There are numerous medications, exercises and treatments available for relieving joint pain, ranging from the most conventional pharmaceutical drugs to the most far-reaching alternative approaches in energy medicine. Sore joints can be the result of any number of health conditions or injuries and all have in common some affliction of the bones, tendons, muscles or ligaments surrounding the joint. Because the scope for joint care treatments is so wide, the following suggestions will address common foods and other natural folk remedies you can use to help relieve joint pain on your own.
How to Treat Sore Joints
Step 1
Drink an 8 oz. glass of tart organic cherry juice two or three times daily for relief of chronic joint pain. The Arthritis Foundation says that "drinking tart cherry juice mixed with water three times a day may be beneficial for some people with arthritis...." Especially effective for arthritis and gout, cherry juice is nutrient rich, and high in potassium, and it helps to keep the body in a slightly alkaline state. Buy it at health food and some grocery stores or online. Make sure the bottle says "tart" or "sour" cherry.
Step 2
Eat organic grapes or drink grape juice. Grapes are high in potassium and have the ability to alkalinize the blood and relieve the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Make a fruit juice smoothie with grape juice, tart cherry juice, strawberries and a banana. It makes a delicious, healthful snack and helps eliminate aches and pains in the joints.
Step 3
Make a drink from 8 oz. organic grape juice and 1-4 tsp. fruit pectin for joint pain relief. Start with 1 tsp. pectin and increase the amount as you get used to its effects and until you achieve relief of pain. The People's Pharmacy discusses this is old folk remedy as a tried and true treatment for sore joints. Pectin is available at the grocery store in the isle with the jams and jellies and is used as a thickener in canning. It is also available in health food stores in powder form and can be used for treatment of joint pain as well as a detox from drugs and heavy metals.
Step 4
Drink organic green drinks made from fresh vegetables, sprouts and super foods such as Spirulina, wheatgrass or barley green. Fresh juices are best when made with a power juicer and consumed immediately after juicing. This allows you to get the most from nutrients that loose their potency over time. Fresh juices act as a natural cleanse and can cause mild to moderate stomach upset when first starting the juicing process. Start with a 4 to 6 oz. glass of mixed vegetable juice and raise the quantity as you get used to it.
Step 5
Create a mixture of ¼ to ½ tsp. baking soda and 8 oz. water. In his book "Alkalinize or Die," Dr. Theodore A. Baroody suggests drinking several glasses a day up to a total intake of baking soda amounting to 3 tsp. Use for acute attacks of arthritis, gout or other severe joint pain. Drink one glass a day for maintenance to prevent joint pain. Baking soda alkalinizes the system and offers great relief to some people from sore joints. After a round of three weeks, stop and take a break for a week or so to allow your body to not become over alkalinized. It can then be repeated if needed.
Tips and Warnings
- Try more than one of the suggestions mentioned here until you find one or more that work to help reduce pain in sore joints.
- The suggestions offered here are for educational purposes and not meant to replace medical advice.
Things You'll Need
- Tart cherry juice
- Organic grapes or grape juice
- Strawberries
- Bananas
- Pectin
- Organic vegetables
- Power juicer
- Baking soda
References
- The People's Pharmacy
- Arthritis & Glucosamine Resource Center
- "Alkalinize or Die," Dr. Theodore A. Baroody, 1991
