TIP! Anytime you change your medication schedule first consult with your doctor. Some medicines need to be taken for a certain period of time before they produce results, while others may be harmful if stopped abruptly.

Arthritis is a debilitating condition that causes pain, stiffness and a reduced range of motion. The severity varies from one sufferer to the next, but it inevitably has an impact on quality of life. Arthritis typically affects hands, wrists, knees, backs and hips. This article’s tips can help sufferers of arthritis handle their disease.

TIP! Heating or icing painful joints can relieve pain. Try applying ice packs and a heating pad alternatively.

Scientific studies have demonstrated that moderate alcohol consumption does not make arthritis worse. Instead, some studies have suggested that moderate intake of alcohol may actually lessen some of the symptoms.

TIP! If you are an arthritis sufferer and building a new home, seek your contractor’s advice on building modifications. You should sit down and talk with your builder, and draw up a list of modifications together.

If you have chronic arthritis, you should practice meditation or yoga. These techniques have been proven effective at relaxing the body and reducing stress symptoms. You should practice these techniques at least three times a week to gain the maximum benefit.

TIP! Switch off between a hot and a cold treatment. If your joints have been over-taxed, using cold and hot packs alternately can alleviate pain and decrease swelling.

You need to alternate between cold and hot treatments. It is easy to overuse your joints, so use both treatment methods as a way to relieve your pain and lower your swelling. Do not use these treatments too frequently, because too much heat or cold can cause future problems. Try a maximum of twice per day.

TIP! Acupuncture is a popular method for treating arthritis. It has been proven time and time again that this treatment can ease a percentage of the pain arthritis brings.

It is always important to obtain the best sleep that you can. Rejuvenating rest is particularly vital for someone with arthritis, to restore depleted energy needed to take on the next day. Consider sleeping to total darkness (hide your alarm clock), turn off any cell phones, and implement some relaxing exercises before you go to bed.

TIP! Aromatherapy may help alleviate some of the pain from arthritis. Aromatherapy helps the body’s muscles and joints relax, according to medical studies, and this effect helps to alleviate many of the symptoms of chronic arthritis, including joint pain.

When you have pain that causes tiredness, treat it with heat. While the commonly-accepted treatment is using ice or cold packs to deal with pain, this is not necessarily the best practice for arthritis cases. Pain that causes fatigue is best treated with heat as it allows you to regain some energy.

TIP! Going to a sauna regularly can help if you suffer from chronic arthritis. Heat and humidity, like that found in a sauna, is effective at reducing pain and inflammation caused by your condition.

Use the common sense advice in the article above to reduce the painful symptoms of arthritis and feel better about your life. As long as you can get started on implementing the tips listed above, you can begin to reduce your joint inflammation, which in turn will cause a large reduction in pain.