I'm not a doctor, nor have I played one on TV. But there are a couple products that I use almost every day that I think are totally worth the time and money to use. And by "a couple," I mean three.
This is the magical juice of goodness. It's 10 times more effective as an anti-inflammatory than aspirin. Tart cherries have some fantastic chemical combination that makes them fight inflammation AND block your brain's ability from receiving pain signals. They're also high in melatonin, so it can be helpful in getting a good night's sleep and fighting fibromyalgia and arthritis. No other fruit has as many anti-oxidants as the wee tart cherry, so I'll throw in that it helps guard against cancer. And duh, it has a Vitamin A, C, and potassium, and even iron!
I've had random excruciating pain in my shoulder joints for a few years and nothing seemed to make it better. I would wake up in the middle of the night, cry for a bit, eat half a pan of brownies, then settle in on the couch with some 30 Rock DVDs for several hours of severe discomfort. The pain would go away completely in a day or two, but it would come back every six weeks or so.
I read and heard from a couple people that cherry juice was good stuff, then saw it on sale at Target, so I tried it. I've been drinking a small glass of this every day for about three months now and I have not had any shoulder pain. I highly recommend it to everyone, plus it tastes great.
R.W. Knudsen has some great products. They're all earthy and whatnot, so that's great, too.
Almond oil? Doesn't smell like almonds. You actually have to get it scented with almond… scent.
This is what I found out after I read the almond oil is great for your skin. I checked out my local Garden of Eden store and got a great deal on some almond scented almond oil. Generally, it's used as a massage oil, but every night, I rub a couple drops all over my face. "Really? Oil on your face?" you say. It seems stupid and I can't believe I tried it, but my skin feels great and I haven't broken out since I started doing it about a year ago. It probably helps that I do a little face massage (start at the center of my forehead and rub in little circles to my temples, then from my nose out to my cheeks, chin out… you get it) and it really doesn't feel oily. Hey, Jackie Kennedy was a fan and she was gorge, so just try it.
Here's the obvious one and the most expensive suggestion I have: massage. I'm not going to list the benefits because there's supposedly 7,789 or so reasons massage is good for you. I happen to have a super-bomb deal going with a massage therapist I know where we trade massage for dance lessons, but I would spring for one on my own as often as possible.
Here's my personal benefits: it feels great, I like the music, and it's time alone where no one asks me a more complicated question than "is that too much pressure?" Awesome.
I also recommend this.
