One of the most common disorders to affect humans is arthritis. In fact, if you do not personally suffer from it, then you certainly know someone who does. Very few other diseases fall into this category. Many billions of dollars are spent each year on both prescription drugs and natural alternatives in the search to reduce the amount of pain caused by arthritis. The scary fact is that billions more are spent to treat the side-effects caused by the drugs taken for arthritis. Unfortunately, many do not survive. Before I get into the specific dangers of taking arthritis drugs, I want you to have an understanding of what happens to your joints when you get arthritis. I will then address safe and effective treatment options.

Arthritis is not just one specific disease. There are numerous types of arthritic conditions which are associated with many different causes. The two most recognizable forms are Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis, which is also known as Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD). Other familiar diseases which are associated with arthritis are Lupus, Psoriasis and Gout.

To understand how arthritis affects the joint and causes pain, it is good to have a basic knowledge of the joint. A joint is made when two different bony surfaces come in contact with each other with the need to move. Use the knuckle on your hand as a visual example. The bony surfaces are covered with a specialized material called cartilage. This tissue was well designed to not only take a good amount of impact force, but also to lubricate the two surfaces during movement.

This cartilage consists of two large molecular proteins named Collagen and Proteoglycans. (I am giving you this detail because it will become important when we address the treatments for arthritis later on in this article.) One of the constituents of Proteoglycansis a substance which has gotten much press and is known as Chondroitin Sulfate.Books like The Arthritis Cure tout its ability to do as the title suggests.

Aiding the cartilage in lubrication is a fluid called Synovium. The synovium is held in and around the joint with a synovial sleeve or joint capsule. Working together, these and other aspects of the joint make for smooth, painless movement.

So, then, how does arthritis affect the joint and cause pain? The answer to this depends on the type of arthritis as will be discussed below.

The most common form of arthritis is Osteoarthritis or Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD). X-ray evidence suggests that MOST people over the age of 65 have this type of arthritis somewhere in their bodies. The most commonly affected areas are the weight bearing joints like the knees, hips, hands, and the spine.

The cause is simply the cumulative effects of decades of use or misuse leading to joint deterioration.In other words, the more the joint was used and the harder it was used, the more it wears down. The cartilage lining the joint is destroyed or weakened and bone becomes exposed to more force. The body responds to this trauma by adding more bone to that which already exists. This is easily seen on x-ray. You have no doubt seen this extra bone on the knuckles of your hand or that of an older family member. The symptoms are morning stiffness, pain in the joint, and sometimes pain being referred to other parts of the body.

A more damaging form of arthritis is Rheumatoid Arthritis. This form affects the synovial membrane causing a hot, red, and swollen joint. It is known as an auto-immune disease because your own immune system attacks the joint.

Early symptoms include fatigue, vague joint pain and a possible low grade fever. Late symptoms involve total destruction of the joint. Blood tests and x-ray are usually used to aide in diagnosing this disease. The true cause is unknown, but is expected to be part genetic and part environmental. Females are afflicted 3 times as often as males.

Two of the most common questions I am asked are how to decrease arthritic pain and how to stop the progression of arthritis. The other sections of this article will address these questions. However, I would like to take a moment to address the specific dangers of taking arthritis medications. I find it amazing that we have been lulled into a false sense of safety when we take drugs like acetaminophen(Tylenol®), ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®), naproxyn (Alieve®), aspirin, the many other NSAID’s (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) or COX2 inhibitors(Celebrex®).

We all hear the commercials stating that “Nothing has been shown to be safer than…” insert your favorite arthritis drug. This is an intentionally misleading statement! It is not a lie because all of these drugs have been shown to be equally as dangerous. Thus, the converse is that nothing has been shown to be safer. The fact that doctors continue to tell their patients to be careful of natural approaches while then telling them to take any of the above is hypocrisy at its finest.

Why am I being so harsh? Because I want you to understand the truth. This is not some misled bias or passion against drugs on my part. These are the facts on the low side. Over 12,000 people go to the E.R. due to taking acetaminophen each year, including children. Many die. Well over 100,000 people are treated for complications duet to ibuprofen, aspirin, and other NSAID use each year. Many die. It is estimated that over 100,000 people had heart attacks and strokes due to the use of COX2 inhibitors. Many died. At the time of this writing Celebrex was still on the market and being prescribed by many doctors. Many continue to die.

These are amazing statistics. Can you imaging if any vitamin or herb had these same statistics?They would be called poisons. Their bottles would contain a skull and crossbones. But since we are comfy with drugs we make excuses for all of these deaths and hospitalizations. Your M.D. will validate the stats I just gave you.Then ask them why they do not promote the use of natural means above drugs. I cannot wait to hear their excuses. Actually, I already know the answer to this question as do many of you. America is the land of pharmaceutical influence.

Can Chiropractic Care Help?

Chiropractic care is extremely important in cases of arthritis. Not only can chiropractic care significantly decrease the pain of arthritis, but it also can reduce the risk of arthritis progression.

Increased joint pressure caused by that joint’s lack of good movement promotes the most common type of arthritis; DJD. In the spine this lack of movement has many detrimental effects. The first is the increased demand on the arthritic joints, as well as, those located above and below. The body requires its joints to move in concert with each other to accomplish proper function. Since the arthritic joint does not move well, the ones above and below have to “take up the slack.” This increases the forces applied to these non-arthritic joints eventually causing them to lack movement. As was explained in the main section of his article, the cartilage in the joint begins to deteriorate and the body produces more bone around these joints which we call arthritis. As the years begin to pass we see the arthritis move up and down the spine.

