Natural Arthritis Remedies - Spirulina

Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is found in both sea and fresh water. It is considered a whole food and comes in powder, capsule and tablet form. It contains a high amount of protein (even higher than legumes), essential fatty acids, Vitamins B₁, B₂, B₃, B₆, Folic Acid, C, D, A and E. It contains Potassium, calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, sodium and zinc.

And, if that isn't enough good news, it also helps with joint pain and arthritis. Of course, through other studies it has also shown to help protect against hay fever, correct anemia, lower cholesterol, lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, increase energy and is an antioxidant.

It's pretty amazing and it's not certified or controlled by the FDA.

I don't sell Spirulina and actually only know one place that does locally. So, I'm not writing about this as an advertisement.

I have been taking spirulina for about 3 years now, off an on. I started taking it as an energy booster. I replaced drinking coffee with taking spirulina capsules. It gave me more energy than caffeine found in coffee.

I hadn't noticed at the time, but my aches and pains in my knee had ceased to exist. I used to have arthritic pain in my knee caused by a car accident several years ago. In the accident, I broke my patella and it caused some pain from time to time (mainly I could forecast the weather by feeling pain in my kneecap and let people know when it would rain).

I noticed that Spirulina worked as an anti-inflammatory the day i ran out. I started feeling pain in my knee and was kind of sluggish. I didn't take it for a few weeks until I could get to the store that sold it. Once I started taking it again, my pain stopped the second day I was on it. My energy increased within 2 hours of taking it.

Since then, I've asked other friends who take spirulina as a supplement how it works for them. There are many stories of people taking it for arthritis, anemia, sports injuries that cause swelling, people taking it as an immune booster, eating it as a source of vitamins, using it instead of caffeine and several friends taking it to help prevent high blood pressure and heart disease.

It is not the easiest supplement to take because the quantity depends on your body weight. With capsules, you take 1 capsule per 10 kilos of body weight. That's an average of anywhere from 5-10 capsules for an average adult. That's a lot of capsules to take every day. I justify it by thinking, I'd rather ingest spirulina than pain medication. And, I don't have to go to a doctor to get a prescription nor do I have to wait at a pharmacy to take the prescription of some medicine that probably has side effects.

Spirulina tablets are also available, I've been told they aren't as good as the capsules because they require some type of gelatin to compress them into their shape. Whereas, the capsules are raw, powdered Spirulina. There is also powder spirulina that you can sprinkle in salads or make smoothies out of...this may turn your teeth and tongue green...which could be fun?

That said, I would recommend that you do some independent research on Spirulina and speak with your doctor if you are already on other medication. Some people may not be able to ingest iron or potassium in combination with medication they are on. Check it out first - afterall, I'm just somebody you don't know telling you their own story.

And, if you really love the idea of spirulina - whether you are taking it now, or will be, check out this page of recipes and if you like a Raw Food Diet, there are recipes here for that.

Good luck and Feel Great!