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CROWDSOURCING PROJECTS

Do you have a project that needs completing but can't find any help for it? Crowdsourcing could be just the answer you have been looking for. The term crowdsourcing has been around since 2006 and it is now becoming more popular than ever before.

In fact many large companies are using crowdsourcing for their own projects.

Here's an example:

How often do you visit the website Wikipedia? This site is an open website where anyone can write and publish to. This is actually an ongoing crowdsourcing project.

Crowdsourcing can work in different ways. You can use it to find help or ask for advice and opinions on your projects. Plus it can also be used for fund raising campaigns for all types of projects, not just for non-profit.

When it comes to completing a project you can use crowdsourcing to get feedback. Or you could use it to find people who are willing to help you work on the project. There are plenty of students and professors looking for this type of work.

When running a project in this way, the participants are not always looking for or expecting any type of reward. They chose to work on this project purely out of interest. Of course, it doesn't hurt to offer some kind of compensation at the end. If your project really took off you might want to offer a cash reward.

Some large companies actually offer internships as compensation.

You may notice that certain companies are now running competitions. These are normally to help come up with new flavors or lines of products. Or they may ask their customers to select their best choice out of several new projects. This is all done via crowdsourcing.

As you can see the concept of crowdsourcing is to get a large group of people working for you. This may be by selecting new products, coming up with ideas or even getting help on a task or project.

McDonalds ran a really successful crowdsourcing project to help celebrate their 40th year in business in Germany. They asked people to create their own burger using an online burger simulator. Participants then had to promote their creation and those that had the highest votes became part of an actual trial.

The results they achieved were staggering.

7 million page impressions

45,000 burger creations in just 7 days

12,000 people ended up creating their own marketing campaigns

1.5 million people took the time to vote

Apparently this campaign is one of McDonald's most successful ever. Are you ready to try out crowdsourcing soon?

CROWD SOURCING CASE STUDIES

You have probably heard lots about crowdsourcing but are unsure of how this concept actually works, and what type of results you can expect. What better way to show you this than by covering a few case studies.

Ben & Jerry's

In 2010 Ben & Jerry's decided to launch their "Do the World a Flavor" competition. All fans had to do was to invent a new variety of ice cream. They had to create this online via a "Creation Station".

The goal of the competition was to raise awareness for fair trade ingredients. They ended up with approximately 10,000 new flavors being suggested.

All the finalists got to go on a trip to the Dominican Republic to visit a fair trade cocoa farm. The winning flavor was produced as an official ice cream.

So why did Ben & Jerry's go this route? Well first they wanted to enhance their fans creativity, and just see what regular ice cream lovers would choose as new flavors. Plus it was just a fun thing for customers to participate in.

Ben & Jerry's viewed this competition as a huge success. They loved seeing how many fans took the time and effort to come up with new flavors and names for ice cream. What better way to get your market working with you?

Coca-Cola

Recently Coca-Cola decided to get their fans to help them vote on a new flavor of their VitaminWater brand. They set up a "flavor creator lab" on their Facebook page and asked fans to create a brand new type of drink.

This creation process included voting for flavors, playing games as well as deciding what benefits this new flavor should offer. Fans were also allowed to provide input on the design too.

Over 40,000 Facebook users took the time to create an entry. It took Coca-Cola three months to go through the process and gave consumers the chance to really communicate their ideas to the company.

A big step in using crowdsourcing was that they noticed more interaction from fans the moment they created a Facebook page for this brand. In essence, the latest flavor named "Connect" was created by the fans of Coca-Cola for their fans.

Hopefully these two case studies can help you understand the concept and processes of crowdsourcing in a little more detail. Even if you have a small fan base there is no reason why you can't interact with them in some way for your business.

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POPULAR CLOUD STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Storing your files and photos in the 'cloud' is becoming really popular. Cloud storage allows you to save backups of all your important documents as well as freeing up space on your hard drive. Another benefit of using a cloud storage solution is that you can access your files from any location. Let's take a quick look at some of the most popular cloud storage solutions.

