Using Nature’s Secrets to Look Great and Feel Terrific, Stay young, slim, strong, and energetic – Naturally
Natural Pain Remedies # 1 covered headaches. This time we have a simple daily approach to controlling pain in arthritis and preventing further joint damage. If it’s hot, cool it. We will cover easily available homeopathic medicines and neem a miracle herb from India.
Inflammatory arthritis
Inflammatory arthritis responds to ice. Harmful OTC (overthecounter) drugs like aspirin, Advil and other ibuprofen, and acetaminophen (Tylenol) are anti-inflammatory. The pain that they treat may respond to ice. Don’t place an ice pack on your heart, over the kidneys (on the back around your waist) or around the sexual area because that can cause cramps or other unpleasant side-effects. Besides arthritis usually attacks the big joints knees, lumbar vertebrae in the lower back, ankles, elbow, and fingers or toes. Not internal organs.
If joint pain is worse with anger, hot spicy foods, hot weather, dehydration (joints and muscles need lots of water) then applying ice may bring temporary relief. Use an ice pack for no more than 20 minutes at a time.
Diet
To soothe inflammatory pain, you need to adjust your diet to include more greens and alkaline foods. Avoid coffee, sugar, cola drinks, sweets and candy, hot spices and alcohol to stay alkaline.
The broccoli cure, recommended by Dr. Saracoglu, described in my article “Protect your prostate” on this website works quickly and effectively to detoxify the blood and reduce excess acids that underlie joint, muscle, and nerve pains. Boil a handful of broccoli for 10 minutes in at least 2 cups of water and drink half first thing in the morning and the rest before bed. Add no spice and do not eat for at least 20 minutes after drinking the broccoli water. It will clear complexion blemishes, aches, bad moods, and constipation. It is also highly recommended for preventing and treating urinary and sexual discomforts.
Exercise daily
Walking is one of the best exercises. Swimming is the best. During the day, stand on one bare foot for a moment, breathe calmly then switch to the other bare foot. Standing quietly barefoot, your leg may wobble, a sign of muscle weakness. That sends a message to the brain to improve your week leg muscles.
It is wise to first stretch and warm up a painful area. After a workout or a walk, you might apply a warm heating pad or tiger balm to improve circulation. Then apply the ice. Then switch back to warmth. That change in temperature brings blood circulation to stiff muscles and troubled joints. Or switch back and forth from a hot tub to cool swimming pool.
Homeopathic treatments
Homeopathic remedies that treat acute inflammation that feels like a sting, or swollen joints that are red and mean, include:
• Homeopathic apis mel. 30C that’s homeopathic honey bee. Its easier to take one dose (3 pills of homeopathic apis 30C) than to bother a bee. Bee stings are unpredictable, though many people value bee venom as a treatment against chronic arthritis. People in cities lack bees. Apis improves any sharp pain that is red, irritated, swollen and acts like a bee sting. It improves gout symptoms (red, swollen, very painful big toe sometimes up to the ankle, insomnia and irritability from pain) but does not eliminate its cause.
• Homeopathic nat. phos. 6X and 30C for respectively chronic and acute excess acid symptoms is also recommended for gout, which can develop when the kidney cannot adequately eliminate uric acid. Nat. phos. 6x or 30C, a treatment for excess acid which underlies any sort of excess acid ** gout and many cases of arthritis.
Holy Neem
If you could find a tree that eliminates poisons, skin rashes, and parasites, kills viruses and reduces inflammatory arthritis pains, you would say it’s a miracle. It is Neem or the Margosa tree a botanical cousin of mahogany. The latinized name Azadirachta indica from persian means India’s free tree. Neem grows wild in India and anywhere in the tropics (even southern Florida.) I once walked through a neem forest in a Manhattan loft lit with grow lights. Some neem trees live to be 150 – 200 years old. Universities from Bangalore to Baltimore are validating ancient traditions with research on neem for disorders ranging from arthritis and diabetes to psoriasis, ulcers and viruses, including AIDS. Neem enhances the “Killer T” cells that are the body’s first defense against infection.
The earliest Sanskrit medical writings describe the benefits of neem’s fruits, seeds, oil, leaves, roots and bark used in the Indian Ayurvedic and Unani (Graeco Arabic) Medicines. Neem bark is cool, bitter, astringent, acrid and refrigerant and is useful for fatigue, cough, fever, loss of appetite, and worm infestation. Neem powder heals wounds when applied externally. Taken internally, neem reduces skin diseases, excessive thirst, and diabetes. Neem leaves are beneficial for eye disorders and insect poisons. It’s fruits are a bitter purgative for reducing hemorrhoids and expelling worms. In India, neem has been used for boils, wounds, jaundice, leprosy, skin disorders, stomach ulcers, chicken pox, septic sores, and infected burns. You can apply a poultice (the powder mixed with water) or a decoction (the powder boiled in water) for boils and eczema. Neem oil is used for scrofula and ringworm.
