Saying hello

John45

Hello everyone

Looks like I have arthritis of the hip at 44, nearly 45. Bit overwhelming but I am positive. Any advice regarding alternative medicine. I have used devil's claw in the past, will it work to any effect?
Kindest regards, John.

daffy2

Hello John and welcome.
There are quite a few forum members who have tried various 'alternatives', and not been convinced. However as everyone is different that is not to say that you won't find something that helps. You may well be aware of this but if you are taking any alternative remedies you need to keep your GP and any other medics involved in your care informed, and make sure that possible interactions with prescribed or other drugs are ruled out. Pharmacists can help with that information.

John45

Thanks for the advice. We can only try.
Kindest regards. John

stickywicket

Hi John. I'm sorry you've had to join our creaky club but I think positivity helps most situations and has actually been shown to improve pain perception. That's the good news. As for supplements – here's what Dr Sarah Jarvis says in the latest Arthritis Care Inspire magazine:

“The evidence for supplements is pretty conflicting, but overall they appear to be relatively safe, so may be worth a try. Doctors use a database called Cochrane to weigh up evidence from all the trials of many drugs and supplements.
From this, it is deemed that chondroitin may help a bit. A brand of glucosamine called Rotta showed a small benefit in trials, but other brands didn’t. Most people in the UK who use glucosamine take tablets, which weren’t found to offer benefit. However, there has been some positive data for a rosehip supplement called Gopo, both in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.”
http://www.inspirearthritiscare.org.uk/features/ask-the-doctor-winter-2016

I think there is some evidence that a daily cod liver oil supplement can help. Good luck.

John45

Thanks for all the advice - cod liver oil it is!