Arthritis Relief Tips

Glucosamine for Arthritis - Our Most Favorite Products from Synflex

2010-02-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

Topical Use of Liquid Glucosamine for Arthritis Pain

Topical Use of liquid Glucosamine

The most notable aspect of using liquid Glucosamine as opposed to pills or capsules is the absorption and bioavailability. Pills and capsules are believed to absorb at the rate of about 15-20%. On the other hand, liquid Glucosamine formulas are absorbed at a clinically demonstrated rate of 80-85%.

Topical Use of Glucosamine

In fact, the topical use of Glucosamine has been clinically proven and found to be effective. In a study done in 2003, sixty-three (63) individuals were clinically studied to assess the effectiveness of using topically applied Glucosamine. All of those studied were found to be suffering from OA of the knee. (1: J Rheumatol, 2003 Mar; 30(3): 523-8)

The study group was divided into those who used a placebo and those using the topical Glucosamine product. The results were assessed after eight weeks of use.

The results showed that after just four weeks of use with the topical Glucosamine product there was significant reduction of pain in the affected knees.

Liquid Glucosamine vs Pills

Liquid Glucosamine is absorbed into your system more effectively than pills, capsules or powder form due to the fact that there are not fillers in the liquid form. Pills, capsules, etc. only have 15-20% absorption to the body whereby liquid Glucosamine will provide you with about an 80-85% absorption rate.

Some athletes may abuse allowed drugs

2008-05-22T23:00:00.001-07:00

Organizations responsible for monitoring doping among athletes
should consider tighter restrictions on the use of certain drugs
now permitted for therapeutic purposes or to control pain, the
authors of a new analysis of doping data from Belgium and the
Netherlands conclude.

Red algae extract may help arthritic knees

2008-05-14T23:00:00.001-07:00

A natural dietary supplement derived from seaweed could help
improve pain and stiffness in people who suffer from osteoarthritis
of the knee, according to a preliminary study.

Taking Multiple Pain Relievers May Cause Complications

2008-05-07T23:00:00.001-07:00

Dual use of prescription, over-the-counter drugs raises risk of
adverse side effects

Salsalate cuts blood sugar levels in obese adults

2008-04-27T23:00:00.001-07:00

A drug approved for the treatment of arthritis may have a role in
reducing the risk of diabetes and heart trouble developing in young
obese individuals, Harvard researchers report.

Regular aspirin may lower colon cancer risk in men

2008-04-12T23:00:00.001-07:00

Men who routinely take aspirin seem to be less likely to develop
colorectal cancer, according to new research findings. However, the
benefit requires the dose of aspirin to be higher than usually
recommended for heart health, and to be taken over at least 6
years.

Depression Rarely Discussed With RA Patients

2008-04-05T23:00:00.001-07:00

Rheumatoid arthritis poses heightened risk, but it's talked about
by only 20% of patients

Taking more than one painkiller risky: study

2008-03-21T23:00:00.001-07:00

People who use two or more non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) to help control pain have a worse health-related quality
of life than their peers who use only one, results of a study
suggest.

Psoriatic arthritis does not raise risk of cancer

2008-03-15T23:00:00.001-07:00

Overall, people who suffer from psoriatic arthritis do not appear
to have a higher risk of cancer compared to the general population,
according to a new study.

Gene Linked to Inflammatory Arthritis Also Raises Heart Risks

2008-03-08T23:00:00.001-08:00

British study found HLA-DRB1 increased chances of dying from
cardiovascular causes

Supplement shows promise for mild knee arthritis

2008-03-01T23:00:00.001-08:00

A dietary supplement derived from chickens may bring some pain
relief to people with mild knee arthritis, preliminary research
suggests.

Aspirin reduces death rate in heart patients

2008-02-21T23:00:00.001-08:00

In people with stable heart disease, low-dose aspirin reduces the
occurrence of heart attacks, strokes, and deaths from all causes,
according to a new analysis.