In Ayurvedic medicine neem is used to treat malarial fevers. Recent experiments have shown that one of the neem’s components, gedunin (a limonoid), is as effective as quinine against malaria.China has adopted neem for its anti-malaria operation. Neem oil treated mosquito nets and mosquito-repellent are also popular in India. In the United States you may find botanists and home gardeners who use neem spray as a natural safe for humans and pets insecticide.
Neem and Arthritis:
Neem is widely used for treating fevers. Neem has a long history of relieving inflamed joints and now is supported by recent scientific studies. Most anti inflammatories, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, irritate the stomach and may be the major cause for upper GI bleeding. Neem is comparably effective, anti inflammatory and does not adversely affect the stomach. The active constituents in its leaves relieve pain by acting on the prostaglandin mechanism.
Several studies of neem leaf extracts show that it reduces inflammation. One suggested that the phenolic compounds containing catechin (which possess anti inflammatory properties) may produce the anti-inflammatory effects. Another investigation found that quercetin, an antibacterial compound, exists in neem leaves. Other studies have shown that the polysaccharides in neem reduce the inflammation and swelling that occur in arthritis. Not only does neem help reduce inflammation; it also has pain suppressing properties. Neem can also help create a balance in the immune system, directly affecting the progression of arthritis. For more information on neem see www.neemfoundation.org located in Mumbai, India. Tel: + 91 22 26206367 / 26207867 / 26231709.
Fax: + 91 22 26207508
Email: office@neemfoundation.org
Website: www.neemfoundation.org
15 comments on “Natural Pain Remedies #2: Arthritis”
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dear LHS,
Kindly furnish me the update on medicinal uses of neem Azadirachta indica.
Looking foward to read from you.
Abba , Nigerian University.
Neem has been used traditionally for skin diseases such as parasites and infections. It is used as a natural safe insecticide spray for plants by farmers in Asia and our southern states in America. It can be used internally for skin rashes, fevers, parasites and generally detoxifying the body.
I found this article on pubmed this morning. It looks interesting – a possible use of neem for the treatment of candida.
Arch Oral Biol. 2006 Jun;51(6):482-90. Epub 2006 Jan 10.
I will continue to check into the use of neem for inflammatory arthritis and add to this post later.
all best, Letha
Summary:
Effect of aqueous extract from Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) on hydrophobicity, biofilm formation and adhesion in composite resin by Candida albicans.
* Polaquini SR,
* Svidzinski TI,
* Kemmelmeier C,
* Gasparetto A.
Dentistry Department, University Center of Maringa, Avenida Guedner 1610, 87050-390 Maringa, PR, Brazil.
OBJECTIVE: Azadirachta indica, a Meliaceae family tree, has been used in India for many years in the treatment of several diseases in medicine and dentistry. Current research analyses the effects of the leaf aqueous extract from Azadirachta indica (Neem) on the adhesion, cell surface hydrophobicity and biofilm formation, which may affect the colonisation by Candida albicans. METHODS: Azadirachta indica extract was tested in vitro on strains of Candida albicans 12A and 156B. Changes in hydrophobicity were reported in assays of yeast adhesion to hydrocarbons, in biofilm formation with glucose and in the adhesion of the microorganisms on light cured composite resin. Assays involved enumeration of candidal colony-forming units together with scintillation counting of radiolabelled Candida and compared to a solution of chlorhexidine digluconate 0.125% widely used in dentistry. RESULTS: Yeast growth in Neem extract was not inhibited in concentrations ranging from 0.1mg/ml. A statistically significant increase (p<0.05) in cell surface hydrophobicity was evident for the two strain tested and there was also an associated increase in biofilm formation after contact with Neem extract in concentration 0.01 g/ml. Decrease in adhesion capacity of cells to composite resin was also recorded. CONCLUSION: An anti-adhesive mechanism of action by Azadirachta indica is proposed based on the results observed.
PMID: 16412377 [PubMed - in process]
Here is another interesting study found at bytheplanet.com concerning neem and inflammatory arthritis:
Arthritis and Neem
http://www.neemaura.com/UsesPages/arthritis_and_neem.asp
Arthritis is broad term covering many types of joint ailments. The ailments can be autoimmune disorders, infections, the result of wear on the joints or simply inflammation. Generally though it is the inflammation or the pain associated with it that is treated regardless of the origin. Neem can aid in treating arthritis in many ways. Neem’s antibacterial properties can help kill infectious causes while its inflammation reducing properties and pain suppressing properties can alleviate the symptoms. Neem can also help create a balance in the immune system which directly affects progression of the disease (Kores, 1993).