Dropbox - this is probably the most popular cloud storage system today. They offer free accounts with limited storage but you can increase your limit by simply referring your friends to this service. There is also a paid upgrade version if you need more storage.

Google Drive - this cloud storage system provides users with 15 GB of storage when you link it to your Google Account. It's a great way to save your documents and photos to the cloud. Plus you can share and edit content with others directly from inside your account. A good solution for team members working on a project together. Updates and edits are saved easily so there is no need to worry about whether or not you have the latest version of a document.

One Drive or Sky Drive is from Microsoft and it integrates with Office 2013. If you run Windows 8.1 you have cloud storage automatically installed on your system. This allows you to save your important documents in the cloud for extra protection.

Box dot com has been around longer than Dropbox but is not as well known with small business owners. They have always focused more on larger corporations but are now targeting the other end of the spectrum. It is easy to use and can be synched to your computer so all your documents are always up to date.

Icloud is for users of Apple devices. Currently it doesn't offer any drag and drop functionality as the other cloud storage options do. It does integrate with Apple's iWork Office Suite as well as iPad and iPhone apps.

Just Cloud is another storage option but this is a paid site. The advantage of using this is that you can schedule backups for your computer as well. This might be a good choice for small business owners who are looking for an easy way to back up all of their files on a regular basis.

All of the above cloud storage solutions provide you with an easy way to store and protect your documents. Perfect for business and personal use alike.

GETTING STARTED WITH DROPBOX

Dropbox just has to be the most popular cloud storage service currently out there. They offer you free online storage for your data with additional space available as a paid option. Another option to receive additional storage space is to share your Dropbox link with your friends. When they sign up for an account you receive extra storage space!

Getting started with Dropbox is easy you sign up for an account and then download the Dropbox software to your computer and to your mobile devices. Then each time you save an item into your Dropbox folder it will automatically update and sync it across all of your devices.

The file sharing feature that Dropbox offers is another huge attraction for users. To share one of your files you simply right click on that particular file and an the email address of the person you want to share it with.

As soon as you enter the email address Dropbox sends them an invitation and lets them know you want to share a file with them. This is a great way to share files with another co-worker or with your virtual assistant. In addition if your VA is working on a document the updated version will always be available to you in Dropbox immediately.

You can also share files publicly. This is a good way to deliver content to various people such as email subscribers or for delivering your eBooks and reports to your customers.

As well as using Dropbox for business purposes you can also use if for personal purposes. Dropbox is the perfect solution for storing and sharing your photos, your own documents, as well as sharing your videos. Many people use this cloud storage system for backing up their data. For example you may have photos of your children or of a beloved pet that you don't want to lose. Simply save a copy of it to your Dropbox folder.

A new development with Dropbox is that they have recently merged the business and the home version of their software. This means that you don't have to run two different accounts. You can now login in and access either account.

Dropbox has more updates and improvements in the works and it will be interesting to see what they have to offer their customers. If you are looking for a cloud storage option and haven't tried Dropbox why not take them for a test drive today?

AMAZON S3 FOR CLOUD STORAGE

One of the biggest issues with Amazon S3 is that it can be very intimidating and turns people away from using it. Amazon has put time and effort into making their S3 platform more user friendly. So isn't it about time that you took another look at using this service for storing your data?

Online storage is increasing in popularity and users are looking for affordable and easy to use solutions. Amazon S3 allows you to store your photos, videos, music and documents on their servers.

Once you have set up your account you can create buckets which is where you store your data. This also helps protect your data by making it much harder for anyone to find.

The advantage of using Amazon S3 is that you can count on their reputation to ensure that your files will be secure. In addition you only have to pay for the space that you actually use. Your payment will vary each month depending upon how much data you upload or download from your account. So you technically have unlimited storage capabilities.

The use of buckets is especially helpful for business owners, as it helps them to track what visitors to their sites are doing. They can see which products are being downloaded the most for example. As well using buckets helps you to keep your files organized.

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POPULAR CLOUD STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Storing your files and photos in the 'cloud' is becoming really popular. Cloud storage allows you to save backups of all your important documents as well as freeing up space on your hard drive. Another benefit of using a cloud storage solution is that you can access your files from any location. Let's take a quick look at some of the most popular cloud storage solutions.

