Dietary Supplements For Treatment of Arthritis From the Cleveland Clinic

WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with The Cleveland Clinic

Many people with arthritis -- especially osteoarthritis -- use supplements to ease the pain of arthritis. Glucosamine and chondroitin are the most well known and best tested. Methyl sulfonylmethane, or MSM, is another supplement used to ease the pain of arthritis, but it has not been through as much rigorous scientific testing.

What Are Glucosamine and Chondroitin?

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are components of normal cartilage. In the body, they are the building blocks for cartilage and appear to stimulate the body to make more cartilage.
There are conflicting studies on glucosamine and chondroitin, some demonstrating a beneficial effect on osteoarthritis pain. Others, including the NIH-sponsored multicenter

Glucosamine/Chrondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT), did not show benefit for the primary outcome measure of osteoarthritis pain measured by WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMacster Universities). However, a smaller subgroup of study participants with moderate to severe pain did show significant relief. Due to the small size of this subgroup, these findings should be confirmed in larger studies.

The supplements, which are available in pharmacies and health food stores without a prescription, are well tolerated and appear to be safe. However, there are no long-term studies to confirm their long-term safety and effectiveness. Many physicians may still recommend a trial of glucosamine at this point, and if there is not apparent improvement by 3 months, it would reasonable to stop the treatment.

It is important to check with your doctor before starting any new treatments. Your doctor can review the other medications you are taking and help you decide whether or not these arthritis supplements are right for you. In addition, always follow the instructions on the medication label. Do not take more of the supplements than is recommended. Continue Reading ...

All About Osteoarthritis and Women

By Jeanie Lerche Davis

WebMD Feature

Reviewed By Charlotte Mathis, MD

If you've just been diagnosed with osteoarthritisosteoarthritis (OA), you're not alone. Many women past age 50 discover OA is the reason for their creaking knees, aching backs, and sore fingers. Suddenly life is all about osteoarthritis -- but luckily, arthritisarthritis doesn't have to take control.

Arthritis is "the most common form of disability. It's also a natural part of aging," says Primal Kaur, MD, director of the Osteoporosis Clinic at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

In the U.S., one in five adults has osteoarthritis -- 24 million women and 17 million men, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Continue Reading ...

Omega-3s Revealed

Researchers have long known omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation. Now they know how.

by Linda RichardsPosted 2/12/07

Understanding how your body benefits from eating omega-3 fatty acids is an important part of understanding why you should eat them. But, until recently, no one really knew what made omega-3s so beneficial. Researchers, however, have uncovered the secret of omega-3 fatty acids. A study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston revealed that omega-3s actually convert into compounds that are 10,000 times more potent than the original fatty acids themselves. So what does this mean to us? The new compounds include resolvins, which help bring the inflammatory response to an end, says the study’s lead researcher, Charles Serhan, PhD, director, Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury at Harvard Medical School, Boston. Continue reading ...

New Drug for Arthritis?

New drug for arthritis?: Merck seeking FDA approval for Arcoxia, a chemical relative of Vioxx, which was linked to heart attacks

Kathleen Kerr, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

Mar. 21, 2007 -- In a bid to recapture a piece of the arthritis pain-relief market, Merck & Co. is seeking government approval for Arcoxia, a chemical relative of Vioxx, the drug pulled off drugstore shelves in 2004 after being linked to heart attacks.

In its last full year on the market, Vioxx brought in about $2.5billion in sales. If the Food and Drug Administration approves Arcoxia, Merck could recoup some of those sales.

On April 12 an FDA advisory panel will consider approval of Arcoxia for osteoarthritis; it is already sold in 62 other countries. The FDA usually follows advisory panel recommendations. Continue reading ...

FDA Whistle Blower Blasts New Arthritis Drug

FDA whistle-blower Graham blasts new Merck arthritis drug

Updated 9/12/2006 9:51 PM ET

By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY / Health & Behavior

The arthritis drug that Merck has developed to compete with Celebrex may be as risky for the heart as Vioxx, writes Food and Drug Administration whistle-blower David Graham in an editorial posted online Tuesday by a medical journal.

In considering whether Arcoxia should be approved, "the FDA, academia, and the medical research enterprise are once again faced with the opportunity to forsake common sense by willfully accepting misdirection and disinformation presented in the guise of science," Graham writes on the Journal of the American Medical Association's website. Continue reading ...

Massage May Help Knee Osteoarthritis

Less Knee Pain and Stiffness Seen With Swedish Massage in Preliminary Study By Miranda Hitti

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
on Monday, December 11, 2006

Can A Massage Improve Your Health?

Dec. 11, 2006 -- Knees hurt? Massage may cut the pain and improve function if you have knee osteoarthritisosteoarthritis, a new study shows.

Massage therapy "seems to be a viable option" as an addition to other treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee, write the researchers.

continue reading...

Don't Ignore Early Signs of Arthritis

Rutland Herald, Vermont, CT
July 24, 2006

Dr. T. Glenn Pait, associate professor of neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and director of the Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute at UAMS, thinks that treatment for arthritis should be multipronged.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, more than 42 million Americans have been diagnosed with arthritis of some form; another 23.2 million people live with chronic joint symptoms but have not been diagnosed by a doctor.

Contrary to popular belief, arthritis isn't a disease that affects only older adults.More than half of the cases involve people younger than 65, including nearly 3 million children.

The term arthritis is used to describe more than 100 rheumatic diseases and conditions that affect joints, the tissues that surround the joint and other connective tissue.

