Natural, Inexpensive Arthritis Relief

Dishing up Relief

Arthritis isn’t just painful, it’s expensive. Nearly one in three adults suffer from it — a number that has nearly doubled in the last 20 years. What’s more, the cost to the U.S. economy is between $86.2 to $124 billion a year. While it is often referred to as a single disease, it is actually a blanket term for about 100 medical conditions that can occur to varying degrees in both children and adults — and it’s becoming a bigger problem every day.

Most doctors bounce their patients from one prescription pain reliever to another, which offer just temporary relief from painful symptoms for a nice chunk of change. Recently, as Cox-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex have come under scrutiny for safety, arthritis sufferers are feeling the squeeze even more.

I certainly don’t want to minimize the solution, but I think it’s important to note that a little fish oil could go a long way in helping relieve some of this misery. And a new study shows that adding some olive oil to the mix can help even more.

Dr. Wright has discussed the health benefits of fish oil many times. Research is proving that the imbalance of omega-3 to omega-6 essential fatty acids is indeed a source of many ills. Most of us have a ratio of about 20:1 omega-6 to omega-3 from our regular diet. For arthritis sufferers, particularly those with RA, this is a big problem since omega-3 is the side of the EFA equation that reduces inflammation.

That’s why a recent study showing that a combination of fish oil and olive oil supplementation offered an even greater benefit than fish oil alone could be such an important finding. In the study of 43 patients, a statistically significant number of them who took both fish oil and olive oil supplements reported experiencing less morning stiffness and an increased ability to open doors using a doorknob, bend over to pick up dropped items, get in and out of a car, and turn faucets on and off.

These activities may sound insignificant, unless you can’t do them without great pain — then you realize they are not small accomplishments at all.

Dr. Wright has also covered a number of other natural arthritis pain relievers over the years, such as selenium — which is found in garlic and onions — ginger, zinc, copper, and niacinamide.

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Cold hands, warm heart

Q: My sister was just diagnosed with Raynaud’s syndrome. I’ve never heard of it before but she tells me it’s not that uncommon. I’m wondering if you can tell me of any alternative treatments for it?

JVW: Raynaud’s syndrome is a specific set of symptoms with no known cause or cure. Named after the French doctor, Maurice Raynaud, who first described it in 1862, Raynaud’s syndrome is characterized by spasms of the small arteries mostly of the fingers and toes.

Attacks generally come on quite suddenly and last anywhere from five minutes to an hour. During an attack, the skin of the hands and feet turn uncharacteristically white and then blue or red. Attacks are precipitated by cold or stress.

I find that in cases involving spasm of any kind, the best treatment is magnesium. Magnesium is highly effective at relaxing muscle and that is precisely what the wall of a blood vessel is, smooth muscle. In my experience, oral magnesium therapy can help but it is not as effective as IV magnesium therapy. Of course your sister will have to find a doctor to help her with that.

Other helpful supplements are niacin (vitamin B3) which also helps relax muscles, and omega-3 fatty acids like that found in cod liver oil. I recommend that your sister find a doctor skilled in natural medicine if she doesn’t have one. Contact the American College for the Advancement of Medicine at (800)532-3688 or go to www.acam.org to find a doctor in her area.

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What is…niacinamide?

Niacinamide is a more water-soluble form of vitamin B3. Treatment with niacinamide is more common for osteoarthritis than for rheumatoid arthritis — except in the case of “ankylosed” joints that have stiffened and become immobilized by rheumatoid arthritis. After several months of continuous supplementation for a year or more with niacinamide many joints become more mobile again, or at least regain partial mobility.

Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing

Sources:
DiGiacomo RA, Kremer JM, Shah DM. “Fish-oil dietary supplementation in patients with Raynaud’s phenomenon: a double-blind, controlled, prospective study.” Am J Med. 1989; 86(2): 158-164