subject: How to Treat Arthritis Using Natural Remedies [print this page] Arthritis is a general term for a condition that affects the joints in the body. Though there currently are no real cures for Arthritis and Arthritis pain, there are ways to help get relief from Arthritis pain, and even help prevent further damage to the joints.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is common, but there are ways to naturally treat Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a condition that affects the joints with inflammation, and is often accompanied with pain and stiffness. Below are some ways to help naturally treat Rheumatoid Arthritis.
To prevent arthritis, there are some lifestyle changes you can make and some new habits you can develop. Read on to learn several specific arthritis prevention tips.
Weight loss helps prevent arthritis: -
Excess body weight increases the pressure and damage done to your joints, especially the lower extremities, when you do everyday activities like walking or standing. Losing just a few pounds decreases the wear and tear on your joints. If you are overweight, try to set a goal of dropping just 10 percent of your body weight. You'll significantly reduce the damage done to your knee and hip joints.
Exercise: -
Getting enough exercise is a great way to prevent arthritis, and help you drop some extra weight. Walking for 30 minutes a day, low-impact exercise like swimming or cycling, and weight training for tone and definition increases circulation, helps you lose weight, and lets your joints move without the abuse of running on concrete every day. Seek out low-impact exercises to help preserve your joints.
Proper Stretching: -
Before you begin any workout session, properly stretch your muscles. Loose muscles allow for free movement, making your workouts more productive and less damaging to your joints. You should perform each stretch twice, holding for at least 10 seconds. Do not bounce, as this puts undue strain on your tendons and ligaments, and could lead to muscle injury. Once you've stretched, begin a light workout to warm the muscles up before "going for it."
Once you've warmed up and done your exercise session, do a five-minute cool-down, followed by another round of stretching. Not only will you prevent soreness, you'll stave off arthritis.
Rest after your workouts: -
After your workout, allow your muscles the chance to rest and recover before you hit the gym again. Forty-eight hours is a good rule of thumb, meaning you should limit vigorous exercise of the same body part to every other day. Aerobic exercise can be done every day. It's the free weights or weight machines where you need the recovery time.
Again, proper stretching, warm-ups and cool-downs are important. If a muscle is stretched before use, it is less likely to cramp or get injured during exercise.
Proper diet leads to a healthy body: -
Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables and healthy grains. Make sure you drink plenty of water; a good way to calculate how much water you need is to drink half your weight in pounds in ounces of water. That means a 150-pound person needs 75 ounces of water, or about nine eight-ounce glasses. This should be plain water, no soda or coffee.
