Inflammation
Persistent, chronic inflammation is most likely at the root of most chronic health issues, which includes rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. It is our body's response to stress, which may be from a poor diet, environmental or emotional issues. Temporary inflammation happens when you succumb to a cold, and your body responds by heating up to kill the invading virus. This is normal and welcome, but chronic inflammation upsets the balance we strive for to be healthy.

Diet
Diet is one of the first things to consider when battling painful joints due to inflammation. Exercise within reason and spend time in the sunshine if possible.

Recipe for Chronic Inflammation
- poor diet
- lack of adequate sunshine
- lack of adequate exercise
- lack of quality sleep
- environmental toxins
- insufficient pure water - we suggest at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of filtered (chlorine and fluoride-free water) daily
 

These Foods  Cause Inflammation

• Sugar
• High fructose corn syrup
• Artificial sweeteners
• Trans fats (virgin coconut oil is good)
• Vegetable and seed oils (soybean oil is bad- most processed foods have bad oils)
• Fried foods
• Processed/refined foods
• Refined carbohydrates
• Processed meat
• Alcohol
• Smoking is detrimental
   


• These Foods Help Ease Inflammation
• Fruits: cherries, grapes, peaches, pineapple, mangoes, apples, berries, pears, oranges
• Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, kales, spinach, zucchini, squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, watercress, garlic
• Proteins: fatty fish such as salmon, chicken, turkey, eggs, tempeh
• Spices: turmeric, black pepper, ginger, rosemary, basil, oregano, cayenne pepper, dill
• Healthy Fats: coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, grass-fed butter, avocados
• Avocados
• Green Tea
• Mushrooms
• Dark chocolate and cocoa (not the chocolate that is processed and has sugar)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (see research article links below)

Research Articles

Recipe for Preventing Disease and Chronic Inflammation
- diet with real, organically grown foods, plenty of color in vegetables and fruits
- plenty of pure water is very important - we suggest at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of pure (chlorine-free and fluoride-free) water daily
- fermented foods such as apple cider vinegar, veggies, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, yogurt from unpasteurized milk - build immunity and control infections
- saturated fats such as virgin coconut oil, organic butter from grass-fed, unpasturized milk
- Green Pastures Fermented Butter/ Cod Liver Oil (our family likes the Cinnamon Tingle)
- adequate sunlight daily - don't underestimate the value of Vitamin D in regulating immune function
- tart cherries are reported to reduce inflammation 10x that of aspirin
- slightly steamed broccoli is loaded with natural vitamin C and calcium and fights inflammation, especially of the eyes
- soaked walnuts (soak to eliminate the enzyme inhibitor so they are easier to digest and more useful to your body)
- fresh onions and garlic
- ginger and turmeric, both spices and essential oils
- Turmeric Supplement (Curcumin)
- Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Evening Primrose

Water
 Perhaps one of the best things you can do for yourself is drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily. Figure this out and place the correct amount of water in glasses or jars. Adding organic apple cider vinegar and raw honey to the water is desirable (1TB ACV + 1TB raw honey per cup of water). Make sure you drink your 'daily allotment' every day. Many times our body is just dehydrated, and our painful joints are 'screaming' at us to drink!

In The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness, Purchon/Cantele suggest the following "Arthritis" blend:
Arthritis Blend (Master Blend)
10 drops German Chamomile
7 drops Geranium
5 drops Birch
5 drops Rosemary ct verbenone or Plai

• Use as a local application (dilute 12 drops to 4 tsp carrier oil).
• After application, you can "enhance the benefit" by "getting into the shower or bath. This enables the essential oils to be absorbed and work their way into the bloodstream. The heat of the water encourages the essential oil vapors to rise, allowing you to inhale the aromas more easily and thus creating a dual application."
• Hot Compress: In a non-reactive bowl, combine 1/2 cup very hot water with 10 drops of the Arthritis blend. Stir well to disperse the oils. Submerge a cloth just large enough to absorb all the liquid without dripping. Lay the cloth on the affected area and secure by placing a sock or glove over the compress.

Gut Bacteria May Cause Rheumatoid Arthritis by Beth Skwarecki (Science Magazine, Nov 2013)

Protease, serrapeptase and also other digestive enzymes reduce inflammation, purify blood and also help heal the gut. The gut needs healing in any type of autoimmune reaction. The dosage of high protease enzymes is very high (taken on an empty stomach), but it doesn't have to continue too long, so the cost is temporary. Longvida Cucurmin might help with the inflammation. A diet that majors in organic, colorful vegetables is important because joint pain and inflammation are often caused by toxins in the joints, and the pH balance of people with rheumatoid arthritis is usually quite acidic. So anything which strongly reduces acidity would be of help. This is where the enzymes prove important, as they help purify toxins and may help balance pH a bit too. Find Osteoarthritis Relief with Serrapeptase by Robert Redfern

Essential oils work wonderfully for joint pain. Many help reduce inflammation and increase circulation, which may facilitate the body's healing mechanism in some cases.
 

A-fib and Anticoaguant Medication
The two single oils to avoid topically and orally are Peppermint (due to a-fib issues) and Birch (due to anticoagulant issues).

