Ray D. Strand
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 You are probably much too familiar with the symptoms of early morning stiffness, mildly swollen joints, and joint pain. osteoarthritis is by far the most common chronic degenerative disease that I see in my office. Affecting men and women alike, it can involve every joint in the body, including the neck and lower back. As arthritis gets worse, it can cause significant discomfort, pain, and even disability.
Osteoarthritis is mainly a degeneration of the cartilage in the joints. But it can also involve the synovial lining (the lining of the joint) and the underlying bone. |
Ron Garner
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 There are two main types of arthritis: osteoarthritis, which is a chronic inflammation of joints due to the infiltration of toxins and crystals resulting in bony spurs and restricted range of motion; and rheumatoid arthritis, which is a chronic inflammatory condition of the joint tissues, with swelling, but without bone changes. Pain, swelling, and stiffness accompany arthritis. In the case of osteoarthritis, as the disease progresses, joints, especially of the fingers, become deformed. |
Tom Bohager
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 The two primary types of arthritis include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms can vary from slight discomfort to complete debilitation.
Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) is the most common type of arthritis. It most often results from wear and tear on the joints that causes degeneration of the cartilage around the joint and eventually damage to the bone. It is prevalent in older people. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 REPPED: Both Tai Chi and water-based exercise can help alleviate pain and stiffness of chronic osteoarthritis, according to a study by researchers in Australia. Researchers from the George Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney published their results in the current issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Marlene Fransen, lead researcher, and her co-workers studied 152 men and women over 60 with chronic osteoarthritis. The research team randomly assigned participants to hydrotherapy classes, Tai Chi classes or a waiting group. |
Mark Sircus
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 Between 2000 and the present, FDA prohibits companies that sell glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate from telling Americans that those dietary ingredients treat osteoarthritis and relieve osteoarthritic pain and stiffness. Approximately 20 million Americans suffer needlessly from osteoarthritis.
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Since ending one s life with cancer is not pleasant it behooves all of us to be concerned with its prevention.
""1 WT" t certainly is time to get serious about cancer prevention, with the disease predicted to surge in the next 15 years. |
David W. Grotto, RD, LDN
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 OSTEOARTHRITIS: In a randomized, double-blind study, researchers found that those participants with osteoarthritis who had consumed ginger extract experienced much greater reduction in knee pain than those in the control group.
CANCER: A mouse study found that the antioxidant 6-gingerol, which gives ginger its flavor, resulted in fewer tumors and their size was considerably smaller than those of mice who did not receive gingerol.
OVARIAN CANCER: Ginger induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) and autophagy (cells digesting themselves) in ovarian cancer cells. |
Brigitte Mars, A.H.G.
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 Devil's claw is used to treat acne, allergies, arthritis, asthma, bursitis, coughs, diabetes, dyspepsia, fever, gout, hay fever, headache, high cholesterol, indigestion, lumbago, neuralgia, osteoarthritis, pain, and rheumatism. It is considered more effective for the treatment of osteoarthritis than for rheumatoid arthritis.
Topically, devil's claw can be applied as a healing poultice to boils, lesions, and wounds.
As a flower essence, devil's claw is helpful for those who manipulate others with their looks and charm, encouraging them to be responsible for their charisma. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 Norman Childers, has hypothesized that some people with osteoarthritis may not be able to destroy solanine in the gut, leading to solanine absorption and aggravating osteoarthritis. Though this has never been put to a strict clinical test, I am of the strong opinion that individual variations in metabolism and detoxification abilities account for a large number of problems with foods and chemicals—some people can get rid of the problem compound just fine, others simply can't. (I personally think that mercury in vaccines is a prime example of this phenomenon, but that's a whole other discussion. |
Dr. Abram Hoffer, MD, FRCP (C) and Dr. Harold D. Foster, PhD
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 Dr Hoffer then prepared a brief report of his work, supported by the results of six cases7 One patient with osteoarthritis became normal, another with rheumatoid arthritis became much better. Two other arthritis cases became normal, while one patient with both schizophrenia and arthritis became completely well. The last, who suffered from vascular nodulitis, was much improved.
Since then, many of Dr Hoffer's patients with arthritis have recovered or become much better when prescribed niacin. |
| The effect of niacinamide on osteoarthritis: A pilot study. Inflamm Res 1996;45:330-34.
