What are some remedies for pain in osteoarthritis....

[butterfly77]

and for mobility

[Seanmhair]

1. Exercise..

Living with arthritis, I can attest to the pain. I have found that regular exercise helps me to maintain mobility. Without it, I stiffen like a board. Moderate walking is good. If you have access to a gym, the elliptical machine places minimal strain on tender joints. Swimmimg is also great.

I take Ibuprophen when needed. Hots baths are wonderful. As far as supplementation, I take omega 3 oils (fish oil), but that's about it. Glucosamine did nothing for me.

I've found its a matter of slowing down a tad and taking good care of oneself.

Hoping to maintain....

Seanmhair

[butterfly77]

2. I seem to have gotten worse after using the glucosamine...

my knee has gotten so stiff it is hard to move, but I continue to walk. What do you think about exercise bicycles.

[Seanmhair]

12. I know what you mean

My knees are just awful, the left worse than the right. I have to keep moving tho...otherwise they lock up.

I did ask my doc about a bike. He said the upright exercise bikes place less stress on the knee joint than do the recumbent bikes. And walking is great!

I'm hoping to avoid cortisone shots and/or surgery. Some days tho....

What does your doctor have to say?

Seanmhair

[butterfly77]

15. You sound about the same as I...

surgery and at first he said the bike and then he said walking he has changed over time. I believe the cortisone shots are the cause I had a couple years ago and then began having more problems. Know of any health food cures or treatments.

[LiberalEsto]

3. Have you tried acupuncture?

I have several lower back problems including osteoarthritis, and acupuncture has done wonders for me.

I take naproxen when needed. There is some new study saying it has fewer side effects than most non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.

Some indoor pools offer exercise programs tailored to people with arthritis, in heated water. These are supposed to be helpful.

[woodsprite]

4. I'm doing Omega 3s, MSM, Calcium, Magnesium and ground Flaxseed.

a multivitamin, extra Vit C AND I take 2 Motrin each night. Sounds like a walking medicine chest, but I'm trying to counter some menopause symptoms too. The reason I add the Motrin at night is because I zonk out and the not moving makes me really stiff in the morning. By the time I get up and wake the kids up, I'm feeling pretty good. I've noticed a great improvement but I believe most of that is tied to the flaxseed. If I don't take it (1 tbls sprinkled on whatever breakfast is, then another tbls at night), I really notice it within 12 hours. The Calcium and Mag are more to counter bone loss than any other reason.

[butterfly77]

8. Sounds like my medicine chest...

I have the take the flaxseeds also although sometimes I forget to use it. What does the flaxseed do exactly? and the omega 3's is this the same as cod liver oil.

[woodsprite]

17. Supposedly the oil has anti-inflamatory properties.

I don't do the oil because I also want the fiber and some of the phytoestrogenic qualities that are found only in the ground seeds. They don't stay fresh long after they're ground. I use a coffee grinder and grind about 5 days worth at a time. I keep ground and whole seeds in the fridge in an airtight container.

Flax seed is the richest source of ALA (Omega 3s) and you don't have to worry about mercury like you do in some of the fish oils. Most of us already get a ton of Omega 6s in our diet from processed foods, but we're low on the 3s. The ratio is important for protection from cancer and other diseases. Omega 3 is also supposed to balance the immune system.

I do know that I notice it when I'm not using it. My evening portion is my treat for the day. I mix together 2 tbls ricotta cheese, 1 tbls chunky peanut butter, 1 tsp chocolate syrup and 1 tbls. ground flax seed. YUM!

[butterfly77]

19. That ricotta cheese and peanut butter mixture sounds kind of..

yucky..

[man4allcats]

5. Doc Adams from the classic TV Western "Gunsmoke"

generally prescribed laudanum (basically a shot of whiskey with an opium chaser) for anything that hurt. Sounds like a sure cure to me. No wonder he was so popular with Dodge City's denizens. ;-)

[catnhatnh]

6. Okay-I have never done this before.....

...I have osteoarthritis, gout, hypertension and some other problems...without being specific, my sister recommended a course of specific vitamins and supplents.I tried them for a month and improved.I finished the months supply and stopped the supplements-1 week later I am waiting for the shippment I requested today.If you want specifics ask- but I will warn they are pricey-I will be testing cheaper replacements soon.

[butterfly77]

9. What are they exactly?

[catnhatnh]

11. OK...

and only because you ask....My sister does Shakelee...which always struck me as a scam...I took their osteomatrix,joint health matrix, and (oddly enough) alfalfa.I felt better,I don't right now...cost me about $90 so it ain't cheap....

[hvn_nbr_2]

14. What are the ingredients in those?

The Shaklee website doesn't seem to have any info about the "joint health matrix" and the ingredients in the osteomatrix seem to be common minerals and a couple vitamins that really shouldn't be too expensive. (Although I have found it hard to find a rational multi-mineral formula.)

[woodsprite]

16. Alfalfa is GREAT for arthritis, but I can't take it due to it's

estrogenic properties - endometrial cancer. After the hyster., they don't want me on anything that has alot of phytoestrogens. That and Soy have more phytos than Flax Seed, so I may be 'stretching' it a bit taking the Flax Seed, but the way I look at it, if I'm gonna recur then I'll recur. Why waste my time by not being able to move around, especially with a 6yo and a 13yo. Sooooo, I take the smallest dose that works for me.

[butterfly77]

20. So it didn't work for you I guess....

[loves_dulcinea]

7. yellowdog, that's damned funny.

NPR has a radio program called "the people's pharmacy" they take alot of anecdotal information regarding folk remedies.
they also interview specialists and ask pointed questions. i highly recommend you try that site.

here you go

http://www.peoplespharmacy.org/index.asp

i have about twelve years of pharmacy experience, i listen to this show religeously. it's really layman friendly too, i've sent my mother there for her arthritis.

best of luck!

[butterfly77]

10. Thanks

[DemExpat]

13. Thanks, I love looking around sites like this.

:hi:

DemEx

[Warpy]

18. Glucosamine & Chondroitin

have been found effective in some people. Double blind studies are mixed, some showing improvement and some showing no improvement. It's not terribly expensive, so a two month trial is reasonable and will tell you whether or not you're one of the people who can be helped by it. You can find it anyplace that sells vitamins.

Analgesics can help, nonsteroidals like Aleve and Motrin, aspirin, and acetaminophen. Moderate to severe pain may require mild opioids like Vicodin or Tylenol with codeine.

The treatment for joints that have eroded to the point of being barely functional is surgery, joint replacement for some and fusion for others. They used to wait until the last minute to do these surgeries, but improvements in implanted hardware have extended its useful life to the point that surgery is often done before narcotics are needed.

A reasonably complete discussion with minimal medicalese can be found at: http://www.medicinenet.com/osteoarthritis/article.htm

[RedEarth]

21. You might want to check out this site(Arthritis Foundation)

It's got an abundance of information on living with arthritis. The link below is part of their site that deals with alternative therapies.

http://www.arthritis.org/conditions/SupplementGuide/herbs.asp