Osteoarthritis

Anyone have any helpful hints for dealing with this?  The doctor is pretty sure that's what I've got, although he did order an x-ray to rule out bone spurs.  Is climate really likely to make a big difference?  Meaning - if my hand hurts here in the desert, is it going to really, really hurt in Scotland?  (Good thing I can get paracetamol w/codeine!)

I have had it in my hips since I was 18. Over the years I have found that it's a lot worse when I am not exercising on a regular basis, but I don't know if it would be different for a hand. Perhaps the regular exercise releases more endorphins??

I will be curious to see how the climate change affects mine too. I used to use ibuprofen for when the pain got bad, but it's too harsh on my stomach so now I just take tylenol. I know that's not very helpful but you're not alone! Hope the X-rays are helpful!

I have it in my left knee, where I lost a lot of my meniscus.  Exercise makes a HUGE difference over climate.  It has to be a pretty darn, wet cold for it to ache (although pregnancy is doing a great job!).  TBH I feel the pin in my femur more often than I feel achey in my left knee. 

Yoga, Pilates and long, brisk walks all the way!

My doctor was trying to warn me off moving to Scotland at the beginning of the appointment just because of the cold and damp...but by the end of my appt he thought it sounded like a great adventure.  Unfortunately, he wasn't able to offer much helpful advice, other than to take ibuprofen (too hard on my stomach to take very often) and 'don't do anything that hurts'.  I'll have to do a little research and see if there's any exercise that's supposed to help the finger joints.  I'll just plan on wearing gloves when it's cold, right? 

I hurt (knees and feet) way more in the US than I did spending the winter in a stone cottage with only a fireplace for heat. Maybe it's because I'm much more active in the UK, eat more salmon with those great omega-3 oils, and eat purer foods overall. 

It could also be that the temperature spread is much narrower and the weather patterns are more stable in the Borders.   Last year's low was about 30 F and the high this summer was in the low 80s.  In Boston in the same time, I've seen below 0 to the 90s.  Scotland seems to have a permanent "Partly cloudy with scattered showers" forecast, while Boston has periods of clear and dry, then rain for a day or 2.

Mom moved to Florida for the warmer temps and relative stability of the weather.  I'll take Scotland and some woolies.

Do you knit or crochet?  I find it keeps my hands limber. No arthritis yet, but they are stiff in the mornings.

I do crochet....maybe I just need to get to work crocheting those woolies!!! 

Mom moved to Florida for the warmer temps and relative stability of the weather.  I'll take Scotland and some woolies.

Weather-wise & arthritis-wise (warmer weather > less pain), I prefer Florida. But I'm here now -- exercise does seem to help & I just have to bundle up more, etc. I have a stone house & always keep cozy throws at the ready to throw on me.

Personally, I found applying heat to the area helps a lot.  I brought my 'Thera-Band' over from the US and am SO glad I did.  You just pop it into just boiled water for a few minutes, slip it into the sleeve, velcro it onto the afflicted area, and AHHH sweet relief! 

Also yoga and Pilates have helped me a great deal.  Bikram yoga was best, but Ashtanga works as well.  Building up the balance, core strength and tiny muscles around the joint has helped so much.

What about an exercise ball for the hand?

For years I had problems with painful joints,knees mainly.Then about 10 years ago I was talking to this old chap who reccomended Fynnon Salts,I started taking half a teaspoon a day in warm water,all my aches and pains vanished.I told loads of people about it and they all experienced the same thing including one chap awaiting surgery on his left knee,he improved so much he cancelled the op.Thats the good news,now the bad,overnight it disapeared off the shelves,one day you could get it anywhere,supermarkets,chemists,next day nothing.Somewhere in this country there must be millions of tins of the stuff,but where?,I still have half a tin I'm saving for emergencies but if anyone comes across any please let me know.

Dave

A lot of doctors are now recommending that their patients get Glucosamine Sulfate to help rebuild the cartilage (which has worn away) around the joints.  It does work well - if taken with vitamin C (for collagen preduction), but it is a long term remedy - it takes time to work.  Obviously, as I tell my customers, wear and tear of the joints took years to occur; rebuilding of the cartilage won't happen over night - but it will happen.  I advise getting some.

In the interim - whilst waiting for the Glucosamine to take effect (and, I recommend brands 'Nature's Aid', 'Health Sense', 'Quest', or 'Kordel's' - they are the ones I know are pure and aren't made up mostly of salt), try taking a tincture of Devil's Claw.  This herb has been extensively researched and found to have no contraindications or side effects.  It is also the strongest anti-inflammatory on the planet!  What makes it brilliant is that, unlike all the other anti-inflammatories out there (i.e. ibuprofen, asprin and others that one can have prescribed by a doctor), there are NO gastro-intestinal side effects with Devil's Claw; it will not wear away the lining of the stomach or damage the liver when taken long term like other anti-inflammatories will.  All it will do is give you quick, effective, and natural pain relief. 

Now, I know I have been shot down before when I have tried to share herbal remedies, but I only share these things when research backs me up.  And, these aren't things I have just "found out on my own", this is Phytotherapy which I have received training in.  And, it's not like I'm getting paid right here and now for this...I'm just trying to help.

I recommend the tincture form (pure liquid extract) because it will work quicker, as it gets immediately into the blood stream and doesn't have to break down and be digested like a capsule or tablet. 

Other things that help with osteoarthritis is to switch from an acidy diet to a more alkaline one.  Less potatoes, tomatoes and cirtus, more beans, lentils, greens, mangoes, papaya, pineapple.  Less dairy and red meat.  Nettle tea (or tincture, which is best), helps to purge the body of uric acid which deposits in the joints and causes the pain.

I help people everyday in the shop with arthritis to be able to move a bit more freely - and without pain - again.  Hope this information is helpful here, as well. 

~Autumn

Thanks for the advice everyone!  I'm certainly not opposed to trying natural remedies, so may give some of these a go.