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ARTHRITIC PREVENTION & SELF CARE

To help with the prevention and relief of arthritis, prescribe a proactive plan for yourself. Take charge of your lifestyle and see where improvements can be made, like with regards to any of the following, listed in no particular order of importance or affect.
Acupuncture / Acupressure - Acupuncture or therapeutic ‘needle piercing” is the insertion of fine needles into the skin in order to stimulate targeted places in the body, referred to as acupoints. Along with the needles, the acupuncture practitioner also generally applies any of the following to stimulate the points; suction, friction, heat, pressure or electromagnetic energy impulses. The treatment goal is to stimulate the acupoints in order to balance the body’s movement of energy (qi) and restore health. Ask your healthcare provider for practitioner referrals or look in directories under holistic services.
Acupressure, also referred to as Relief with Fingertips, is similar to acupuncture, but uses the hands for healing technique instead of needles and other devices. Depending upon the afflicted area and type of arthritic condition, a combination of knuckles, fingers, thumbs and palm massage techniques are use in the surrounding areas. Note that traditional Chinese described four types of arthritic conditions that work alone or in combinations; wind, cold, heat and damp:
Wind – Presents itself in the body with moving aches and pains that are worsened by the wind.
Cold – Presents itself with swollen and painful joints sensitive to fog, rain and high humidity conditions.
Heat – Presents itself in areas reddish in color and inflamed; may feel hot when touched.
Damp – Presents itself with aches during colder, decreasing temperatures and storms, i.e. extreme weather changes.
Consult your healthcare provider for practitioner referrals or look in directories under holistic services for charts and more information.
Aromatherapy – Aromatherapy or “treatment using scents,” is another holistic treatment used by some arthritic sufferers for pain relief, skincare and revival, rejuvenation and stress management. Treatment focuses on using pleasurable aromatic botanical oils by either massaging them into the skin, adding them to the bath water, inhaling them directly or diffusing their scents into the surrounding environment. The oils have been known to affect moods, help with relaxation, lessen or end fatigue and anxiety, and help the brain and nervous system via olfactory nerves stimulation when inhaled.
Aromatherapy is reportedly one of the fastest growing fields in alternative medicine, used in home, clinical and hospital environments for pain and stress relief.
Aromatherapy treatments for arthritis vary and essential oils used can include:
Cinnamomum Camphora (Camphor)
Cupressus Sempervirens (Cypress)
Eucalyptus
Ginger
Hhyssopus Officinalis (Hyssop)
Juniperus Communis (Juniper)
Lavandula Officinalis (Lavender)
Matricaria Chamomilla (Chamomile)
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary)
Styrax Benzoin (Benzoin)
Recipe for Arthritis Aromatherapy:
Add six drops each of rosemary and chamomile oils to four ounces of a base oil like almond, avocado, sesame or soybean. Massage oil into sore arthritic joints. For added pain relief, relax for about 10 minutes in a warm tub of water in which ten drops each of rosemary and chamomile oils are added.

Other Aromatherapy Oil Applications:
- Mix oil with hot water and inhale the vapor that rises from the bowl.
- Add the oil in with a base oil and massage arthritic areas.
- Lightly dab and wear as a cologne or perfume
- Add to bath water