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If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you might need to reduce inflammation your body to either prevent carpal tunnel syndrome or at least subdue the symptoms. If you have inflammation, this can cause even greater swelling of the ligaments and joints so the pressure is put on the median nerve, which can cause CTS symptoms to flare up. How can you reduce your information?

Most anti-inflammation treatments for CTS begin with anti-inflammatory pain killing drugs like aspirin or Ibuprofen. Some people recommend staying away from aspirin because it thins the blood, and in the case of carpal tunnel syndrome that can just make symptoms worse. The drugs in question are just over the counter ones, though, so you shouldn’t need to worry about getting any prescriptions. Always take the drugs with water, to help the body fully absorb the active ingredients within them. Most of the drugs you’ll find have instructions that they’re to be taken ever four to six hours; you should not take then any more than that, either in frequency or amount. (The usual capsules are 200 to 400 mg; you don’t want to take any more than 1200 mg per day). Keep in mind that all of these pain killers could possibly cause stomach bleeding, not just aspirin.

You’ll have to help the effectiveness of the medications by limiting the use of your inflamed wrist and hand for up to two weeks. After that period, you can try to use it more normally and see if any difference was made. (During that period you should wear a wrist brace at night.) If little progress has been made by then, you need to see your doctor. He could prescribe a special anti-inflammation drug in the corticosteroids group of medications. These are more powerful drugs of the kind you’ve been taking, but they contain steroids and might have side effects.

Other anti-inflammatory pursuits to follow include changing your diet such that you include more omega-3 fatty acids, found in cold-water fish, flax seeds or pumpkin seeds, as well as in smaller amounts in walnuts or canola oil. Olive oil, too, can also help reduce inflammation, even though it’s not an omega-3 fatty acid. Reduce or even eliminate your consumption of red meat, and make sure the cuts you do eat are very, very lean if you must have red meat. Reduce consumption of dairy products and replace some of it with soy products, which also have anti-inflammatory properties. Focus on eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially green, leafy vegetables. Fresh or frozen berries, too, are good choices to include in your diet as long as they’re not overly processed and don’t contain high amounts of sugar. Ideally, you want to eat unadulterated foods as close to their natural state as possible. For the time being, eliminate as many refined starches as you can, including potatoes and corn, and focus on whole grains only.

You might think this is a lot to do to treat carpal tunnel syndrome, although you may not think that after you’ve had some relief. Instead of using a lot of anti-inflammatory drugs (except perhaps for at first, when you are first embarking on this program and need immediate relief), try natural approaches like the one described above. In addition, special exercises geared to reducing or eliminating CTS symptoms can also be used.

Tom Nicholson has made available to the public his unique carpal tunnel exercises that can ease pain and discomfort for any carpal tunnel sufferer. Discover a way to help yourself without resorting to surgery. Follow this link to reduce your suffering and improve your quality of life by doing a series of simple carpal tunnel exercises.