Gentle chiropractic adjustments keep the joints in your spine moving correctly. See the “Chiropractic Care: Does it make sense?” article for further details about the adjustment. This improved movement reduces the amount of pounding that a joint takes and thus, reduces the stimulus for additional arthritic change.

The additional benefit is that better movement within the arthritic joints reduces irritation and ultimately, inflammation. This reduction in inflammation translates into a significant decrease in pain for many patients.

The important aspect to keep in mind is that you have to do more than just swallow a pill to help with your arthritis pain. This goes for drugs, vitamins, herbs, or any other substance. These certainly can be helpful, but you have to understand that degenerative arthritis was caused by a loss of good joint dynamics. It makes little sense to ignore this fact when trying to reduce your symptoms.

Chiropractic care makes sense as a foundation of treatment for arthritis. It will not decrease the amount of arthritis you already have, but it will keep your arthritic joints from becoming worse and will help reduce pain. More important, though, chiropractic care will help to reduce the risk of other joints becoming arthritic in the future.

Treating Arthritis Naturally

You, no doubt, already know that there are so many products that claim benefit for arthritis that deciding what to take is a confusing proposition. My goal in this section is to give you information on some of the natural supplements I have found to be of benefit for my patients. I suggest that you try these first and then test others if needed.

Most of the talk concerning arthritis treatment these days surrounds two different supplements known as Glucosamine Sulfate/HCL and Chondroitin Sulfate. What is the difference? Should you take both?

As you learned earlier in this article, chondroitin is a main component of cartilage. The problem is that the majority of chondroitin products are of extremely poor quality. A study completed at the University of Maryland showed that not one of the products under $30/month even had 10% of the claimed amount of chondroitin in them. Additionally, the cheaper products contained chondroitin of very large molecular size that would not absorb. The bottom line is that most of the chondroitin on the market is probably of little value to you. You can purchase good quality small molecular weight chondroitin, but it is expensive. Expect to pay over $50 for a high quality chondroitin/glucosamine combination.

Glucosamine, on the other hand, is absorbed very well by humans. Since it is a building block for proteoglycans like chondroitin sulfate, it is a good choice. You will find glucosamine in either the “sulfate” or “HCL” forms. Either has been shown to be effective.

So, if good quality chondroitin is pricey, can you just simply take glucosamine? The answer is this. You will get the best results by using glucosamine and chondroitin together. Of this I am convinced. I give my patients this information when they are trying to decide which to take. If you have taken a good amount of anti-inflammatory drugs you should consider taking chondroitin along with glucosamine. Ibuprofen and aspirin inhibit the body’s ability to form chondroitin. It is interesting that the very drugs used most often to treat arthritic symptoms may actually make the condition worse by decreasing the body’s ability to make healthy cartilage. If you have not taken these drugs, then you can try taking glucosamine by itself for 8 weeks and then review the results. You may be satisfied with glucosamine, alone. If not, add good quality chondroitin.

Let me give you a few final suggestions regarding glucosamine and chondroitin. I hear from a number of patients that they tried these supplements and did not perceive a benefit. First, make sure you took good quality, small molecular weight chondroitin with the glucosamine. If not, give it another try. I would also encourage you to take these supplements even if you did not perceive a benefit. Studies show that these supplements help to keep cartilage healthy with or without pain reduction.

Other Alternatives

My strong suggestion is that anyone with arthritic pain should take good quality omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil). These have numerous health benefits including that they are natural anti-inflammatories. You will need to take 2,000-3,000mgs of EPA/DHA content of these oils a day to have the wanted effect. Most cheaper brands contain only 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA for a total of 300mg EPA/DHA. You will have to take 10 of these a day. Make sure you check the amount of EPA/DHA content not total fish oil content.

I have found a number of other supplements that are effective at relieving arthritis pain including MSM, Boswellia serrata (an herb), Ginger, Cayenne pepper, Tumeric (curcumin), SAMe, and an extract from Hops called Kaprex®.

Boswellia is an herb from India which has anti-inflammatory components and has been shown to reduce the pain experienced by arthritis sufferers. Capsaicin is the active ingredient of Cayenne pepper. It inhibits a neurotransmitter responsible for pain transmission to the brain. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory. Curcumin is the active ingredient in the spice Tumeric and is an anti-inflammatory. It also has been shown to have beneficial effects on the immune system. MSM (methysulfonylmethane) is a sulfur donor for the body. It is touted as being anti-inflammatory and can be used for cartilage building. SAMe (S-Adenosyl-Methionine) is a methyl donor and has been shown to reduce arthritic pain. Kaprex® is a product from Metagenics that has a patented extract blend of the Hops plant that has done wonders for some. It is thought to be an anti-inflammatory at a very deep level within the cell.

Through trial and error, I have found a combination that works very well for some of my patients with the worst symptoms. I have them take two to three grams of EPA/DHA, a combination of Boswellia, Ginger, Cayenne, and Curcumin, and Kaprex all together. The results for some have been magical. The only negative is the initial cost but once symptoms are under control, most are able to significantly drop dose and cost while maintaining the benefits.

Again, there are many other natural supplements you can try to reduce your arthritic pain. A great place to start would be with taking a glucosamine/chondroitin mixture for six to eight weeks. See what happens. Some notice benefits within weeks, but give it at least six weeks. If you have tried this already or if it does not work, try adding any of the above supplements one at a time and see what happens. If you have significant pain or want to really go after the pain, then I strongly suggest trying the fish oil, Boswellia, Ginger, Curcumin (Tumeric), Cayenne, Kaprex® mixture for two to four weeks. Your goal should be to either get off of arthritis drugs all together or to significantly reduce the amount you take on a regular basis. Nature can be of help!