A-fib
Peppermint (all routes)

Anticoagulant Medication
Allspice (orally)
Anise (orally)
Basil (orally)
Birch - all routes
Cassia Bark (orally)
Cinnamon Bark (orally)
Cinnamon Leaf (orally)
Clove Bud (orally)
Fennel (orally)
Fleabane (orally)
Lavandin (orally)
Mountain Savory (orally)
Oregano (orally)
Star Anise (orally)
Thyme Moroccan (orally)
Thyme ct Thymol (orally)

Blends to avoid in this Arthritis section are:
Fire Power
Freedom
Pain-X
Peppermint if you have A-fib issues
Regeneration

Dilution
It’s important to use the right dilution. First, see if the oil/blend has dilution parameters on the detail page in the cream-colored Application Suggestions section for each oil/blend. If there are no limiting parameters, then usually 5-10% is used for pain/inflammation management. Also, consider using Aloe Vera as your carrier for best absorption. (Read this short article for more information about Absorption.)

There are an ‘infinite’ number of oil combinations that one might consider, so the best we can offer is the information we have via research and testimonies. What works best for one person's inflammation may not do much for your inflammation. It’s very individual. When I’m searching for something to help myself or a family member (such as my mother), I pray for the Lord to guide me as I read through the information, as it can feel overwhelming. I keep notes  and star the ones I feel the most about and try to whittle down my list of possibilities. I then dilute a few into spray bottles and label each with cap labels and try them. Ultimately, by sampling a few, we discover what seems to work ‘best.'

Testimonies
1. I had severe joint pain and had trouble dressing myself until I discovered MSM. I drink ½ my body weight in ounces of water daily, add MSM and citrus essential oils as desired (in glass not plastic!). I use PainX as needed, which seems to also have helped reduce the inflammation and allowed my body to heal.

2. I had joint pain in both knees which impaired walking. I used Plai and Lavender and achieved almost instant pain relief.

3. After Linda mixed up this oil, she asked me (I'm Linda's mother) to try it on my frozen finger joint. It'd been frozen for over a year and very painful, especially if I bumped it. I didn't experience uncomfortable heat with Fire Power at all, but I also didn't experience immediate pain relief either. After a couple hours I noticed that the finger moved a bit. It was bedtime, but when I awoke in the night I reapplied Fire Power. By morning I could hardly wait to call Linda. Not only did the finger move, but I also could make a fist, unscrew jar lids and there was NO PAIN! - Joan

4. Although I have arthritis in my hands, I still love to garden. I discovered something I felt I should share about using PainX. I used to use it after I gardened, but I started using it before, and the results are fantastic! The pre-application prevents the pain from ever occurring!

5. I've tried a lot of oils for my joint pain but have found that Vetiver is remarkable for this. I applied on the tender bone and surrounding tissues and felt relief within 5 minutes.

6. I have finally settled on using a blend of Vetiver, Birch and Peppermint to get relief for my arthritic shoulder. I rub it in and do very careful stretching exercises and the pain disappears.

7. I had very stiff and painful joints in my hands but am still very active. I almost resorted to using prescription medication, but then I talked to Linda. She suggested that I try her Fire Power and warned me that it might stain and so on. This blend is amazing! I was able to do heavy landscaping work around our place, and by using Fire Power, my hands didn't get sore a bit. Wow!

8. Oh Bless the Lord!!! Let me tell you our testimony. My husband came home early because of the pain in his back. I have had to dress and undress him for 2 days. I bent down to take his shoe off and he screamed in pain at the way I lifted his leg. About 10 minutes later I applied the Fire Power. I asked him if it burned and he said, "No." I went about doing my things and left him to rest. He came briskly walking in the room just a little over an hour later with a smile on his face and said "It worked!!" We are both thankful and impressed. He still has some pain, but now he can get up and move around.

9. My husband has been fighting tendonitis, so I got him a couple different things from Hopewell, and they have helped him tremendously! He went one day to help unload the semi at our Angelfood distribution, and it was really bothering him so he took some of his migraine strength Advil and it didn't help. So, I sent him home to get the Fire Power oil to try. We had just gotten it the day before so he hadn't had a chance to try it yet when he was in pain. It takes about 7 minutes to get from home to church, and before he got back, the pain was gone.

10. I injured my knee and had a badly inflamed joint. The best combination for me was: Plai combined with equal parts of Black Pepper, Lemon or Neroli, Cedarwood and Orange. I used these combinations diltued with 10% essential oil blend and 90% a carrier oil. This combination reduced the swelling, calmed pain and speeded up the healing process considerably. One application could last about 18 hours!

11. After having my second knee surgery, I applied a combination of Plai, Nutmeg and Lemon in equal amounts diluted 1:9. I put this in a roll-on applicator and applied above and below the surgical area. Tissue inflammation and swelling was significantly lower than on my other knee that had had the same surgery without the use of Plai. I didn't need to take any pain meds since this combination alone controlled the pain.

12. PainX takes away the arthritic pain in my hands almost immediately, but using Regeneration has almost completely healed my hands from having the pain to start with! - A.R.

