Glucosamine Helps with Arthritis Pain and Slows Degeneration A three-year controlled study involving 212 patients with osteoarthitis of the knee shows the effectiveness of glucosamine sulfate. The study was presented at the 1999 Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. Patients who took the glucosamine experienced a reduction in pain and, according to x-ray, Read More …
Category: Arthritis
Glucosamine and Chondroitan for Arthritis
In a literature review of 15 articles covering the use of glucosamine and chondroitan for osteo arthritis (The Journal of the American Medical Association March 15, 2000;283:1469-1475, 1483-1484), the authors found a modest benefit from glucosamine and a lot of benefit from chondroitin. The researchers, however, suggest that the actual benefit of treatment with glucosamine Read More …
Fish Oil and Vitamin E have Anti-inflammatory Activity
A combination of fish oil and vitamin E reduced the levels of cytokines (pro-inflammatory proteins that cause the joint swelling, pain and tenderness) in mice. This result found in a study lead by Jaya Venkatraman, Ph.D., University of Buffalo associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, and published in the Read More …
Emotions affect Pain
TexasA&MUniversity psychologist Mary W. Meagher, who has conducted pain research for 16 years, says that fear and anxiety affect how a person experiences pain. Fear tends to reduce pain, anxiety increases it. She says, “From a clinical perspective, these data suggest that a patient anticipating an unpredictable threatening event will experience enhanced pain,” she says. Read More …
Eating More Vegetables and Olive Oil may Benefit Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
Researchers at the University of Athens Medical School found that development of RA (rheumatoid arthritis) was closely associated with a low consumption of cooked vegetables and olive oil. Both items are common in the Greek diet. In general, southern Mediterranean populations consume a diet high in both cooked and raw vegetables, fish and olive oil—the Read More …
Cod Liver Oil and Rheumatoid
A study appearing in the journal, Rheumatology (2008 May;47(5):665-9) showed that cod liver oil could possibly help patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reduce their medication. There were 97 subjects in the study; they were between the ages of 37 and 78 and diagnosed with RA. They received either a placebo or 10 grams of cod Read More …
Arthritis Symptoms and Ginger
Research appearing in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism (November 2001;44(11):2531-2538) tested ginger and its ability to reduce pain in subjects with arthritis. The study involved 262 subjects (98 males and 164 females with a mean age around 65 years). The subjects all had arthritis of the knee. The subjects were given either a standardized extract Read More …
Arthritis and Willow Bark
In a study “Efficacy and Tolerability of a Standardized Willow Bark Extract in Patients With Osteoarthritis: Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double Blind Clinical Trial,” Schmid B, Ludtke R, et al, Z Rheumatol (2000;59:314-320), willow bark extract was compared to placebo in a group of arthritis patients. In the study, 39 subjects were given willow bark extract (standardized Read More …
Antioxidants in Green Tea Help Rheumatoid
According to a study on mice from Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine, antioxidants in green tea may protect from rheumatoid arthritis and reduce the severity of the symptoms. The study was published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.” Antioxidants in green tea, known as polyphenols, may protect the body from Read More …
Anti Inflammatory Drugs are Bad to the Bone
The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (June, 2002 17:963), studied the effects of two drugs, Vioxx and Celebrex on bone repair. These drugs are the new generation of anti-inflammatory drugs. These are known as Cox-2 inhibitors; so named because of the inflammatory enzyme that they inhibit. These drugs are often used to ease the Read More …