Joint Inflammation/pain
Why is it important to take care of your joints? Joints facilitate the movement of bones in your body. Without them, you’d be unable to move freely due to the excruciating pain of bone rubbing on bone.
Inside your joints are layers of protective cushioning (cartilage) that covers the ends of each bone, and synovial fluid - a thick liquid in the joint. The cartilage is lubricated by the synovial fluid to reduce friction, allowing your bones to glide over each other freely and without pain.
Having healthy joints will allow you to partake in any movement as small as opening your hand, to walking, running, jumping and playing sports freely and easily, without pain.
Inside your joints are layers of protective cushioning (cartilage) that covers the ends of each bone, and synovial fluid - a thick liquid in the joint. The cartilage is lubricated by the synovial fluid to reduce friction, allowing your bones to glide over each other freely and without pain.
Having healthy joints will allow you to partake in any movement as small as opening your hand, to walking, running, jumping and playing sports freely and easily, without pain.
So why is it that so many of us struggle with Shoulder & Neck Pain, Back Pain and other types of Joint Pain as we age? Well, here are some of the main factors that contribute to Joint Deterioration:
- Sub-optimal levels of essential building blocks that keep your joints, tendons, ligaments and cartilage functioning properly and efficiently. This can cause pain and Inflammation in your joints [1].
- An imbalance in the immune system that is causing excess inflammation in the body. Your immune system makes antibodies to attack infections (which is what causes Inflammation) - when you have an immune system imbalance, your body mistakes tissue surrounding the joints for infection and attacks them [2].
- Stress, anxiety, emotional upset and residual psychological trauma. The mind is powerful, and studies have shown the link between psychological pain and joint pain [3].
- A person may have a genetic tendency towards Joint Pain, Joint Pain, Joint Inflammation , Shoulder & Neck Pain, Back Pain, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or in fact any type of Chronic Pain [4]. This means pain and Inflammation is more likely to develop in the areas the person has a genetic predisposition to. Unfortunately we may have more than one genetic Joint weakness and it is likely that pain and/or Inflammation can develop in all of these areas separately, or at the same time.
With this last point in mind, it’s a good idea to use Genetic Insights to help you discover (hopefully ahead of time) where and why you have the tendency to develop Joint Pain, and get recommendations based on your unique genetic profile.
The Top 3 Tips to Improve Joint Health and Reduce Pain and Inflammation:
- Supply your body with the essential building blocks that your joints, tendons and ligaments needs to function optimally
- Reduce the pro-inflammatory components and increase the anti-inflammatory components of your immune system
- Reduce your stress & anxiety, maintain a stable emotional state and deal with past psychological trauma (if relevant)
Recommendations
When it comes to building blocks, one of the best places to start is Omega 3s which have many benefits including reducing Inflammation [5], which is actually one of the main reasons why people supplement with them. Studies [6] have shown Omega 3s to have anti-inflammatory effects in the whole body, including joints. You can try either our Omega 3 Fish Oil or Krill Oil - whichever you’d prefer.Next, we have Vitamins D3. It’s necessary to have adequate levels of Vitamins D3 to reduce the pro-inflammatory and promote the anti-inflammatory constituents of your immune system, which is very important for reducing joint pain [7].
It’s also vital to take Vitamin K2 alongside Vitamin D3 for a couple of reasons. The main reason is that it's much safer to take higher doses of D3 with K2, because too much D3 by itself will pull calcium out of your bones, leading to lower bone density. This can also lead to calcium being deposited in your arteries (vascular calcification, or hardening of the arteries).
Vitamin K2 works to put calcium back into your bones [8], as well as helping to keep your arteries clear. A balanced formula with both allows you to reap the anti-inflammatory and immune supporting benefits of Vitamin D3, while minimizing bone calcium loss and the potential for cardiovascular problems. We recommend our Vitamin D3 and K2 formula for its perfect balance of these 2 nutrients.
Magnesium is also highly important to support the health of your joints [9], and optimal levels are vital to combat Inflammation. Magnesium also has a profound effect on stress reduction [10].
Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate are some of the main building blocks that your body uses to build joint, ligament, tendon and cartilage tissues [11]. This makes them extremely popular supplements amongst the elderly with joint pain, or athletes that want to support the health of their joints, ligaments, tendons and cartilage.
There are also many plant compounds found in herbs that studies have shown to be effective at reducing the tendency towards
Turmeric is a very powerful anti-inflammatory agent due to its curcumin content, and studies have shown it to be an effective way to treat joint pain [12]. You can find a strong dose of Turmeric, along with Glucosamine Sulfate, Chondroitin Sulfate, and a whole host of other nutrients and herbs that can help relieve Joint Pain and restore joint health in our Turmeric Joint Formula.
Ginger is also another powerful anti-inflammatory that has been used for thousands of years. A study on sufferers of Osteoporosis who used Ginger as treatment saw significant improvements in pain and dysfunction [13]. You can find Ginger, along with Turmeric and Bioperine (a black pepper extract that significantly increases the absorption of Turmeric) in our Turmeric with Ginger Premium Formula.
Another herb that has been found to be powerful in reducing Inflammation systemically (throughout the entire body) is Cinnamon. Studies have shown Cinnamon to also be effective at regulating blood sugar [14]. When there’s excess Inflammation in the body, it can cause your cells to become insulin resistant (insulin regulates blood sugar), which can cause blood sugar levels to spike. The type of Cinnamon you want to use is called Ceylon Cinnamon, as it is significantly more powerful than Cassia Cinnamon - the most common form you can find which is more likely to cause problems in the long term.
Probiotics have also been shown in numerous studies to reduce Inflammation, including Joint Inflammation [15].
Lastly, another significant factor to help reduce pain and discomfort is to reduce your levels of Stress and Anxiety, because of the increase of tension in your body that they cause, making pain worse… and remember - your mind is a powerful thing! Click Here if you’d like to learn more about how to reduce your Stress and Anxiety.
9 products
Sort by:
Products per page:
Rated 5.0 out of 5
Scientific References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6142028/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6211121/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8467605
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14698640/
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7362115/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27049238/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4566462/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29454594/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7761127/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17605605/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28850308/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S106345841401276X
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6425402/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28914373/