10 Abraham C. Vioxx makers 'perplexed' by Dosanjh's remarks. Today's Paper Health. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050226/ Vioxx26/TPHealth/
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND SENILITY
Prevalence
As Dr Foster has described in his book, What Really Causes Alzheimer's Disease, this illness is increasing because life expectancies have risen significcantly during the past century. |
| Subsequent research has shown that vitamin B-3 is, in fact, effective for treating osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Clinical Evidence
In 1954, Dr Hoffer was awarded a Rockefeller Fellow Travel Grant to study European psychiatric research. Before leaving for Europe, Dr Hoffer, his wife Rose, and Bill, his 10-year old son, visited his parents. Dr Hoffer's mother, then 67 years old, was not well. Her health problems included an inability to see from her left eye, painful arthritis in both hands, tiredness, and generally feeling unwell. |
Bottom Line Health
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| Scientific evidence: A four-week study published in The fournal of Rheumatology found that patients who had osteoarthritis of the hands who applied capsaicin cream four times a day experienced reduced pain and tenderness.
Typical dose: Cayenne is available as a supplement in capsules and tincture. Take one capsule of cayenne pepper up to three times a day.. .or add three to eight drops of cayenne tincture to 4 ounces of water and drink two to four times a day. Apply topical cream containing capsaicin to painful areas as directed on the label. |
Ray D. Strand
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| Traditional Treatment of Arthritis
The basic traditional treatment of both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis is the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) and aspirin. While these drugs reduce inflammation in joints, they are also responsible for the frequent adverse side effects of stomach ulcers and upper-gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. In fact more than one hundred thousand admissions to hospitals in the U.S. per year and more than sixteen thousand deaths each year are the result of upper-GI bleeding caused by the use of NSAIDS. |
| I feel further studies are needed to determine its overall importance in the treatment of osteoarthritis.8
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a nutritional deficiency at literally epidemic proportions in the U.S. In one of the richest, most well-fed nations of the world, more than 25 million Americans are living with the crippling effects of osteoporosis at a cost of about $14 billion each year to the U.S. economy. At least 1.2 million fractures occur each year in the United States as a direct result of osteoporosis. |
| That osteoarthritis is an inflammatory disease is a well-known fact. If you observe anyone with arthritic hands, you can actually see how inflamed and swollen the joints of the fingers and hands become. Have you ever wondered what exactly is causing the inflammation and how this leads to damage of the cartilage? The answer is a multifaceted one, because there are actually several sources for inflammation that occur within the joint, as you can see in the box below.
Causes of Inflammation in Our Joints
Cytokines are some of the leading causes of joint inflammation. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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 This is not currently well understood, but it is likely there is a connection between hormones, immune function, and inflammation in the joints. osteoarthritis, specifically, is a common joint disease that increases with age and affects women more than men.
Osteoporosis and Cardiovascular Disease.
While the symptoms of hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, and the rest are annoying at best, and can significantly impact quality oi life, the most significant changes associated with menopause are osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. |
Thomson Healthcare, Inc.
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 While open and collected case studies demonstrate efficacy in the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (Etzel, 1996), double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have not substantiated its use in (Sander & Herborn, J998). With regard to inflammatory bowel disease, an extract of the gum resin of Boswellia serrata provided symptomatic improvement in patients with ulcerative colitis in a nonrandomized, open trial (Gupta et al, 1997).
Anti-Asthma Effects: Boswellia was effective in treating asthma in one study (Gupta et al, 1998). |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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 A study from Boston University tracked a group of 640 senior citizens to determine the role of nutrients in osteoarthritis risk. About half started out the study with arthritic symptoms. By the end of the eight-year study, it was evident that those who took in the most vitamin C from food and supplements were three times less likely to end up with arthritis or to have worsening symptoms. Joint pain was also much less in those who consumed more vitamin C, a natural anti-inflammatory.
Don't go another day without replenishing it! |
Ray D. Strand
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| These are highly concentrated in the joints of people who have osteoarthritis.
