Instant Arthritis Relief: Is It Possible?

If you have arthritis, you know pain. In fact, you know it well. There are over one hundred different types of arthritis. Despite the different causes and symptoms, one thing is common. That is pain. All arthritis patients suffer pain. For some, it comes and goes. For others, the pain in constant. You want relief and you want it now, but is instant arthritis pain relief possible? Yes and no.

Before focusing on a few ways that you can get quick arthritis pain relief, it is important to note variances. It all depends on your definition of instant. For most, instant means right away and immediately. For others, 10 to 15 minutes is soon enough. As previously stated, most arthritis sufferers want relief and immediately. When you are in pain, 15 minutes can literally feel like a lifetime.

In terms of over-the-counter arthritis relief, you have two main options. Those are over-the-counter pain pills and over-the-counter topical arthritis creams. So, which provides you with the fastest relief? It all depends on your body.

In terms of over-the-counter arthritis topical creams, most see relief right away. In fact, you may experience relief as soon as the cream makes contact with the skin. Even if you have never used these creams before, you may have used Bengay or a similar cream to treat achy pains. Think back to that time. You may remember the tingling sensation, but what about relief? You should have felt it immediately. The same holds true for arthritis creams. If you need relief and need it now, grab a tube of arthritis pain relief cream. Ensure you have some at home.

In terms of over-the-counter pain pills, it all depends on your body and your purchase. For example, most pain relief capsules or tablets must dissolve in your body. It can take time for the entire pill to dissolve. On the other hand, Advil has a Liqui-Gel format. Just the outer layer needs to dissolve, so relief is typically faster. Tylenol has a special arthritis formula. This has two dissolving layers; one is fast for quick relief and the second is slower for long-lasting relief.

Another way that arthritis patients seek pain relief is through heat. For some, this does provide immediate relief. Your options include soaking in a warm bath, wrapping the joint in a warm washcloth, using on-the-go heating patches or a reusable heating pouch. Many experience pain relief until the heat stops. It is best to use heat as a source of relief until your over-the-counter pain pills are able to kick in.

Many natural supplements also claim to add in the relief of arthritis pain and swelling. These supplements are nice, as most are natural and safe. But, they do have their pros and cons. The biggest downside is time. Most are not designed for immediate relief. Instead, continued used provides long-lasting relief. The same is true for exercise. It may be difficult to move your achy joints at first, but continued low-impact exercise can reduce pain, stiffness, and swelling overtime.

In conclusion, instant relief is nice, but you should not write off an arthritis treatment option because it does not provide you with immediate relief. Remember that preventing or lessening the risk of pain, discomfort, and swelling is just as important as treating it.

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How Do I Relieve Knee Swelling

It doesn’t matter if you recently suffered a knee injury or if you have had a problem knee for a long time; swelling in and around the knee causes a fair amount of pain and discomfort. Chances are that every time it flares up you are asking yourself “how do I relieve knee swelling”. That may seem like a tricky question on the surface, but the truth is that there are effective remedies that can help.

Though it may sound rather obvious, the quickest way to get some relief is to take your weight off your knee. Extra pressure and strain isn’t going to do anything but make the problem worse. Resting your leg doesn’t always cure the swelling, but it doesn’t hurt either. So go ahead and sit or lie down and relax and take a load off your knees. The longer you can stay off your knee the better; a full day would be ideal.

Now that you are resting your knee, you should elevate your legs. Use pillows, the arm of a comfy couch, or even a stack of books to get your legs as high as you comfortably can. This draws blood away from the inflamed area and helps to reduce swelling.

Put an ice pack (or bag of frozen vegetables) on the knee right after swelling begins. Do 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off for 1 to 2 hours. You need to take the ice off for a while to prevent frostbite. The cold will help to reduce swelling and will also numb the area so it’s more comfortable. However, do not apply heat. You may think heat would feel good, but heat is a big no-no because it potentially leads to even worse problems; therefore it’s best to only apply cold to your swollen knee.

Anti-inflammatory medications can help to bring the swelling down. Aspirin and ibuprofen, as well as other products, can be purchased at the store. You can also check with your doctor to see if they are able to prescribe a good medication to reduce the inflammation.

Once you are back on your feet, you should do what you can to support your knee and keep some of your weight off of it. Winding a stretchy fabric bandage around will help. Also, using crutches or a cane, if the swelling and pain are moderate to severe, will put less strain on your knee.

There is a centuries-old answer to the question of how do I relieve knee swelling, and that is Epsom salts. Applying a wet towel that has been soaked in Epsom salts or taking a bath in them can help because they contain a fair amount of magnesium; thereby reducing swelling. Another benefit is that the salts can help to soothe your stress as well.

Regardless of which methods you use, it is very important that you see your doctor if the swelling doesn’t go away, or if it’s a recurring problem. Either way, there are things you can do to relieve knee swelling.

