Bromelain For Arthritis Pain Relief

Pineapple for Arthritis

Have you heard of Bromelain and how it helps joint pain? I have used it and love it! Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are two common conditions that cause debilitating joint pain. The symptoms of these two conditions may include stiffness, swelling and inflammation of the joints.

Unfortunately, sufferers of arthritis endure agony because it can lead to degradation of the affected joints. This is when the synovial membrane of the joints starts to erode, which may also lead to loss of cartilage. The synovial membrane is the soft tissue found in the joints that serve as its protection against wear and tear.

To be able to cope better with the debilitating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, many experts suggest eating bromelain rich fruit such as pineapple. There are also bromelain supplements available.

Pineapple and Bromelain

Pineapple contains proteolytic enzyme called bromelain which can be obtained by drinking its fresh juice and by eating its fibrous stem. Experts from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center claim that bromelain can be used in several medical applications.

• Bromelain aids in wound healing and helps prevent the production of chemicals that cause inflammation such as thromboxane, chemokine, and cytokine.

• This is why bromelain works effectively in treating people who are afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. The natural anti-inflammatory and pain killing effects of bromelain work similarly to aspirin.

Natural Remedy for Bruises and Joint Pains

For centuries, pineapple has been used as a natural treatment for arthritis. Its bromelain content which is known to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects have been commonly used by boxers after every fight to help speed up the healing process of their bruises.

It was in 1960 that a comparison study was made which involved boxers who were given bromelain and another group who were given a placebo.  After four days, those who took bromelain were found to be 78% inflammation free while only 14% of those who took a placebo had recovered.

Those who engage in athletics were also advised to increase their bromelain intake through eating pineapples or drinking pineapple juice to prevent pain in their joints and increase joint flexibility.

Pineapple and Its Vitamin C Content

Pineapple also contains hefty doses of the antioxidant vitamin C, which can also be responsible for repairing those connective tissues to improve proper functioning of the joints. An increased intake of antioxidants will enable the body to repair joint and cell damage caused by the adverse effects of free radicals.

Pineapple can also be a good source of manganese which also plays an important role in joint repair.

How to Obtain the Benefits

When you’re eating pineapples, do not throw away its fibrous core.  If you find it too hard to chew, you may throw it in the blender and drink it as a juice. For better results, see to it that you drink pineapple juice in between meals or during snack time.

Points to remember

• Remember not to eat any other foods together with your pineapple juice, as the enzymes, which also aid digestion if eaten with food, will become busy digesting the food you ate and will no longer go straight to your joints for its healing tasks.

• So for digestion help, take bromelain with your meals.

• For arthritis relief, take on an empty stomach.

Always opt for fresh pineapple juice because the bromelain content is no longer present in canned pineapple juices.

Bromelain enzymes are very sensitive to heat and light.  This goes to say that any commercially processed pineapple juice kills the enzymes anyway through the processing. So stay away from canned, dried and frozen pineapples and stick to fresh pineapple or ask your health care professional if it is alright for you to take bromelain supplements.

They can thin your blood, so be aware of that.