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What To Do For Arthritis Symptoms?
Written by Wellness Club on July 22, 2009 – 6:51 pm -Katrina is a nurse, and from her letters it sounds like the job is exacting a toll in terms of wear and tear on her body. I feel her pain – I’ve worked them and I know that those 12 hour shifts can be brutal!
Katrina has several questions – I dealt with one of her questions, about blogs and chat boards, in a recent HealthBeat News article.
Her most recent letter reads: Thank you for writing back. I woke up this morning in pain and went straight to your email on the computer to read more info. I do take Osteobioflex right now with MSM and then Bromelain too. I thought it was really helping and then I ate several night shades. While working a 12+ shift at the hospital, I was feeling all my body parts, haha. That was the first time I had felt all the pains at one time and I was floored. Since I’m only 47 years old, this has really started to wear on my mind and self-esteem.
It sounds like there is a lot going on here – 47 years is young, even with the stress of 12 hour Nursing shifts, and one must wonder if there is more to this than just the stress of a tough job.
Katrina is using a few supplements, but like most folks who have taken the do-it-yourself path, there doesn’t look to be a solid plan in place.
The first place to look when formulating a plan or strategy for dealing with arthritic or joint pain should be Dr. Myatt’s webpage on Osteoarthritis where she goes into considerable depth with detailed recommendations developed over 20 years of medical practice.
When we look there, we can see that Osteobioflex is not listed anywhere – I looked this one up, and it is a combination product sold in a variety of “strengths” – none of which properly list their ingredients which immediately raises some red flags for me…
Katrina, let’s get serious about your symptoms here – Dr. Myatt’s basic support recommendations are as follows:
PRIMARY SUPPORT
- Maxi Multi: 3 caps, 3 times per day with meals. Optimal doses (not minimal doses) of vitamin A, C, E, B5, B6, niacin, pantothenic acid, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium, boron and vanadium are especially important.
[Nurse Mark Comment: A good, Optimal Dose multiple vitamin is a cornerstone for any health improvement program – without optimal dose multiple vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals, you are just “spinning your wheels”! Use what you like, but make sure it matches the specifications for Maxi Multi.]
- Omega 3 fatty acids:
Flax seed meal, 2 teaspoons per day with food
OR
Flax seed capsules: 2-4 caps, 3 times per day (target dose range: 6-12 caps per day)
OR
Flax seed oil: 1 tablespoon per day
OR
Max EPA (Omega-3 rich fish oil): 1-2 caps, 3 times per day with meals (target dose: 3-6 caps per day).
[Nurse Mark Comment: Omega 3′s are anti-inflammatory – and vital for the amelioration of arthritic symptoms.]
- Glucosamine Sulfate: (750mg, pharmaceutical grade): 2 caps, 2 times per day for 6 weeks, then 1 cap, 2 times per day after that. (target dose: 3,000 mg for 8 weeks [until significant improvement is noted] then 1,500 mg per day for maintenance).
[Nurse Mark Comment: Just be darned sure that whatever Glucosamine you are using is the fully reacted molecule – a patented product called Glucosapure]
- Grape Seed extract (PCO’s): 50-100 mg, 3 times per day. (Target dose: 150-300 mg per day).
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
- MSM (fundamental sulfur): 1,000 mg, 2-3 times per day with meals.
AND - Turmeric: 1 cap, 2-3 times per day between meals, OR Feverfew: 1 cap, 1-2 times per day.
For acute symptoms (While waiting for Glucosamine Sulfate to take effect)
- Bromelain: 2 caps, 3 times per day between meals for 4 weeks, then 1 cap, 3 times daily thereafter.
[Nurse Mark Comment: another very useful supplement for arthritic conditions is Cox-2 Support]
And now, here is:
DR. MYATT’S COMMENT
If self-help measures fail to give improvement in three months, please consult an holistic physician. This is one condition that can be greatly helped and even cured through natural medicine. I am available for telephone consultations.
[Nurse Mark Comment: There is a risk that this last comment will offend some few readers who have taken exception to the suggestion that they might actually have to pay to consult with Dr. Myatt if their do-it-yourself self-help efforts do not provide all the results they desire – but hey, if all this free advice is not doing it for you, maybe things are complicated enough that real, experienced, professional help is needed…]
Finally:
Foods in the nightshade family can really be a problem for some arthritis sufferers – and here is what Dr. Myatt has to say on that subject:
Solanine is a substance found in nightshade plants, including tomatoes, white potatoes, all peppers (except black pepper), and eggplant. In theory, if not destroyed in the intestine, solanine may be toxic. One horticulturist hypothesized that some people might not be able to destroy solanine in the gut, leading to solanine absorption and resulting in OA. This theory has not been proven. However, eliminating solanine from the diet has been reported to bring relief to some arthritis sufferers in preliminary research.2 3 In a survey of people avoiding nightshade plants, 28% claimed to have a “marked positive response” and another 44% a “positive response.” Researchers have never put this diet to a strict clinical test; however, the treatment continues to be used by some doctors with patients who have OA. As with the Warmbrand diet, proponents claim exclusion of solanine requires up to six months before potential effects may be seen. Totally eliminating tomatoes and peppers requires complex dietary changes for most people. In addition, even proponents of the diet acknowledge that many arthritis sufferers are not helped by using this approach. Therefore, long-term trial avoidance of solanine-containing foods may be appropriate only for people with OA who have not responded to other natural treatments.
References:
2. Childers NF. A relationship of arthritis to the solanaceae (nightshades). J Internat Acad Pre Med 1982;Nov:31–7.
3. Childers NF, Margoles MS. An apparent relation of nightshades (Solanaceae) to arthritis. J Neurol Orthop Med Surg 1993;14:227–31.
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