Osteoarthritis
a case study & holistic protocol for Osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes inflammation within the joints, early morning stiffness, pain that worsens with overuse, tenderness, and swelling of the joints (Murray & Pizzorno, 2012).
J.S. complains of early-morning stiffness that makes it difficult to get out of bed, he feels better as the day progresses, but the pain comes back randomly and especially with rainy weather. J.S. has consulted with his primary care physician and would like to use a holistic remedy to help alleviate symptoms. Overall, J.S. appears to be in good health, clean hygiene, and pleasant. The stiffness is apparent when sitting down or getting up from a seated position.
Diet and lifestyle changes can play a crucial part in helping to manage osteoarthritis symptoms. It’s important to maintain proper weight because any excess weight can put more stress on the joints making it more painful. Physical activity, especially low impact activity like swimming or walking will support weight loss. Avoiding excess red meat, table salt, sugar, and highly processed foods will also help the body with detoxing excess toxins of acids and calcium deposits that build up around the joints (Murray & Pizzorno, 2012). Eating foods that lower inflammation such as the Mediterranean diet or an anti-inflammatory diet will also help alleviate the pain of excess inflammation.
There are several recommended herbs which will help to reduce inflammation, chamomile, ginger, and turmeric. Chamomile and ginger would make a lovely tea that can be drank 1-2 times daily or as needed before bed. Turmeric is a powerhouse to reduce pain and inflammation, it is recommended about 500mg four times per day (Murray & Pizzorno, 2012).
For immediate relief I would suggest an aromatherapy topical blend that consists of essential oils that will help with the pain and inflammation.
To create this blend, I will use a carrier oil, castor oil ½ oz– due to its soothing and pain-relieving properties, because castor oil is so thick I will mix it with almond oil ½ oz. For the essential oils I will add 10 drops of lavender, which has significant pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties (Hugar et al., 2022). I will also add 5-7 drops of ginger oil which has shown powerful support for stiffness, pain relief, and anti-inflammatory properties (Aromatherapy for Arthritis Relief, n.d.). I will also add about 8-10 drops of bergamot to give it a lovely aroma and bergamot has also been effective with pain, stiffness and anti-inflammatory. J.S. can rub the topical oil on the stiff areas as needed, before bed and when waking up.
organic personalized topical blend.
References
Murray, M. T., & Pizzorno, J. E. (2012). The encyclopedia of natural medicine, 2012 (3rd ed.). Atria Books.
Hugar, S. M., Gokhale, N., Uppin, C., Kajjari, S., Meharwade, P., & Joshi, R. S. (2022). The Effects of Lavender Essential Oil and its Clinical Implications in Dentistry: A Review. International Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, 15(3), 385–388. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10005-2378
Aromatherapy for Arthritis Relief. (n.d.). Www.arthritis.org. https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/complementary-therapies/natural-therapies/aromatherapy-for-arthritis-relief
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