Tired of Over the counter "junk" side effects...

[mja1959]

Hi My Name is Mike..Im here to find new ways of healthy living. I have Insomnia and tried most every over the counter and Rx with no lasting results as well as over the counter treatments for arthritis ..I ve recently found that turmeric has helped a lot..Eager to learn more

[BadHare]

Have you tried magnesium to help you sleep? Chelated is the most bioavailable form, & it's best taken on an empty stomach with water at bedtime. Another relaxing way to get enough is soaking in a bath with 500g of epsom salts or 400g magnesium salts, for half an hour. Add a few drops of lavender oil if you like the smell. Both magnesium & lavender are pleasant natural analgesics.

Do you know if you have an NHS pain management clinic near your home? Ask your GP if they will refer you. It's very good for helping people with any chronic pain conditions, though the start of the course is usually a cause for a few tears when we first have to go to a gym. All aspects of pain management are covered, including the psychological impact, & an assortment of different gentle exercise techniques to see what works best, relaxation sessions. & lots of tea & sympathy. We have a weekly social group that anyone can go along to, even if they've not taken part in the course.

Have you tried attending a yoga class? Hatha is very gentle & relaxing. I find the breathing exercises are beneficial when I can't sleep. Also tensing then relaxing different parts of the body in turn. Start at the top or toes, whichever you prefer. Try breathing deeply & slowly into the lower part of your stomach, then try to make your outward breathe twice as long. This slows down the heartbeat & tells the body to relax. I find counting, in for 3 or 4, out for 6 or 8, helps as it calms my monkey brain.

To reduce inflammation in my joints, I stick to a clean food diet at home, & avoid inflammatory foods. These are sneaked into things we've been sold as healthy, so avoid anything processed like margarine, sunflower oils, & artificial sweeteners. Gluten is also an inflammatory food, which many people feel better for removing from their diet.. Be aware that's not a quick fix as it takes 3 months for the body to get rid of it.

Try eating a good probiotic such as kefir, which benefits the body as a whole, via the digestive system.

Give intermittent fasting a try. There are different ways to do this, either by cutting down the number of hours you eat each day, which works for me, or reducing calorie intake on two separate days each week. chriskresser.com/could-you-...

I've been putting turmeric in soup (lentil, kale & turmeric is very tasty), & have the ingredients for golden milk, which I posted about yesterday. I've noticed little difference from eating it, so perhaps I need more, more often.

[mja1959 in reply to BadHare]

Thank you...you gave me a lot of good information..I take 500mg. of Turmeric 3times a day for the last 3 or 4 weeks and have started to get results

[Hidden]

Hello mja1959

BadHare has put in significant info which can work out well for you

Personally i also take golden milk every night

1/2 a glass of full fat milk.. to be heated till boiling point. Meanwhile add up 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, a pinch of pepper powder & a little Ghee. The entire thing can be had after it comes to a boiling point. I usually have it some 15 to 20 mins before retiring for the night.

Controls my cervical pain very effectively ..

[LaureenD in reply to Hidden]

What if you can’t have any Dairy products? And no soy?

[Hidden in reply to LaureenD]

Just avoid. no issues

[BadHare in reply to LaureenD]

Almond milk is nice. I've not made it with hazelnut or oat milk, but these would be good alternatives to dairy or soy.

[LaureenD in reply to BadHare]

I cannot have nuts either but I can have rice milk. Do you think that would work?

[BadHare in reply to LaureenD]

Rice milk & oat milk are both tasty! I', unsure whether coconut milk is made from a nut, or just called that, but this works in a lot of things. Have you tried making your own dairy alternatives?

[LaureenD in reply to BadHare]

No. I didn’t know that I could.

[BadHare in reply to LaureenD]

There are recipes on the internet. Basically soaking, cooking if necessary as in the case with rice, blending, then straining whichever plant you want to use. There are gadgets available that I think were around £100, but a basic liquidiser & clean muslin is fine.

It's not thick like commercial milks, but 90% cheaper. As much as I love almond mik, nutritionwise, I'd rather but 150g for £2 than 25g of nuts in 950mls of water in unrecyclable packaging.

[LaureenD]

I just started using meditation thing on my tablet. The app is called “Calm” It was free, and I listen to it after I’m laying in bed at night. You get to choose if you want to hear the ocean, different sounds. And then the voice comes on and talks to you for about 15 minutes and it just helps you relax and I actually fell asleep.. doesn’t help every night, but about Four out of seven nights I get a good nights sleep. It’s worth a try! And it was free! Good luck!

[mja1959 in reply to LaureenD]

Thank you LaureenD.. I will give it a try.

[Hidden]

Hi Mike, BadHare has given some very good and comprehensive advice here and just to add to it, stop drinking caffeine in the evening and you have arthritis so do you take pain relief and pain relief with codeine, because codeine can cause insomnia, so it might be better to take pain relief earlier in the day.

Thats the physical side now you have to tackle your mental attitude to sleep, so do you feel stressed when you can't sleep if so relax and tell yourself you don't care if you fall asleep you're so tired you're going to enjoy just lying in bed. Sleep is the opposite to all other actions in that trying to go to sleep is going to keep you awake, so break the cycle.

The advice with chelated magnesium from BH is also very good advice and you can buy magnesium flakes and soak in the bath as magnesium is absorbed through the skin and our skin is our largest organ.

[Hidden]

Hi mja,

Sleep and your immune system regulate each other. It sounds like you also have arthritis and turmeric has helped. I am reading inflammation in that. Many people have stopped these types of downward trends but it may take a lifestyle reset. Research; sleep and the immune system, autoimmune diets, and stress management. Your body is telling you it is not well.