Natural Treatment for Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis can have double the inflammation and pain as it combines the problems of psoriasis with arthritis. There is no cure and there are anti-inflammatory drugs that can help with the problems, but many people like turning toward natural remedies because they may have fewer side effects. Keep in mind that many of these treatments have not been fully accepted by the general medical community; consult your doctor before making any drastic life or diet changes.

Lifestyle Changes

• One of the most effective ways to take strain off of your aching arthritic joins is to lose weight. This can reduce pain, inflammation, and cartilage stress. Stretching is also extremely important. With practices like yoga, you can teach your joints to align more properly. Though it may hurt to move, it will be much more problematic in the long term if you don't move. Stress has increasingly been connected with pain, and having a positive outlook and practicing relaxation can improve your condition.

  Cold treatments of ice for an overworked joint and heat for a hot, tender, swollen joint will naturally help to alleviate some pain and inflammation. You must end the cycle of prescription drugs like painkillers, tranquilizers and sleeping pills because the build-up of tolerance of these drugs can cause you to have to take more and more.

Supplements and Foods

• Bring berries and cherries into your diet. The many antioxidants in both types of fruits can attack the free radicals floating around in your system, and cherries contain compounds called anthocyanins, which may reduce inflammation better than many over-the-counter drugs. Try to take in less red meat as it contains arachidonic acid, an inflammation causer. Too much sugar in processed foods can also aggravate your arthritis. The sugars in fruits and vegetables, though, are much less problematic, and the fiber in those foods can be very healthy for your condition. Alcohol, coffee, and black tea should be eliminated. Eat more foods with omega-3 fatty acids (or take the supplement) as they may help bone growth and anti-inflammation. Important vitamins and minerals that can help the condition are vitamin A, niacinamide, vitamin B5, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, selenium, zinc, copper, and manganese. It is important to ensure that you do not have a deficiency in these vitamins, but you do not need to consume them to excess.

Herbal Remedies and Supplements

• Two homeopathic remedies that may help your psoriatic arthritis are Rhus Tox and Ruta. Rhus Tox helps with pains that improve throughout the day with movement. Ruta is used when joints get easily overworked and get more problematic throughout the day. Willow bark is the plant that aspirin was developed from, and it may help to reduce some of the pain. Other potential herbal remedies are pokeweed berries, turmeric, licorice, devil's claw, alfalfa, yucca, ginger and garlic. Some other natural supplements that may help the problem are quercetin, bromelain, digestive enzymes, and glucosamine sulfate.