Arthritis pain is a chronic condition, leaving people with pain throughout the day and often the night.
There are hundreds of natural treatments that may or may not be helpful to an individual but certainly they are all worth looking into.
At the moment, unfortunately there is no known cure for arthritis.
This article is about relieving arthritis pain.
Aromatherapy is totally natural and uses pure essential oils to heal imbalances in your body.
Essential oils are harvested from all of the plant kingdom and steam distilled.
The variety is as stunning as the flowers and trees nature gives us.
Peppermint essential oil, for example, is the essence of the flowers of the peppermint plant, which is steam distilled.
Consulting an aromatherapist means you are in the hands of an expert in essential oils and s/he can choose which oils are best suited for you.
Generally, a few essential oils have been associated with relieving arthritis pain: Lavender, Lemon, Chamomile, Juniper, Rosemary, Thyme, Eucalyptus, Camphor, Black Pepper, Benzoin, Pine Scotch, Angelica Root, Oregano, Basil, Marjoram, Peppermint, Frankincense and Ginger.
These can be used individually or a combination of one to four oils.
These oils can also help to reduce anxiety and enhance your general well being.
There are various ways to use these oils to help you.
An easy way is to add them to your bath water and enjoy your soak.
Hot compresses are one of the most effective ways to relieve pain and reduce inflammation of joints as they can be applied to the affected areas directly.
This is how it works: You need a medium sized bowl of hot water (make sure it's not too hot as it will be going direct onto your skin!) with 3 to 6 drops of essential oil dropped into the hot water.
Then immerse a cotton cloth in the scented water and wring out the cloth.
Now use this cloth to put directly onto the affected area.
Then wrap a warm towel over the soaked cloth to keep in the warmth.
After a while this will cool down so just repeat this process two to three times.
Diluted essential oils can be applied directly onto your skin.
You should get some good quality vegetable oil or skin cream and drop two to three drops of essential oils into the mixture.
The proportion that is considered to be effective and safe for you is 3% essential oils in 97% vegetable oil or cream.
Essential oils are very powerful so it is advisable to treat them with care before applying them to your skin.
Rub this mixture onto affected areas as well as pulse points on your body - for example inside your wrists as you would for applying perfume.
Most health food stores carry a wide range of these essential oils and they can advise you as to the best high grade oils they have.