Many people with arthritis want to try natural medicine, but they don’t know where to begin. James McKoy, MD, chief of rheumatology at Kaiser Permanente in Honolulu, who is a member of Arthritis Today’s medical advisory board, put together some notes on the way that he prescribes mind-body medicine for his patients.
But he cautions that supplements used without necessary lifestyle changes are not magic bullets. “There is no one or two miracle supplements for anything,” Dr. McKoy says.
“In order to effect a change in health outcome, a patients must change their thoughts, attitude and beliefs,” he adds.
In addition to prescribing supplements, Mr. McKoy also counsels his patients to make other lifestyle adjustments, such as establishing a daily exercise program, getting optimal amounts of sleep, and making sure to drink enough water. Additionally, he recommends a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in animal products, which he says can lower acid levels in the body. A diet that raises acid levels, he says, can contribute to inflammation.
“It’s not just about pouring drugs or supplements down someone’s throat,” he says.
Before you add these supplements, or any others, to your treatment regimen, however, be sure to clear it with your own doctor. Natural medicines contain potent chemicals that can interact with prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Dr. McKoy’s Supplements for Osteoarthritis
Glucosamine sulfate – 1,500 mg twice a day for three months and then maintenance of 1,500 daily. “I do not use chondroitin sulfate,” Dr. McKoy says. “I don’t think it helps that much and adds to the cost.”
SAMe – 400 mg three times daily.
Vitamin D3 – 2,000 IU a day.
A good multivitamin with minerals – Once daily. The supplement should contain 40 mg of zinc, 1 mg of copper and 6 mg of boron.
Fish Oil – At least 3 grams (or 3,000 mg) daily, 1 gram taken with each meal.
Boswellia – 400 mg three times daily
Cat’s Claw – 60 mg three times a day, to relieve pain
Kaprex* (A proprietary blend of hops, oleanolic acid and rosemary) – 1 tab three times daily
Acupuncture – Two to four times weekly until acute symptoms resolve and then maintenance of once a month, if patients can afford it.
to test orthomol, I dont know its mechansm of action .I hope to give me an idea
I had been managing myself with severe pains from the joint of abdomen i.e
(laps)to knee. sometimes down to my leg. Although it is not constant but I feels the pain more when I take a walk. And I am 44years old. Can this be rheumatism or arthritis.Please advice me on herbal alternative or on any cure because all pains relief I took did not do anything.
Thank you.
Mary
08-06-2011
Thanks!
I thought I had arthritis due to the pain & swelling in my joint areas but was diagnosed with tendonitis in both hands, shoulders, wrists, elbows & feet. I have had cortisone shots in the right shoulder & was told to take Naproxin for pain, which helps none.
When I look up anything on tendonitis it routes me to the arthritis sites. No one seems to take the pain serious because its JUST tendonitis. I'm a self employed poultry farmer and do a lot of physical labor. The pain and swelling on some days are horrible, my grip is weak at best & I cry myself through work on some days. The stress of the helplessness is overwhelming also. Im told resting the inflammed areas is all I can do but thats not possible on a regular basis.
Should I try the remedies for Arthritis since they're both for pain & inflamation or is there something different I should try? Im pretty tired of hearing it's part of getting old & expected to settle. Im only 46 and would like to think theres more to look forward to in life.
It claims to provide complete relief and is available from only one source in the UK.
The cost of a 6 months supply is £360.
The web site is impressive.
Has Arthritis Today reviewed this product or have knowledge of it presumed success in the treatment of Arthritis and many other medical problems.
Many thanks
Ronnie Gottlieb
I am thinking of asking the doctor is I can have the cimzia injections every 2 month. It is usually used for chrons' disease. I am wondering if this medicine can cause intestinal problems, when I have had none.
Further, I fell off a bike in Sept. and had a pulmonary aneurysm (a clot in the lung). I am wondering if this would have happened if I had not been on the cimzia. What natural alternatives would you recommend, and should I cange my diet?
Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda
These medicines have no side effects as they are herbal based.
Thanks
As regarding heat, tis wonderful! I have a mattress pad which is heated and it works much better than an electric blanket. I also wear leg warmers for my knees, they help immensely.
God Bless you all and thanks so much for your contributions here.
