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Aches & Pains - it's that time of year again!

Wed 10 Nov 2010

As we head into our damp, cool British winter, aches and pains become more of a problem for some, especially those people whose joints seem to be a particularly reliable barometer! Using food, spices and herbs to assist in alleviating these aches and pains can be helpful for many people. Spices such as ginger and turmeric were known and used in commerce in the Eastern world well into antiquity. Spices imported from Asia and Africa were among the most expensive and demanded products of the Middle Ages for use in medicine as well as cooking; indeed some were even worth more than gold, testifying to the high value of these warming and drying spices to people living in cool damp climates. It is interesting that hundreds of years on modern research is backing up the medicinal uses of these same spices.

Ginger is a great example of a medicinal food - cultivated in the Caribbean, Africa, India and tropical Asia - it is now found in most UK supermarkets. Ginger is used by herbalists to treat a variety of ills - from an excellent home cold and flu brew using grated fresh ginger with lemon juice, honey and hot water, to use for travel or morning sickness, to improve circulation, and as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever for aches and pains of joints and muscles, and period pains. This year alone two clinical trials have been published showing the benefits of ginger for pain: one small trial found that ginger compresses gave "more comfortable, flexible joint mobility" in patients with osteoarthritis. The other trial found that eating 2 grams of ginger per day resulted in moderate-to-large reductions in muscle pain following exercise-induced muscle injury.

Turmeric, also a member of the ginger family, has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine (from India) as a treatment for inflammatory conditions. Turmeric can be taken orally or applied topically in poultices to relieve pain and inflammation. Turmeric, and particularly its main constituent curcumin, has been the subject of much research in recent years. Clinical trials indicate curcumin may be helpful in diseases such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. In India the price of this golden yellow spice found in many curry powder mixes has more than quadrupled in the last two years, and even outperformed gold trading in India in November last year. The value of spices to human health remains! You could try adding a teaspoon of turmeric powder to your daily food - sprinkled on your evening meal, mixed into scrambled eggs or in mayonnaise as a dip.

Besides these two valuable spices, there are many other foods and herbs to help with aches and pains, some are available in over the counter herbal preparations and others are prescribed mainly by herbalists. Frankincense (Boswellia serrata), another historical plant, has been proven in recent research to be a useful anti-inflammatory; a clinical trial published in 2008 found a special extract of Boswellia to be effective and safe in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.

There are many different reasons for aches and pains and it is important to find out what is causing your pain before going ahead with any treatment to ensure you have the most suitable treatment for you. It may be osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, injuries - old or new, polymyalgia rheumatica, or general aches and pains. If you have tried various over the counter painkillers or supplements such as glucosamine, or treatments from your doctor and/or feel you would like to try something else then coming along for a herbal consultation and receiving some personalised herbal treatment may be of value for you. A 2008 pilot clinical study published in the Journal for the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health showed that "herbal medicine prescribed for the individual by a herbal practitioner resulted in improvement of symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee." There are a wide variety of herbs and spices that we draw on to treat aches and pains and an individualised approach ensures we find the right ones for you rather than trying a one size fits all approach to treatment.

I also offer Reflexology which many people find helpful with relieving muscular aches and pains, particularly if stress-related, much in the same way as one benefits from massage.

If you would like to discuss whether herbal treatment or reflexology may help you please do call me on 07747 030629. If you would like to make an appointment please call that number or Still Point House on 01626 835068.

 



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