Tips To Help Joint Pain This Winter
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If you have Ruematic Arthritis, Chronic Joint Pain, Hypermobility, Wear n Tear, Connective Tissue issues, Fibromyalgia, CFS, ME, MS then you’re not alone. As a Life Coach I can recommend an approach and a few top tips.
*I’m not a medical professional. Always ask your doctor before changing diet/exercise.
I’m a Holistic Life Coach who is certified in Nutrition, Fitness, Wellness, and I help change lives, with my unique approach (experience + certification + results). Having done a lot of athletics and sport acrivity in my teenage years, I have suffered with severe back pain, and joint pain from as young as 17 years old.
Pain is very real, and there can be many causes; Viruses & Infections, ME, MS, Parasites, Mould, Auto-immune diseases, Connective Tissue Disorders, Chromasomal, and many Birth Conditions can affect your joints. From the outside looking in, you may not have any disfigurement. Invisible illness has been misunderstood for decades now.
But there are some main tips for chronic joint pain & chronic fatigue that should help you feel better:
10 Tips For Chronic Joint Pain
- Gradual Gentle Exercise Program
- Cutting Down Sugar/Alcohol
- Reducing Meat Consumption
- Cleaning The Home Often
- Keeping Pets Clean/Dewormed
- Resist Rest Or Naps If You Can
- Improve Your Sleep Environment
- Get Plenty Of Fresh Air & Vit D
- Stop Trying To Avoid Things
- Take Some Supplements
I totally understand how it feels to be in a cycle of chronic pain, injury, or unable to walk. A pain that is unbelievable, or indescribable. Ths good news is that you can heal from most injuries over time, if you just keep going. Resting can delay the healing process, if we do it too much. Sometimes its better to lick our woulds and keep going. Just slow down. But in the meantime, you’re often stuck with a dull achy deep pain, or sharp accute pain that won’t subside. The secret to it all is actually how you choose to perceive the pain, affects how fast can will heal. #PositiveThinking #PMA. The problem is pain can make us feel fragile, drained, restless, irritable, anxious, or down.
Regulating Your Nervous System
Senses can get overloaded, or overwhelmed by pain. Pain messages become amplified when we ignore them. Our pain is our body’s way of saying I need attention, or fix me. There’s something we’re not paying enough attention to. And it might not always be the pain you’re feeling, or the sensation yohre feeling. For example Reflexology can treat other areas of the body. Our nerves are a whole system, rather than just a specific area. Like the branches of a tree. Sensitive people might experience a higher level of warning messages “pain” than other people. There could be something vital or simple that is overlooked. And may require a simple fix. Managing pain is the first part of the puzzle, and learning to recognise it quickly. Process your pain, don’t just ignore it. Acknowledge it. You may want to take a painkiller, or use alternative step to reduce pain like TENS machine, infrared gadget, or massage oil. Hydration, Oxygen, Healthy Diet, Exercise will always help to make us feel better faster. Check yourself, and your immediate needs. Check in to your feelings & RELAX. Identifying pain, catching it early can certainly help.
Gentle Exercises, Physio Or Keep Fit
Be gentle with yourself. Get the joints mobile. Go for a group setting if you can. Have fun, or do something new. Unfortunately beginning exercise, or moving more might hurt for a little while. If you’re ever majorly uncomfortable when exercising, you should always stop exercising, and leave it for another time. But you will learn how to gauge that pain eventually, and push through.
Exercise is really important to help keep your tendons, ligaments, and muscles working. When we don’t excise and use our muscles, they don’t work properly. And we can lose muscle tone fast. Keep exercising wherever possible. At the gym, the free park gym, at home, in a chair, or in bed. Keep trying!
Eat Less Sugars & Carbs
Cutting down the carbohydrates and acids will definitely help to bring your body into homeostasis. Acid makes your body (cells) age faster. Sugars also dehydrate us, and can cause organ damage, dementia, and could contribute towards conditions like Gout, Arthritis, and inflammatory health conditions. Also, for your liver health, gut health, and hormone health, it is best to quit while you still can. Insulin patients and diabetic patients obviously need to follow their regimen.
Reduce Meat & Alcohol ASAP
Meat is acidic, and may contain parasites if not cooked through well for long enough. Parasites can contribute/cause Arthritism. And you might even feel happier if you cut down or quit eating meat. We are consuming the hormones, and the conditions of the animal. No animal is happy being slaughtered, and we consume this feeling. Vegans and vegetarians seem to be quite happy most of the time. This is the reason why.
