Expert: Cara Hembd - 6/17/2011

Question
Hi Cara,
What oils would you recommend to treat osteoarthritis?
Thanks!
Pam

Answer
Hi Pam,
As you probably already know Osteoarthritis involves the breakdown of the cushion in between your joints. As the cushion gets eaten away the two bones of the joints start rubbing together and this become inflamed.  So you would want to treat this from two approaches.  One is to reduce the inflammation this reducing your discomfort.  The second is work on rebuilding the cushion.  There are many oils you can use for inflammation because the anti-inflammatory property of oils is common. The best oils to combat inflammation would be Wintergreen, German Chamomile, Clove and nutmeg, however copaiba, helichrysum, pine, Eucalyptus, frankincense, myrrh, Warm Down (blend) and Deeper (blend) are also a possibility.  You can take any one of these oils and dilute it with a carrier oil and rub it directly on the joints giving you problems.  You may have to become a bit of a scientist and experiment on yourself to see which one will work the best for you.  

Now to rebuild the cartilage you need a source of glucosamine/chondroitin.  Glucosamine and Chondroitin are not found naturally occurring in any food, but only naturally in your body and in the shell of some shellfish.  To rebuild that in your body you will need to take a supplement.  

You can also consider using Peppermint, Wintergreen or Paine (blend) to help with some of the discomfort associated with the inflammation.

Thanks Pam, Let me know if there is any other way I can help.