Juicing for Rheumatoid Arthritis Relief

arthritis handsMore and more people are beginning to look towards natural foods and remedies for rheumatoid arthritis relief. Research studies show that different food nutrients can help people with arthritis pain relief and in slowing down the progression of this disease. People with rheumatoid arthritis are finding that by increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables, they are able to reduce or even eliminate their symptoms. Avoiding inflammation causing foods such as meat and other foods high in saturated fats is also helping to reduce symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Juicing fruits and vegetables is a great way to get lots of fruits and vegetables into your diet. Juicing also allows you to extract high doses of the vitamins, minerals, and other antioxidants found in produce. Plus you get these nutrients directly from the fresh food source, which can greatly improve their digestibility and assimilation into the cells of the body.

If you have arthritis in the hands and/or wrists arthritis gloves may help.

Antioxidants:
Ronenn Roubenoff, MD, a nutritionist at the Tufts University School of Medicine, claims that “Much of the damage rheumatoid arthritis inflicts upon the body is probably the result of so-called free radicals.” Free radicals are harmful atoms that attack our bodies cells and are the primary reason for why we age. They occur naturally in the body as a result of chemical reactions involved in releasing energy from food and also from exposure to sunlight. The problem these days is that we are bombarded with a whole lot more free radicals from pollution, toxins and smoking. Furthermore, our intake of antioxidants, which disarm these free radicals, can be decreased due to convenience foods and intensive farming methods.

So what are these antioxidants?

Vitamins C and E are both powerful antioxidants and also have the added benefit of being good anti-inflammatory nutrients. Studies on both these vitamins have shown that they can help with natural arthritis relief – for pain management and slowing down the progression of this disease.

Selenium is the pick-me-up tonic for vitamins C and E. Vitamins C and E become deactivated when they disarm a free radical and selenium comes along and reactivates them.

Vitamin A and zinc are also important antioxidants. Furthermore, they are necessary for producing and maintaining healthy synovial membranes.

Calcium – although not an antioxidant – is also important for building and maintaining healthy bones along with vitamin D. (Vitamin D is only obtained from animal and fish sources and exposure to sunlight)

Juicing for rheumatoid arthritis:
The great news is that there are 2 fruits which contain all of the above nutrients! Blackberries and kiwis which also taste great together! Try to use organic if you can, as research shows that the chemicals used in non-organic farming has inflammatory effects. Other great produce that may induce pain relief for arthritis include, all berries, broccoli, carrots, spinach, cucumber and kale.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Relief Juice #1 – Kiwi and Blackberry
3 kiwis
3 Cups of blackberries

Peel the kiwis and thoroughly wash the blackberries. Juice and enjoy!

Rheumatoid Arthritis Relief Juice #2 – The Capple
4 carrots
1 apple

Rheumatoid Arthritis Relief Juice #3 – Alkalizing Vegetables
1/2 cucumber
2 carrots
1 cup of spinach
1 cup of kale
1/2 apple

Best wishes for your health
Darren and Veronica


Juicing for Vitamins as One Aspect of Osteoarthritis Treatment

Figure from fruitThere are actually more than 100 types of arthritis! The most common form is osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease. Osteoarthritis is caused by the wearing down of cartilage in our joints over time, causing the joints to become stiff and painful. Certain joints are more susceptible to developing this health condition, such as the knees, hips, hands, neck and the lower back. However, every joint can develop osteoarthritis symptoms. The cause of this degenerative joint disease is unclear, though definite risk factors include aging, joint damage/injury, obesity and heredity.

At present there is no known cure for osteoarthritis. However, there are treatments for osteoarthritis joint pain reduction, maintaining joint movement and slowing down the degeneration. These osteoarthritis treatments includes drugs (such as NSAID’s and cortisone shots), alternative methods such as acupuncture and the arthritis diet. Here we will focus on some key vitamins which can be obtain through juicing.

Vitamin D:
A study has found that vitamin D is beneficial for those who suffer from osteoarthritis in the knees. The Framingham Osteoarthritis Cohort Study of 1996 suggests that elderly people with a low intake of vitamin D and low blood levels of vitamin D were 3 times as likely to see their osteoarthritis symptoms worsen.

Vitamin D is not found in fruits and vegetables, so it is not something we can obtain from juicing. Great food sources includes, fish, eggs and vitamin D fortified orange juice.