The pattern, severity and location of symptoms can vary depending on the specific form of the disease. Some forms of arthritis include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosis, scleroderma and fibromyalgia.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, a chronic disease that causes a breakdown of the cushioning cartilage in joints and the formation of new bone at the margin of joints.
Read more ...

New Knees Designed for Women

Hundreds of thousands of knee replacement surgeries are done every year. About two-thirds of the patients are women and, until now, there was a gender gap in the OR.

Annie Beylerian is making medical history. She’s one of the first to receive a revolutionary new knee implant specifically designed for women. “I couldn't walk," she says.

Dr. Michael Kelly, who helped design the new “gender solutions” knee, says it's shaped more like a woman's natural knee.

He says, "Women have a little different makeup in their knee’s anatomy than men do. If we were to look at that, they’re a little bit taller and they are a little bit narrower.”

A traditional implant is often too wide for a woman. The result can be pain and decreased function. The new gender-specific implant is designed for a better fit.

Dr. Kelly says, "You can see a very nice contour here. There’s a little bit different angle in the way the kneecap slides in and a little bit smaller amount of metal here, all to keep the patella-femoral mechanics. Or in plain terms, how your kneecap functions when you go up and down the stairs, or arise from a seat or drive a car.”

Replacement knees have been available in different sizes for years. This time it's the shape that counts.

Dr. Kelly says, "We went to right and lefts, which became even better than the symmetric knees which was one size kind of fit all and you figure out surgically how to correct it. But now this is just one step further.”

Dr. Kelly says that, for the moment, the gender solutions knee comes in one size. By the end of summer, it should be available in several sizes. continue reading ...

Restless Leg Syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder characterized by sensations in the lower legs which lead to discomfort unless the legs are moved. Information on the cause, symptoms and treatment of restless legs syndrome. Although the relationship is unclear, several rheumatic conditions are associated with restless legs syndrome including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia... read more ... http://arthritis.about.com/

How to ease Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS):

Here's How:

1. Gently massage your legs, especially the calves toward the heart. Use liniment if you like.
2. Take a warm bath. If you have one, try a whirlpool bath.
3. Take a mild pain reliever in the evening when the sensations first set in.
4. Try some moderate exercise earlier in the day. Don't overdo. Strenuous exercise may aggravate the problem.
5. Avoid alcohol. Not only does it sometimes aggravate the restless legs, it also causes fragmented sleep.
6. Avoid caffeine. It can keep you awake and make your misery all the worse.
7. Nicotine is a stimulant and can worsen your problem as well as keep you awake.
8. Taking a multi vitamin/mineral supplement is sometimes helpful (magnesium might be helpful). For more information see the Arthritis Foundation's Arthritis Today's Vitamin Guide.
9. Cold compresses often alleviate the crawly sensation.
10. Talk to your doctor about medications. Something you are taking may be aggravating or even causing the syndrome.
11. Also talk to your doctor about some of the drugs that have proven effective in the treatment of restless legs.
12. If all else fails, try walking away the misery.

Tips:

1. Restless legs syndrome is difficult to deal with but is not life threatening.
2. Good sleep hygiene, as in all sleep disorders, is always advisable.
3. If you can't sleep at night, and you can manage, it, try daytime naps when the misery has lessened.

Official web site for Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation: http://www.rls.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?&pid=178&srcid=-2

Another Story about Linda and her
creepy-crawly legs

Linda Sieh and her family live in Naper, Nebraska, a town of 110 people about two miles from the South Dakota border. It's quite a drive to Sioux Falls and even farther to Omaha, the two closest big cities. It was on one of these long drives 11 years ago that Linda's legs starting twitching, forcing her to pull over and stretch them. Later that year, her legs began jerking while sharp "creepy crawly" sensations shot through them. Bedtime became a dreaded event -- at night the jerking was so powerful and painful, it left her unable to sleep. At her worst point, Linda slept standing up five nights in a row. The exhaustion and confusion were making her life insufferable.

"I was so depressed," Linda says. "I thought I was the only person in the world who had this stupid thing; I had no idea what was happening." Continue ... RX.Magazine

When You're Amoung Friends

As the last few people arrive, Frances Rolander, who started the monthly support group nine years ago, asks people to introduce themselves. Donna and Joe Huser, a couple who are longtime veterans of the group, start. Donna has dermatomyositis, rheumatoid arthritis and a host of other problems stemming from those conditions. Joe began coming to the group meetings with Donna when she was too weak to come on her own, but he quickly found that the meetings helped him immeasurably in understanding what his wife was going through. He's now developed osteoarthritis, which, he likes to joke, he got from the group.

Kathy Barker is a spunky, early-30-something who seems the picture of health except for the splints she wears to support her thumbs, which have been all but destroyed by osteoarthritis. Lisa Kenney, who's there for the first time, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis seven months ago and is learning how to cope with an illness while raising two young children and running a household. Jeanie Thigpen is recovering from knee surgery and walks with a cane. One hesitant young woman introduces herself only as Ruth.

There's palpable sense of relief in the room, a letting down of the guard. Here, at least, people understand what everyone's been going through. No need for explanations or defending health decisions; no need to worry about pity, or callousness, or faking good cheer. There's just a feeling of being heard, understood and supported by people who have stood in your shoes.
Some may come to the group skeptically, expecting to hear people whining and asking, "why me?" But complaining is not what this group is about... continued- Arthritis Foundation