Holistic nutrition, medicinal plants and routines for joints & muscles
Healing goals for rheumatism & joint pain
- Stop inflammation
- Protect cartilage and joints
- Regulating autoimmune processes
- reduce swelling
- Promote mobility
- Stimulate blood circulation and lymph flow
- Supporting pain relief
🦴 This is how your immune system reacts in your joints
Each joint is lined internally by a thin membrane, the synovial membrane, which produces a fluid that lubricates and nourishes the cartilage. In rheumatic diseases, the immune system mistakenly attacks this very tissue – an autoimmune reaction that triggers chronic inflammation in the synovial membrane.
This inflammation causes swelling, pain, and can eventually attack cartilage and bone in the joint. Because the immune system releases inflammatory messengers circulating throughout the body, the underlying inflammatory activity is also noticeably influenced by diet – some foods exacerbate it, while others counteract it.
The next section shows how this inflammatory activity can be specifically reduced through diet throughout the day.
Breakfast
Recommended: Millet porridge with turmeric, cinnamon, flaxseed, and blueberries; pasture-raised or goat's milk; apple cider vinegar water; ginger tea. Avoid: Skim milk, almond milk, sausage, and wheat rolls.
Lunch
Recommended: Steamed vegetables (broccoli, sweet potato, fennel); quinoa or amaranth with turmeric and pepper; lentils, spinach, parsley; apple cider vinegar dressing and olive oil. Excellent: Flaxseed oil, berries, carrots, magnesium, calcium, silicon.
Snack
- Ripe banana or steamed apple with cinnamon
- 1 tsp collagen powder or silicon gel
- Herbal tea: nettle or willow bark
Dinner
- Soup with celery, turmeric, parsley root, thyme
- Spelt bread with avocado or hummus
- 1 tsp black cumin oil
- herbal tea
Medicinal plants for rheumatism
- Willow bark – a natural pain reliever. Warning: Do not use if you have a salicylate/aspirin allergy, do not use on children due to the risk of Reye's syndrome, and use with caution if you are taking blood thinners.
- Stinging nettle - anti-inflammatory, rich in minerals
- Devil's Claw - anti-inflammatory & promotes movement
- Dandelion - detoxifying
- Ginger - antioxidant
- Turmeric + pepper - anti-inflammatory
- Rosehip - Vitamin C for joint cartilage
Metabolism & Detoxification
- 2–2.5 liters of still water daily
- Nettle, dandelion, and birch leaf tea
- Bitter substances (gentian, yarrow)
- Alkaline baths, liver compresses
To be avoided in cases of rheumatism
- Trans fats (sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, margarine)
- Sausages, pork
- Sugar, white flour, alcohol
- Milk powder products, almond milk, skimmed milk
- Nightshade plants in large quantities
Movement & Routines
- Daily exercise: walking, cycling, stretching
- Alternating showers, Kneipp treatments
- Yoga or Tai Chi
- Moor mud packs, wool bandages
- Good sleep & emotional relief
