Different forms of arthritis have different underlying causes, such as degeneration of joints due to injury or excessive wear, or immune-mediated disease. Although medicine can be imperative for reducing symptoms, it does not hurt to make changes in your lifestyle that may help ease symptoms and boost the effectiveness of your current treatment.

Reduce Inflammatory Foods

Some foods are more likely to trigger inflammation than others. For example, it is generally recommended to reduce or avoid processed foods, which are believed to increase inflammation. Other foods you may want to minimize or avoid are refined sugars, foods high in saturated and trans fats, and sugar substitutes. Keeping the inflammation as low as possible may reduce joint pain and discomfort in addition to lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease. People with autoimmune diseases, which include arthritis associated with rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, and lupus, generally have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease due to the systemic inflammatory processes. Other foods you may need to think about are those high in omega-6. While, eating more omega-3s can reduce inflammation, the right balance between omega-3 and omega-6 is critical for keeping inflammation down.

Find Comfortable Exercises

Exercising is difficult when you have arthritis, especially if multiple joints are affected simultaneously. As a general rule, when a joint is flaring, you should take a rest from exercises that would include the affected joint. Walking is often the most recommended form of exercise, but the weight-bearing joints are frequently affected by many forms of exercise. If you have a pool available, especially one with temperature-control, walking in the pool or swimming may be the ideal type of exercise. Since you are virtually weightless in water, there is less stress on your joints. Swimming can also help with the range of motion in the joints of your upper body. Many people with arthritis find heated water is more comfortable on their joints, but in some instances, a cooler temperature may be helpful, especially for inflammation and swelling.

Say No To Alcohol

Although the general recommendations for alcohol are one to two drinks each day, which is considered moderate consumption, it is different when you have arthritis. Alcohol can increase inflammation. Additionally, many people with arthritis take medications, such as those for pain, steroids, anti-inflammatory medications, and disease-modifying drugs, which generally do not mix well with alcohol. Ask your doctor for specific information regarding whether you can have an occasional drink if you are on certain medications. Many of these medications cannot be combined with alcohol because they increase the sedative effect of alcohol. Additionally, medications use to reduce inflammation may increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding when combined with alcohol. The long-term ramifications of combining alcohol with your medications are liver damage. Since some medications also may carry the risk of liver damage, the risk is multiplicative even if you only drink occasionally.

Combining lifestyle changes with your current treatment will give you the best chance at keeping inflammation and pain low. Making small changes in diet and exercise can prevent you from being overwhelmed and reverting back to poor choices.