Winter, even in the south where I live, can still take a toll on joints and body aches. The cooler temps often bring a significant increase in pain for many including stiff joints, increased pain, and decreased mobility. Naturally managing these allows us to continue working towards overall health goals and makes the season more comfortable.
Improving Winter Aches and Joint Pains with Gentle Activity
It may seem counterintuitive to move when you're feeling stiff or in pain but often gentle movement and exercise is one of the best ways to improve discomfort. Regular movement helps keep the joints flexible and strengthens the muscles around them providing better support. Low impact exercise including yoga, swimming, and walking are especially helpful in these situations.
The largest benefit behind gentle exercise is the improvement in circulation. In traditional Chinese medicine, circulation is the key to energy flow. When there is slowness in movement there is slowness in energy, creating blocks. This leads to chronic fatigue and increases in pain. Unblocking energy can be supported through energy medicine methods including Pranic therapy, acupressure, and cupping. We can also align specific supplementation, herbs, and homeopathy to help. These methods however cannot work alone and do require us to be also working on our improved movement for long term success.
Natural health tip: Including stretching into your daily routine helps maintain flexibility and can prevent stiffness, especially after a long period of inactivity. Stretching also helps improve respiratory breath to improve circulation and activity interest as you awaken the body.

Using Heat Therapy to Support Winter Aches and Joint Pain
Heat therapy is a natural remedy for pain, especially during winter months which can make pain worse. Applying warmth to the affected area can help soothe pain and relax tightened muscles. There are several means to use this method:
Heating pads - using a heating pad for 15 to 20 minutes can help reduce pain and improve blood flow
Warm baths - soaking in a warm bath with Epsom salts can provide full body relief from pain. The magnesium in Epsom sales can also reduce inflammation
Warm compresses - using a towel soaked in hot water and applied to joints can be incredibly soothing
PEMF mats - these heat supported body pads not only soothe physical pain but also work to improve the energy flow across the body while mitigating pain from PEMF exposure that can create aches and joint pain
Natural health tip: If you have swelling heat therapy can make the situation worse. Start with cold therapy first to reduce swelling.
Hydrating Your Way to Improvements with Aches and Joint Pain
When you become dehydrated, the body draws fluid from muscles and joints to try to compensate for the lack of water. This increases pain significantly and can become chronic over time. Water intake is essential for joint lubrication.
Naturally in winter months, we tend to drink less water which is one of the contributing reasons to see an increase in pain during winter. Dehydration also decreases the body's energy making us feel sluggish and less attracted to movement.
If you drink other types of beverages than water, including coffee, tea, soda and sports drinks they too can increase the risk of dehydration. Hydration levels are optimal when you consistently drink 50% of your body weight in water every day.
Lose the ice. Cold drinks make the body work harder to absorb water and slows metabolism
Start with water first thing in the morning to support detoxification processes that occur over night
Gradually phase out non-water beverages
Use a chart to track how much water you drink in a day
Aim for 3 to 4 ounces of water every 30 minutes during daylight hours
Natural Health Tip: A favorite cup makes a big difference in regularly drinking water.
Anti-inflammatory Diet Support for Winter Aches and Joint Pain
Diet plays a significant role in the amount of inflammation, aches and joint pain we experience. Processed food products, artificial sweeteners, sugar, and more all contribute to inflammatory responses in the body as well as weight that can put increased pressure on the body's joints.
Incorporating these types of foods in your diet can help reduce winter aches and joint pain naturally while improving overall health and wellness:
Ginger - known for its anti-inflammatory properties, ginger can help reduce joint pain and is easy to use in teas, foods and supplementation
Turmeric - the active compound curcumin in turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory medicine. Turmeric can be added to soups, stews or taken as a supplement
Omega 3 - found in fish like salmon, flaxseed, and walnuts, Omega 3 is well known to reduce inflammation and pain
Leafy Greens - vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli are rich in antioxidants that help lessen pain
Natural Health Tip: Avoid processed foods, sugar and refined carbs that contribute to inflammation and increase aches and joint pain while reducing the body's natural energy.
Supplement Support of Aches and Joint Pain
Diet will always be the first place I look to recommend a client make improvements for their health. However, even with proper nutrition in the diet we can lack certain vitamins and minerals as well as need other natural support from time to time to help with needs.
Certain supplements can support aches and joint pain especially during winter months.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin are commonly used to help manage the symptoms of osteoarthritis and joint pain. They work by supporting the cartilage health and reducing inflammation.
Vitamin D during winter months can help with joint pain and may be needed year round if you are not getting enough natural sunlight.
Collagen supplementation supports improvements in the integrity of cartilage that can reduce the pain and improve mobility
Natural Health Tip: Before supplementing it is wise to consult a holistic health practitioner to align the specific supplementation right for your body's needs.
Energy Medicine for Aches and Joint Pain
Often the pain we feel physically is the result of emotional pain. Most of us struggle with how to process emotions in a positive and healthy way. We are taught from a young age to hold them, not to express them and as a result we don't process them. Don't you dare cry! When this happens they are held physically in the body's cells and over time that can accumulate to the point it puts the body in pain, particularly the joints.
For example arthritis is associated with the emotional feelings of anger and resentment from the past. Carrying guilt, remorse, and shame. Finding it difficult to forgive yourself and others. Complaining about life while worrying but not really wanting things to change. You often feel stuck and limited as a result of these unprocessed feelings.
Releasing these emotions can be done through the use of energy medicine with a trained professional. I use a variety of methods depending on specific need and help the body work through the release process. Depending on depth, impact to the person, level of pain, and where they are ready we work to gently release these trapped emotional energies. This can occur through magnetic therapy, Pranic therapy, Emotion Code, reflexology, Reiki, Chakra balancing and mud-packing, sound baths, and guided meditation. I recommend using a trained professional for this work because they will identify how much at a time you can release. Doing too much at once can leave your body out of balance and cause more complicated concerns.
Natural Health Tip: Gently releasing old emotional energy blocks often results in being able to process current day stress better resulting in overall improvements to our well-being.
Managing aches and joint pain in the winter months requires a proactive approach. Incorporating natural approaches not only lessens the severity of side effects but allows the body to heal itself while improving overall health and wellness. With the right natural strategies you can enjoy the winter season with less pain and discomfort.
To work with me, schedule your virtual or in-person session at www.dragonspitapothecary.com/care
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