Natural Joint Pain Relief

Joint pain can be crippling, making everything from walking to opening a door painful. Sometimes pain medications can muddle your senses, if you can find relief in non-narcotic ways it makes it easier to function during the day. There are many natural joint pain relievers, some internal and some external.

A diet including the Omega-3 fatty acids is essential for reducing inflammation and pain of the joints. These can be found in fatty fish, eggs, flax seed oil, and oil of evening primrose. If you choose to eat a small serving of fatty fish such as salmon daily, try to avoid farm raised when possible. The level of toxins found in farm-raised fish are higher than those in fresh caught, and the quality of oil is not as high. Oil of evening primrose is a wonderful supplement that does not spoil easily. Flax seed oil can be ingested in capsule form, or added to your food. The Omega-3 oils will also increase the suppleness of your skin, and help with mood balance, which is an all-around win-win situation. Regular use of the cooking herb turmeric has been found to reduce inflammation of the joints and relieve pain. It is delightful when added to chicken, soups, and beans. A healthy consumption of onions and garlic may be helpful in controlling joint pain. All of the spicy peppers have also been implicated in reducing joint inflammation and have an overall positive effect on one's digestion and circulation.

Some external remedies include the use of the Chinese "Tiger Balm" remedy. It has a warming effect and helps to reduce pain where it has been applied. Oil of capsicum can also be diluted into any vegetable oil and applied directly for the same effect, but be sure not to rub your eyes or any mucous membrane areas after application. Washing hands thoroughly does not usually fully remove the irritants in the oils. Another proven method of joint pain relief is the warm paraffin mask. A special machine heats the paraffin, and the hands or feet are dunked into the warm wax until fully coated. You then allow the wax to harden and cool before peeling it off.

Light exercise may be painful at first, but it is essential in long term reduction of joint pain. When possible, a gentle routine in a warm swimming pool is by far the best. A regular exercise routine coupled with a good diet of anti-inflammatory foods can help restore some lost motility to the areas in pain and may allow for the most effective of joint pain solutions.