by Lynell Cavner, Owner & Master Certified Bowen Practitioner, Lynell & Company
Tenderness, swelling, stiffness, redness, warmth and decreased range of motion.
Arthritis is an overreacting immune system visitor that is not welcomed to the body, but it often shows up and then does a number on the freeways, highways and byways within the body!
Sometimes, it stays and sometimes it goes. The first time it shows up, it is testing the body’s response to its visit finding out if it is welcome to stay. We should always treat it like fish (and the tolerated family visitor); only allowed to be around for three days and no longer.
Don’t let it get comfortable, so it moves on.
Sneezing, stuffy nose, sinus/ear congestion, watery/itchy eyes, tightness in the lung — another group of lovely symptoms unwanted by most.
Seasonal allergies can range from mild to severe and can be just as overreacting and debilitating as our other unwanted guest, arthritis.
Learning what triggers the visits from these immune system overreactors is important to keep their visits to a minimum. Sometimes, they run in the family, so the risk of a long visit is possible, but keeping your body’s inflammation in check is one way to reduce the risk of these long-unwelcomed visits.
The common thread between allergies and arthritis seems to be inflammation.
Reducing the body’s inflammatory response is key to keeping the body moving unencumbered and free. Focusing on keeping your diet “clean” and limiting processed foods and sugars will help.
Adding gentle stretches will help the fluid within the joints continue their job of lubrication.
There is one more “old remedy” I have found helpful for both of these “overreacting immune system visitors” and that is gin-soaked golden raisins.
Gin is made by the juniper berries, and they have wonderful anti-inflammatory effects by reducing the cytokines (the inflammatory chemicals within the body). Juniper also contains terpene, which is a pain relieving compound.
The sulfur used to process the golden raisins is the trigger for vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels) and helps reduce the anti-inflammatory response.
The theory behind this home remedy is that the golden raisins and gin contain organic compounds of terpenes, flavonoids and sulfur that can help reduce inflammation, which reduces pain and the seasonal allergy response.
So, try a few gin-soaked raisins and see if it resonates with your body.