How to Relieve Joint Pain in the Colder Months
We have had a lovely long Autumn with beautiful warm days and bright sunshine. Or, that is, we did down here in Canterbury! It is only in the last week that winter has started to take hold and we are waking up to heavy frosts and much colder weather. Our two Burmese cats are looking for snuggly places to sleep and are (funnily enough) less interested in the Big Outdoors.
I don’t know about you, but colder weather always has an impact on my joints. In my case, the problem is arthritic fingers that have already begun to throb with the usual winter ache. In my youth, I played corporate indoor netball for a number of years and managed to, over a period of time, break every. Single. Finger. Clumsy, I know! Then I also had a ditsy moment one year and slammed the car door shut on my hand and broke another finger. Every winter since my fingers have become stiff and sore. I hate taking pain relief tablets for an ongoing complaint so, instead, I look to natural remedies for some help.
There are many natural remedies that may help arthritis and joint pain. When searching, I look for scientific articles available in the public domain, academic research press releases, or reputable website with some form of health certificate—and I also love to read about old remedies that people used to use before the reign of pharmaceutical companies.
One of the things that may help with arthritis is turmeric root which contains curcumin, a compound that may help reduce inflammation but should only be taken orally (or it can turn your skin yellow!). Adding a little turmeric to your meals may help with ongoing joint issues.
Ginger root may also help reduce pain and inflammation, just be careful as some people are allergic to ginger. The best way to take ginger is to grate the root and boil it up for around 10mins, then strain and drink as a tea. Teas are good, but getting enough exercise is also important as keeping joints flexible and strengthening the muscles around them increases support and helps relieve pressure. Low impact exercises are best (eg Tai Chi, swimming).
Finally, a natural massage balm can help to reduce both pain and inflammation—and this is the reason we developed our Hot Rub Kawakawa and Hemp Relief Balm. Hot Rub is our special mixture of kawakawa infused extra virgin olive oil and organic hemp seed oil.
Kawakawa (“pepper tree” in te Reo) has been used in rongoā Māori (Māori health) for hundreds of years and it is from here that the knowledge about its healing properties begins. Early Māori applied kawakawa leaves to cuts and wounds and added them to steam baths to cure sexually transmitted diseases (introduced by Europeans); poultices were made for toothache, and the leaves and roots were chewed for stomachache. More recently, scientists from the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland found that kawakawa contains high concentrations of a natural analgesic called pellitorine. This chemical compound has been shown to reduce inflammation and it also has a numbing effect which helps with pain relief. If you nibble a leaf in the bush, it will actually numb your tongue!
NB: Some peppery plants have been shown to increase the extent and rate at which the curcumin in turmeric enters the system. One is ginger. Another is kawakawa, which has a peppery taste. Keep an eye on this blog and we’ll release an anti-inflammatory kawakawa, ginger, and turmeric tea recipe for you soon!
Back to our Hot Rub Kawakawa and Hemp Relief Balm. As we said, the oils in this balm are kawakawa and organic hemp seed. Hemp seed oil is also helpful for inflammation, largely because it contains a perfect balance of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3s and omega-6s. Balance is important in these fatty acids as we often take in too many omega-6s and not enough omega-3s. Gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) is a particularly helpful omega-6 fatty acid in hemp seed (also found in evening primrose seeds) that was once named the “King’s all cure” and has been shown to function as a strong anti-inflammatory.
Other ingredients in our Hot Rub Kawakawa and Hemp Relief Balm include the essential oils of cinnamon, peppermint, and wintergreen. Studies have shown that cinnamon oil is effective in suppressing inflammatory markers and, through its primary compound of cinnamaldehyde, functions as an antibacterial as well. (Cinnamaldehyde has also been considered for application in the treatment of lung cancer.) Meanwhile, peppermint oil is an ingredient which can cool and soothe sore muscles, particularly during recovery from exercise. And wintergreen oil is what gives the Hot Rub its distinctive liniment aroma. Wintergreen is closely related to aspirin and also has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Its active ingredient is methyl salicylate, and, while scientific research is limited on this oil, it is a known topical pain reliever.
All our ingredients are 100% natural and our products are cruelty-free, NZ made, sustainably sourced, and utilise NZ suppliers to support local businesses.
Whenever my fingers are sore, I grab my tin of Hot Rub Kawakawa and Hemp Relief Balm for a hand relief massage—gently rubbing it into my fingers. Rubbing on the surface of the skin heats up the balm which improves healing by increasing circulation to the area. As this balm is 100% natural, the heat doesn’t last as long as a chemical-based product, but you can extend the heat by applying a wheat bag or hot water bottle to the area. This balm works wonders.
Our staff and customers have used our Hot Rub for recovery from ankle and shoulder operations with great success, and it is often used for sports massage for recovery following exercise. April even took a small amount when she did the Heaphy Great Walk in February this year. Each day was between 15 and 24km and we have it on good authority that a DIY foot massage (rubbing our Hot Rub into her feet at the end of each day) was the only thing that got her into the hut kitchen for dinner. Before long, our balm was being passed around each hut and we’re certain those DOC huts never smelled so good!
Thanks, in part, to our hiking experiences, we realised a smaller tin of the hot rub would be great for our active customers who are looking to keep their travel bags and packs as light as possible. With this in mind, we recently launched a 50ml tin of our Hot Rub - this is also a great way to sample the product before committing to a larger amount!
Hot Tip: for those with muscle aches and pains, consider taking a tin to your massage therapist and asking them to use it with a hot stone massage. You will be amazed at how good it feels!