Continue to cook meat if you must, but perhaps eat smaller portions, cook it for longer if necessary, and eat it less often? Alcohol is also acidic. Although it’s a sugar, meat & alcohol consumption often go hand in hand. Reduce both of these, and you’ll owe on to a winner. Reduce you chances of getting major diseases, and increase your lifespan!
Deep Clean Your Home Often
Cleaning the home for longer, or having a big cleanup helps reduce allergens, pet allergens, pet parasites, mould formation, germs and carrier insects. Reduce insect bites such ad spiders, tics, fleas, worms. Clean your home, or steam your home as often as you can. Find the energy, blast your music, and enjoy it. I always find a steam clean really fun to do. While cleaning may be painful, you might consider hiring someone, or taking more care to keep everything super clean, and beautiful. A tidy home is a tidy mind. There are multiple benefits for keeping a clean tidy environment. And even if mobility problems get you down, you can still find a way, or just hire a cleaner.
Don’t Oversleep Or Nap Daily
Stay up, stay awake, stay focused. Just like a memory game, you build up to 6-10 digits or items. You must build up your stamina & focus, and not let your mind go to sleep. As you exercise, you should read books or blogs, have meaningful conversations, mingle more, joke and sing more. Music and anecdotes will stimulate the frontal cortex, which links to several areas of the brain. The more you can stimulate your brain, especially while exercising, the better you’ll feel. Then your brain doesn’t need to hyperfocus on the mini tasks, and basically menial, or manual tasks. Yes, I understand how the mind and body can slow down. Brainfog and memory loss are not fun to have. Sure they can likely be reversed. Most things get better with time when we put the right amount of effort in. We can transform ourselves. False beliefs may hold us back from being our optimum selves. Sometimes we may need to break through certain barriers or ways of thinking. Focus time can go from 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 1/2 hours, 2-3hours. You may find it extremely challenging to focus for longer. But if you can, good on you. Make sure you rest well also.
Insomniacs can stay awake longer, until normal hours day by day gradually. Don’t miss sleep to try and correct it.
Improve your sleep environment. This means cleanliness, ambiance, turning off electrical devices. Create a routine. Managing downwards helps to calm and relax body and mind. While some people like using Whitehouse, others may play their favourite music track, or read a book.
Try to balance your body with a more harmonious life balance. Do a bit of everything! Discover what you should do more of, less of, and notice the changes.
We often tell ourselves we need to rest, take a nap, or such and such will happen. But actually it may be that the opposite is true.
Keep Moving Outside Daily
Going out can be difficult, or get really sore especially during the Winter months. You may be uncomfortable in sitting position, resting position, and going out. Using cold and heat can help, or try an infrared light, light therapy, or go for a massage or chiropractor appointment. If they align you right, you should be good to go… Swimming is best during Winter.
Resist Avoidance Keep Going
Avoiding going out, avoiding pain, avoiding work, avoiding social engagements, or avoiding explaining your conditions soon becomes a treacherously bad habit. Making excuses, building walls, and finding reasons not to take part & engage in life due to invisible conditions & ailments is a mistake. Why punish yourself further? Should you miss out on life, just because of a few hurtful remarks? Or a difficult day? I think not. Everyday we must keep trying to manage, to improve ourselves, and to inspire others. Slacking is not an option. It will ruin your body and mind in the long term. Unfortunately some people feel more pain than others. And pain sufferers need to come to terms with, and keep on going.
Summary
It’s your body and your decision when it comes to managing pain, rehabilitating yourself, and sticking to the program. You may want to stick with traditional pain medication, or holistic alternative therapies, and natural supplements. Pain may increase in the short term before it is improved or eleviated. Long term, you can improve your memory, focus, pain, and much more. It does take a year or two. And in more severe cases, it could take longer.
Acupuncture is a promising alternative treatment for pain management. Though there are many new gels & products on the market, and over the counter.
While some doctors may not understand your condition fully, the fatigue, pain, embarrassment or frustration, handing you pain meds, can leave you feeling meh. Communicate clearly if you’ve had the symptoms or condition longer, if you’d like Physio, Osteopath Occupational Therapist, or Pain Clinic appointment, or further testing. You can only ask. Try to get some therapy, or pay for an appointment or two yourself. There are also pain clinics, Lyme disease experts, and other places you can go for information.
Source information, & leaflets for doctors, carers, family & friends. Then you don’t need to explain. Just point to the symptoms, or point to the sore part. It gets better when we stop saying it. Eventually, gradually, you can heal yourself from most ailments or disease. Think mind over matter. Only we know the struggle, the challenges & consequences of every day mobility struggles, and the ongoing battle.
Please don’t give up hope. Keep Moving!