Dropbox - this is probably the most popular cloud storage system today. They offer free accounts with limited storage but you can increase your limit by simply referring your friends to this service. There is also a paid upgrade version if you need more storage.

Google Drive - this cloud storage system provides users with 15GB of storage when you link it to your Google Account. It's a great way to save your documents and photos to the cloud. Plus you can share and edit content with others directly from inside your account. A good solution for team members working on a project together. Updates and edits are saved easily so there is no need to worry about whether or not you have the latest version of a document.

One Drive or Sky Drive is from Microsoft and it integrates with Office 2013. If you run Windows 8.1 you have cloud storage automatically installed on your system. This allows you to save your important documents in the cloud for extra protection.

Box dot com has been around longer than Dropbox but is not as well known with small business owners. They have always focused more on larger corporations but are now targeting the other end of the spectrum. It is easy to use and can be synched to your computer so all your documents are always up to date.

Icloud is for users of Apple devices. Currently it doesn't offer any drag and drop functionality as the other cloud storage options do. It does integrate with Apple's iWork Office Suite as well as iPad and iPhone apps.

Just Cloud is another storage option but this is a paid site. The advantage of using this is that you can schedule backups for your computer as well. This might be a good choice for small business owners who are looking for an easy way to back up all of their files on a regular basis.

All of the above cloud storage solutions provide you with an easy way to store and protect your documents. Perfect for business and personal use alike.

GETTING STARTED WITH DROPBOX

Dropbox just has to be the most popular cloud storage service currently out there. They offer you free online storage for your data with additional space available as a paid option. Another option to receive additional storage space is to share your Dropbox link with your friends. When they sign up for an account you receive extra storage space!

Getting started with Dropbox is easy you sign up for an account and then download the Dropbox software to your computer and to your mobile devices. Then each time you save an item into your Dropbox folder it will automatically update and sync it across all of your devices.

The file sharing feature that Dropbox offers is another huge attraction for users. To share one of your files you simply right click on that particular file and an the email address of the person you want to share it with.

As soon as you enter the email address Dropbox sends them an invitation and lets them know you want to share a file with them. This is a great way to share files with another co-worker or with your virtual assistant. In addition if your VA is working on a document the updated version will always be available to you in Dropbox immediately.

You can also share files publicly. This is a good way to deliver content to various people such as email subscribers or for delivering your eBooks and reports to your customers.

As well as using Dropbox for business purposes you can also use if for personal purposes. Dropbox is the perfect solution for storing and sharing your photos, your own documents, as well as sharing your videos. Many people use this cloud storage system for backing up their data. For example you may have photos of your children or of a beloved pet that you don't want to lose. Simply save a copy of it to your Dropbox folder.

A new development with Dropbox is that they have recently merged the business and the home version of their software. This means that you don't have to run two different accounts. You can now login in and access either account.

Dropbox has more updates and improvements in the works and it will be interesting to see what they have to offer their customers. If you are looking for a cloud storage option and haven't tried Dropbox why not take them for a test drive today?

AMAZON S3 FOR CLOUD STORAGE

One of the biggest issues with Amazon S3 is that it can be very intimidating and turns people away from using it. Amazon has put time and effort into making their S3 platform more user friendly. So isn't it about time that you took another look at using this service for storing your data?

Online storage is increasing in popularity and users are looking for affordable and easy to use solutions. Amazon S3 allows you to store your photos, videos, music and documents on their servers.

Once you have set up your account you can create buckets which is where you store your data. This also helps protect your data by making it much harder for anyone to find.

The advantage of using Amazon S3 is that you can count on their reputation to ensure that your files will be secure. In addition you only have to pay for the space that you actually use. Your payment will vary each month depending upon how much data you upload or download from your account. So you technically have unlimited storage capabilities.

The use of buckets is especially helpful for business owners, as it helps them to track what visitors to their sites are doing. They can see which products are being downloaded the most for example. As well using buckets helps you to keep your files organized.

