Earth Clinic Mobile: Home Remedies for People and Pets

Home > Ailments > Joint Pain > Joint Pain Q&A > Need advice for joint pain

Need advice for joint pain

Posted By Earthling (Usa) on 10/07/2014

I am 57 and have tried pretty much everything for my joint pain. My hips bother me more than anything else. It interferes with sleep, which is my biggest complaint. My hips don't bother me much during the daytime hours because I'm pretty active.

I'm a side-sleeper and I toss and turn from one achy hip to the other all night, so I have been looking for relief from that, specifically, so that I might finally get a good night's sleep.

I have tried all of the following over the past year or so:

-ACV

-Fish Oil (Krill oil, Cod liver oil, etc.)

-Borage Oil

-Boron

-Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM

-Raisins soaked in gin (didn't work, but I enjoyed that 'experiment') :)

-Fruit pectin

-Hyaluronic Acid

-Collagen

-Gelatin

There's not much I haven't tried. I'm sure there are other things that I forgot to include. I've also tried some topical treatments like castor oil, comfrey salve, etc.

There are things I can't try, like baking soda, because I have to watch my BP.

I recently added the vitamin C complex since it was something I hadn't taken before. It's only 500 mgs, though. I could probably take more.

Replied by Sp (Wb, Nj) on 10/07/2014

Hi Earthling, have you tried going 100% gluten free? When I did that I got rid of my full body arthritis. I had no idea I was gluten sensitive. And for getting better sleep, have you tried taking magnesium?

Replied by Sam (Mansfield, Texas) on 10/07/2014

Wow, you have tried many things. Have you tried magnesium & boron (Borax)? Actually you may be low on all your minerals, have you tried Fulvic acid(lots of minerals)? Do you know about PH & how acidity can affect you? EC has info about it. I take ACV mixed with baking soda. I could not take the baking soda alone... it made my heart palpitate & feel like it wasn't beating right. It also gave me bad indigestion & bloating... but once I mixed BS with ACV it worked great! No bad side affects & it makes the ACV easier to take too. The 2 balance each other out. I have gotten major relief from my joint pain from ACV & BS. I take minerals too though. Oh, I bought a memory foam mattress from Sam's club for like $400 & it really helped the aches during sleep, while I was searching for the cure. Good luck! Hope you find something that works for you.

Replied by Earthling (Usa ) on 10/07/2014

@Sam,

I can't take baking soda because of my blood pressure. I control my BP w/ supplements but taking BS is just asking for trouble. I am very sodium-sensitive.

Magnesium is part of my BP regimen, so yes, I've tried it. I use the spray oil every day. I've taken Magnesium orally before and in several different forms (citrate, oxide, etc.) but all forms went right through me, so to speak.

I also have a new mattress - a memory foam. It's quite comfy but I still get achy hips when I sleep.

I was hoping the new mattress would do the trick, but alas, it did not.

Replied by Prioris (Fl, US) on 10/07/2014

You haven't mentioned

0) Enteric Bromelain

1) Biocell (not all HA absorbs well)

2) Borax Protocol

3) Minocin (not generic minocycline)

You should also read arthritistrust.com healing section and consider whether you have other infections like systemic fungal infections that are not being treated if those above don't work.

Also try removing Dairy from your diet for a month. Also Sp has a good idea. Experiment with diet in other ways.

Short term stuff

I would try putting an inexpensive air mattress on the bed like Coleman Air mattress with bubbled coils (don't forget to buy the pump). You may sleep with less pain. You need something to cushion your hips from hitting a hard surface. They sell a cheap one for $25 in camping section of walmart.

The fact you are tossing and turning may be the result of the internal infection or sleep problem. Try adding GABA. Your tossing and turning is just aggravating it.

There is no doubt you have an internal infection behind your hip pain.

One other thing. You shouldn't be treating Blood Pressure. You should be treating your arteries - plaque and calcification.

You should also be aware that two medical group are proposing a blood pressure of 150-160 over 90-100 as normal.

Replied by Timh (KY) on 10/08/2014

Take MSM w/ the Vit-C for a much more effective joint remedy. A Mangetic bed pad will help very much w/ infection, pain, and inflammation.

Replied by Sam (Mansfield, TX) on 10/07/2014

hmmm... EC has BS & ACV as a blood pressure remedy. It actually seemed to lower my BP, but it could have been the magnesium that lowered my BP, not sure & everyone is different. I don't think baking soda is like regular salt, just like epsom salt is not like regular salt, but I'm no BP expert. I'm just saying that it may be something worth investigating further.

Anyway, I forgot to mention that I had back & hip pain for years and the hip pain actually resolved first. I went to a Bowen massage therapist & she said my hips were being pulled out of alignment by a really tight & possibly damaged psoas muscle. Once she got it to release, the pain in my hip & Si joint improved quite a bit & my limp was resolved, but still ached when sleeping on my side. I also went to a ND who did some tests & said I had leaky gut caused by candida overgrowth & that was causing inflammation, auto immune disease & inhibiting my ability to absorb nutrients.

