Cherry Juice Eases Foot Pain

Q. I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis by one of the best foot doctors in my city. I was given pain medicines, many anti-inflammatory drugs and foot splints with no success. As a last resort, he recommended steroid injections for the intense pain.

A friend suggested I try cherry juice. In two days, I was nearly pain free. It was almost a religious experience. I am convinced this works, and I have since drunk more cherry juice when pain flared up a few weeks later. Once again I got great relief.

A. A number of studies in rats treated to develop arthritis have shown that cherry extract can reduce paw swelling and pain behaviors. The red compounds, anthocyanins, appear to have anti-inflammatory effects. We don’t know why cherry juice would have worked when anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin did not, but we’re glad to hear of it.