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TIPS FOR USING EVERNOTE AT HOME

If you use Evernote for your business have you thought about using it to keep your home life organized? Evernote is the perfect software for doing just this, let's look at how you can use Evernote at home.

Use the Evernote Web Clipper to snap articles and posts and save them in Evernote. Evernote allows you to add tags so you can add tags such as Read Later, Important Info etc to everything you save. Once you have read them you can remove this tag or file them as Read.

Save your families important information in Evernote. Keep a list of each family member's medical information along with a list of allergies or current medications. Plus keep the names of your doctor/dentist/therapist etc as well. If an emergency arises you have access to all of this important information at the tip of your fingers.

How about keeping a record of your license plates? You can even add a photo of each vehicle. How many times have you needed this info and couldn't remember your plate details?

Did you know you can subscribe to your important newsletters via Evernote? Just use your Evernote email address, this helps keep your personal newsletters separate from your business ones. On the same note if you receive an important business email save it into Evernote.

If you travel a lot then create a packing list in Evernote - this way you won't forget any important items.

Create your shopping list in Evernote. You can specify weekly, bi-weekly and monthly purchases.

Make a list of all of your bills and loans and their due dates. Many companies make you have your bills delivered via email and it can be easy to miss the notice. By adding due dates you will know when to expect these bills. Or, of course, you can use your Evernote email address for this purpose too.

Take pictures of all of your children's art work and save them in Evernote. This way you can look back on them and share them off as a proud parent.

Create lists inside Evernote of all your families activates. This can include chores that need to be done, appointments, sporting events, homework time and more.

Take photos of those small items that often need replacing such as your water filters, furnace filters, printer cartridges, batteries and anything else that needs replacing. This way when you are at the store you can easily reference the photo and choose the correct replacement.

This really just covers the tip of the iceberg of how you can use Evernote to be organized at home. The only limit is your imagination so start thinking of ways that you can incorporate Evernote in your personal life.

QUICK OVER VIEW OF EVER NOTE

When you first open Evernote you may feel a little overwhelmed at what you see. As with any software there is a learning curve, but it will be well worth your effort. Below we have outlined some of the basic features you will view when you first encounter Evernote.

Your Sidebar - just like a website, this sidebar allows you to browse through the contents of your account.

Your Note List - this will display all of your Notes in your account. The most recently updated are always shown first. Please note that this is also the same area that will display search results.

Your Note Editor - this is the screen where you edit and update your latest Note. By default, when you open Evernote, your latest update will be displayed here.

Search - as the name suggests this is where you can search your Notes. When you perform a search Evernote will search both the titles and the contents of your Notes. You can search for keywords, locations, tags and more.

New Note - this will create a new Note for you in any Notebook that you specify. A blank note appears when you click on this button. Edit it and then save it into your choice of Notebook.

Your Activity Stream - when you click on this it will show you any updates that have happened in any of your shared Notes,

Notebooks and Joined Notebooks.

Sync - Evernote will automatically sync your account but they do provide a manual sync button as well. It never hurts to click on this just before closing Evernote for the day.

Your Account - all of your account information is stored under this button. You sign in and out here and this is where you find your Evernote email address.

Once you start finding your way around Evernote you will enjoy using it. Your first step of course, is to start by creating your first Note. It is important for you to understand that a Note in Evernote can capture text, images, files, audio, web clips and more.

To create your first Note you simply click on the New Note Button -find it in the top center of your window.

Add your contents and any attachments that you wish. You can add an attachment by dragging and dropping it in the Note, or by using the Audio or File buttons.

You format your text in the same way you would a Word or Open Office document. To edit a Note click on the name of your note in the Note List and click inside to start editing.

Congratulations you have now created your first Note of many in Evernote!

MORE THAN A FANCY NOTEBOOK

If you like to write notes and make lists you should try using Evernote. Many people refer to Evernote as a fancy digital Notebook. While it may have started out as just this. It has now developed into so much more.

