Are you one of the millions of people that suffer from joint pain? Chances are you do. A nationwide study indicated 33 percent of the population have suffered from joint pain in the past 30 days. Joints are the location of the body where bones meet. Movement of the body applies pressure to these joints, producing swelling and inflammation, often leading to discomfort or pain. As the body ages this pain often increases.
For thousands of years, the Aboriginal peoples of Australia have used emu oil as a remedy for joint pain. Fresh emu skin was applied to the affected area, and the heat from the sun would liquefy the emu oil. Well… this method is a little drastic, but fortunately modern technology affords us an easier method of delivery.
According to Snowden and Whitehouse’s 1997 study on the anti-inflammatory activity of emu oil in rats, topical application of emu oil was as effective as orally administered ibuprofen. Dr. Robert Nicolosi, Director of the Center for Health and Disease Research at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell also conducted anti-inflammatory testing with emu oil on mice. This study concluded the degree of inflammation was significantly reduced between 42% and 71% in the emu oil treated mice. Not only did emu oil work to reduce inflammation, but it was more effective than fish oil, a known anti-inflammatory agent.
Ok, great. Emu oil has been proven to help inflammation in rats and mice. How does it affect inflammation in humans?
Matt Leeward is a 50 something extreme kayaker, surfer, boat builder and all around exemplary fitness specimen. Despite Matt’s healthy, active lifestyle, joint pain is a daily occurrence. Matt had this to say about emu oil:
“I was introduced to e3 Naturals Comfort Plus cream and Pure Emu Oil to deal with joint inflammation and sciatica. Speaking from my personal experience only, Comfort Plus penetrates the skin well and provides a short lasting pain relief with a slight tingling of the skin. The real effect happens later, after several applications when inflammation is clearly suppressed, allowing a deeper healing to take place. The light camphor scent evaporates within a few minutes. The non-scented Pure Emu Oil knocks inflammation down. It takes a little while to show effects, when it does, it really shows.
I would recommend both products for use as an inflammation remedy and for blunt trauma, such as sports injuries, bruises. For short term relief I use Comfort Plus, for long term I use Pure Emu Oil.”
Dan Campbell has worked in the forest industry for over 40 years. Falling trees on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island is an extremely physically demanding job. Dan uses Pure Emu Oil on his hands daily to mitigate the inflammation caused by unrelenting vibration from his chainsaw. He also uses it to help with knee and leg pain. Dan says:
“Emu Oil helps me survive. I experience severe cramping in my wrists and knees as a result of my job. Daily application of emu oil helps loosen up the joints and increases my mobility, also providing me with vital pain relief.”