Inflammation is a topic that’s being talked about more and more. On the one hand, it’s a natural response of the body when you experience some sort of trauma. For a short time it can be very helpful.
On the other hand, problems like chronic inflammation tend to do more harm than good. Chronic inflammation can weaken your system, which leaves you more vulnerable to developing disease.
Whether you’ve suffered an injury, are in your older years, have diabetic complications, or some other condition, inflammation and pain often go hand in hand.
And around this time of year, colder temperatures can make joint issues like arthritis or surrounding tissues feel much worse. What is it about cold weather that makes your joints hurt? According to UPMC (1), there are several reasons, like:
- Decreased blood flow: In colder weather, your body decides it’s time to prioritize your central organs. Blood flow often decreases from extremities like your hands and feet, focusing more on areas like your heart, lungs, and digestive tract. The slowdown in circulation can make sore joints ache even more.
- Barometric pressure: Have you ever met someone who could tell a storm was coming because they “felt it in their bones”? It’s actually a real thing. Air pressure fluctuates throughout the seasons, and in the winter months the barometric pressures drop. The decrease in pressure can cause those with arthritis or other joint issues a lot of discomfort. Some think it’s due to exposed nerves endings that pick up on the pressure change. Others believe that inflamed areas of the body swell when pressures drop, and this swelling can cause more pain in areas that are already damaged.
- Less activity: If it’s cold and dreary out, you probably aren’t going to take your usual walk around the block or risk bad road conditions in order to get your gym time in. Not staying active can make sore joints worse. It can also allow fluid to build up around knuckles and wrists, creating stiffness.
Whatever the reason is for you, it would be nice if you could go about your day pain-free. So what are your options?
Sure, you can apply warm compresses to your hands and feet. That can encourage blood flow to return to the joints and relieve some stiffness. You can also massage sore areas, try some gentle stretching, or even apply ice packs.
In addition to those, eating well and taking supplements may help. But of all the joint supplements you could be taking, what makes KaraMD Turmeric CCM stand out?
Simplicity
You ever look at the back of a supplement bottle only to find a bunch of words you can’t pronounce? Not here. With us, less is more. We use specific ingredients that target pain and inflammation immediately.
Ingredients like:
- Turmeric root powder: Found to be high in antioxidants, the turmeric root helps eliminate free radical damage and oxidative stress (2). Antioxidants are important for good health and the fight against disease.
- Boswellia: For centuries, the resin of the boswellia tree has been used to help calm down inflamed tissue, from the joints to the lungs. Learn more here (3).
- Curcumin: Studies show that this powerful turmeric root extract can help alleviate knee pain and inflammation (4).
Scientists have studied why these particular herbs help the most when it comes to joint pain. Your body is a complex system of tissues, some of which are nerves. These act as your communication process.
Pain and inflammation in a certain location send signals to your brain and the rest of your body through your nerves, and this process is called a biochemical pathway of inflammatory pain.
Here’s how it works: when you experience an injury, your tissues release a molecule called NF-kB. This acts like a switch that turns inflammation either on or off. Your cells also release what’s called arachidonic acid. In response to this, two groups of enzymes called cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and COX-2) come in and transform the acid into prostaglandins and thromboxanes. These act as hormone regulators and help with blood dilation (6). This is one of the many inflammatory pathways your body has in response to diseases like arthritis.
When you take over-the-counter NSAIDs, these enzymes are blocked in order to keep pain and inflammation down. It sounds good at first, but it inevitably prevents the rest of your pain pathway from performing its normal function.
The danger here is that, with long term use, these medications can negatively impact your liver. Herbs like turmeric have been observed to keep inflammation down by decreasing the NF-KB protein, and by blocking the activity of both COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes, without damaging your liver and kidneys in the process.
Boswellia also does an excellent job at decreasing arthritic pain, as “It reduces the total white blood cell count in joint fluid, and it also inhibits leukocyte elastase, which is released in rheumatoid arthritis.” (6)
Together, you have the best herbal combination to address the root of your pain, without extra ingredients or additives.
Potency
When it comes to taking natural supplements, dosage is important. Here at KaraMD we take special precautions to make sure the ratio of turmeric, boswellia, and curcumin are just right. Not too much, and definitely not too little.
There are some ingredients that are milder in nature, which is why you need to take a lot in order to reap the benefits. By careful testing, we’ve discovered the perfect combination to produce a synergy that helps lower inflammation, relieve joint pain, and support the body overall.
Transparency
It’s always frustrating when you have questions that no one seems able to answer. Or when you’re curious about how products are formulated, but hours of searching gets you nowhere.
We’ve been there, and it’s not cool. With professional lab testing including quality inspections, FDA facility registration, and money back guarantees, we at KaraMD want to be part of the journey as you take your health back into your hands.
Wrap Up
Pain and inflammation are markers that something isn’t quite right. Sometimes, your body produces short-term inflammation in order to tackle a specific problem. This is good. What’s not good is when chronic inflammation wears your body down so much, other problems soon arise.
It’s important to address areas of inflammation, especially if you have arthritis or other joint issues. While ice, heat, and activity can help, nutrition and the right supplements complete the picture.
The boswellia tree and the turmeric root offer power anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties, which is why we combined them into KaraMD Turmeric CCM.
Still not sure it’s the right natural supplement for you? See what others are saying here (5).
References & Disclaimers
(1) https://share.upmc.com/2019/01/joints-predicting-weather/
(2) https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jfq/2017/8471785/
(3) https://www.karamd.com/blogs/health/boswellia-serrata-get-to-know-this-herbal-extract
(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/
(5) https://www.karamd.com/products/karamd-turmeric-ccm
(6) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3011108/
✝✝This noted statement is based on independent research and is not necessarily the opinion of the author