So all the supplements that I had been taking were not being utilized due to my compromised GI tract. I started taking sublingual supplements while I fought the candida & healed my gut. I think this is what Prioris was referring to in his post about "systemic fungal infections". It definitely increased my joint pain & interfered with the bodies healing process. If nothing is working then, this could possibly be the reason. Also, he mentioned Biocell HA, it's true that not all supplements are created equal, Alfred swears by purity products HA, but Lisa says Source Naturals joint complex worked better for her and I respect both their opinions.

On a similar tangent, I read how people were saying that iodine supplements were curing them of all sorts of things & I was excited to try it, but had a severe reaction that made my muscles spasm & my pain so much worse. So what works for one, does not work for another. The healing journey seems to include much trial & error. Keep searching & doing research & take advice with a grain of salt.(pun intended) lol

Replied by Om (Hope Bc Canada) on 10/07/2014

Actually, I also had some disturbances and pain and am a side sleeper, too. It took a while to disappear as I knew through yoga practice that when sleeping on the side, the knees must be together and ideally the ankles, too. Otherwise there is a "torque" which affects the ligaments unfavourably. It is also helpful to place a rather flat pillow between the thighs. The legs may be bent slightly. That immediately takes off the pressure. My hips don't bother me anymore.

Namaste Om

Replied by Earthling (Usa) on 10/08/2014

Funny you mention the air mattress as that's what I used for close to six months until I finally broke down and bought a new mattress. Just as you described, I put it on top of my old mattress and had an electric pump to fill it. It was 'just okay'. It helped my hips but didn't offer enough support for my lower back, despite having it inflated to its capacity.

My newer mattress doesn't have the hard surface you mentioned. It's a memory foam mattress. It's a firm memory foam, but a foam mattress nonetheless, so it has a cushiony top. You mentioned giving up dairy. I gave up dairy over a year ago. Once in a while, I add a few drops of light cream to my coffee, but that's about it, and that's only occasionally. I used to eat yogurt every day, cereal with milk, etc. I haven't done that in over a year, but unfortunately, I haven't noticed any benefits to stopping dairy in all this time. I also eat very clean. I cook everything from scratch and use nothing that's processed. I start every day with a green smoothie and I also drink lots of water every day. Re: GABA - Prior to tossing/turning from hip to hip, I did sleep relatively well. I work nine hours a day so come day's end, I'm pooped and fall asleep fine. It's the hip pain that wakes me and keeps me awake as I shift from one hip to the other trying to get comfortable. I've tried sleeping on my back many times, but I would just lay awake and stare at the ceiling all night. I will definitely give Bromelain a try, for starters. That's something I've looked into before but haven't tried yet. Thank you for all of your input! I appreciate it.

Replied by Prioris (Fl, US) on 10/08/2014

The air mattress won't help the lower back that much. Lower back problems are spinal column problem.

Aging or infections can be the cause behind spinal degeneration. You need to get nutrients into your spinal column. Namely Hyaluronic Acid.

I would consider trying biocell HA. Make sure you take it on empty stomach. Research another different kind if that doesn't work.

Other short term relief may be to go to a chiropractor a couple times and see if that brings some relief. You may have already done this. This may also protect you from getting herniated disc.

Replied by Mother Earth (Kansas, US) on 10/08/2014

Wondering if 'oil pulling' with coconut oil would help you. Some people have found it useful for their hip pain because the pain can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection and the "oil pulling" pulls out the infection. Even rubbing the coconut oil on topically may help you.

Replied by Earthling (Usa) on 10/09/2014

@Priorus

Too late for the herniated disc prevention. I've had two bad discs for years. I've had steroid injections in my spine (OUCH! ) and was on pain medication for years, but I decided to go off of them on my own and just tough it out.

Years later, my lower back pain isn't too bad, provided I don't overdo things. It also didn't bother me when I slept, except when I slept on the air mattress. I traded one pain for another. The air mattress made sleeping on my sides more comfortable, but it made my lower back hurt.

I ordered the Bromelain yesterday, so we'll see how that goes. Fingers crossed. I am currently taking 500mg's of the vitamin C-complex I mentioned in a previous post. The directions say to take one a day, but do you think I could (or should) take more?

Thanks, again!

Replied by Earthling (Usa) on 10/09/2014

@Mother Earth

I tried oil pulling with coconut oil years ago and for whatever reason, it caused my blood pressure to spike for hours after pulling. It was scary!

I haven't tried coconut oil topically, but I'll start that today. I've tried many, many other things topically, but wouldn't have thought of coconut oil topically for pain when things like castor oil and comfrey salve didn't work.

It certainly can't hurt to try though, so try I shall!

Thanks!

Replied by Prioris (Florida, US) on 10/09/2014

Hope you try the bio cell brand on empty stomach. I had herniated disc also. Took 6 weeks to heal. If it works, you should know in first two weeks.

Back to Joint Pain Q&A