Hylan injections discouraged for knee arthritis

2008-02-17T23:00:00.001-08:00

European researchers are recommending that injections of a product
called hylan into the knee joint should not be used to
osteoarthritis, based on the results of a systematic review of
clinical studies.

Rheumatoid arthritis raises risk for shingles

2008-02-13T23:00:00.001-08:00

People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of
herpes zoster, or shingles, a painful skin condition caused by a
reactivation of the chickenpox virus, according to research on more
than 160,000 individuals with RA.

Aspirin 'resistance' raises risk of heart trouble

2008-02-09T23:00:00.001-08:00

People who are resistant to the blood-thinning effects of aspirin
are at increased risk of having a heart attack, stroke, and of
dying from a pre-existing heart condition, according to a report in
this week's British Medical Journal.

Osteoarthritis gene variations linked to height

2008-02-05T23:00:00.001-08:00

Variations in the gene locus -- the area the gene is located on the
chromosome -- associated with osteoarthritis, appear to modestly
contribute to differences in body height, according to a report in
the journal Nature Genetics.

Arthritis drug may ease dementia: case-report

2008-02-01T23:00:00.001-08:00

In a new report, US researchers describe the improvement in brain
function that occurred in a patient with Alzheimer's disease just
minutes after receiving an injection in the spine of the arthritis
drug Enbrel (also known as etanercept).

Gene mutation plus stroke increase dementia risk

2008-01-27T23:00:00.001-08:00

Patients who have experienced a stroke and who are also carriers of
APOE4, the gene mutation associated with an increase risk of
Alzheimer's disease, have a greater risk of dementia compared with
individuals with just one - or none -- of these factors, according
to a report in the medical journal Neurology.

Painkiller blocks unwanted effects of morphine

2008-01-22T23:00:00.001-08:00

In a mouse model of breast cancer, the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib
(Celebrex) prevents chronic morphine-induced effects on tumor
growth without compromising pain relief, scientists report.

NSAIDs won't protect ultra-marathoners' muscles

2008-01-22T04:10:00.001-08:00

Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like
ibuprofen during endurance events does not help prevent muscle
damage or next-day muscle soreness, a study in ultra-marathoners
indicates.

Growth hormone may curb fibromyalgia pain

2008-01-17T23:00:00.001-08:00

Some people who suffer from a common and often debilitating chronic
pain condition called fibromyalgia may find relief with shots of
growth hormone, a study hints.

Risk factors identify progressive hip arthritis

2008-01-14T23:00:00.001-08:00

Age, morning stiffness, and certain kinds of pain can identify
patients who are at risk for progression of hip osteoarthritis and
who will need a total hip replacement, according to a report in the
medical journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Hylan not recommended for knee osteoarthritis

2008-01-12T23:00:00.001-08:00

For osteoarthritis of the knee, hylan or hyaluronic acid injections
are equally effective, but hylan can potentially cause more adverse
events, a new study shows. Based on this plus the higher cost of
hylan, the researchers "see no rationale for the continued use of
hylan in patients with knee osteoarthritis."

Kids with CF benefit from ibuprofen therapy

2008-01-09T23:00:00.001-08:00

Treatment with ibuprofen can slow the drop in lung function that
occurs in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to group of
researchers from Ohio.

Healing Value of Magnets - Latest Research shows...

2008-01-09T05:16:00.000-08:00

Biomedical Engineering Study Demonstrates the Healing Value of Magnets
News Source: Research News

Jan. 2, 2008 — Magnets have been touted for their healing properties since ancient Greece. Magnetic therapy is still widely used today as an alternative method for treating a number of conditions, from arthritis to depression, but there hasn’t been scientific proof that magnets can heal.

Lack of regulation and widespread public acceptance have turned magnetic therapy into a $5 billion world market. Hopeful consumers buy bracelets, knee braces, shoe inserts, mattresses, and other products that are embedded with magnets based on anecdotal evidence, hoping for a non-invasive and drug-free cure to what ails them.