Proteases, enzymes that cause the breakdown of proteins, also have been shown to create inflammation in the joint. Proteases are under the control of the cytokines. Some have anti-inflammatory qualities, and some have pro-inflammatory (inflammation-creating) qualities. Obviously, in arthritis the pro-inflammatory proteases are winning.
Phagocytes (neutrophils) are attracted to the inflamed joint in an attempt to clear this reaction and prevent damage to the cartilage and synovial lining. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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| With these flaws, and in contrast to the large body of scientific evidence that shows the benefits of vitamin E in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease, treating intermittent claudication, fibrocystic breast disease, premenstrual syndrome, osteoarthritis, and more, I continue to advise the use of vitamin E supplementation. While controversial, I am not willing to give up on the potential benefits of vitamin E and cardioprotection.
Vitamin E
400-1,000 IU per day
Vitamin C. |
Bottom Line Health
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| GINGER
What it does: Reduces the pain and swelling caused by rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. . .helps prevent the nausea and vomiting associated with motion sickness or pregnancy... enhances digestion and circulation.. .and eases intestinal gas.
Scientific evidence: Two clinical studies found that ginger relieved pain and/or swelling in 75% of arthritis patients.
Typical dose: Take one to two capsules with meals two to three times daily.. .or add 10 to 30 drops of the tincture to 1 ounce of water and drink three to four times daily. |
| By far the most common form of arthritis in the US, osteoarthritis strikes more than half of people over age 65 and 80% of those over age 75.
What it is: Cartilage, which cushions the ends of the joint bones, disintegrates. The bones then rub together and can eventually wear out.
Most often affected: Neck, lower back... hips, knees.. .fingers, toes. Involvement in the ankle and elsewhere is usually triggered by an injury or surgery. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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| The word arthritis means "inflammation of the joints" and can include several types. osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common—the kind of arthritis that often afflicts people in the knees, fingers, hips, or back as they age or because of wear and tear. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is less common, and is an autoimmune disease: a disease that can affect the entire body, and that involves out-of-control inflammation. RA affects approximately 2.1 million people in the United States; 75 percent are women. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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 It's believed osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint ^ the|r |ona flexib|e |jmbs were the re. disorder. (See Stiff Joints, below.) suit of Marfan syndrome.
But this hasn't been proven, at least as far as the hands and fingers go. In fact, being double-jointed might protect against arthritis, according to a recent study. On the other hand, having hyperflexible joints may be a forewarning of chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition thought to be caused by a virus and characterized by excessive fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, and sometimes fever. |
J. Douglas Bremner
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 Chondroitin and glucosamine are often given in combination for osteoarthritis.
Most of the earlier studies of glucosamine and chondroitin were performed by manufacturers and were not well controlled.16 In 2000 a metaanalysis of studies of glucosamine and chondroitin found that the studies that were funded by supplement manufacturers resulted in more favorable results for the supplement combo than did independent studies; few of the manufacturers' studies were properly controlled. Overall there was a moderate effect for both, and the authors concluded that some degree of efficacy was probable. |
| In that study, 252 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were randomly assigned to receive four weeks of glucosamine or placebo. Glucosamine was associated with a drop in pain ratings from 10.6 to 7.5 vs. 10.6 to 8.4 with placebo, and 52% of glucosamine patients had a clinically significant change as measured by a 3-point drop on an index of arthritis severity compared to 37% of those on placebo, differences that were statistically significant.
More recently several randomized placebo-controlled trials have been performed. |
| Other studies found it beneficial in patients with less-severe osteoarthritis,35 suggesting that more-severe disease may not respond because the cartilage is already damaged.
Another study showed efficacy with glucosamine-chondroitin combinations compared to placebo.36 The Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT) was a multisite placebo-controlled study in which 1,583 arthritis patients were randomly assigned to glucosamine, chondroitin, Celebrex, combination glucosamine/chondroitin, or a placebo. |
| In 2006 a large, well-controlled study assigned 1,583 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee to glucosamine, chondroitin, a glucosamine/chon-droitin combination, celecoxib, or placebo for six months of treatment. A positive treatment outcome was defined as a 20% change in knee-pain severity. Sixty percent of placebo patients responded to treatment vs. 67% of glucosamine/chondroitin patients, a difference that was not statistically significant. Celecoxib had a 70% response, which was statistically significantly better than that of placebo. |
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