A recent article in the Daily Mail contained some useful self-help tips for arthritis sufferers, which I decided to add to the Home Treatment Series, as over nine million people suffer from this disease in the UK.

Arthritis is now the most common long-term health condition, affecting one in five adults. It is thought to cost the NHS and social services about £5.5 billion a year, and one in four visits to GPs is said to be linked to the condition. Excess weight gain; overuse of joints; injuries; infections; female hormones; stress; diet and smoking may all contribute to arthritis problems.

Symptoms of arthritis include pain, stiffness and limited movement. Here are some ways you can control and help keep arthritis at bay, using a lot of foods that you would already find in your kitchen cupboard (maybe not nettle tea though!).

• Olive Oil:  Believed to reduce joint inflammation, particularly if you cook your vegetables in olive oil.
• Nettle Tea: A traditional treatment that has been used for hundreds of years. The leaves contain natural painkillers and have anti-inflammatory properties. Nettle teabags are available in health-food stores. 
• Basil:  Thought to have anti-inflammatory properties similar to those of aspirin. Try adding torn basil leaves to pastas and salads.
• Iron: It is vital to maintain sufficiently high levels of iron in the body as anaemia can be a symptom of arthritis. Rich sources of iron include salmon, sardines, tuna, eggs, liver, meat, poultry, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and dried fruits such as prunes and apricots.

There are also some recommended activities that can help ease your arthritis symptoms, again activities that can easily be carried out at home.

• Bathe in magnesium-rich salts: Eases aching muscles and joints. Researchers at the University of Birmingham found that the greater your deficiency, the more magnesium your body will absorb.
• Get Weeding:  Performing light gardening tasks can improve your strength and agility without putting too much strain on your joints, and it will make your garden look lovely for the summer too! But limit yourself to 30-minute sessions and vary tasks so as not to put unnecessary strain on your muscles.
• Maintain muscle strength: When joints are painful, the natural response is to tense the muscles, leading to greater pain. Breathing techniques, meditation and yoga all enhance muscle strength and force them to relax.
• Protect your joints: Avoid gripping objects too tightly – use padding on items such as pens, toothbrushes and knives to help relieve the strain on the thumb, finger joints and knuckles. Avoid positions that put a strain on one particular joint. For example, stand squarely to ensure your weight is supported equally by both knees.

Obviously a lot of these recommendations will apply when you are on holiday as well as at home. But here is further specific information on travelling with arthritis which might be helpful for you too.