I have been told I have bursitis. Is there a way to reduce it or eliminate it without cortison shots?

How long have you had your symptoms? What caused you bursitis? What part of the body? Bursitis is a very painful, long term injury that can persist for years unless treatment is properly addressed. Cortisone shots are a quick way to get the inflamation down and most of the time they are effective. I have had bursitis on my shoulder and understand really well what you are going through. Despite a few cortisone shots, it was a while before it healed completely. Anyone who has had one will tell you that they are incredibly painful and very slow to heal. Once bursae become irritated or inflamed, recovery is a surprisingly long process requiring a change in activity over a half a year or more to allow healing. It can be next to impossible at times to keep from re-injuring the bursa because it's just not possible to stop everything and rest the injury properly. You can prevent the drying up of the Synovial lubricating fluid in the joints by including in your diet a daily serving of avocados (one small avocado) which is known for helping restore normal level of Synovial fluid.

There are a few other things you can try such as far-infrared therapy or acupunture. I suggest also increasing your intake of calcium, omega-3 oils, and vitamin B12 because their deficiency contributes to cellular inflammation. Eat food that will provide plenty of magnesium too for example leafy vegetables. You can try also soaking the injured body part in Epson Salts (a bath on Espon Salts will relax your achy muscles). Other natural anti-inflamatory supplements such as Turmeric (sold in capsule form), MSM, Zyflamed by New Chapter (my favorite) as it contains most of the anti-inflammatories mother earth has provided us with.