osteoarthritis- Looking for Alternative Meds worth trying

camry

I 've been living with osteoarthritis for 4 years but have pains & aches that
are well, I think the medicines my M.D, gives me are not enough.
He has nothing more to offer.


The joints on my right hip has worn down and thin & I think in some part of the joint the cartilage is either very thin or even there is no more cartilage.

It feels rough when I move the right hip and at a certain point seems to be there is no more cartilage since it becomes really painful
and rough - that's the reason I think at that part it is bone to bone & no more cartilage.

But I've read about alternative medcine and perhaps they might stop the inflammation or whatever wear and tear.
If anyone can tell me alternatives that have good results with them, please share.
Thanks.

dreamdaisy

People who don't have arthritis peddle all kinds of alternatives but the honest truth is that they don't work - if they did then the forum would not exist. Any form of arthritis is degenerative and progressive, and nothing will stop the inevitable deterioration of our joints because it doesn't exist. Of course people want to believe that there is a natural alternative which will rid them of the pain etc. but, truly, you stand a better chance of finding the Holy Grail.

I have two kinds of arthritis and in my early days (eighteen years ago) tried altering my diet, taking rosehip capsules, eating anti-inflammatory foodstuffs, acupuncture, homeopathy yadda-yadda-yadda all to no avail. Even the meds from the two doctors who now deal with me don't make that much difference, or rather not one I can feel.

GPs do not have much to offer because there is little in their arsenal apart from ever-increasing-in-strength pain relief. The one bright light for OA-ers is joint replacement, when did you last have your hip Xrayed? I have bone-on-bone in both knees and both ankles, it's not fun! DD

stickywicket

Hello camry and welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry you seem to have entered some kind of 'war on words'. As you can see there are differences of opinion about many things to do with arthritis. I'm afraid incurable diseases lend themselves to this sort of debate which can be a bit bewildering to relative newbies. That's why many of us 'old hands' try to not google and to stick with tried and tested info although there is no harm in dietary changes. They do help some, especially anyone who is overweight, but, unfortunately, we all disagree about what makes things better or worse. Vitamin and herbal supplements are another matter and you should always check first with your doc or pharmacist that they will not clash with any prescribed medication.

When you say the meds 'aren't enough', I wonder what is 'enough'. It is very unlikely that you will be able to eliminate pain. Life with arthritis is more a matter of learning how to live with it. I think you might find things here that would help http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/LivingwithArthritis/Self-management

I've had two hip replacements and two knee replacements. Personally, I don't find it helpful to analyse pain. It is. End of. I try to (a)ignore it (b)deal with it (c)hang on in until surgery becomes an option Why not have a chat with our Helpline people? They're very good.

ArthritisProtocol - the surveys you are quoting are so small no statistician would accept them as valid.

dreamdaisy

AP, do you bang your diet drum on other forums for other conditions or are we the sole beneficiaries? I repeat: you are not telling us anything new but for more than a few these things make not one jot of difference.

In this day and age people expect to be better because they do not expect to be begin a disease for which there is no cure - believe me it's a bitter let -down when when you try something, on the advice of those who predate, for months or longer, and continue to deteriorate regardless. DD

Slosh

Just to add to what Sticky has said re the research
Have any of these been peer reviewed?
Have results been consistent in repeat trials?
Has a meta-analysis of the results been done?
Was the placebo effect considered as there do not appear to have been any blind trials?
Where any of the patients involved followed up as part of a longitudinal study.

I could go on...

"Subjective" improvement is what it says, subjective

dreamdaisy

Hello again Camry, I do apologise for the hijacking of your thread by AP and our replies. :oops: I am aware that when I eat chutneys, pickles, too many raw tomatoes or other acidic foods my OA reacts by becoming more painful so I now steer clear of them: needless to say they are all things I enjoy, isn't it always?

Each individual varies in how their arthritis presents and in how they react to medications. There is no one-size-fits-all method for easing the worst of the symptoms and, challenging though it is, learning to live with the pain is one of the best things we can do. I can no longer remember pain-free and am grateful that is so because it makes life easier. DD

cherrybim

AP really is becoming more and more irritating; AP quotes :roll:

Ÿ In 1987, Wojtulewski reported on 41 patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with a 4-week elimination diet. Twenty-three improved. (Food allergy and intolerance. London: Bailliere Tindall 723, 1987).

Dr Jan Wojtulewski was my Rheumy. I was in hospital under his care in 1980. Whilst in the ward, with their agreement, he tried elimination diets on 2 of the five patients the remaining 3 including me were treated with medication such as myocrisin and opren. At the end of the month it was only the patients treated with conventional methods who had improved.

This wonderful man also researched into the possible connection between RA and pregnancy in women under 40. I attended an extra mural clinic set up for this purpose for 2 years together with other mothers of a similar age, I was 36 at the time. The results of this research were far more concrete than the results of elimination diets.

I could go on but my patience is wearing rather thin with barrackroom medics

Tia1723

It is always a controversial whether supplements offer benefits in degenerative disease or not, because effects of them varies individually and no one can guarantee what works for one can work for rest too. But if they taken in recommended dosage, I believe they can keep control and help maintain balanced joint tissues for most of the people .
My mum was suffering from knee OA and she used to take Jointace (Glucosamine tablets) for her OA as supplement along with her routine medicines. She was quite happy with its results. When one of my relative was diagnosed with OA, he started the same but was never happy with results and eventually he stopped it :roll: .

I have a RA and I certainly feel the diet plays an important role to control my inflammation. I have eliminated egg and tomatoes as they bring me flares. You can always give a try to supplements, but after consulting with your consultant.

Love,Tia.