Top Tips To Keep Your Joints Healthy This Winter
If you suffer with joint pain, you may have noticed that the onset of wintery, cold and wet weather can make your joints ache more than usual, adding an extra burden on top of the miserable conditions. Ever wondered why?
Dr Rod Hughes
Consultant Rheumatologist, Dr Rod Hughes explains:
“People who suffer from arthritic joints may experience increased pain and stiffness during colder months. Low pressure weather patterns may have a physical impact on the joints and could cause already inflamed areas such as knees, hands and hips to swell which can cause pain. In addition, during cold weather, the body focuses on circulating blood around the core and major organs and away from muscles and joints. As a result, the joints can feel less flexible.”
Pic: Shutterstock
Changing seasons can wreak havoc with our joints and, as the temperatures continue to drop and evenings draw in, simple lifestyle changes or adding clinically backed supplements to your daily routine can help you prepare your joints for winter.
“We can help to protect our joints and effectively treat joint pain by using a clinically proven joint and soft tissue supplement to our daily diet, such as rose-hip extract prepared as the galactolipid GOPO. This has been shown to help protect and repair joints and should certainly be considered at the early onset of even mild joint pain or after joint injury. Not only do people report great benefit from these supplements, but good quality clinical research has also proved GOPO is effective.”
GOPO® Joint Health is a natural supplement made from 100% specially cultivated natural rose-hip and is the only product of its kind to contain a high level of GOPO®. Recent research into active, healthy adults has found that 12 weeks of GOPO® supplementation led to reductions in joint pain and improved mobility, potentially also helping to reduce cartilage damage. One study has even shown significant pain relief after just 3 weeks of GOPO® treatment.
Top Tips on keeping your joints healthy this Winter
By Dr Rod Hughes, Consultant Rheumatologist
Pic: Shutterstock
- Take regular, gentle exercise like walking, swimming and yoga to keep your joints and the supporting muscles and ligaments strong and supple, as this helps increase the blood flow back to the joint tissues.
- Give yourself a helping hand by adding a clinically backed supplement to your diet such as GOPO® Joint Health, to help maintain your joint health.
Pic: Shutterstock
- Maintain your ideal body weight. It’s easy to indulge over the winter months, however increased weight puts more stress on your weight bearing joints such as knees, hips and ankles.
Pic: Shutterstock
- Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds and at least two portions of oily fish per week. Fresh foods and nuts contain antioxidant nutrients that can help reduce inflammation and protect against cell damage and the fish oils can help prevent and manage arthritic conditions.
- Wrap up warm. Keeping your body temperature comfortable will help to encourage blood circulation around your muscles and joints, keeping them feeling limber.
GOPO® Joint Health is available from Boots, Amazon, supermarkets and independent chemists nationwide and is priced at £19.52 for 120 capsules and £29.60 for 200 capsules. Visit www.gopo.co.uk for further information.
Moira Chisholm
I'm the Health Editor on My Weekly and am always interested to hear what's new in this fascinating field. I also deal with the gardening, shopping pages, general features, our website content and the Ask Helen problem page. I have a special interest in Christmas content because I'm on the team for Your Best Ever Christmas Magazine, too!
