In the United States arthritis is the leading cause of disability. It occurs in people of all ages and sexes, however it is more common in women. More than 50 million American adults and 300,000 children suffer from joint pain caused by arthritis. There are over one hundred different types of arthritis. Degenerative arthritis is the most common, followed by inflammatory arthritis.

The most painful arthritis is inflammatory arthritis, which is not related to aging. It is an autoimmune disease, the body mistakenly attacks itself. The cause of this disease is unknown, there is some debate on how to treat it. That includes gin-soaked raisins or an autoimmune paleo diet.

With inflammatory arthritis pain and inflammation come and go, most times without warning. That makes it difficult for the afflicted person to live a normal life. No known cure is known for inflammatory arthritis. Conventional treatment is patient education, rest, exercise, joint protection and medications.

Recently there has been a push towards alternative and folk remedies. Some of the alternative medicine treatments include, magnetic therapy, acupuncture, ginger, Epsom salt, turmeric, and dandelion leaves. I myself have used turmeric, ginger, and the topic of todays discussion, Gin-soaked raisins.

I was at a friends home a few years ago, and the topic of arthritis and pain came up. One of the guest there started talking about Gin-soaked raisins. I waited a couple of weeks and decided to try it, after all it was a frigid winter. Needless to say I have been using it since then.

Using Gin-soaked raisins for pain caused by inflammation has been around for quite sometime. Juniper berries( used to make gin) and raisins have a long history of health benefits. Paul Harvey, the late radio show host popularized it on his show.

How do you make this concoction? Its very simple, put golden raisins in a shallow bowl and pour just enough gin to cover the top of them. Please note, (Golden raisins). When the gin is evaporated totally, usually about a week, place the raisins in a glass jar with a lid. Eat 10 soaked raisins a day for pain relief.

Gin is flavored with juniper berries, which are rich in vitamin C, catechins, alpha-terpineol, alpha-pinene, betulin caryophyllene, limonene, menthol, rutin and delta-3-carene. You may not be able to pronounce these compounds but they all have anti-inflammatory properties. Juniper berries were used by the Greeks and Romans for medicine. They contain antioxidants and antibacterial properties.

Golden raisins or sultana raisins, are made from sultana grapes, from Turkey. They are loaded with antioxidants, like resveratrol and vitamin C, raisins also contain known pain relievers ferulic acid, gentisic acid, and salicylic acid.

Golden raisins are treated with sulfur dioxide to slow down the browning process. After that they are either oven-dried of flame-dried. Sulfides left on the grapes provide anti-inflammatory benefits.

The big question, will I get drunk? Although these raisins are called, drunken raisins, you are not likely to get drunk from the small amount of alcohol absorbed by them. It is not well known but gin was originally used as an herbal medicine and not as an alcoholic drink. Even now, gin is used to extract active ingredients from, leaves, roots, barks, and other herbs.

Whether or not drunken raisins become the next big alternative treatment for pain, is yet to be seen. I for one will continue to use it for inflammatory pain. It works for me!