Some arthritis patients turning to chiropractors after painkiller scares

• Chiropractor Jim McDermott has mixed emotions about Vioxx and Bextra.
• Vioxx relieved his aunt's arthritis pain but she suffered a heart attack at age 40.
• Vioxx was banned in September and Bextra was pulled this month after concerns arose that the drugs increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Patients with osteoarthritis often experience pain because cartilage around joints has worn down.
• The YMCA in Wilkes-Barre and Pittston run aquatic exercise programs along with the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center in Wilkes-Barre.
• HealthSouth in Wilkes-Barre runs a similar program at the Odyssey Fitness Center in Wilkes-Barre, and there are other programs available at some area schools with pools.
• There are a number of natural remedies on the market that sound a bit fishy.
• With high interest in shark fin soup and shark fins as jewelry in addition to the interest in the fish for arthritis treatment, "finning" is rampant worldwide.
• "One thing the public has to be aware of is that these have the potential for side effects," said Dr. Martin Blidner of the Arthritis Center in Wilkes-Barre.
• Glucosamine and Chondroitin have shown promise in providing osteoarthritis pain relief.
• There's a comprehensive study under way of these two dietary supplements that should be complete later this year.
• "If you are the person in charge of procurement for a company, and you can buy these things from India for 50 cents a bottle, or you can get them from a company in Pittsburgh for $4 a bottle, a lot of people are going to buy an inferior product for 50 cents a bottle so the company can make a bigger profit," McDermott said.
• Diet can have an impact on arthritic pain as well.