Evernote has multiple uses and can be used for business and home use. Imagine being out shopping for your kids and you come across this perfect outfit. Problem is you aren't sure what size to get, your daughter is growing so much. Simply open up Evernote on your Smartphone and checkout her latest size. She will be happy with the surprise and the fact that you brought the right size.

Other things that you can save in Evernote are school and work related notes. Shopping lists, to-do list, appointments, food allegories, medical notes and sports event. You can even clip and save images and websites directly into Evernote.

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BRANDING YOUR OFFLINE BUSINESS

One area that is often overlooked by offline business owners is their brand. They open up a new store or service location and forget about the branding aspect of it. Branding is much easier to accomplish today if you incorporate online tools and marketing methods. Let's take a quick look at how to do this.

All business owners should at the very least have a Facebook page and a Twitter account. What is important is the way in which you brand these pages.

Your goal is to create a brand or image that helps identify your business. When someone arrives on your Facebook page they should immediately be able to recognize your business. The same applies to your Twitter account.

To brand these pages you want to select a design and colors that represent your business. If you already have business cards and are happy with them, then use your logo and business cards for your social media pages.

This branding should then spill over onto your website or blog. This keeps everything uniform and neat. For a customer if they find your Facebook page and then click the link to your website, they will know, by your branding, that this is your web page. Can you start to see why branding is so important?

Is your business name memorable? Once your business name is registered there is not much you can do about it. But you could add a tag line to it, this would be the line that helps people identify what your business is. Plus it would be the tag line that becomes easy to remember. It is also very easy to add additional text on your website or blog under the main heading.

If you create flyers or use letterhead try to use the same branding as much as possible. Branding also helps create a more professional image too.

You may have a business name without a logo. In this case you can easily get a logo created. There are many designers who will design one for you, or you can use free tools and design your own.

Other online tools that you should be using are things like having a website or blog in place. You should also consider using an email service and creating a database of your customers. You can then send out electronic Christmas cards, newsletters and keep them updated of any sales you are holding.

BLOGGING FOR YOUR OFFLINE BUSINESS

Not many offline small business owners think about using a blog as a way to attract new customers to their store. Actually blogging can be much easier than trying to set up a more traditional type of website. It is a great alternative if your business doesn't really need a huge website with a shopping cart and all the trappings.

Take a look at how any online business markets their products and services. There is absolutely no reason why you can't apply these same tactics to your offline based business.

A blog is a great tool for interacting with your readers. You can share stories, tips, information, videos, podcasts and more. The only twist for you will be that you are discussing your offline business on your blog, nothing wrong with that!

Another huge benefit of adding blogging to your offline marketing business is that you can build a list of leads. These would be people who may at some point become a customer. Having a list of leads allows you to send out related information about your offline business. A great example of this is if you offered a "Customer Meet and Greet Day", or if you were offering free samples. You simply email your list and let them know to come by your store that day.

Your goal with your blog is to drive traffic back to your offline physical location. With an online business your goal is to drive your visitors to an offer or to an online store.

Using tools such as video and pod casts is another marketing method for your business. When you have a new product in your store, create a quick video of how to use it. Then write a blog post about it to share with your readers. This is a much cheaper alternative than paying for expensive radio ads.

Another idea for video is for highlighting your business. It is a fantastic way to allow your customers a look behind the scenes.

If you run a fitness club you could highlight the trainers or a portion of a fitness class. This way people can see what the fitness class is all about.

All of these videos can be posted on your blog, where your readers can ask questions and leave comments. This can also give you an insight into any problems or issues your customers are having. They may be looking for a specific type of exercise or product. Once you know this information you can update your inventory and provide them with the solution.

So look at blogging as a viable tool for your offline business and write your first blog post today.

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SYSTEMIZING YOUR MAIN BUSINESS CHALLENGES

A well run business is one that is streamlined and developed to take care of your major business challenges. All businesses at some point, have a challenge. Your business may be too big to be run alone anymore, or you may need to use new software to keep it running smoothly.
Let's look at a business model that is not systemized first.

As the business owner you are feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. You are working crazy hours and still don't manage to get everything done. You hire people to help you but don’t have time to properly train them. This results in more mistakes and errors that you now have to fix.
Next let's look at what systemizing your business means.