Natural Therapy To Relieve Insomnia-Looking For Solutions

Not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep is incredibly frustrating. This can happen to all of us every now and then, but if it’s an ongoing problem, then it is classified as chronic insomnia. Looking for solutions to get decent rest is the goal of most people who suffer from the condition, but they don’t necessarily want to turn to drugs. That’s why natural therapy to relieve insomnia can be such a good option.

Meditation is a wonderful way to reduce insomnia. Practicing meditation or prayer during the day will help to remove stress, and will focus you on being calm. This will make it much easier for you to be in a good state of mind for falling asleep. You can also invest about 15 minutes of time meditating or praying before bedtime to achieve the same state of calmness.

Another natural therapy to relieve insomnia that a lot of people like to use is aromatherapy. Essential oils like lavender relax your mind and body and will assist in bringing about sleep. Using aromatherapy in combination with a warm bath will set the mood. You can also place a few drops of lavender oil on a cloth and put it under your pillow at night. You don’t want to use so much that the smell becomes overpowering, but rather just enough to calm you down.

What you eat and drink can have a major impact on your ability to fall asleep. Having a glass of warm milk before bed has been a home remedy for insomnia for ages. Of course you shouldn’t drink or eat dairy products if you’re lactose intolerant. Try to avoid eating a heavy meal before bedtime as your body will be working hard to digest it. Also, if there are certain foods that cause you trouble, you shouldn’t eat them. Having an alcoholic drink before bed may seem to help, but it really doesn’t. Alcohol affects your ability to stay sleeping, so do your best to not have a nightcap.

There is a natural chemical called melatonin which regulates how you sleep. Your body naturally produces it, but if it’s not producing enough you can find melatonin supplements. However, as it’s still a pill–even though it’s a natural one–you should consider it carefully before deciding to take it.

Most people would consider herbal remedies as a natural therapy to relieve insomnia, and valerian root is one that a lot of people use effectively. It seems to work by relaxing the nervous system and can produce a feeling of well-being. However, as it is an herbal supplement, you should check any medications you are on to see if they may react negatively with the valerian. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you aren’t 100% sure. Drinking cup of herbal or chamomile tea before bed can help to soothe you as well. Being in overall good health does a lot to relieve insomnia too. You may want to kick any bad habits you have, exercise regularly and eat healthy.

Reading is Great Exercise for the Mind

When is the last time you took some time for yourself and spent it reading? If it has been too long then you need to treat yourself to some quality time with the reading materials of your choice. When you read you are going to give your mind plenty of exercise. This is a great way to keep it sharp and to reduce the risk of various mental health concerns. Even spending 15 minutes a day reading materials can help you.

It is important for parents to realize that reading is great exercise for the minds of young children as well. Even though they may not be able to read yet, when you read to them they are going to grow mentally. As they learn to read, make sure you share with them the joys of different types of books. You want them to become passionate about reading from a very early age.

Try to select a variety of great reading material as well. This way you can challenge your mind as you go along. Read things that you find to be of interest so that you will stay with it. When you have a passion about a subject you will find it is hard to put that reading material aside for a while. You may be interested in magazines, books about history, romance novels, mysteries, or one of many other categories.

You can join a local book club as well to socialize and to exercise your mind. This involves the entire book club reading the same book. Then you will gather to talk about it and to get an understanding of how other people see the same materials. This is the fun part of any reading group. It exposes your mind to the idea that there could be a whole other meaning to something you just read. It is important to realize that each of us process information differently. Therefore it is only reasonable to expect that to lead to different conclusions.

As you are reading materials, try to exposure yourself to new writing styles. If you come across words that you dont know how to say or understand the meaning, take the time to find out. This way your vocabulary and your knowledge can continue to grow. Sometimes you can figure all of that through the context in which is used but if not that is fine too.

When you are reading, your mind is creating wonderful images in your mind. A well written story can place you at the scene. You can see the characters based upon the details that were given about them. The entire book comes to life as the scenes are played out in your mind. What is fascinating is to read a book and then to watch the movie of it if one exists. Did you come close in your mental description of the characters compared to those used in the movie? If your mind is very well developed then you will likely be very close!

Keep yourself informed of current events too when you read. This way you can exercise your mind by evaluating what your own personal opinion is on a given topic. Make sure you do your research to get both sides of the story though. You want your opinions to be based on all the factual information out there. Great resources including newspapers and an online news site.

Being able to discuss these current issues with other people is also going to help your mind get some exercise. When you bring up such topics there is sure to be plenty of debate about them as well. Dont get into an argument with people over them but instead listen carefully to their decisions. As you open up your ears to their point of view, you will also be opening up your mind to other aspects that you didnt consider before. This type of personal growth is hard to describe but it will take your breath away.

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