Achy Joints? Find Pain Relief with these 10 Natural Remedies
- Christian Van Camp
- Oct 12, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 14, 2020
In the US, two-thirds of adults with diagnosed arthritis were younger than 65 years old. Why is joint pain so common in adolescents & young adults? What do we do about it? Well, we must listen closely to the body—listen to the messages of inflammation & avoid masking with meds. We need to target the root cause of this easily avoidable discomfort through nature’s healing hands.
There is nothing worse than hearing that disrupting background noise when you are trying to focus. You know what I mean: that never-ending TV static. This is what it feels like to have your head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes (and back, and hips, and neck, and everything in between) poking at you with a sharp stick. It ranges from mildly irritating on the back-burner to debilitating and taking over your mind and spirit.
It doesn't have to be this way. Targeting the root cause of your joint pain will not only remove the pain, it will permanently get rid of it. Excessive inflammation is the core reason for your achy joints. Take some of that away and BOOM: no more pain. But how do you lower inflammation? With these 10 natural remedies...
1. Omega-3s & Fish Oil
The vegetable oils (in nearly every snack and processed food) kicks up stubborn joint pain or discomfort. Soybean, sunflower, safflower, canola, corn, cottonseed, and palm are loaded in oxidative, harmful omega-6s. Our society has up to a 40:1 ratio of omega 6:3s, which is the leading cause for our sickness and pains. How do we achieve a healthy 4:1 ratio? Consume more fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and herring (SMASH) AND take at least 3 grams of DHA and EPA daily from a quality sourced fish oil brand like Carlson or Thorne. Lubricate those joints!
2. Curcumin (Meriva)
I am sure you know all about that orange pigmented rhizome that everyone is raving about. Yes, turmeric is the sh*t. However, what makes turmeric so amazing is curcumin, one of the most potent anti-inflammatories known to man. The best absorbed form to help ease your achy joints is Meriva, shown in a plethora of studies to absorb up to 29x better than standardized curcumin. It is a special form that I take on the daily to assist my recovery, brain function, and of course, my joints and bones.
3. Vitamin D3+K2 & Magnesium
A massive chunk of the population is extremely deficient in vitamin D3 and Magnesium. Not enough people get outside for ample sunshine to achieve adequate amounts of D3 and the soil our plants grow in contains a sad amount of the macromineral magnesium. Magnesium is an essential cofactor for vitamin D synthesis and activates vitamin D. Magnesium AND K2 both help with D3 absorption, and D3 can help with mag absorption. It flows both ways. 60% of our mag stores and 99% of calcium is in our bones! 2000-5000IU of vitamin D3 and 400-800mg of magnesium daily is sufficient (magnesium glycinate, citrate, malate, and threonate are absorbable forms).
4. Collagen Protein
Collagen proteins make up your skin, hair, nails, and yes, your bones, cartilage and ligaments. Supplementing with a quality collagen source, like Ancient Nutrition or Vital Proteins, will help you foster healthy, elastic tissues and soon become pain-free. I take a scoop of collagen protein (roughly 10g) daily and over the past 2 years I have noticed a massive difference in my skin’s pores, my recovery from cuts, and my joints are stronger than ever. Consume with vitamin C to help with absorption of the 3 amino acids making up collagen: proline, hydroxyproline, and glycine.
5. Ginger
Ginger root is not only a life-saver for gut health and women’s menstrual cramps, but it holistically counteracts inflammation. I like to put a teaspoon to a tablespoons worth of fresh ginger in my daily smoothie to not only diminish my achy joints after a tough training session, but to help with any sort of pain tolerance whether it manifests in my noggin as a headache or it appears in my knee. Spice up your joints!
6. CBD
Cultivate Better Days! That sums up the power of cannabidiol, or CBD. CBD is a potent molecule that activates our innate endocannabinoid system (ECS) which has been proven time and time again to diminish our stress response and inflammation. Activating this system with at least 5mg of CBD 2x a day can ease anxiety, trauma, recovery, arthritis, and joint pain. But don't take my word for it, try it yourself from CBD American Shaman for at least 3 weeks and I guarantee you'll notice the pain fade away.
7. Boswellia
Boswellia, known as Indian Frankincense, is a powerful herb that has been used for centuries in Asian and African folk medicine. It has been shown in many clinical trials to help with a variety of health conditions, one being osteoarthritis and knee pain. Boswellia is quite effective at targeting inflammation and pain, so get well with boswellia!
8. Cissus Quadrangularis
After doing some research on joint health I recently came across this medicinal plant. Yeah, it sounds goofy I know but cissus quad has some history to it. It is commonly known as veldt grape, devil's backbone, adamant creeper, asthisamharaka, hadjod and pirandai. It has been looked up to in eastern medicine for thousands of years, so you know quad is playing no games. It belongs to the grape family and can alleviate many health concerns like bone loss and joint swelling. Research on some of its uses is lacking, but it seems to be effective at healing bone tissue. Either way, it sounds like some cool dinosaur, so I will order it sometime in the near future.
9. Glucosamine & Chondroitin
I got my dad Robert hype on these guys after he was burdened by his knee pain recently. Many moons ago he got in a rough skiing accident and shattered his knee pretty bad and tore his ACL. It has never been the same, so this late summer 2020 he got a serious knee surgery to bring it back into full throttle. Post-surgery requires some real TLC through nutrition and movement, especially with bone-regenerating and pain-relieving supps like this list. Glucosamine and chondroitin are two structural components of cartilage. Both are produced naturally in the body, but when taken orally for 2+ months, you can notice significant improvements in joint health and pain. Robert says so himself!
10. Movement & Exercise
Yes, I know, this sounds silly, right? Exercise a supplement? Yes! Without proper lymph flow, mobility, flexibility, and strength, none of these fancy natural supplements, none of the dialed-in nutrition, none of the other stress-relieving tactics will work! You have to move in order to groove and grow healthy cells. Exercise can help you improve your overall health in a flash. And no, it won’t hurt or harm your joints because lack of movement can harvest stiffness and achiness. The goal with exercise is to strengthen the muscles around your joints, improve bone density, boost energy, improve sleep, and to be honest, enhance your overall livelihood! Don’t be stiff, get grooving
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