Systemizing your business entails you looking at what systems you currently use, what works and what needs to be improved upon. Then you have to create systems that work so that they all fit together to form one larger system.

The end result is that you have one main business system that has smaller systems which feed into it. While each component can work independently they all rely on each other in order for your business to work and function smoothly.
Now, let’s identify your challenges.

Your challenge areas are simply those that require the most time and effort from you. The ones that you may often consider to be a real pain! Or those things that give you sleepless nights. Identify these areas and make a list of them. Then start creating and using systems to improve them.
Here's a smoothly run and systemized business.

Training manuals in place for each task.

Automated tools used as much as possible.

Customers who know where to go for support and help.

Employees who understand what their job function is and how to do it.

A company that is open to ideas and suggestions.

This can all be accomplished by carefully taking the time to plan out and recognize all of your tasks. The best way to accomplish this is to keep track of every detail of your business. This includes noting down what your daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and yearly tasks are. Then working on implementing systems so no area is left out.

By doing this you will find that your biggest challenges and frustrations are now more streamlined. You have more time and effort to run your business as a business owner, and not as an overworked employee!

TIPS FOR SYSTEMIZING YOUR BUSINESS

Documenting your procedures is one of the best ways to systemize your business. These documents should be as detailed as possible, with no step left out. Over time they will be fine tuned and updated as your systems change and evolve.

Having operating or training manuals in place can help the process of training any new employee much easier. It can also help keep employees happy so that they stay with you longer. They know exactly what to do and what is expected of them.

Even a small business, or a one person business should have manuals and procedures in place. Have you ever thought of what you would do if you couldn't run your business for six weeks or more?

Training manuals allow you to handover your business operations at a moment's notice with fewer complications.

Depending upon your systems and procedures you may find that it can be helpful to create training videos. This is sometimes much faster than writing out long winded instructions.

The advantage of video training is the person can stop and restart the video as necessary. Videos are a great tool to use if you use a virtual assistant in your business.

Another great way to systemize your business is by delegating tasks. Yes, we know this can be hard for some people, but if you want your business to grow you have to let some things go. Learn to hand things over to someone else.

Once you have systems in place you must still remember to monitor them. They will need tweaking and updating regularly. Any time you make a change to one of your systems, remember to update the training manuals accordingly.

Things to monitor include seeing if the tasks are being completed correctly. If you have to constantly fix mistakes,

something in your manual is wrong. This could be the user misunderstanding your instructions, or that the instructions themselves were confusing.

You should also be open and encourage any team members to offer suggestions to help improve your processes. After all, they are the ones using them.

At the same time you should be taking advantage of technology and implementing new techniques when appropriate. Software is constantly changing and there may be a better tool for something that you have been using for years. Be willing to make changes.

If you consistently apply and use these business systemizing tips you will quickly be running an efficient business.

MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN SYSTEMIZING YOUR BUSINESS

While you may understand the importance of systemizing your business, there are some pitfalls that you want to avoid making. Read the following guidelines to ensure you don't make these common mistakes.

Jumping in with no plan - this just has to be one of the worst mistakes you can make. You are totally excited about systemizing your processes and then you go ahead full steam without any plan. Instead you need to stop, think and plan first. Then start implementing your systems one step at a time.

Looking for shortcuts - you can't copy the systems of another business. Each business is run differently and your systems need to fit your own processes to a tee. You wouldn't expect to use the McDonald's system and run a Starbucks franchise with it.

Having no manuals in place - as the business owner, you may know how each step of your business works, but nobody else does. This is why you need to create some type of operational manual for each area of your business. Start off by creating training manuals for each job or step of your business. Your end goal is to have enough manuals so that anyone could easily takeover any area of your business.

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One of the more interesting additions to the arsenal against arthritis pain is something you might have eaten for dinner at some point - capsaicin. Or, it's also commonly known as a chili pepper.

This fiery arthritis reliever works just in the way you think it would - by warming the skin and making the joints and muscles around the area relax. But that's only a part of the process.