Vitamin C:
1) Pain Reduction – Several studies have suggested that vitamin C is beneficial as an osteoarthritis treatment for pain. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial was performed on 133 patients. Those that were given 1g of calcium ascorbate per day (containing 898mg vitamins C) had significantly more pain reduction than those given a placebo. Another study also showed that taking 200mg of vitamin C a day reduced the chance of developing osteoarthritis knee pain.

2) Degeneration reduction – Taking 120-200mg of vitamin C per day has been shown to decrease the progression of this disease threefold.

3) Connective tissue and cartilage – Vitamin C is necessary for the production of connective tissue and cartilage and is suggested that it may help with some joint repair.

Vitamin E:
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant for mopping up free radicals that attack all the bodies cells, including the cells in joints. Vitamin E is also a good anti-inflammatory agent. Many sufferers claim that vitamin E helps reduce their pain.


Juicer Recipes for Osteoarthritis Treatment

The following list of juices will all provide good amounts of vitamins C and E to help provide relief from pain and help slow down degeneration of the joints. Vitamin E is not really found in vegetables. On the other hand vitamins C and E are found in a number of fruit. The recipes below will all be fruit based.



Osteoarthritis Treatment Juicer Recipe #1 – Berry Bonanza
blueberries_outdoor1 cup of blackberries
1 cup of blueberries
3 kiwis

Wash blueberries and blackberries thoroughly. Peel the kiwis. Juice them and then give them a good stir and enjoy.


Osteoarthritis Treatment Juicer Recipe #2 – Apple Zing!
Apple Juice3 Apples
1/4 of a lemon

Pick 3 of your favorite tasting apples, peel and core them and remove the stem. Scoop out the flesh from a 1/4 of a lemon, but don’t juice the rind as it will taste too sour. Juice and enjoy.


Osteoarthritis Treatment Juicer Recipe #3 – The Subtle Strawberry
DSC045031/3 cup of strawberries
1 cup of blueberries
1 apple

Wash and top the strawberries. Wash the blueberries. Peel, core and remove stem from the apple. Juice and enjoy! This one is real tasty.



Wishing you the best in health
Darren and Veronica Haynes

Juicing for Joint Pain and Inflammation

fresh gingerMany people in the western world suffer from joint pain. It is caused by a variety of conditions and diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and gout are the most common causes of joint pain. Joint injuries and an inflammatory condition called bursitis are also known to cause joint pain.

Inflammation
Inflammation is at the core of almost all joint pain and targeting inflammation is a key factor in reducing joint pain or even complete elimination of pain. There are specific foods and nutrients that we can take that have anti-inflammatory properties. Juicing is a great way of obtaining adequate doses of beneficial nutrients.

Ginger Root
Ginger root has a long history in the orient for its healing affects on arthritis and inflammation of the joints. A component in ginger root called gingerol is the plant chemical that fights inflammation by inhibiting the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is responsible for a lot of joint pain, especially in rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

Vitamin C
fresh fruits on tuscany marketOne study has shown that high blood levels of vitamin C is linked to a 45% reduction in inflammation. Vitamin C is gaining more and more attention for its anti-inflammatory properties among its many other health benefits.

Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals. Free radicals are harmful atoms that attack healthy cells and have been attributed by some doctors and health professionals as another cause of joint pain!

Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Extensive and conclusive research has shown that omega 3 fatty acids are undoubtedly anti-inflammatory and reduce arthritis joint pain. Studies on rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis show that omega 3 fatty acids decrease joint pain, tenderness and stiffness. The fatty acids reduce the activity of enzymes that destroy cartilage and also reduce inflammation. In fact, any inflammatory problem could be significantly reduced with omega 3, including elbow joint pain, hip joint pain, knee joint pain, shoulder joint pain and wrist joint pain!

Joint Pain Relief Treatment Juice – Omega 3 Greens
2 cups of broccoli florets
2 cups of kale
2 cups of parsley
2 inch slice of ginger root
1 apple

Wash all produce thoroughly. Remove apple stem. Juice the green vegetables and ginger first followed by the apple, this will help flush the green juice out through the juicer. Broccoli, kale and parsley are all good plant sources of omega 3 and also contain vitamin C. These greens can be bitter so the apple helps to sweeten things and add more vitamin C. Drink daily to maximize the omega 3 intake. I would also recommend taking vitamin C and omega 3 supplements, a good multivitamin and mineral supplement.

Best wishes in your well being
Darren and Veronica