When you are dealing with an arthritic inflammation, it’s important that you remember to take your vitamins. In fact, if you can get the proper amount of vitamins, you should be able to get through the worse episodes of your arthritis.

However, just like everything else in life, not all vitamins have been created equal when it comes to helping you recover and take some preventative measures. If you are serious about trying to reduce the symptoms of your arthritis, take the time to check for a few of these at your local pharmacy and try to get a little bit into your daily diet:

Glucosamine is a sugar that occurs in your body naturally, and a month’s supply of supplements can be gotten relatively cheaply when you hit up your favorite pharmacy. One of its primary purposes is to protect and encourage the production of cartilage, which will reduce the pain that comes from your bones rubbing together at the joint. In fact, it is one of the injections that you are likely to get if you were diagnosed with osteoarthritis.

For the best result, look for glucosamine sulfate instead of glucosamine hydrochloride. The sulfate will also help increase production of your cartilage, and that will be your best friend if you are the damage was already done. While some people might find it a little difficult to enjoy some of the food that you can find glucosamine in, others might find them palatable. It can be found in crustaceans, such as crab and lobster, and in chicken feet and pork tails. If none of these are that appealing, you can certainly benefit from the supplements. You can also find glucosamine in some arthritic creams, making it easy for your skin to absorb when you need it.

Chondroitin is another good choice. If you are looking for a natural chemical to help out your cartilage production. Much like glucosamine, chondroitin is a popular choice for helping with the repair the damage associated with osteoarthritis. You can also find it in your favorite pharmacy, and you can find it in a lot of the same foods that you would be able to find glucosamine in.

If you are interested in chondroitin, you might find it worth your time to know that it is typically used in conjunction with glucosamine, and the studies on its effectiveness on its own are varied. While some studies concluded that there are plenty of benefits to chondroitin sulfate supplements, others have reported that if there are any benefits, they are not as pronounced as glucosamine’s known benefits. It’s also recommended that a woman who is pregnant or nursing not take the chondroitin supplements.

A doctor, especially one that is experienced with osteoarthritis, should be far more up to date on the research with chondroitin and will be able to offer you more details as they come out. Their guidance should be enough to let you make an informed decision on if chondroitin is right for you.

Omega-3, along with the other omegas, are fatty acids that help with a lot more than just your pain. While it won’t do the same as the previous two for rebuilding your cartilage, you will find a lot of your symptoms will be alleviated by taking the omegas. You can find Omega-3 isolated, or you can reap the benefits of the other omegas as well by purchasing fish oil capsules. Naturally, if you are looking to get it without any other supplements, you are going to be looking as your game fish, such as salmon and tuna.

It has been discovered that taking a small dosage of fish oil daily has generally reduced activity in rheumatoid arthritis, which is great news, especially as omega-3 has been compared to NSAIDs in its pain relief. Along with that, it has been discovered that omega-3 can help you out with ADHD, anxiety, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease. Given the recent links that have connected arthritis and heart disease (and the fact that anxiety tends to magnify pain), this could act as a barrier to help you in the long run while still giving you a bit of relief. It should be worth a try.