What capsaicin does is helped to desensitize the skin as well. Within our skin are receptors to pain that cause us to feel the aches and the throbbing. But when these receptors are desensitized, you can be pain free for months at a time.

The substance P is what is associated with pain in the body. By interfering with or depleting this substance, the brain does not receive messages of pain and so you don't feel the pain.

In one University of Oxford study, it was found that 4 out of 10 arthritis patients were able to reduce their pain by almost half after using capsaicin cream for a month. This is a dramatic difference and it can certainly help arthritis sufferers as well.

In fact, capsaicin has also been recommended for those suffering from neuropathy, from muscle pain, from joint pain, from nerve pain, and from shingles, a painful condition that affects older patients.

Since capsaicin is derived from the chili pepper, there are a few things you'll want to keep in mind as you use it on your body. First of all, just like the chili pepper, it can be quite hot - often too hot for some people's sensitive skin. If you feel your skin might be too sensitive, use a very small dose on a patch of skin near your hand to see what the reaction is.

Just like other topical ointments, capsaicin is easy to find in your local drugstore, making it a favorite among those who don't want to run to their doctor each time they have an ache or a pain.

To use capsaicin, you will want to take a small amount and rub it into the skin where the pain is situated. Immediately after, you should wash your hands of the cream so that you don't feel the burning sensation there too. However, if you want to use this cream on your hands for pain or stiffness, you can - just remove it after a half an hour to ensure you're not transferring the cream to other parts of your body.

Getting the cream in your eye, for example, is quite painful and can necessitate a trip to the hospital in rare cases.

Like the other arthritis ointments, capsaicin should only be applied to clean and healthy skin which is free of cuts or open sores. Getting the cream into these types of skin openings will be painful, more painful than the arthritis itself.

That said, one of the perks of capsaicin is that it doesn't seem to have any known drug interactions. So, you can be taking oral pain medications and still use this cream.

However, it is recommended that you limit the application of capsaicin to no more than 4 times a day.

But unlike the previous sections on instant pain relief, capsaicin is not something to be used in those cases. While some people will find they feel better after the burning sensation, long term relief will still take up to 2 weeks to notice. Be patient, however, and you will find the power of chili peppers is quite effective in your fight against arthritis pain.

Over the counter capsaicin comes in a variety of strengths, so make sure to start with the lowest dosage before moving up to a strong dose. Chances are good the lower dose will be all you need.

ARNICA

While homeopathy still has some ground to gain in relation to the overall medical field, arnica seems to be one of the most respected treatments in relation to arthritis and muscle pain. Whether applied topically or taken orally, this European flower helps to ease the suffering of afflicted patients

Homeopathy is the practice of using very small amounts of herbs, flowers, and other ingredients in order to stimulate the body's own healing response. It can be likened to the idea of a vaccine in which the dead virus or bacteria is injected into the body in order to persuade the body to make the appropriate white blood cells in order to prevent the disease.

With arnica, this flower is a part of the sunflower family, and the hairy leaves are what has given it its name, derived from the Greek for 'lamb' or 'arna.'

There are several types of arnica, but the most commonly used type is arnica Montana. Within this compound is the chemical helenalin, which is actually toxic when taken in larger amounts. However, when used in very minute measurements, it helps to reduce the inflammation of joints, while also helping to prevent and to heal bruising of the skin.

It is thought too that the roots of the arnica plant contain thymol, which helps to also prevent fungal infections, which might have something to do with preventing the inflammatory reaction. Again, science is still studying how this homeopathic process works.

The main finding of the usefulness of arnica is that it seems to help stimulate the transportation of blood from one part of the body to the affected and afflicted body part. This helps to take away any accumulation of fluids in the joints and in the skin, which allows the body to be free of pain, while also helping to stimulate the natural healing process.

By helping the blood capillaries dilate, the body's blood transport system is much more efficient and a patient can move their joints more easily and without aches and pains.

The actual ingestion of arnica is not recommended, unless it has been prepared by a reputable homeopathic company or practitioner. Those who ingest arnica can have severe stomach upset and even internal bleeding as a result.