Natural anti-inflammatories

[Lil Honey]

I just had a visit to the orthopedic doctor who prescribed an NSAID for the calcium spur on my shoulder for inflammation. Okay, the NSAIDS just recently have become scary with the news that they can "cause" cardiovascular problems, strokes, etc. So, I don't want to take them. Welp . . . I'm not much of a pill taker anyway.

 

So, a couple years ago, my sister had mentioned that cherry juice made her feel better. I didn't really pay that much attention because I wasn't having any problems and my sister can be a bit of a drama queen, so I try not to take everything she says to heart. Ya know?

 

I was looking at natural anti-inflammatories and tart cherry juice is one. I've been compiling a list of good foods and not-so-good foods as well. I'm not intereted in any herbal remedies, since they have not been proven or tested.

 

Does anyone have first-hand knowledge of tart cherry juice? Do you know of other things that will help alleviate joint inflammation.

 

(Walking is really good, too, btw. For my back anyway.)

[bebegal]

2 things got me off vioxx and celebrex:

 

omega 3 plus also taking

 

glucosamine two times a day (1000mg tabs) helps wonderfully the same with no side effects that im aware of

[Craig]

What about using Aspirin?

 

Which NSAID did your Doc. prescribe?

[faux]

In the end of things, you are still putting chemicals into your body. You just need to choose which types of chemicals you want to ingest.

 

It's sort of like artificial versus natural flavoring. If you mix a bunch of chemicals together in a lab to get the chemical that defines the taste of a banana, that is artificial flavoring. If you take the chemical that defines the taste of a banana from actual banana peels, you get the same exact chemical in the end, but it is considered natural because it came from the actual peels.

[sophia34]

I've read that aloe vera juice is a good anti-inflammatory, but I've never tried it myself.

[Lil Honey]

Thank you everyone.

 

Bebegal: I have Omega 3 on my list of things that will help. I'll be going shopping tonight to get some.

 

Craig: My doctor prescribed Naprosyn. Funny that you should mention aspirin. I've been taking 1000 mg of acetaminophen - but only when I really need it - and sometimes it doesn't touch the pain. I just saw a commercial for Tylenol Arthritis and wondered if that would work better.

 

Faux: I'm sorry. I guess I missed your point. I was prescribed a drug that has recently been found to be dangerous to the cardio system. With a family history, I want to avoid those drugs. I am looking for foods that help alleviate inflammation and trying to compile a list of those that exacerbate the problem so that I can avoid them. I don't want to take the 500 mg twice a day of Naprosyn, as prescribed, if I can find things that are good for me that will help.

 

I have, what I think is, a high threshold of pain, so I take meds only when the pain is too much.

 

sophia: I read on one site about aloe vera. Just like the cherry juice site, they were selling the product, so I don't know if I should believe the claim or not. I wonder what aloe vera tastes like. I have a feeling that it would taste like the juice from a weed. LOL

 

For anyone else who has (or knows someone with) this problem, I have read that the foods that make inflammation worse are: sugar, white flour, caffeine, potatoes, tomatoes and fatty foods. (Of course, I love 'tatoes and 'matoes. *sigh* )

 

The things that I have read that help with inflammation are: Omega-3 fats, water, walnuts and Vitamin D. I read that cod liver oil (which sounds Oh-So-Yummy) is "the safest form of Vitamin D and A, which balances absorbing too much Vitamin D."

[Craig]

Lil Honey: Tylenol is acetaminophen. From the tylenol.com site "Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, has not been shown to reduce inflammation." It is not an anti-inflammatory. Tylenol Arthritis is Acetaminophen, 650 mg.

 

Have you considered using Aspirin? Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory as well as a pain reliever.

[Groovy]

I took "NewChapter" Zyflamed PM when I injured my knee. It's the best natural anti-inflammatory and helps you sleep. I'd say it was as good as my prescription. I don't know about the daytime one though or where you can get it. Try a Google search....

[brashgal]

I take the fish oil capsules more to help my brain - glad to hear it is also an anti-inflammatory.

[Groovy]

You definitely should be taking glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM. You can get the combo pills at any store. I didn't find Omega oils did much for me but they are good for a lot of other stuff.

[Lil Honey]

Craig: Yeah, acetaminophen isn't an anti-inflammatory, but I really didn't that I needed one until just the other day. I've taken the 1000 mg simply because it helped with the pain - some of the time. Thanks for the info. I guess I'll have to try the aspirin. I'm not sure why I haven't. I think somewhere along the line (probably when the kids were little and there was news about kids not having aspirin before a certain age) I got out of the habit of buying it at all. *shrugging*

 

Brashgal: So, have you noticed any mental benefits? I just might need Omega-3 for that reason alone. LOL

 

Groovy: My brother swears by the herbals as well. Reports indicate that you can get a different "dosage" from one bottle to the next of the same brand, because it isn't regulated the same way drugs are. Folks also need to be careful with them because they can interfere with other functions and medicines. They haven't been "proven" to really do anything, so I don't know if people get better because they expect to or because the stuff really works. I also read that 300 mg of one brand can be more potent than 300 mg of another brand of a given supplement.

 

Maybe blackberry brandy would be the way to go.