Arthritis occurs when an autoimmune disorder, trauma, or overuse causes a bone formation to react in unusual ways, like swelling or stiffness. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are examples of this occurring. While there are pharmaceutical arthritis treatments, such as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) and corticosteroids, they often come with a number of side effects.
Luckily, there are multiple solutions for both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis treatments that don’t involve drugs. Below are arthritis pain relievers Dr. Rand McClain suggests that are not only successful in treatment but also minimize negative side effects.
Non Pharmaceutical Arthritis Treatments
Supplements obtained through over-the-counter methods have been successful in reducing arthritis. Most of the supplements involve the a substance polyphenols and this can treat inflammation.
Boswellia resin
Derived from a tree, Boswellia resin, or often referred to as frankincense, can help suppress 5LOX (5-lipoxygenase) and pro-inflammatory leukotrienes. This can reduce inflammation found in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Pycnogenol
Also from a tree, the powerful Pycnogenol is derived from maritime pine bark. Its multiple polyphenols structure allows it to not only reduce inflammation but also work as a strong antioxidant. It lessens inflammation by reducing the activation of NF-kB.
Cat’s Claw
Following right along, Cat’s Claw is yet another arthritis pain reliever present in tree bark. Cat’s Claw can stop genes associated with inflammation from forming, as well as reduces the activation of NF-kB through the use of polyphenols.
Resveratrol
Another successful polyphenol is resveratrol. As previously mentioned, polyphenol reduces inflammation, making resveratrol a great choice for fighting arthritis. Not only that, but resveratrol also suppresses prostaglandin E2 synthesis and inhibition of TNF-alpha and IL-1b-induced NF-kB activation. Another positive is that it’s common in red wines.
Omega-3
Omega-3 fatty acids is the next solution to help in arthritis pain management. Possibly already found in your home, these fatty acids can be found in fish or flaxseed oil. The acids work to not only stop the growth of inflammatory substances like cytokines, but also can reduce cartilage destroying enzymes.
Capsaicin
Next is the double threat of capsaicin. Since it is found in chili peppers, it can be both ingested and applied topically. When ingested, it inhibits NK-kB, like others in this article. When applied topically, it can dull pain receptors.
Catechins
One specific polyphenols that is particularly effective in both inhibiting collagen breakdown in cartilage as well as combating inflammation is catechin. Catechins can be found in green tea extract. Furthermore, if you’re not already utilizing green tea extract in your diet, you should, because it is famous for its anticancer effect.
Salicin
You may have thought we were done talking about trees, but turns out white willow bark contains an active ingredient found within aspirin (a.k.a. acetylsalicylic acid). This ingredient is called salicin. Salicin can be a strong anti-inflammatory solution. Because it’s natural, using white willow bark will have less negative side effects than aspirin.
Further Arthritis Treatment and Prevention
Besides ingesting the above solutions, there are other steps you can take as well. Overall, taking care of your general health, regular exercise, reducing stress, and adequate sleep can be linked to feeling better and less inflammation. Specific exercises, like strengthening and flexibility, can help soothe and protect joints from further damage. An example of this is arthritis treatment by yoga.
Diet can have an effect on your inflammation. Living off of a plant-based diet as well as reducing your intake of saturated fats can be helpful. This is because saturated fats, found in animal products, turn into arachidonic acid, which in turn eventually transforms into inflammatory prostaglandins. Also pertaining to diet, excess/added sugars have been found in association with inflammation, so removing them from your diet can assist your body in the long run.
The last solution doesn’t really fit into either the supplement or pharmaceutical category. The injection of mesenchymal stem cells can not only reduce inflammation but can also rebuild cartilage. In some cases, it was even found to reverse juvenile arthritis and other autoimmune disease.
For more information on arthritis treatments, check out a guest article Dr. Rand McClain wrote for MassageTherapy.com. For more articles from Dr. Rand, visit our website.