Topic: Essential Oils for Arthritis

[Moggle]

I know some of the A4Aers know a bit about aromatherapy.

I'm hoping some of you might know what essential oils are good for osteoarthritis, anything that might ease the pain and swelling for my father-in-law. He is not able to take a lot of the usual drugs for this sort of condition, because on top of the arthritis he has a stomach problem.

The osteoarthritis is in his neck, and last night the swelling caused a headache that was so bad it blurred his vision  :( :'( :'(

Hoping someone can help.

[aquilegia]

Cod liver oil is supposed to be helpful for joints.

I take cidar vinegar tablets (holland and barratt) for my knee. It seems to help.

Or you can get Devil's claw (but be warned - it is supposed to also increase your appetite!)

Some people saw rubbing in olive oil into the area should help.

And avoid acidic fruit and veg (like citrus fruits, tomatoes, etc). But make sure he still gets the right vitamins.

And finally - some herbal medicine cannot be taken with traditional medicine (if he's taking anything for his stomach) and herbal stuff can be bad for other things, so do check it out first.

FInally - keep the area warm. I find this is one of the most essential things to stopping the pain in my knee.

[cookie]

Lavender and rosemary oils are anti inflammatory and pain relieving,could be used for massage, and will make father in law smell nice!!! If you want to try homeopathy,arnica and rhus tox are both very good, I rscommended them to a friend now she is a happy bunny because she can bend down to put her socks on. Good Luck,

[Moggle]

Thanks Aqui and cookie  :)

We tried the lavender last night, as I already had some. Still waiting to see what the result was.

Will mention all those other options too. Arnica and Rhus Tox sound like possibilities. Would Arnica ointment work too?

[derbex]

Cider vinegar and black treacle is supposed to work. I think you drink it  ;D

[Gadfium]

Lavender oil is good, also Juniper.  You can add to a bath; or mix in a carrier oil, and then use as a directly applied massage oil.

It's a good idea to mention the aromatherapy to a doctor too... see aquilegia's post above.

A qualified aromatherapist would be able to give you an exact recipe. 

I can't find either of my books on the subject.  I'll go rummaging.  If they're unearthed, I'll post the info. 

 :)

[Gadfium]

Found one!  The smaller book, but anyway:

'Arthritis - essential oils can help by relaxing muscles, reducing inflammation and soothing pain...

Best Oils - marjoram, ginger, eucalyptus, juniper, peppermint, pine (warming, relaxing); cypress, lime, myrrh, spruce, ambrette seed, lemon, rosemary (anti-inflammatory, healing)'

There's a little table breaking down the effects into:

- R (relaxing, calming)
- T (therpapeutic)
- S (stimulating/uplifting)

Under the arthritis heading, this works out at:

Ambrette Seed SR
Chamomile (Germam) R
Cypress T
Eucalyptus TS
Ginger TS
Juniper TR
Lavender RS
Lemon S
Lime S
Marjoram TR
Myrrh RS
Peppermint ST
Pine (longleaf) S
Rosemary ST
Spruce SR

One or two of these are quite potent, i.e. Rosemary shouldn't be used on anyone who suffers from epilepsy, and ginger must not be used undiluted on skin.

Apart from the bath & massage oils, you also can use essential oil poultices to relieve muscular pain.  The book has the following listed:

'Best oils for poultices: lime, myrrh, spruce (arthritis)
                                     spruce, eucalyptus (stiff neck)
                                     angelica, lime, pine (rheumatism)
                                     lavender, eucalyptus, petitgrain (backache)'

Some of the arthritis oils cross-over into the 'stomach complaints' area: Ambrette seed, Ginger &  Peppermint

[cookie]

hello moggle, we have only tried arnica on boys bumps and bruises, but it can only do good. sometimes just warmth and massage can realy be of benefit. The other thing my friend tried was a grain bag that you put in the microwave. Happy healing :) :) :)

[Doris_Pinks]

Moggle,

My Mum and Aunt swear by cider vinegar and honey as a drink with hot water. (Smells repulsive!) They say it is something to do with the vinegar breaking down the crystals in your joints?"
Found this-
http://www.lifeevents.org/apple-cider-vinegar-with-honey.htm

And this-
"Arthritis-Often caused by a build up of uric acid which forms painful deposits in and around the joints.

Malic acid in apple cider vinegar has the ability to dissolve these deposits allowing them to be gently flushed from the body. This can be a fairly slow process, however many people gain relief from arthritis pain by taking this apple cider vinegar and honey tonic regularly."

My Mum did find when she first started to take it it made her heart feel as if it was racing slightly! She won't go anywhere without it now though, and my Aunt wen't away for a wekk and forgot to take hers and was in agony by the end of the week!

 They also both take cod liver oil tablets.

[kenkew]

As a complimentary/alternative therapist I find all this quite interesting.
Any more ideas for any other complaints?

[aquilegia]

Doris - how much cidar vinegar do they take each day? I only have the equivalent to 1tsp at the mo, so I wonder if I need to increase it.

[Doris_Pinks]

I will ask for you Aqui and report back!

[Doris_Pinks]

Aqui, have just spoken to the oracle!(Me Muvver!) and she takes
1 dessertspoon of cider vinegar plus 1 teaspoon of honey, in as much hot water as you like, 3 times a day.
 (you can't take it all in one hit, it has to be spread out through the day in 3 doses, so 3 dessertpoons of vinegar per day!)
Hope this helps  DP

[aquilegia]

Thanks Doris. Lordy that's a lot! I'm going to have to up my dose.

[wardy]

Cider vinegar is recommend on a website for feet (Asian foot doc - Dr Singh I think) and it's used to treat hard skin on feet.  Flip knows how it works though :)

[Moggle]

Cheers again everyone, I will pass all these on.   :)

[NattyEm]

Another great reliver for Arthritis can be reflexology.  A refleoligist I met actually suffers herself (or has a tendancy to suffer i should say) and she has a session firstly once a week, then once a fortnight, then once a month now once every 6 weeks of reflexology and her artritis is all but gone!  Plus it feels wonderful :)

[waggi]

i am currently trainning to be an aromatherapist at the moment !!!!

i will go and have a look and get back to you

[kenkew]

Cider vinegar is recommend on a website for feet (Asian foot doc - Dr Singh I think) and it's used to treat hard skin on feet.  Flip knows how it works though :)

Cider vinegar has a thousand and one uses, but I've not heard that hard skin thing. What you can do for corns and callus if you don't want to use chemicals is the inner layer of a banana skin.

[teresa]

Hi,
Feverfew is ment to be good for arthritise, one leaf twice a day, hubby had the arthritise in his knee 3 days of treatment the swelling went down and he could put weight on the leg again.

Ok plants are dorment now but from Holland and Barett you can get the tablet form which can for safety reasons be crush and add to a sandwich.

As a herb it has no side affects I have used it as a pain killer very effective when normal painkillers dont work but must addmit I use the leaf every four hours like taking tablets.

Oh yes makes a loverly garden plants as well. ;)