Arthritis is a very debilitating disease which affects more women than men – though contrary to the common belief it is not only the senior people who fall prey to this disease. Broadly speaking there are two types of arthritis – osteo arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The former one is characterized by massive joint pain, swelling which can practically paralyze the person's movement; while the later is a far more serious affliction because it indicates (and is caused) by a massive breakdown of the body's immune system.

Good News - You Can Escape The Pain

The pain caused by this disease is so terrible that it could cripple you. The good news is that there are some exceedingly simple remedies that are very much within your reach, to help you fight off this problem.

Try the paraffin bath – this is a simple device that melts wax and maintains its temperature where you could comfortably dip in your joints. Allow the wax to cool down for while until it looks like a second skin; peel it off and return it to the device for your next use. Repeat this every day until your pain is totally off.

Use capsaicin (the compound that makes chilies taste hot) to your rescue. There are many ointments that have this compound as their main ingredient – buy and use it at bed time for two reasons – (i) it would give you a comfortable sleep, and (ii) it would prevent/reduce the pain you would feel in the morning.

Exercise – yes, arthritis can be fought with the help of exercises. Yoga is excellent for this ailment; but you should go to a certified guru to learn the postures correctly before you undertake to do this in the privacy of your home. Unless performed correctly, yoga can actually create more problems than help; however, when done correctly it can reverse the symptoms of this disease like nothing else known to humans at present.

Do not immobilize the painful joint – many people stop using (or limit their use) the joints that pain them. This is a terrible way to fight arthritis; what you need to do is keep flexing the joint to prevent accelerated damage of the tissue in the surrounding area. You need to keep yourself and the joint moving.

The water therapy is another great way to fight the pain of arthritis. This therapy consists of special exercises that you need to perform while you are inside the water. The aquatic program is excellent for senior people who find it very difficult to move otherwise.