How to use natural supplements to help keep your joints healthy

My dad has rheumatoid arthritis, which destroys your joints, bones and cartlidge. It is very nasty, and deforms you terribly. Luckily my dad is on very strong medication, but he still has limited range or motion, and all kinds or side-effect issues from the medication. Joint-health is extremely important to EVERYONE, whether you are active or not. I have been learning a lot about joint care, and I want to address the over-the counter supplements you can introduce to your diet to help maintain good joint health.

THREE MOST IMPORTANT NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS FOR JOINT HEALTH: In all of the research I have done and finding from doctor reports that are helping my dad, there are three top natural supplements that commonly come up for taking care of joint health, and which should be included in your daily diet to help maintain joint health. These supplements are Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM. Glucosamine is important because it helps to stimulates the formation and repair of cartilage. Glucosamine also helps to promote joint comfort and flexibility as it is used more often. Chondroitin is the material in your cartilage that helps to retain water and keep your cartilage moist. Chondroitin also helps to keep your cartilage more resilient and flexible as it is used over time. MSM is a sulfur found in the connective tissue around your joints that helps to maintain their elasticity and flexibility. MSM actually helps the body to create collagen, and aids in cartilage repair and softening of the connective tissue. You can find all three of these items in the vitamin and mineral aisle of your local grocery store or whole foods market. I would recommend going to Wal-Mart to find these, as they have a really good selection and really good prices. Sometimes you will even find some vitamins that are a combination of the above items. I would recommend buying them separately so that you can control the mg dosage you take daily.

SECONDARY SUPPLEMENTS TO TAKE FOR JOINT HEALTH: Another very important element for taking care of joint health and helping to keep down inflammation are Omega-3' s. Omega-3' s are typically found in both fish oils and flaxseed oils. It is rumored that both of these oils also help to lubricate the joints, but I have not found any real conflusive data to suppor this, so i can not verify this. OMEGA-3's however, are clinically proven to help reduce inflammation, and so can help with mobility of joints and also reduce inflammation. If you are allergic to fish oil, substitute organic cold-pressed flaxseed oil for your OMEGA-3's. I highly recommend taking OMEGA-3's with the above mentioned supplements in Step 1. The following two items listed below have also turned up in a lot of my research, and could be used with the aboe supplements for a truly holistic joint health regime. Turmeric is a spice that has been shown to be a powerful antioxidant and inflammation stopper. It directly inhibits the enzymes that cause inflammation in the body and is especially helpful for joints, shoulders and back inflammation. SAMe is a compound that occurs naturally in the human body and helps to produce joint cartilage and maintain neural cell membranes. It can be helpful for joint mobility, joint flexibility, and joint repair.

BASIC EXERCISES TO HELP WITH JOINT HEALTH: There are a few very low impact exercises that you can also do in conjunction with taking these supplements to help with your joint health. My dad hates exercising, and most people do not have a lot of time, so I have identified a few of the simple exercises you can do to help with your joint health here. 1) Stretch as often as you can throughout the day to promote joint movement. The idea here is to not allow your joints to become immobile. Wiggle your fingers, bend your arms and knees, stand up and twist your torso if you are sitting too long. 2) Get up and go for a walk. You want to keep the blood flowing throughout your body and keep your whole body moving. If you have lower joint pain, check into some shoe supports. 3) Bend at every joint place you can think of throughout the day. Again movement is very important here.