“The FDA regulates specific claims of medical efficacy, but in general static magnetic fields are viewed as safe,” notes Thomas Skalak, professor and chair of biomedical engineering at U.Va.
Skalak has been carefully studying magnets for a number of years in order to develop real scientific evidence about the effectiveness of magnetic therapy.

Skalak’s lab leads the field in the area of microcirculation research—the study of blood flow through the body’s tiniest blood vessels. With a five-year, $875,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Skalak and Cassandra Morris, former Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering, set out to investigate the effect of magnetic therapy on microcirculation. Initially, they sought to examine a major claim made by companies that sell magnets: that magnets increase blood flow.

The researchers first found evidence to support this claim through research with laboratory rats. In their initial study, magnets of 70 milliTesla (mT) field strength—about 10 times the strength of the common refrigerator variety—were placed near the rat’s blood vessels. Quantitative measurements of blood vessel diameter were taken both before and after exposure to the static magnetic fields—the force created by the magnets. Morris and Skalak found that the force had a significant effect: the vessels that had been dilated constricted, and the constricted vessels dilated, implying that the magnetic field could induce vessel relaxation in tissues with constrained blood supply, ultimately increasing blood flow.

Dilation of blood vessels is often a major cause of swelling at sites of trauma to soft tissues such as muscles or ligaments. The prior results on vessel constriction led Morris and Skalak to look closer at whether magnets, by limiting blood flow in such cases, would also reduce swelling. Their most recent research, published in the November 2007 issue of the American Journal of Physiology, yielded affirmative results.

In this study, the hind paws of anesthetized rats were treated with inflammatory agents in order to simulate tissue injury. Magnetic therapy was then applied to the paws. The research results indicate that magnets can significantly reduce swelling if applied immediately after tissue trauma.

Since muscle bruising and joint sprains are the most common injuries worldwide, this discovery has significant implications. “If an injury doesn’t swell, it will heal faster—and the person will experience less pain and better mobility,” says Skalak. This means that magnets could be used much the way ice packs and compression are now used for everyday sprains, bumps, and bruises, but with more beneficial results. The ready availability and low cost of this treatment could produce huge gains in worker productivity and quality of life.

Skalak envisions the magnets being particularly useful to high school, college, and professional sports teams, as well as school nurses and retirement communities. He has plans to continue testing the effectiveness of magnets through clinical trials and testing in elite athletes. A key to the success of magnetic therapy for tissue swelling is careful engineering of the proper field strength at the tissue location, a challenge in which most currently available commercial magnet systems fall short. The new research should allow Skalak’s biomedical engineering group to design field strengths that provide real benefit for specific injuries and parts of the body.

“We now hope to implement a series of steps, including private investment partners and eventually a major corporate partner, to realize these very widespread applications that will make a positive difference for human health,” says Skalak.

— Written by Melissa Maki

Sustained improvement seen with replacement hips

2008-01-08T23:00:00.001-08:00

The substantial benefits of hip replacement for osteoarthritis are
sustained in the long-term, British investigators report.

Supplements may slow bone loss in arthritis

2008-01-07T23:00:00.001-08:00

Two dietary supplements widely used by arthritis sufferers may
indeed help slow the bone loss associated with the joint disease, a
"basic science" study indicates.

Obesity may protect joints in rheumatoid arthritis

2008-01-06T23:00:00.001-08:00

Among people with rheumatoid arthritis, joint damage appears to be
more severe for those with a normal body mass index (BMI) than for
those who are obese, a German research team reports.

