Do Supplements really help?

mzjones

It has been suggested to my dad that he take Omega 3 supplements. This was before he started developing arthritis symptoms. He also tries to regularly eat fresh caught fish because he hates taking the pills. In the past year he has gotten lazy and is no longer taking his supplements. He started complaining to me about joint pain and locking. I asked him about his omegas and he said he had gotten too busy to eat fish and basically forgot. I advised him to do what his doctor told him... But I am wondering.. do omega 3 supplements actually help people with manageable symptoms?

barbara12

Hello mzjones
I know people that swear by fish oils ...and other the joint supplements but I have tried them and not had any relief , but maybe your dad is one of the people that fish oils do work for, I do take Vit D with calcium..maybe you could ask your doctor about these ..he could have a blood test to see if he is deficient in Vit D

dreamdaisy

Unlike your Pa I love any sort of fish (and frequently eat them ) but, alas and alack, my arthritis continues unabated probably because I have an auto-immune which has led to OA. Supplements may help but only if they are taken on a regular basis and OA is the only trouble. DD

stickywicket

It sounds as if your father is a bit depressed by either the diagnosis, the pain or the necessary changes in his lifestyle. And who wouldn't be :roll: I don't quite follow the 'fish' argument though as fish is so versatile and simple to cook. Even tinned, oily fish such as salmon. mackerel, pilchards etc can just be used in sandwiches and I think there is some evidence that the lessen inflammation.

Supplements are a moot point. You might like to check out Arthritis Care's publication on Healthy Living ('Publications and resources' button, top left of page) Some people believe supplements help: others don't. I suspect it might depend on how advanced the OA is. In any case, your father should check with his GP or pharmacist that any supplements he wants to take will not interact with his prescription meds.

krisbe

I dont think they work. My son takes them for concentration but I think they are a waste of money and very expensive.

dreamdaisy

Here's a thought: if they really helped those with OA would not be posting. DD

Slosh

I think a lot work more because of the placebo effect, if you think something will help you its more likely to.
I have a friend who is very into this kind of thing who recommended I have teaspoon of olive oil a day for my OA. I found a research article on this which said that to have an effect you needed 2 1/2 tablespoons a day and that as well as adding 400 calories a day to the diet caused skin problems and digestive upsets. For some reason I decided against it!
Do check with his prescribed medscas well before taking any supplements as there can be problems.

Kittkat

Hi there I believe supplements do help. In conjunction with other things such as a healthy diet, meds & exercise. They did help my psoriasis when i wasn't taking methotrexate.

mzjones

dreamdaisy wrote:

Here's a thought: if they really helped those with OA would not be posting. DD

That is a very good point.

mzjones

stickywicket wrote:

It sounds as if your father is a bit depressed by either the diagnosis, the pain or the necessary changes in his lifestyle. And who wouldn't be :roll: I don't quite follow the 'fish' argument though as fish is so versatile and simple to cook. Even tinned, oily fish such as salmon. mackerel, pilchards etc can just be used in sandwiches and I think there is some evidence that the lessen inflammation.

.

I probably wasn't clear. My father loves fish. So much that he refuses to spend money on buying it. If he cannot catch he does not eat it. In the winter he is dependent on his freezer storage, gifts of salmon from me, and friends that go on fishing trips. Because of finances he hasn't had as much time to go fishing and has been working on financials instead.. so his fish intake slowed down a lot..

He had already been prescribed omega 3 vitamins from his GP, but he hates pills and thought it was stupid to take them when he ate so much fish. He did not have OA symptoms at the time.

Now he is doing little fish and he did not resume the recc'd amount of supplements. At the same time he started having symptoms of OA. They could have nothing to do with each other, but I was sort of wondering if the reduction of Omega's in his diet might have led to the increase (or start- I'm not quite sure) of his OA symptoms.

I didnt know what to tell him, so in the meanwhile I told him to go back to taking his Omega pills and go see his doctor. He responded with... 'guess I need to do more fishing'

stickywicket

I think I like your Dad.

I guess he had a point about not taking Omega 3 while he was eating so much fish anyway though, if the doc had prescribed it, he should really have had a chat with him about it before taking a decision.

