Living with Arthritis has many challenges. Below is a link to a podcast, which I think could be helpful in providing solutions and guidelines for dealing with this health challenge.
https://www.arthritis.org/liveyes/podcast
All the best for your well-being!
When I walk, I take an essential oil ‘sniffer‘ with me (2 or 3 drops on a tissue). I am a certified aromatherapist/trainer for essential oils and I use my sense of smell with essential oils to provide me with the therapeutic benefits of relaxation, increased energy, and pain relief.
Walking gives me the benefits of increased energy, boosts my mood, provides relief from arthritis and helps increase my focus.
Do you know that there is recent research, which indicates walking helps our cognitive abilities?
Have you heard that loss of smell may indicate a decline in cognition?
When you have a moment, listen to my podcast on why smelling and walking is a good thing for senior citizens. Then make some ‘free’ time for yourself to move your body by using the video below.
The Arthritis Foundation reports that the onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) generally affects persons in the age range of 30-60 years. The foundation also reports that RA affects children.
RA sufferers have a new tool to assist them with their various challenges brought on by this autoimmune and inflammatory disease. It is the VIM App.
My podcast provides a summary with details of how the Free VIM App works.
Download Apps using the links below for your Apple or Android Phone.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=guru.applica.vim
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vim-pain-mgmt/id1562886172
Various arthritis blog posts are at the links below:
livingsenior.me | WellBeing Conversations
Arthritis Seasons & Remedies | livingsenior.me
Arthritis & Exercise | livingsenior.me
Arthritis Signs for Knees | livingsenior.me
Additional Sources:
Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms in Women (healthline.com)
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments
Arthritis Foundation launching Vim app to help people manage chronic pain | PhillyVoice
Pharma News | Pharma Industry | Pharmaceuticals Industry | FiercePharma
This year during Black History Month I would like to celebrate Alma Woodsey Thomas, an artist of remarkable accomplishment.
Thomas, started her painting career at the age of 70, after being a junior high school teacher for 35 years. YES! We can create “new beginnings” even in our senior citizen years.
Thomas’s parents migrated from Georgia to Washington, D.C. in 1906. In 1932 she became the first graduate of the Fine Arts department at Howard University, which is also the Alma Mata of the first African/Asian vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris. After graduation from Howard, in 1925, she taught Art at Shaw Junior High School until 1960. During her teaching career, she managed to also earn degrees from Columbia University and from New York University.
Thomas considered giving up Painting when she retired because of arthritis pain. However , in 1966 Howard University offered to mount a retrospective of her work. That’s when she decided she wanted to produce new paintings.
Alma Thomas was later honored with one-woman exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. In 1972 her painting Red Roses Sonata was selected for the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Before her death in 1978, she was nationally recognized as a key woman artist dedicated to abstract painting
Some of her other well-known paintings are: Fiery Sunset, Snoopy Sees Earth Wrapped in Sunset.
Living as a senior citizen comes with various challenges. Some mornings I wake up with a pain I did not have the day before. Other mornings, I find myself feeling a little anxious about an upcoming medical test, or just plain nervousness due to “who knows what?”
On occasion, my sleep is affected by nervousness (the latter occurrences). I do find, however, that taking a 30 minute walk calms me down; makes my aches and pains 
more manageable, and I also sleep better during the night.
I have shared with some of you in the past that I am an aromatherapy enthusiast, and recently acquired my certification. So, I am delighted to tell you that I read lavender and rice warmed in the microwave can relieve some arthritis pain. That’s right ! Why don’t you try it?
Put the dried lavender and rice in a pair of clean gloves or socks. Warm them in the microwave. After warming the items, wear them to relieve the pain. Not only will you feel better, but lavender, is known to have other therapeutic values like calming the nervous system; initiating deep relaxation, and emotional balance, to name a few.
♥Those of us who are challenged with arthritic pain sometimes have flare-ups during rainy seasons and cold weather. I for one feel that kind of pain more in my neck and shoulder. Specifically during these periods, we want to pay attention to what we are eating. Foods that help with inflammation and can be added to our diet are, for example: tomatoes; ginger; olive oil; almonds; walnuts; raisins; fatty fish like albacore tuna; farmed salmon; mussels; and, anchovies. Foods that we want to eat less of are, for example: Red meat; french fries; pasta; candy; and soda. You pretty much know whether you are eating too much of these items.
Read more about remedies at these sources:
https://www.3rdactmagazine.com
The word about knee osteoarthritis (OA) and exercise is that the more you exercise the better you will feel! I know it’s hard to believe when you’re feeling that pain in your knees, or hands, or back – name it, I’ve experienced it. I continue to look for new ways to fight back. Here is what some Arthritis sufferers have had to say about measures/precautions that helped them fight back. I found these at: http://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis
Adjusting to the signs of aging is not intuitive. In recent years, I have learned to read, listen to other seniors, and constantly pay attention to the signs my body gives me.
An article in the New York Times Well section brought to my attention that early signs of arthritis could be creaking and popping sounds. Yes!
The condition for noises in the knees is called Crepitus by medical professionals. To date professionals are actually undecided whether these noises in the knees signal the beginning of Arthritis. So, what should we be aware of? Here are some guidelines:
Continue reading
I admit that when some of my friends suggested I try Acupuncture to relieve the pain in my hands, I was hesitant. What really prompted me to explore acupuncture was the severe pain I was struggling with in my hands. In addition, I was taking Ibuprofen, and when the pain became unbearable, I took Naproxen. My doctor had cautioned me not to take either of these medications on a frequent basis due to other side effects. As I was considering what I would do I came across an article in Health Matters, which is a publication of the White Plains Hospital (WPH) in Westchester, NY. I was convinced that if WPH was willing to suggest acupuncture to its patients as part of their Cancer Wellness Center program, it was worth a try.
♦ Today, acupuncture is being practiced in all 50 states by over 9,000 practitioners, with over 4,000 MDs including it in their practices. Acupuncture has shown notable success in treating many conditions, and over 15 million Americans have used it as a therapy. Source: Acupuncture | definition of acupuncture by Medical dictionary
In September 2016, I wrote a post about the benefits of walking. At that time the goal suggested by the American Heart Association was 10,000 steps a day (equal to 5 miles). Needless to say, for seniors this is not an easy task. Often we have issues with our knees. Arthritis, for example, is one of the many complaints. But the question is “have you started?” Continue reading
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