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Mainstream doctors routinely tell their arthritis patients
that there is no cure and therefore the only treatment is for pain-the
primary symptom of arthritis. But many of the pain medications prescribed
for arthritis have adverse affects. Unfortunately, most people accept the
medical practice of only treating the symptoms and their search for
treatment of the source ends when their pain is eased. It isn't until the
drugs cause ulcers, serious bleeding, kidney or liver damage that patients
become open to alternative or non-pharmaceutical treatments and remedies.
Osteoarthritis affects more than 80 percent of the U.S.
population over the age of 50. It accounts for 26 million days of lost work
each year. In the next few years, the estimated arthritis-related health
costs will exceed $95 million. Herbal therapies can help sufferers of
osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis improve their joint function,
prevent further joint destruction, control the evolution of the disease,
maximize mobility, and improve the quality of life.
Several dietary supplement alternatives have emerged that
may provide benefits for people with osteoarthritis. These alternative
treatments can help reduce inflammation and restore range of motion and
hydration and strength to connective tissue.
Glucosamine has
exploded on to the herbal supplement scene as a treatment for
osteoarthritis. Glucosamine is a naturally occurring amino sugar essential
to the stimulation of connective tissue production. The body uses
glucosamine as a major building block of cartilage. In test tubes, it
stimulates cartilage cells to synthesize the ingredients for more cartilage.
Glucosamine may even help restore the health of joints tissues after injury,
inflammation or degeneration, according to research published in the journal
Current Medical Research and Opinion.
In some studies in Europe, osteoarthritis sufferers who took
1,500 mg of glucosamine each day for one to three months reported less pain,
swelling, or tenderness than those who took a placebo. Some reported
experiencing as much relief as those who took pain medication.
In one study of 200 people with arthritis of the knees,
glucosamine matched ibuprofen for pain relief. Each relieved symptoms in
half of the people who took it. But after four weeks, those in the ibuprofen
group were six times more likely than those in the glucosamine group to
report side effects like stomach pain and heartburn or to stop taking their
medication.
Rheumatologist Marc C. Hochberg of the University of
Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, an expert on gauging the
effectiveness of osteoarthritis treatments, tells his patients glucosamine
is worth a try. "If patients are interested, I suggest that they try 500 mg
three times a day for a month," he says. "If they notice an improvement in
symptoms they can continue for as long as it seems to work and there are no
uncomfortable side effects."
If there is no relief after four weeks of taking glucosamine—studies
report that 20 to 50 percent of people get none—Hochberg recommends his
patients try an alternative.
A six-month clinical trial, published in Drugs Under
Experimental and Clinical Research, involving 200 elderly adults with
degenerated joint cartilage reported that taking glucosamine eased pain and
improved mobility.
Chondroitin sulfate is
another one of the molecules that make up cartilage. One of the functions of
chondroitin is to draw fluid into the tissue, which gives the cartilage
resistance and elasticity. Like glucosamine, chondroitin stimulates
cartilage cells to form the components of new cartilage—in test tubes.
In one of four published studies, Peitro Morreale and
colleagues in Italy and Switzerland tested 1,200 mg a day of chondroitin
sulfate for three months against either 150 mg of the popular prescription
pain reliever diclofenac sodium or a placebo. Among the 146 subjects, who
all had arthritis of the knees, those taking chondroitin reported as much
pain relief as those taking the prescription pain reliever. Both groups got
more relief than those taking the placebo. Chondroitin also came out ahead
in the three other studies.
Additional research, published in Current Therapeutic
Research, revealed that when 226 adults with thinning cartilage were
administered doses of chondroitin sulfate or placebo every day for one year,
those taking the chondroitin experienced a halt to the thinning of their
cartilage, and some even showed improvements in cartilage thickness compared
to the placebo group. In addition, the chondroitin sulfate group showed
significant improvements in all measured parameters, including joint
mobility and pain management.
Cetyl myristoleate is an
ester in fatty acids that studies indicate may have several potential
benefits for sufferers of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Cetyl
myristoleate is known to lubricate joints and improve muscle pliability and
movement. It also appears to have immunomodualting properties and, as a
fatty acid, has mediating activity within the inflammatory cascade. One
study reported 63.3 percent improvement of arthritic symptoms. Cetyl
myristoleate with glucosamine, sea cucumber and cartilage reported an 87
percent improvement. The placebo group only showed a 14.5 percent
improvement.
MSM (methylsulfonylmethane)
has become a popular alternative treatment for arthritis sufferers in recent
years. MSM has been shown in some research to ease the pain and inflammation
of joints, without the side effects of a comparable treatment called DMSO.
Animal research indicates that MSM protects against the breakdown of
cartilage in the joints, according to a recent article published in FASEB
Journal.
MSM is believed to aid in relieving arthritis symptoms
through its sulfur content. MSM was originally used for racehorses with
joint problems. MSM earned media attention when athletes started purchasing
the supplement from equestrian stores. According to Ronald Lawrence, M.D.,
assistant clinical professor at the UCLA School of Medicine, weightlifters
use MSM for delayed-onset muscle soreness because it promotes greater muscle
flexibility and shorter recovery times. "It's nontoxic and it's safer than
water," he adds that MSM is effective for rheumatoid arthritis within three
or four weeks of supplementation, but it only takes a day or two to relieve
delayed-onset muscle soreness.
NSAIDs (a treatment for osteoarthritis) work by blocking the
production of inflammatory prostaglandins (hormone-like substances). Because
of adverse affects, many people have turned to alternative therapies,
including supplementing with essential fatty acids (EFAs).
EFAs increase the production of certain
prostaglandins that suppress inflammation. A review of EFAs in the treatment
of rheumatoid arthritis found that fish oil supplements—at doses of 2.7-3.6
grams daily—lessened joint tenderness, swelling, and stiffness, according to
the journal Diseases Clinics of North America Both fish and GLA (from
evening primrose, black currant, and borage oil) oils were reported to
reduce the requirements for NSAIDs.
In a study on GLA involving 56 men and women suffering from
active rheumatoid arthritis who were taking 2.8 grams of GLA or a placebo,
further confirmed of the benefits of EFAs. Those taking the GLA reported
less tenderness, swelling and morning stiffness in their joints, according
to research reported in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Sources:
The Gale Group; Better Nutrition magazine; Nutrition Action
Healthletter; Drug Store News; Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
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