When my sister was about 15, we were working on a sign for the store’s window. It was the start of summer, and she was making the sign for July after an amazing Men’s Health Month Sign in June. As we searched, we found topics in July to be hard to convey through art and lacked the flair to entice customers to come into the store. That is until I came across Juvenile Arthritis, which she found to be hilarious. She didn’t believe teens her age were walking around with arthritis, and if they were, why wasn’t it a bigger deal? I told her about my aches and reminded her about hers, and only too soon did we realize that she had been suffering and relating more to these ‘old folks’ diseases than we had thought.
As a generation (and those after mine), we have been exposed to more inflammation-causing habits and foods that reduce our body’s ability to process this same inflammation. A main factor that causes this inflammation is repetitive stress. This can look like anything requiring you to repeat the same movement, day after day or several times within a certain window. We already know of the “gamers hunch” and the lower back pain and hemorrhoids caused by our office jobs, but what about texting? We all do it, and we never get a say in what shape we can do it. We have devolved from full keyboards, ergonomically spaced to allow for a professional like myself to type without moving the hands at all. We took that full-length qwerty and [evily] shrunk it so all the same characters can fit, but we have to skillfully press them swiftly to get our points across. We can’t call; that’s not cool anymore [hence the juvenile], so our young people are coaxed to spend hours holding a small, but occasionally heavy device in their delicate hands and putting pressure on their wrists.
These are examples of inflammation that can easily lead to disease. The inflammation and calcifications of the spine are markers of osteoporosis. The stiffness, weakness, and pain in the fingers and joints are clear markers of arthritis. Even herniated disks and sciatic pain are becoming increasingly common in our youth. So what do we do?
Cry about it. You can choose to be aware and do nothing about it. Do the easy thing and ignore what your body is telling you. More practically, reduce the action causing the pain or discomfort, swap sitting for standing, stretch every day, and drink water. My advice?
Change your diet. We are what we eat, and (in America) we are constantly at war with ourselves, treading water when it comes to our health because of all the information that is both available and not available. It’s easy to tell someone to juice or fast or drink detoxing teas, but eliminating foods that make you feel worse is always the best way to start. Chicken in America is toxic. I say this daily, and I will have words about it later, but it’s safe to start by eliminating toxic meats like Chicken and Pork, Dairy, and processed foods. Nothing you haven’t heard before.
Stretch and rotate. Our bodies were made to move. Even if you can’t commit to a workout, you can still stretch and rotate your joints. Moving breaks up calcification and prevents stiffness that can lead to back and joint pain. If it works, move it.
Detox and repair. Reducing the increasing inflammation is key, but what about the inflammation that’s still there? Well, I’ve got a fantastic line of anti-inflammatory products listed below, but I will list my favorites.
https://islandrootsbotanicals.com/products/inflammation
Joint Mobility by MH Health. A daily tablet that helps with the cushion between joints and reduces arthritic pain. Pills are a bit large but the best for knee injuries and pain prevention.
Arthritis Support is my blend of whole herbs used to help with arthritic pain and inflammation in the joints. It contains soothing and pleasant-tasting herbs like Yarrow and chamomile. Take a small dose daily for prevention, or take three doses daily for 90 days or until the condition improves.
Turmeric, in any form you enjoy. Supplemental turmeric and curcumin products are great, but adding some turmeric powder in smoothies or almond milk [golden milk recipe] is delish and reduces inflammation!
Blackseed in any form. Blackseed has been used for generations to reduce inflammation throughout the body. Black seed oil has a quicker reaction time. I like [Amazing Herbs], but any form digested or topical is beneficial for Arthritis.
Cocolay Massage Oil by The Herbal Gardens. Nothing I have ever encountered is as smooth in application and completely effective as this oil. This coconut-based oil is used for bruises, swelling, pain, arthritis, back pain, and so much more. Just apply it twice a day until the condition improves.
After I took the time to consider all of this and bring my sign ideas back to my sister, after a few jokes, she got to work on a sign, and forever more, July was for the Juveniles.
