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Hi! I stay pretty active to help keep all my joints moving. I am beginning to get arthritis in my hips, knees and ankles. If I'm not active I become extremely stiff and sore. Aches and pains plague me with every move I make. The more active I am, the less aches I have. Asprin and ibuprophen don't help. Nor do I want to take them on a constant basis. I try to take glucosimine/chondroiton and msm. They help to ease the aches somewhat. Does anybody have any other over the counter suggestions?
I've been told that gelatin capsules also help. I'm giving them to my husband because he too suffers from achy joints. He can't take glucosimine because he is diabetic and it raises his blood sugar.
I used to have really bad arthritis in my back and hips. I haven't had any problems since I got off all caffeine and don't eat as much red meat anymore. My husband won't give up the coffee. I think it would help him but he says it's his one vise and he wants to keep it.
Alternating hot and cold showers/baths also helped me a lot when I was hurting. A good detox is also a good idea to help your body get rid of toxins. BTW, the drugs that are most commonly taken for arthritis are also toxins. In my experience they only temporarily eased the pain but actually added to my problem in the long run. The detox really helped me get a clean start. I try to avoid pain killers now as much as possible. I haven't had one in years and when I did it was for a tooth ache.
~ Beth
I also have arthritic symptoms... and if you go to some of the other blogs here, you can see it is a common complaint with us "over 50" crowd. By reading some of the other topics/replies, you will get a lot of advice and some of it seems pretty good.
I agree with southern_midwife's recommendations for the most part. I try to stay away from traditional medicine because it does contain toxins.
I use alternating hot/cold packs directly on the afflicted area. But, what has helped me the most are stretches that involve the core muscles. I found that by correcting the core muscles, improving posture and getting the body's trunk strengthened and relaxed, I walk better and put less awkward pressures on the joints that aggravate the pain. Then, I use them or lose them... exercise those joints a bit and get moving. I experience pain at first, but it does get better.
Arthritis pain is from inflamation. Reduce inflamation and you have relief.
Friends of mine find success with holistic medicine and herbs. Others do well with chiropractic and massage therapies. Some report that acupuncture "cures" them - or at least alleviates their pain. Pilate and yoga do a lot to strengthen core muscles or -- if you have good med insurance, use a physical therapist. (They also have ultrasound and heat packs, etc.)
A dietary specialist can recommend foods to cut back or add to help with inflamation as well. Coffee can be less healthy for you...so can tomatoes or potatoes because of something that inhibits antioxidation... I hear. I will be interested in hearing whether southern_midwife gets results from gelatin capsules.
Anyway, losing weight is burning more cals than eating. I have been losing slowly with this plan and I'm improving my body with exercise. I get frustrated with the arthritic pain, but I try to chug along and keep going.
Good luck with finding what helps you. I wouldn't invest in expensive equipment until I used up my less expensive resources. Try your local health foods stores for books on reducing inflamation. Try a physical therapist or yoga instructor... it is worth a try. What have you done up to now?
Hi folks
I have fairly severe osteo arthritis in my left hip. NSAIDs were helpful but didn't fix my crooked walking, and eventually started to cause more swelling (instead of decreasing it, as advertised). Hot baths helped some days.
I take glucosamine/ chondroitin supplement religiously, and I don't know if it helps or not, but it doesn't hurt, and it's said to work.
Chiropractic adjustment got me walking straight again. And stationary bike work keeps me limber. I still get achey when the barometer plummets...hurricane season has it's local effect. I see the chiropractor monthly and usually bike daily. Losing only 12 pounds has helped me walk better as well. Sometimes I think I'm actually healing.
I could not give up coffee...I've tried many times & always go back...or red meat.
Frankly, herbal supplements are not that different from prescription drugs--they often have the same active ingredient. "All substances are poisons," says Paracelsus. It's just a matter of quantity and quality. While in the past advocates could point to the FDA and quality inspection to insure that prescription drug strength and potency was accurate, today's FDA does not inspire that kind of confidence in me. Plus I think a lot of my scrips are made over in China where dog food kills. So who knows what in them now...
I hope losing weight, counting calories, analyzing nutrition values, trying new foods, and just cutting back on portions will help me get off most drugs by helping me feel strong and healthy. One can but dream...
Hi everyone, I am new to Calorie Counters just had my first 6weeks and I am so optimistic I am 57 and also have arthritus in my knees. I have a diet sheet from an alternative holistic doctor that I can email to those who are intrerested.
I was recommended to take CELADRIN from good heath food shops and I did find it worked well, it is costly but it all helps. I too have problems giving up red meat or tomatoes and coffee, but we keep trying. I only take the pain killers from the doctor when I really have to.
I also take glucosamine/chondroitin/omega3 supplement and just started cod liver oil and vitimins for the 50+ on a daily basis. I do feel as though I must rattle when I move.
Thanks for starting the group and hope to get to know you all in our journey for the body beautiful.
hi this is my first day on the site and in the group. I would love a copy of the diet from the holistic dr. I am 55 and have alot of joint pain. I know dropping weight will help but so hard when you don't move well. so I am moving anyway because I know if I tuff it out I will hurt less in the long run. I used holistic healing at home to treat breast cancer. Just passed my 5yr mark and had no chemo or radiation. But was caught very very early by accident. anyway anyone with holistic stuff to share..I am there!
I don't often get to the group part of this website, mainly because I hate sitting at the computer. Takes long enough to enter what I eat everyday, but that part is working nicely. As for arthritis, I keep active and that helps an awful lot, but my thumbs get so painful at times that I can't even open jars, which I always thought of as an old person problem. Mid summer I started taking two tablespoons of Chia Seeds, mainly to gain energy from it and because it keeps me hydrated when I go on my long (100 mile in one day) bike ride in late July. It worked great for that, and since I ride around a 100 miles every week during the summer and fall, I have continued to eat chia seeds. Last week I noticed that my thumbs have not been "hurting" as much as they use to, and then stumbled upon the fact that chia seeds are an excellent source of Omega 3.... so now I will have to try fish oil Omega 3 with this, as it seems to be working.
I've been a Calorie Counter for some time and don't usually do the forum stuff because I simply don't have time, BUT... I can't find the thread from the other day but a gentleman said something about Dr. Johnson and the Alternate Day Diet, JUDDDD. I googled it and I must say, the light bulb went on!
I used to weigh 125 for years. I went through a divorce and a major life style change and gained 48 pounds!!! Oh my Gosh!!! I honestly couldn't remember what I used to do to stay thin. CC has really helped becuase I was eating too many calories and didn't realize it. Also I'm getting a couple of knots on my knuckles and don't want to end up with arthritis in my hands.
When I went to Dr. Johnson's website, I remembered that I used to fast regularly. On his program, an "up" day for me is 1583 calories and the next "down" day is 350 to 500 calories. This is my third down day and I feel GREAAT! Dr. Johnson talks a lot about inflamation, which is why I'm writting this.
Just a "head's up" and a possiblity for you all. L
Knee pain really was what got me seriously dieting. I was diagnosed with severe oa. The doc said he could go in and scope the joints but I wanted to and knew I needed to lose weight before I would consider any kind of surgery. I then started WW and also aquatic walking. Losing weight and exercising really made a world of difference. I never thought I would be able to do any kind of long distance walking but one morning the pool was closed and a friend suggested we use the treadmill. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could walk 2 miles in 40 minutes without pain. Unfortunately I have gained back some of the weight I've lost but not enough that I am experiencing the kind of pain that had me in tears. As I still have knee pain if I overdo it gardening or going up and down stairs I may elect the arthroscopy but I am determined that I will lose another 30 - 40 pounds before I do that.
