Arthritis Pain: 13 Ways To Ease The Pain Naturally (PHOTOS)

When joint cartilage wears away, bone rubs against bone, causing osteoarthritis. Sound painful? It is. 

Osteoarthritis seriously impairs the quality of life for 27 million Americans. Given that osteoarthritis is so disabling, painful, and common, lots of quack "cures" are out there, from shark cartilage to copper jewelry to snake venom. 

But here are 13 natural remedies that research suggests may actually help ease arthritis pain.

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The best remedy is not the easiest: maintaining a healthy weight, and losing weight if necessary.

 Every pound you pare off means four pounds less pressure on your knees, says Laura Robbins, senior vice president of education and academic affairs at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. 

Some people will see their symptoms disappear if they lose 10 to 20 pounds, says Roy Altman, M.D., a rheumatologist and professor of medicine at the University of California Los Angeles. More from Health.com: 6 Steps to Getting Active With Arthritis You Can Have an Active Sex Life With Arthritis How Rheumatoid Arthritis Differs From Osteoarthritis

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The best remedy is not the easiest: maintaining a healthy weight, and losing weight if necessary.

 Every pound you pare off means four pounds less pressure on your knees, says Laura Robbins, senior vice president of education and academic affairs at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. 

Some people will see their symptoms disappear if they lose 10 to 20 pounds, says Roy Altman, M.D., a rheumatologist and professor of medicine at the University of California Los Angeles.


More from Health.com:
6 Steps to Getting Active With Arthritis
You Can Have an Active Sex Life With Arthritis
How Rheumatoid Arthritis Differs From Osteoarthritis

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Comments

[IMissAmerica]

07:44 PM on 12/12/2010

I suffered greatly from joint pain, especially in my hands, arms and shoulders until earlier this year when I discovered I have gluten intolerance. Eliminating gluten (wheat, rye, and barley) from my diet eliminated my arthritis symptoms, and I feel about 15 years younger.

I know this isn't applicable to everyone with arthritis symptoms but it might be something to consider if you feel achy a lot.

[emerywood]

12:46 PM on 12/12/2010

I am a little surprised that medications like Tylenol and NSAID that really work in pain relief was not
even mentioned. There is obviously no cure for arthritis of old age, but having to try 10 or more different
modalities to find one that works says it all. They don't work too well.

[Kringle]

12:39 PM on 12/12/2010

I believe Cannabis may help as well...and I remember watching something about bee stings...

[Chip W]

03:58 AM on 12/12/2010

I heard of arthritis when I was a kid. I thought it was just something older people got. No big deal.
I was wrong.

[Ken Kinstle]

11:19 PM on 12/10/2010

The pain caused by arthritis must be directly from the inflammation. Many people I work with and know personally have found relief from arthritis pain by reducing the inflammation with Nopalea. This juice product does NOT fix the arthritis but when the inflammation is reduced my friends feel much better. Some have quit using any other pain meds and are doing things they could not before. It is real neat to see.

You can find out more or contact me through http://sonoranbloomnopaleanow.com

[Cyrus Trance]

11:45 PM on 12/10/2010

"The pain caused by arthritis must be directly from the inflammati­on"

It's also mechanical, bone on bone, bone on nerve ect.....

[GypsyOwl]

10:19 AM on 12/12/2010

Liquids are the best way to deliver nutrition and this sounds promising. If it will reduce inflammation, it is exactly what people need to reduce the pain of arthritis (osteoarthritis especially). Thanks for pointing me to Nopalea Ken!

[jgarma]

07:48 PM on 12/10/2010

How 'bout yoga?

Stretch those joints, tendons and ligaments... get some blood into there.

Re supplements, look at these two that have been useful to me...

-- Hyaluronic Acid with MSM: http://bit.ly/fSzsrp

-- Curcumin 95: http://bit.ly/e4Ck3w

[drvittoriarepetto]

03:48 PM on 12/10/2010

If the osteoarthritis has been caused (or aggrevated by) misalignment of the joint and muscle un-balance then seeing a chiropractor who does muscle balancing and extremity adjustments (esp one who does applied kinesiology) can be very helpful

[Dyson]

04:48 PM on 12/10/2010

Let me guess.
You are a chiropractor.

[tomteboda]

07:57 PM on 12/10/2010

It doesn't matter whether or not they are a chiropractor, it makes sound physiologic sense. Not everyone's joints are aligned for perfect movement; some of this is genetic, some is due to injuries. Constant rubbing and wear will exacerbate difficulties.

[proudloudlib]

02:31 PM on 12/10/2010

I had a book many years ago called Vermont Folk Medicine, and it had cures for almost everything, usually involving local honey and/or apple cider vinegar. I'm pretty sure that the author, an MD, said that apple cider vinegar had beneficial effects on arthritis. Wish I could find that book.

[OldGabe]

02:08 PM on 12/10/2010

Too bad the title did not specifically say Osteo Arthritis because nearly every one of the hints for better care for this disease were not for the wonderful perversion of the Immune System called Rheumatoid Arthritis. Also, aside from the hints about weight and moderate exercise (swimming is best if the sufferer can get to a pool) the helpful ideas listed in the comments below may be helpful for Osteo Arthritis, NOT Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a brand of the disease where the immune system attacks the connective tissue anywhere in the body where connective tissue lives - joints mostly but anywhere you have connective tissue, RA will attack. The pain is absolutely incredible and cannot be relieved with the Osteo indicated remedies - the NSAIDs mentioned taken in helpful doses for RA would destroy your kidneys.