I began seeing D.O.'s in California when I lived there, as they do not practice in all states. A D.O. first gets all the training a regular M.D.gets, but in additon they are taught all about herbs and are given even some of the training a chiropractor gets. I was very surprised one day when I mentioned my back was hurting badly and I needed to go to the pain clinic and get TPI's. (Trigger Point Injections) My D.O. told me to lie on my stomach and she administered TPI's more effectively without medication than the pain clinic did with medication. She used her thumb rather than a needle and my back felt much better for longer than it ever had before with regular TPI's at the pain clinic.
At other times she has manipulated an appendage, I have had three total shoulder replacements (and 2 knees) and since they failed (due to my original genetic problem, not the surgery), my shoulders hurt terribly at times. My D.O. manipulates my shoulders and arms and in five minutes they feel so much better it is unbelievable, and all with just touch and no medication. She can inject medication if necessary but I appreciate her skills without needing to put any chemicals in me at all.
Whenever I consider trying some new herb(s) for one of my many medical problems, I run it by her first. Unless it is contraindicated she has no problem with me trying it, but she keeps tabs on my progress or lack thereof.
I share these stories with you because I truly believe a Doctor of Osteopathy is by far the best trained medical person available today. Their focus is on keeping one well in the first place, so if you begin seeing one when you are young, and do as you know you should, there is little doubt you would enter your older years much healthier than most of the population. However, if you have medical problems, even a host of them as I do, there is no one better trained to help you than a D.O. They cannot replace all the specialists one has to see however, but can certainly reduce that number.
This site has been very helpful. I was looking for natural remedies for my arthritis, OsteoA. Osteoporosis, fibromyalgia and many other problems. I am currently taking notes from each of the sites I visit on supplements that are suggested for various ailments. Ultimately I want to pare down my own list to just a handul of supplements and treaments that overlap in their ability to help ailments. Otherwise I would be taking fifty or sixty things and who knows how that would interact and what it all would do to me. LOL
So I hope to find a few things that are helpful to most of the D/X/s I have that can be effected by ingestion (taking something by mouth), and after checking with my doctor, (D.O.) and getting her approval, taking only those and see what happens. I will of course, have to continue many pharmacuticals also.
My entire skeleton is pretty much toast and my joints are mostly destroyed because of the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome I inherited. So anything that helps with pain, inflammation and helps ease movements could be beneficial. Won't know until I try them.
I thank you all for taking time to post as I have enjoyed reading your comments. I've taken some notes to add to those I already have and as soon as I research a couple more ailments, I will be ready to complile all the notes and figure out a small number of things that hopefully, will help me without the awful side effects of pharmacuiticals.
However, I want to remind you all that any supplement should be respected as much as any pharmacuitical because they too, can do damage to our bodies and mind. Hopefully, they will do less, but abused, they are as bad as anything else.
I wish you all the best and hope something I have written will help someone. You have helped me and I appreciate it.
Karen
Too much calcium I am a little leery of because I have read it can build up in the joints and make things worse. Hope this helps someone.
The doctor who finally paid attention to me practices orthomolecular medicine as well as prescribing pharmaceuticals. I still need to see a rheumatologist, but she will assist me with the nutritional aspect of healing.
I recommend reading about this approach and finding a doctor that is knowledgeable in this area.
The term orthomolecular was coined by Linus Pauling. Other pioneers include Abram Hoffner and Pfeifer. Google orthomolecular to find more information.
What have you got to lose?
Good luck :)
i looked up on the internet and i am a little bit confused because read that for arthitis pain they recommend collagen type II!!!
thanks in advance for your response
I am a 37 yr old woman with a pretty nasty and unrelenting case of RA. I first developed symptoms when I was 28, and although the first five years was mostly bareable in pain and limitations, with the exception of "bad" days, the last 3 and half years have left me physically exhausted, emotionally tapped out, and frustrated. My right hand is well on its way to being deformed, and in the last 3 months I have watched my left follow suit.
The rheumatologists I have seen can tell you ALL ABOUT RA as a DISEASE, but never once, have I had a specialist who has talked TO ME! about MY! RA; much less a plan of action on how to treat it with anything besides medications. I am extremely sensitive to chemicals on a biological level and a lot of these meds have left me feeling so sick, that the pain almost wins out in regards to what I feel Id rather deal with.
