If you're like most people suffering from knee osteoarthritis, you likely regularly experience symptoms such as swelling, stiffness, and pain throughout the day. While there is no cure for this degenerative disease, there are a few things you can do to help combat the pain and suffering that accompanies knee osteoarthritis. In addition to taking advantage of effective medications your doctor may prescribe for you, consider implementing the following methods and techniques into your life:

Make Use of Glucosamine Supplements

Glucosamine is naturally produced in the body to help maintain and repair cartlidge. It also lubricates joints and enables cartilage to retain water and support healthy form. Your body may not be producing enough glucosamine to provide pain relief benefits without supplementing. With the help of glucosamine supplements, you may be able to reduce inflammation, pain, and the breakdown of cartilage as time goes on. Supplementing glucosamine may even help slow joint damage. Glucosamine supplements come in liquid, pill, and powder form, which should make it easy for you to incorporate into your daily life. To optimize your results, take a glucosamine supplement every day just as you would a multivitamin.

Make Some Changes to Your Diet

Some foods can actually help relieve the pain and inflammation that knee osteoarthritis tends to produce. Consider making some changes to your diet and making plenty of room for things like:

• Bananas – the potassium and magnesium found in these dense fruits help increase bone density.

• Blueberries – they're full of antioxidants that will help rid your body of free radicals and inflammation.

• Tofu – soy protein has been shown to reduce swelling and pain in the knees.

• Green Tea – this herbal brew is packed with anti-inflammatory properties and may help minimize cartilage break down.

• Pineapple – thanks to an enzyme called bromelain that's found in pineapples, this tropical treat works to reduce inflammation and swelling when enjoyed.

Try to work as many of these foods into your week as possible, along with lots of other fresh foods including greens. Start your day with banana and blueberry based smoothies, add pineapple and tofu to your weekly stir-fries, and enjoy a cup or two of green tea each evening. Including a salad with your lunch and dinner meals whenever possible is a great way to increase your mineral intake, which will help support healthy bones and cartilage.

Commit to Meditating Regularly

Believe it or not, mantra meditation has been linked to a reduction in knee pain and dysfunction in those who have knee osteoarthritis. Meditating on a regular basis can help improve our overall mood as well, which should make the pain of your arthritis easy to deal with. Mantra meditation consists of a mixture of chanting, whether silently or out-loud, and focused thought while in a comfortable, seated position.

You can adopt one of the many mantras already being used by those who practice meditation or create your own that is uniquely geared to the specific healing and health improvements that you are working toward. It's a good idea to start by attending a few group sessions in person or using online videos as a guide. Once you get the hang of the practice, you should be able to implement a mantra meditation session on your own whether you have two spare minutes or an entire hour to kill while spending time at home.

Try implementing these methods into your life on a regular basis for a least a month to gauge how well each works for you. It may be necessary to make a few adjustments along the way, such as the number of times each week you need to meditate or the amount of glucosamine you take on a daily basis, so be patient and stay committed throughout the process. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor or a clinic like dtchealth for advice if you're unsure of any process.