Arthritis Pain Relief and April Showers

I was warned about many things when I moved to metro Atlanta area.  Knowing my constant battle with allergies, I was told about the heavy pollen. When my car and driveway started turning green, I prayed for rain. But what I didn’t expect was to feel arthritis pain for the first time. All of a sudden, I felt pain in my knees, ankles, and fingers. I started noticing this pain a few days before the rain actually came, but it got worse the day of.

I was not warned against arthritis pain when I moved to Marietta. It is true—that arthritis sufferers can “predict” when it will rain or snow. They know because their joints react to changes in barometric pressure in the atmosphere more so than those who don’t suffer from arthritis.

Arthritis pain occurs when our bones in our joints rub against each other. That happens when cartilage between those joints becomes so thin and eventually disappears. This is a natural process as we age. Some of us, even me at 28, experience this pain earlier in life. I just had a baby and gained more weight in my pregnancy than I ever thought was anatomically possible. The extra pressure on my joints, my physical activity over the years, and previous injuries has increased the breakdown of cartilage between my joints.

Like many of you, I’m not a fan of taking NSAIDs or any drug for that matter for arthritis pain relief. I want something that is natural that doesn’t mask the symptoms. As much as I want arthritis pain relief, I want to fix the problem to begin with instead of knocking out the pain. Granted, there is no claimed cure for arthritis, there are supplements and vitamins out there that will do things like rebuild cartilage. That to me is getting at the root of the problem.

Glucosamine is a natural substance that is said to rebuild cartilage. It’s in all the arthritis supplements you find in any store. Chondroitin works to lubricate the joints. Not all glucosamine supplements include both ingredients. It seems that the best glucosamine chondroitin supplement comes in liquid form. Liquid glucosamine gets absorbed into the bloodstream faster. That’s a good thing, especially since arthritis sufferers really feel it before and during rainfall.  

My advice as an arthritis sufferer, do some research before you take your next pain pill for arthritis pain relief. There are alternatives out there. You can even find the best glucosamine chondroitin supplement and try that first.