When Ive told my specialists (Yes! more than one! did! this!) about the how debilating the side effects have been, I got a roll of the eyes, and told,"Yeah.. those are the side effects".
Now, I dont need my doctor to hold my hand and rock me till I feel better but is it so much to ask for 10 minutes of their time accompanied with an ounce of compassion?! I have been struggling so hard with this condition for the last three years, and the best I get from my doctor (or doctors) so far, is to be ushered in, talked AT, and quickly checked out with prescription in hand.. "see ya in three months". Its very! disheartening!
When I recently asked my rheumatologist about vegan diets and if I should see a nutritionist to help in conjunction with my meds, yet again!!! I got a roll of the eyes and told, "Um, yeah you could do that but nothing has REALLY been proven to help with RA". I thought, "oh really?!!? Cuz I have 5! different books that tell me otherwise, including reputable websites such as this"!
I feel at my wits end. I am unbelievably exhausted from the years of dissillusionment from medicines and uncaring doctors, to the pain that is sooo excruiating at times, I can barely walk or use my hands. I want to go natural but dont know where to start or what to do. i worry my RA is severe enough I cant survive without conventional medicine. I am currently on Methotrexate injections and Humira, and Im about to go on an antidepressant (which I didnt want to do, but the moodswings the Methotrexate gives me are extreme.)
I dont know what to do or where to turn. Does ANYONE! have any advice?
I hope these suggestions help some of you cuz what I read from you helps me greatly. God Bless all of you for sharing your stories with those of us who need hope to get thru a long day!
Like you, being on Humira made me feel 90% better and kept my inflammation to only one wrist. So after 2 years of seeing no changes (i.e. wrist was still flaring up but not the other joints) i slowly weaned myself off the meds. It was only after changing my diet that my wrist started to heal. For 2 years, it was deformed, bent and unable to do much but ever since I went on my healthy eating regime, the inflammation has subsided and my wrist has regained most of its strength and function. During the occasional flare-ups (often as a result of me caving and eating food I shouldn't), I'll go get cortisone shots into my wrist and take prednisones till it gets better.
Right now, I'm just taking things a step at a time. As for joint erosion, because my wrist recovered, that's not my main worry at the moment.
Hope this helps.
So my question to Sabrina is, are you worried about joint erosion by not taking the biologics anymore? I don't imagine I will hear from her, but if anyone wants to weigh in that would be great! :-)
I have had RA for 5 years and have not had a complete remission despite being on pred, methotraxate and humira. Having a PhD in chemistry has proved to be curse for an RA sufferer like me until recently. Firstly, I am very adverse to taking any kind of drugs because I know only too well their mechanism of action and hence the potential side effects. Secondly, being a scientist makes me extremely skeptical about any alternative therapies which have not been proven by rigorous research (I call them voodoo).
About a month ago, having seen no positive effects from the drugs, I've decided to ditch all my meds and change my lifestyle. I began reading research articles on natural therapies (to my surprise, there are quite a few out there) and in particular, began reading an ezine written by a professor at U Penn, Dr Katherine Molnar-Kimber about healing choices for RA.
Lo and behold, in just 2 short weeks, the swelling and stiffness has gone down significantly and on most days, I hardly feel the pain. More amazingly, my left hand which had become slightly bent due to the constant inflammation is starting to look like a normal hand again.
So here's my diet. I eat only raw green veg (mostly spinach), most fruits, avocado, salmon, walnuts and occassionally a bit of brown rice. I also invested in a juicer and have been drinking at least 3 glasses of juice a day - apple, carrot, beetroot, ginger etc. I also swallow 5g of omega 3 daily.
Sure, the diet's a bit restrictive and I'm always hungry. But hey this is nothing compared to the pain.
With RA for 9 years I had taken different anti-inflammatories like Mobic & Meloxicam; all types caused stomach problems and tiredness/fatigue with little benefit on RA. Getting tired of this, I read multiple research about the anti-inflammatory inhibition from dual use of Scutellaria baicalensis & Acacia catechu (heartwood.) My doctor and I agreed to try Univera product RegeniCARE (which has these herbs plus licorace for anti-inflammation.)