Arthritis is one of the most common medical problems in the United States There are more than 100 forms of it, and each has varying causes, symptoms and treatments.
Warning signs of arthritis include:
Swelling in one or more joints
Prolonged early morning stiffness
Recurring pain or tenderness in any joint
Inability to move joint normally
Redness and warmth in a joint
Unexplained fevers, weight loss or weakness with joint pain
Any of these signs, when new, that lasts for more than two weeks requires prompt medical attention. Distinguish-ing arthritis from common aches and pain, along with determining the type of arthritis, is important for treatment.
Common types of arthritis include:
Osteoarthritis. Caused by normal wear and tear on the joints, this chronic condition is usually not serious. However a joint may degenerate to ffie point where replacement surgery is needed.
Rheumatoid arthritis. A type of inflammatory arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition caused by the body’s immune system attacking joint-lining tissue.
Infectious arthritis. Infectious agents include bacteria, fungi and viruses. This type of arthritis can affect anyone. Usually, prompt diagnosis and treatment results in recovery.
Gout. Gout is most common in men older than 40 and is caused by formation of uric add crystals in a joint.
A number of studies indicate the usefulness of neem in treating arthritis. There have been numerous studies on the ability of extracts of neem leaf to reduce the inflammation caused by arthritis (Bhargave, 1970) (Okpanyi, 1981). One study suggested that the phenolic compounds containing catechin (known to possess anti-inflammatory properties) may produce the anti-inflammatory effects witnessed (Van der Nat, 1991). Another study discovered quercetin, a known antibacterial compound, in neem leaves. (Basak, 1968) Others concluded that the polysaccharides in neem reduce the inflammation and swelling associated with arthritis (David, 1978); (Fujiwara, 1984); (Brahmachari and Sharma, 1958).
Different parts of the tree and many extracts of each were tested. Compounds, like nimbidin, extracted from the seed with alcohol, showed significant effects against arthritis (Pillai, 1981a) as have methanol extracts of the leaf and bark (Van der Nat et al., 1991). The reason these compounds work is believed to be due to several factors. Several leaf compounds have been shown to be more potent inhibitors of prostaglandin than aspirin (Okpako, 1977). Limonoids and catechin in the leaf and seed (Swarnalakshmi et al., 1981); (Rao et al., 1983), may provide additional beneficial effects. Other possible explanations point to an inhibition of the release of mediators of acute inflammation. An antihistaminic effect of nimbidin (underlying its anti-gastric ulcer activity) has been reported (David, 1969, 1978); (Pillai and Santhakumari, 1984a). Also, a modification of the immune response appears to reduce the generation of inflammation-producing chemicals (Van der Nat et al., 1987, 1989, 1991).
In any case, the long history of using neem leaf, bark and seed extracts to relieve inflamed joints is borne out by the recent scientific investigations. Treatment for arthritis is traditionally a mild neem leaf tea coupled with rubbing a warmed neem-based cream on the stiff or painful areas as needed.
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I loved Pain Remedies #2: Arthritis at Letha’s Asian Health Secrets!
Always good quality info from this site!
I do so agree with what you shared – remedies for arthritis problems. That, I believe, should be the first aid in treating joints pain problems before consulting the doctors. Thanks for sharing.
food supplementation with glucosamine and chondroitin helps me a lot in managing arthritis. dont forget to have regular exercise too.
It’s an amazing experience to have read your blogs. I look forward to reading again your
articles. Thanks for your post.
Thanks for the great info! It was a really good read.
It’s amazing how much pain and damage we do to our bodies that can be simply reversed by changing our diets, regular exercise and using natural remedies.
Even for things you wouldn’t think that it would help, like hemroids. Even hemroids can be reverse with a change in your diet and exercise. Add a natural supplement (like Hemrid) and you get rid of them and keep them away.
I know I would rather take holy neem for my arthritis than continuing to take some of the pain relievers they sell in the store today. You never know when the next news report is going to come out saying that those pain relievers cause some other disease.
Hello Megzrg
Thank you for your comment. I agree that herbs and diet safely and effectively heal the body and mind and prevent illness. It takes some study a lifetime of devotion that I also enjoy. I recommend neem for skin rashes, internal parasites, inflammation and general cleansing. I add the powder to my bath water, brush my teeth with it. Very bitter and so purifying, it rids the body bacteria, virus, and fungus. There are various kinds of neem oil, some heavy and others better for complexion. Do not take it internally but apply it to skin.
great post