What does inflammation have to do with arthritis?

If you suffer from arthritis, there are things you can do to eliminate inflammation and help make your life more enjoyable and pain-free.

The first thing should be to follow an anti-inflammatory diet. This means staying away from vegetable oils and margarine. I don’t care what the ads say, and even the doctors. Margarine is not good for you. It is an artificial substance, and I hesitate to even call it food. It is highly inflammatory for your body.

You should use olive oil, pure coconut oil, or butter for cooking and eating. These will help keep inflammation under control.

You want to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. But avoid starchy vegetables like corn, potatoes, and peas. These will quickly convert to sugar in your body and be a cause of inflammation. Avoid sugar, if you need a sweetener, honey is a good option. Don’t eat anything white. To avoid inflammation, you should eat brown rice and pasta, and use unbleached whole wheat flour.

You should eat salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds or flaxseed meal, and take a good omega 3 fish oil supplement. Don’t take the cheapest omega 3 you can find. This won’t do you any good and could harm you because it could be contaminated.

You really have to invest in a pharmaceutical grade supplement with high amounts of EPA and DHA to get the most benefit. Your arthritis will let you know when you found the right one because it should ease the pain.

You should also look for a source of grass-fed beef. It’s available at local health food stores, and I recently found it at the grocery store near home. You might even find a farmer to raise it for sale. Grass-fed beef has plenty of the omega 3s you need, and it’s also free of hormones and antibiotics, unlike the corn-fed beef you get at the grocery store.

If you have arthritis, exercise will help lessen the pain and just make you feel better. You will sleep better and it will help not only your arthritis, but also your heart.

Exercise will reduce inflammation throughout the body.

If you can, just start with a short walk and increase the time as you can. This will also help maintain your normal weight, prevent additional wear and tear on your joints, and reduce inflammation.

Just do whatever exercise you can on a regular basis. Around here–Minnesota, it’s not easy to go out in the winter, but go to a mall, or just walk around the house at least. Your doctor may give you some stretching and strength-training exercises that you can do at home. Or if you’re a senior, many cities have community centers where seniors can go for a group workout and swim.

Another good activity is dancing. This has the benefit of exercise, and also of contact with friends.

It is also important to laugh as often as possible. Laughter reduces tension, not only mentally, but it also relaxes your muscles and this will help relieve arthritis pain.