Drug Combos Effective Against Rheumatoid Arthritis

2008-01-05T23:00:00.001-08:00

Older and newer medicine together often bring relief, study finds

Little difference among rheumatoid arthritis drugs

2008-01-05T20:45:00.001-08:00

It seems to make little difference which drug a patient uses to
treat rheumatoid arthritis, although mixing different types of
drugs in a cocktail approach works better than using a single
treatment, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Fish Oils and Arthritis

2006-11-07T04:39:00.000-08:00

COD LIVER OIL (fish oils) for ARTHRITIS Relief

Recent research in Berlin, Germany by the PhytoPharm Consulting, Institute for Phytopharmaceuticals supports a remedy for arthritis relief that was proposed by Don Dale Alexander in the 1950's.

The article by Gruenwald J, Graubaum HJ, Harde A. cite a pilot study, 43 patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Even the most outrageous quacks sometimes end up as prophets when many years later, a scientific study supports theories that were previously scorned. An article from respected researchers in Berlin shows that cod liver oil helped relieve pain and suffering in some people with rheumatoid arthritis. This is the same remedy proposed by Don Dale Alexander in a best-selling book in the 1950s.

In this study, 43 patients with rheumatoid arthritis took 1 gram of cod liver oil daily for three months. Fifty-two percent had less morning stiffness, 42 percent had less pain, and 49 percent had less swelling, Sixty-five percent felt that the cod liver oil helped relieve their pain, and 98 percent felt that they could take it in spite of its awful odor.

In the 1950s, Dr. Don Dale Alexander's book, Arthritis and Common Sense sold more than a million copies and delighted talk show hosts. He would tell listeners that his mother had such severe arthritis that she squeaked when she walked. When a door or wheel squeaks, you oil it. He claimed that joints are like wheels. He told people with arthritis to eat huge amounts of oils. He proclaimed that oil passes from intestines, into the bloodstream, and then into joints to lubricate them and stop the joints from squeaking and hurting. But the human body doesn't work that way. Before fatty triglycerides in oils can be absorbed into your bloodstream, they must be broken down into their building blocks, called glycerol, fatty acids and monoglycerides. Then these building blocks circulate in the bloodstream and are reassembled only after they enter each cell. Oil cannot pass from food into joints.

Another of Dr. Alexander's claims was that people should never drink water with meals or eat fatty oils with water because oil and water don't mix. He claimed that water should be taken only when the stomach is empty so it won't wash the oil from the joints. In September 7, 1956, the Federal Trade Commission charged that the ads for Alexander's book were "false, misleading, deceptive." At that hearing, Alexander's education was exposed for pubic scrutiny. He attended high school at Norwich Free Academy and graduated 313th in a class of 353 in 1937. He went to Trinity College of Hartford Connecticut, but did not complete even one semester of college. He then wrote his book and introduced himself as Dr. Don Dale Alexander. He claimed that his PhD was from St. Andrews Ecumenical University in London. But the FTC said that Alexander had never been there. He also claimed that he had a Doctor of Arts and Oratory from Staley College of the Spoken Word in Brookline, Massachusetts. The FTC said this was an outright purchase since he made a contribution of $1000 to the college prior to conferment. The hearing examiner at FTC decided that the Alexander's book "is but a thesis by Alexander predicated on unsupportable and unprovable postulates. and amounts to nothing more than a collection and summation of the author's theories concerning arthritis, rheumatism and related diseases, all of which are pure theory." This new report in Advances in Therapy shows that a quack may sometimes be a prophet.

Arthritis today is classified primarily into osteo or degenerative and reactive types. Osteoarthritis has no cure or effective treatment today. The cartilage wears away and nobody knows why. Reactive arthritis includes rheumatoid arthritis in which the immunity goes crazy and is overactive. Many patients with reactive type arthritis can be cured by taking certain antibiotics for many months and years.

Effect of cod liver oil on symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Advances in Therapy, 2002, Vol 19, Iss 2, pp 101-107. J Gruenwald, HJ Graubaum, A Harde. Gruenwald J, PhytoPharm Consulting, Inst Phytopharmceut, Waldseeweg 6, D-13967 Berlin, GERMANY

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