My conclusion: either the pharmaceutical products did not actually do anything good or these two herbs are helping the same amount BUT without the negative side effects. I am not tired and my stomach is feeling great again.
My only problem now is that I would like to take 2 packets/day yet the licorace at that dose causes a slight eye muscle twitch (a dose related problem with licorace.) But, so far 1 packet/day has been just fine.
Your advice, please!
ACL and meniscus tears are a common injury. Many patients are given two options for treatment depending upon the extent of the tears: physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the knee joint, or surgery to repair the ACL and repair or remove the damaged portion of the meniscus.
I also tore my ACL and meniscus in my right knee playing soccer last year. Because of my activity level and the extent of my injury - the ACL was completely torn; not partially torn – my orthopaedist and I decided surgery, followed by a few months of physical therapy, would be best in order for me to get back to an active lifestyle.
Like you, I was hesitant about surgery. I thought I could simply rehab the knee through physical therapy alone. According to my physical therapist, who had partially torn her ACL years ago, a partial tear can be rehabilitated with therapy alone (she opted to rehab her knee with just PT and not surgery). But keep in mind, each patient's case is unique, so take the time to sit down and talk with your daughter's health-care team before making a decision.
And whether you and your daughter choose therapy alone or surgery followed by therapy, choose a surgeon and therapist well versed in these injuries. My surgeon performs 70 plus ACL reconstructions a year, so I felt confident in his hands. If you're still unsure after speaking with your daughter's doctor, always seek a second and third opinion.
I wish your daughter a speedy recovery.
Bryan
Lifestyle & Online Editor
Arthritis Today
Should I be concerned with reactions to your list and my meds. I am also alergic to Reglan, Nortriptalin,Sulfa Drugs,and one other drug I do not recall off hand. I am a Kaiser Patient for obvious multiple conditions.
RA,OA,Firbromyalgia, High blood pressure, Chronic Pain, Cholesterol too high, obesity,
Central Sleep Apnea, Depression, Throid troubles (from Graves Disease to Hypothyroidism)Bursitis, Back, Shoulder, Neck, Knee troubles. (Getting a new knee next month. I am 53 and feel 83.
Any advise.
I do not feel healthy and I am extremely tired.
What type of calcium do you recommend?
jk
Thanks
She is 15 years old.
I brought her to see a doctor in the Sports Injury Dept of a local hospital. He has
diagnosed her injury as LATERAL MENISCUS INJURY & ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT INJURY. (left knee)
He has also recommended physiotheraphy treatment for abt a month and to review
her then. If her treatments do not improve her condition, she has to undergo an
operation .
Presently, her knee is still slightly swollen and she experiences pain at some angles.
I do wish to save her fm an operation.
May I know is there any alternatives for
her condition? Like supplements ?
Plse advise will be much appreciated.
Regards
Emmeline
Mobile : 65-93858847
Thank you.
To answer some of you:
Gaye and Rhea--
A bit of background...
Every two years or so, Arthritis Today publishes a guide to dietary supplements. The latest was in our September/October 2009 issue, which is on newsstands now.
We asked Dr. McKoy, a practicing rheumatologist who specializes in the use of complementary therapies, to review that guide for accuracy, and he thought it might be valuable, rather than just telling readers about individual supplements, to show them how to combine natural medicines in a complete regimen.
So we feel very fortunate that Dr. McKoy shared these "prescriptions" with us, and the supplements listed are meant to be used together.
That said, you make an excellent point that these regimens could be very expensive. The price of taking recommended quantities of good quality dietary supplements certainly can add up quickly.
And for those of us who find it difficult to remember to take a single pill at the same time every day, managing these cocktails does seem daunting.
You would have to be very motivated and committed to trying this approach, but I suspect that some people are.
If you are interested in knowing more about individual supplements, I encourage you to check out the current issue of Arthritis Today, which has the most updated information on the safety and efficacy of 25 different dietary supplements.
Joan--
It is possible that some herbal supplements could interfere with kidney function. Natural doesn't mean safe.
Anyone who is thinking about trying herbal medicines or dietary supplements should first check in with their physicians, but in your situation, I think that step is especially important.
Best wishes,
Brenda
ders, knees, and feet. What classification would this be under? RA, OA, or fibromyalgia?
Please advise? Thanks!
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