Do your knees know it’s getting cold? Many people with arthritis pain (especially osteoarthritis) report cold weather can make joint stiffness and pain worse. If this sounds like you, now is the time to act … The stiffness and swelling from arthritis indicates the presence of inflammation. Inflammation can be painful, and over time can lead to joint damage and further impact your everyday life. Thankfully help is at hand.

Ancient traditions today

So what causes joint inflammation? In Chinese medicine terms, inflammation and associated pain can be due to stagnation or stasis of Blood and Qi (pronounced chee) or vital energy. As the cold weather approaches, keeping your circulation healthy becomes increasingly important. The cold can compromise your circulation and leave fingers and toes numb; it can also contribute to stiff sore joints and exacerbate arthritic pain. When we think of joint pain in the context of insufficient Blood and Qi circulation, it makes sense to invigorate your circulation. Traditionally, specific herbal medicines are recommended to promote the movement of Qi to revitalise circulation. Good circulation is vital to nourish your joints and enhance healing.

Herbal medicines to revitalise Blood and Qi circulation

• Turmeric (Curcuma longa) – contains the bioactive curcumin
• Boswellia (Boswellia serrata) – contains beta-boswellic acids
• Ginger (Zingiber officinale) – contains gingerols

Together this trio gets Blood and Qi circulation moving, good news for stiff sore joints. These herbal medicines also help inhibit the messengers your body makes (inflammatory mediators NF-kB and COX-2) that lead to joint inflammation and damage. So they work in two ways to help reduce joint inflammation and pain.

Mr Vitamins recommends

FUSION Curcumin Advanced to help reduce joint inflammation and damage. Curcumin Advanced contains Turmeric, Boswellia and Ginger plus Bioperine to boost curcumin bioavailability (bioequivalence) up to 7600mg at a dose of 2 capsules per day. Shop here for FUSION Curcumin Advanced As always, whatever questions or concerns you have regarding inflammation and joint pain, all you have to do is drop by Mr Vitamins and ‘Ask a Naturopath’.