I don't think anyone can say definitively that, if he continued with the supplements and/or fish-eating, his OA would be better. However, especially in the earlier stages, I suspect some supplements can help. Check it out in Arthritis Care's booklet on it at the top of the list here.
http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Selfmanagement/Healthylifestyle Unfortunately, nothing will cure OA but every little helps.

mzjones

Thank you that clarifies things a lot.
I will check out that resource thank you.

mzjones

So I talked to my dad today and he said he talked to his doctor. Surprise! She told him to take his fish oil. He listened this time and he said his shoulder hasn't been bothering him as much. I know its not a solution, but I'm hoping we can stave off his symptoms for a little bit longer. At least until I can afford to move him out near me. I worry about him hurting himself

dreamdaisy

Well done to your Pa, it is difficult to change the health habits of a well-established life. OA does have periods when it's a little easier but it will return, it usually does. The fish oil will hopefully ease matters but it's not going to sort it once and for all. I hope he will be willing to move nearer to you, please keep us updated. I wish you both well. DD

Scarlet

I have RA and someone recently told me that nettle tea is really good at helping with inflammation. I am a real sceptic (the result of studying a science degree - I have a very analytical mind ) so I decided to look into it.
I came across a publication by Arthritis Research UK which was really interesting. It summarised the results of clinical studies on a variety of remedies and 'scored' them according to their effectiveness on RA, OA and fibromyalgia. It would seem that different supplements have differing results with each disease: fish body oil was good for RA, whereas for OA a compound found in chilli peppers was most effective! You can download the report here: http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/complementary-and-alternative-medicines/cam-report.aspx

As an aside I didn't find much evidence for nettle tea but it has a whole host of other health benefits, and as it turns out I rather like the taste so I'm drinking a few cups a day

Slosh

Thanks for posting this link, it's really useful. I'm like you and like to see the research for any alternative therapies. I'm also sceptical about some complementary therapies having seen in my professional role as an Inclusion Manager how some unscrupulous practioners will seek to take advantage of vulnerable people. I just think you need to do your research first.

daffy2

As with conventional drugs, what works for one won't necessarily work for another, even for those supplements/alternatives that have been tested and found beneficial in principle.

mzjones

That is a very good point. I think many people make the mistake of thinking there is an easy one size fits all cure. It doesn't seem like our bodies work that way.

dreamdaisy

I did the rose-hip thing for six months and wasted my money. It's worth remembering that complementary doesn't necessarily mean harmless. DD

daffy2

complementary doesn't necessarily mean harmless.

Absolutely, in the same way that 'natural' doesn't mean safe. Foxglove, deadly nightshade, yew, are all natural and of value in treating humans - but safe they ain't!
It's also worth bearing in mind that the concentrated and/or synthesised version of a particular wonder substance, whether anti-oxidants, omega 3 or whatever the latest band-waggon is, may well not work as well or in the same way as the 'original'(ie food derived) version, and by delivering large doses of a single substance may cause problems elsewhere.For instance, the lower dose of VitC in an orange, which comes with all the flavonoids, enzymes etc as well, may do more good than a high dose ascorbic acid pill, most of which is quite likely to be flushed down the pan via your kidneys.

mzjones

daffy2 wrote:

complementary doesn't necessarily mean harmless.

Absolutely, in the same way that 'natural' doesn't mean safe. Foxglove, deadly nightshade, yew, are all natural and of value in treating humans - but safe they ain't!
It's also worth bearing in mind that the concentrated and/or synthesised version of a particular wonder substance, whether anti-oxidants, omega 3 or whatever the latest band-waggon is, may well not work as well or in the same way as the 'original'(ie food derived) version, and by delivering large doses of a single substance may cause problems elsewhere.For instance, the lower dose of VitC in an orange, which comes with all the flavonoids, enzymes etc as well, may do more good than a high dose ascorbic acid pill, most of which is quite likely to be flushed down the pan via your kidneys.

To quote my dad, 'there ain't nothing wrong with some fresh caught fish and food from the garden.' I am happy that we have vitamins, but it is so true that so many of us overdo it. Why do we do that, when everything that we need is in nature? But that is a whole other point that I can go on about for ages.

dreamdaisy

Everything we need used to be in nature but nowadays? Mass-produced food surely is the source of many ills - I can see the attraction of shoving a ready-made meal in the microwave but hate the thought that I have no idea what constitutes that meal. I prefer to cook from scratch whenever possible but I am lucky in that I have the time (if not the energy ) to do so.

Good quality food is expensive and beyond the financial resources of so many; if you're left with £30 to feed a family of four it's far from easy. I suspect there is a rising number of people who have no idea how to cook having been brought up on a range of ding food and burgers. The plethora of cooking programmes on the telly is bewildering but not aimed at those who could learn some basic, practical skills. I dislike cooking but realise it's an important part of maintaining our health as best I can. We're having liver tonight, he loves it, I tolerate it. The recipe involves onions, bacon, garlic tomatoes, Worcester sauce, basil, parsley and thyme, fennel seeds, apple and chunked potatoes. On the plus side it's dirt cheap. DD