Early this morning, Sam clicked on Pandora on his iPhone and Le Freak started playing. If you don’t know that song, look on YouTube and watch the “Freak Out” video by Chic which was popular in 1978 when I was 13 years old. We must have healthy amygdalas because we remembered the lyrics which go like this: Aww freak out! Le Freak! c‘est Chic! Freak out!”
At some point, the beat overcame our sleepiness and we both started to do a little bed dance, complete with hip gyrations, but not in the way you are thinking🙄
(Stop thinking that, this is a family-friendly column!)
So anyway, “Freak Out” is playing and we are ever so gently moving to the groove. It’s kind of sweet. Three minutes pass and not a giggle, not a word, just slightly moving, barely awake. My mind drifts back to an awkward high school dance with a guy 🤔 I used to like…
Back to reality. Sam rolled out of bed and wobbles to the bathroom kind of like an 80 year old! He went from being super smooth under the sheets to decrepit in under 5 seconds and when I pointed this out, we cackled together! It dawned on me that bed dancing doesn’t relieve joint stiffness, although it’s a nice change from spooning.
Joint stiffness and pain are no laughing matter. An estimated 52.5 million adults in the United States were told by their doctor that they have some form of arthritis, whether it is rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia. You want more flexibility and less pain and stiffness. I think yoga is the fastest, safest way to achieve this.
The following is a list of natural botanical options, but they do have interactions so please ask your practitioner(s) if these are right for you. One might be helpful, or even a combination of a few.
Now, for some other supplements and ideas that might help you:
SAMe. It’s short for S-adenosylmethionine and you produce this. Taken as a supplement, SAMe supports joint health and relieves pain. If you take too much or you have bipolar disorder because it may cause feelings of anger, or symptoms of mania or hypomania. Dosing with this incredible supplement is key to reaping rewards.
Boswellia.
I call this dietary supplement Mother Nature’s steroid. It’s an inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase, so it reduces leukotriene production and human leukocyte elastase (HLE). This makes it a strong anti-inflammatory with potential benefits for arthritis, ulcerative colitis, asthma, back pain, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and much more. Boswellia serrata is commonly found in JOINT supplements, and its other name is frankincense.
Vitamin C and B complex. It sounds too simple doesn’t it? But combining Bs and C increases the elasticity of cell walls. This allows muscle cells to stretch further without tearing.
Proteolytic enzymes.
These break down proteins in your food, turning them into amino acids and reducing inflammation and pain. Bromelain from pineapples or papain from papaya are two popular fruit-derived enzymes. Just FYI, meat tenderizer contains papain because it acts like a chemical meat mallet!
Glucosamine.
Everyone has heard about this, it’s a marine-derived substance that helps prevent the break down of cartilage between joints. It may impact blood sugar levels and one negative side effect includes nausea or gas, but still, you find it in a lot of joint health supplements.
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