The next time you visit amongst yourselves about arthritis, keep a place in your hearts for the folks who suffer with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It is truly a viscious disease. A horrible, viscious disease.

[ljkcan]

02:54 PM on 12/10/2010

One of the problems those of us with rheumatoid and sle face is many supplements do not mix with the medication used to control our disease. I take the omega and vitamin D and the medication once a month for my bones. I clear all supplements with my rheumatologist.

I have had three knee replacements in the same knee and the other one needs to be done. I am holding off All done under the age of 50, when I hear the expression 60 is the new 40 I feel like saying tell my body it was feeling like 80 at the age of 30. Yet I try to keep a sense of humor

[Cyrus Trance]

12:15 AM on 12/11/2010

Just saying.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/eicosapentaenoic-acid-000301.htm

[OldGabe]

03:22 AM on 12/12/2010

Cyrus and ljkcan, you are right, the fatty acids do help. It is in my daily cocktail - one word of warning though is that most of the fishoil supplements underdose and don't give results expected. That is in order to get the beneficial amount that does good. It is a challenge to keep a sense of humor but what else have we got?

The warning about mixing should be taken very seriously. I hope we aren't just talking among ourselves here. Listen up out there ! If you have RA you are probably seeing a Rheumatologist frequently.

If your Rheumatologist does not know what you are ingesting in addition to his or her prescribed meds you need to tell them. As much as it would be really nice to be able to self medicate, this rascal is so savage that it takes a village, to "borrow" a phrase. And don't think you will get away with unreported mixing. Those blood tests you have to have done will tell the doctor exactly what you are up to.

Pardon me while I go take a pain killer.

[mrsmdressup]

01:49 PM on 12/10/2010

My father has arthritis and degenerative disk disease. I did some research and found a product called "Fast Joint Care +". It contains crushed egg membrane and glucosamine. For decades, people used crushed egg shells in their coffee machines to help with joint pain, and studies have shown that egg membrane does contribute to the growth of cartilage tissue.

My father started taking this once a day and after 2 weeks he was able to notice an improvement in his neck. After 30 days, he was almost completely pain free and now he swears by the stuff. It is available in most drugstores and is completely safe (unless you have an egg allergy). Just thought I'd toss this little trick in here for anyone who is looking at natural relief from joint pain.

[Cyrus Trance]

11:51 PM on 12/10/2010

Once a disc is degenerated nothing can be done to fix the disc. Pain control is the only thing left or surgery if it is a significant problem.

[poppeetim]

01:44 PM on 12/10/2010

eat a dozen tart cherries a day (can keep them frozen) + fish oil capsules.......after 1-2 months, will be a big help!

[VonTeshyn]

12:55 PM on 12/10/2010

Daily consumption of 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with1 tablespoon honey first thing in the morning [before food] alleviated my arthritis pain BY HALF within 4-5 days. You can even use cinnamon capsules if the real thing is too gritty for your tastes.

I feel like I've got my life back again.

[c1605]

11:56 AM on 12/10/2010

Doesn't sex help you release a stimulant for the joints?

(Yes, I heard of that in a movie).

[bbtri]

01:26 PM on 12/10/2010

What a wonderful idea! And in my youth joints were a stimulant for sex.

[Dbos]

02:31 PM on 12/10/2010

Fanned and faved; joints for your joints I believe its a miracle drug.

[neuro doc]

11:56 AM on 12/10/2010

I am waiting for a large, randomized, placebo controlled, double-blinded study using glucosamine, or chondroitin or any of the other pills/ointments listed in this article. Until that happens, the recommendation that they are helpful is purely opinion; nothing more.
The recommendations in this article for wt. loss and exercise will do more than all of the chemical therapies combined.

[multidoc]

01:05 PM on 12/10/2010

There is very good scientific evidence for glucosamine sulfate, as the article states. Plus, none of the recommendations here will get people in trouble. Most people do not realize that there are very few treatments, in or out of conventional medicine, that have the type of evidence that you say you are waiting for.

[neuro doc]

01:52 PM on 12/10/2010

I'd like to see it. The meds may not (it is not clearly known since some of these really haven't been appropriately studied) get people in trouble they will just burn up their money.

[bbtri]

01:35 PM on 12/10/2010

There were large, randomized­, placebo controlled­, double-bli­nded studies for Bextra and Vioxx.

[neuro doc]

01:53 PM on 12/10/2010

good point, large studies aren't perfect. Common maladies require really large studies and sometimes no study is big enough but it is the best we have as a starting point.

[Dyson]

04:53 PM on 12/10/2010

Yes, and they showed they worked.
Unfortunately there were significant (though uncommon) side effects which were hushed up by Merck.

That doesn't mean the drugs don't work, or that a controlled trial is not the way to demonstrate efficacy.

[boyer37212]

11:05 AM on 12/10/2010

Try Nettle Leaf. I use a tincture version. It's a natural anti-infamaotry. Works great for enlarged prostate issues as well (within 2 - 3 days you'll feel a major difference)

[tomteboda]

08:07 PM on 12/10/2010

Did you know the primary active ingredient in nettle leaf is salicylic acid?

[Mirabai305]

03:01 PM on 12/12/2010

Excellent! So there's a great way to get an effective pain relief in a natural form that isn't bastardized into something that causes as much harm as good. Great news!