are suffering from arthritis, you should know about the top natural treatments to help you manage your health condition. Arthritis is a health condition that affects a lot of people, especially rheumatoid arthritis, which is essentially autoimmune in nature and actually affects the gut first.
The following natural arthritis treatments are effective in terms of supplements and diet. There are several foods that you should stay away from as they can worsen arthritis.
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What is the Recommended Anti-Inflammatory Diet?
When it comes to the best diet, it should essentially be anti-inflammatory. That said, you should consider consuming the following foods:
Omega-Three Rich Foods
If you haven’t heard about the goodness of Omega-three fatty acids before, you should know that foods that are rich in omega-three can effectively help reduce inflammation. For instance, your number one food should be wild-caught salmon or wild-caught fish.
However, apart from fish, you can also consider other food sources of Omega-three fats, such as grass-fed beef, flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. You can consume healthy snacks, such as raisins and walnuts. You might as well have wild-caught fish for dinner.
For breakfast, you can consider preparing a super-food shake with chia seeds and flax seeds. You can try all sorts of healthy meals with those omega-three fatty acids.
Bone Broth
Bone broth is loaded with collagen and amino acids. Both help with reducing joint inflammation by building tissues. On that note, if you have more than inflammation, such as a regeneration of the joint – you should know that bone broth is exceptionally great for you.
There is nothing better than homemade bone broth soup, as this yummy liquid food is excellent for healing your joints.
Sulfur-Rich Foods
Another thing that you do in terms of diet is to consume foods that are high in sulfur. Sulfur is essentially a type of MSM that is effective in reducing joint inflammation and helps with rebuilding your tissues. On that note, the best foods that are high in sulfur include onions, garlic, cabbage, and asparagus.
Again, you can come up with amazing recipes that not only taste good but are also good for your body, especially for the natural treatment of arthritis. You can opt for sautéed cabbage with some finely chopped garlic.
Opt for a burger that includes grass-fed beef and onions. Asparagus always makes a great side dish, as does sauerkraut. The point is to get those sulfur-rich foods that are effective in reducing arthritis symptoms.
Raw Fruits and Veggies
Fruits and veggies are enriched with anti-inflammatory compounds and enzymes. Some of the best fruits for arthritis include papaya as it contains papain. Another great fruit is pineapple, as it contains bromelain. Other fruits and veggies are great, too, if consumed raw.
Nonetheless, the point is that when it comes to your diet, it should be organic, such as omega-rich meats, healthy veggies, fresh fruits, nuts, and seeds.
Foods to Avoid At All Costs
While you should focus on improving your diet as a natural way to cure your arthritis, there are also certain foods that you must avoid at all costs. For instance, you must avoid excess sugar, as excess sugars cause inflammation.
Apart from excess sugars, you might want to avoid hydrogenated oil, canola oil, and soybean oil. All these oils are inflammatory oils and can worsen your condition. Consuming conventional grains, flour, and wheat items can worsen joint inflammation.
So, while improving your diet, you might as well want to avoid certain foods for better health.
Lifestyle Habits to Improve Your Health Condition
Apart from your diet and supplements, there are also certain lifestyle habits that you can incorporate to improve your health and slow down the progression of arthritis. Seeking medical care, improving your diet, and adjusting your lifestyle are part of effective arthritis management.
Here is what you can consider in terms of your lifestyle:
Seek Physical Therapy
The first thing you should do is to seek physical therapy. Now, physical therapy isn’t essentially a lifestyle adjustment – but – without a doubt, it lays the groundwork for your arthritis management plan. You might want to opt for regular chronic pain treatment and therapy so you can move your joints with the help of a professional therapist.
Movement is essential for maintaining mobility in the affected joints. Besides, movement improves blood circulation and promotes healing while simultaneously slowing the process of joint deterioration. Your physical therapist will create a personal exercise plan for you to promote healthy joints without adding to the pain.
Make Regular Exercise A Habit
Physical activity is absolutely crucial if you want to maintain mobility and slow down the process of joint deterioration. You can effectively relieve your pain through regular exercise, as exercise will allow you to boost joint lubrication, improve the range of motion of your joints, and maintain strong bones.
Besides, regular exercise will also promote blood circulation. Exercising and physical activity are the non-negotiable aspects of life – especially if you want to live a better life and effectively manage your arthritis.
On that note, if joint pain prevents you from physical activity, talk to a physical therapist, as they can help you ease the pain.
Maintain A Healthy Body Weight
Your body weight affects arthritis to the point that your weight alone can increase or decrease the disease progression. If you are overweight, you will cause undue stress on the joints, which will accelerate the degeneration of your joint tissues.
On that note, it is incredibly important to lose weight in a healthy way. Avoid fad diets or quick fat-loss plans. Instead, go the healthy route and establish a healthy plan that includes regular exercise, a healthy diet, and supplements.
Final Thoughts
While it is incredibly important to follow a healthy diet, work out, and engage in physical therapy, it is equally important to learn how to manage your stress. Yes – you read this right. The thing about stress is that it can make you more sensitive to triggers of inflammation, pain, and discomfort. Stress can tighten your muscles, which then adds pressure on the affected joints and accelerates tissue degeneration.