13. After much trial and error, my husband layers on 3 blends: PainX, Strength, and Regeneration, and this works best for his arthritis. Also, rather than relying on Advil or aspirin, we fill gel caps with organic turmeric-it's a powerful anti-inflammatory! We hike 6 days a week to keep supporting muscles and joints lubricated. Many blessings! - Karen

14. I have arthritis in my knees, they sound like they have sand in them, and with my hip replacement for some reason they bother me, BUT, when I use Strength on my knees, the pain goes away. - Carly

15. I have used Pain X on my arthritic knee. It helped the pain a bit, but not a lot. I briefly tried Arctic Ice, but that did not seem to help much. Most recently I have been using plain Marjoram (with almond oil as the carrier). This has actually helped the most. It takes the pain down to about half of normal, and it feels very comforting - like a warm gentle hug on my knee. That probably sounds strange, but I don't really know how else to describe it. It just gives a comforting feeling. - Joy

16. My mother has psoriatic arthritis and uses Pain Arrest, the DermaSoothe and Nerve Pain. - Stacy

17. We've seen good results with Hopewell's Regeneration and Strength. At first, I liked Regeneration better; now I like Strength better. My husband also takes Hi-Active Tart Cherry capsules. - Theresa

18. I mixed 10-12 drops of each of Regeneration and Strength blends with almond oil in a roller bottle and use it for pain anywhere needed (usually requires two applications about 30 minutes apart), and almost without fail, my pain is gone. My 86-year-old mother has hip/thigh/knee pain that makes walking difficult. I applied this to all of those areas, and her pain was gone! She uses it daily now. I gave it to a co-worker for her knee and shoulder pain, and within an hour she was pain free. We use it for arthritic and muscle pain, plantar fascitis - you name it, it works. We love this stuff and I share it with everyone I know that has pain issues. - Kelley 

19. I mixed equal amounts (3 drops each) of Solace and Valerian in my diffuser. I've been diagnosed with degenerative joint disease (DJD, that is, osteo arthritis.) Normally, I can't even sit up at 11 pm. With fibromyalgia, I've found it useful to use essential oils that calm the central nervous system (CNS.) May the good Lord guide you to the oils that work best for you. I'm praying for you if you're reading this! - Becca

20. My chiropractor was pleased with the increased range of motion in my neck. He said to keep on doing what I was doing, so I ordered some more Regeneration. God has used it to improve my neck and the pain has greatly decreased. - Lucinda

21. I had a very painful, stiff neck that had worsened over the years. When the chiropractor showed me the x-ray, he said he’d never seen a neck that bad (degenerated) on someone my age (46). He said he’d expect a neck like that on a ninety-year-old woman. His treatments did not help, and it was just too risky/painful for manipulation. A good friend suggested that I try Peppermint essential oil. She purchased some for me from a respectable company so I'd be assured that it was a very high-quality oil. I used it liberally, and it did bring relief, but I figured that it was just masking the pain. The chiropractor had not offered hope that I’d ever see much improvement, so I didn’t expect what happened. As the weeks of using Peppermint went by, I used it less and less. After six weeks, I realized that I hardly even thought to apply it. The pain had stopped triggering me to put it on. I had almost full range of movement back and virtually no pain after two months of use. My feeling is that the Peppermint helped reduce inflammation, brought circulation and facilitated my body's ability to heal. – Linda

22. I have had steroid shots on the base of both thumbs to get relief from arthritis and sharp pain since 2013. In December I started using Pain-X and Regeneration at 6% in 10mL roll-on applicator (9 drops each top off with Hemp oil). I apply it 3-4 times daily. The pain is under control and I have not had a shot since July of last year!!! - Joselyn

23. Helichrysum is my miracle oil. I developed tendonitis in an elbow from overworking in the gym. I began using Helichrysum and immediately it began working. My tendonitis was healed almost in no time. I then made roller bottles for 2 friends at the gym with the same injury, and both came in the very next day and told me their elbows did not hurt anymore. They were amazed! I also used it for a strained shoulder and again amazing results. Currently, I am using it as well as Pain-X for a painful pulled oblique muscle, and it is healing beautifully. I will never be without Helichrysum. I enjoy gifting roller bottles to my friends for their injuries. - Kathy

24. I mixed a roller bottle of Regeneration for my husband for a knee injury. He was determined to avoid surgery and he did. His knee has been painful for quite some time and after using Regeneration regularly, he has no more problems with it. - Kathy

25. My husband has begun having pain in both thumbs, even waking up in the morning still hurting and not relieved through resting them during sleep. He doesn't tend to complain until things get bad. I made a blend of 2 drops Strength, 3 drops Pain Repair, 3 drops Regeneration, 3 drops Emu oil and 1 drop Peppermint. I used this blend at 25% in a roll-on applicator and sent it with him. A few days later, he brought the empty bottle in the house and wanted more. That was a big compliment coming from him, as he’s been an essential oil skeptic until now. - Rhonda

Reference
Purchon, Nerys; Cantele, Lora, Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness, 2014, page 161.
Worwood, Valerie Ann, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, New World Library, 2016, page 283.