The best juice for pain relief, better sleep and sharper thinking

Besides a juicy peach, nothing says summer to me like a handful of dark, sweet cherries. You just can’t get them any other time of year… at least, not as good as they are in the summer months. But the cherries I’m going to tell you about are bright red, not dark purple. And they’re anything but sweet. In fact, unless you really enjoy puckering up, you won’t want to eat them fresh, but dried. Or even better and more convenient, you should drink them. Insomniacs, athletes and gout sufferers already know about the power of tart cherry juice to bring sleep, relieve cramping and reduce pain. Now, research has shown that it may also sharpen specific cognitive skills that can make our day-to-day lives more productive and satisfying. Tart cherry juice and the pain of arthritis Research has shown that tart cherries, also known as sour, dwarf or Montmorency cherries, can make our lives better. After all, better sleep and less pain are two things that instantly improve our quality of life. In one study, patients with osteoarthritis of the knee drank two 8-ounce bottles of tart cherry juice daily. Scores on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) improved significantly for those drinking cherry juice, but not for those taking the placebo. The WOMAC is a widely used questionnaire used to evaluate the pain and stiffness of patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis. Tart cherry juice is also well known as a home remedy for gout , an extremely painful form of arthritis for which traditional medicine has no cure. Specifically, it’s been found to reduce the uric acid buildup that’s the main cause of gout. Nature’s best sleeping pill Insomnia isn’t something to take lightly. Poor sleep, and not enough of it, affects every […]

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