Common Symptoms of Arthritis
Swelling in one or more joints.
Stiffness around the joints that lasts for at least 1 hour in the early morning.
Constant or recurring pain or tenderness in a joint.
Difficulty using or moving a joint normally.
Warmth and redness in a joint.

A Brief note on Arthritis:
There are many different kinds of arthritis, but the 2 most common types are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis is the second most common.
Osteoarthritis - OA:
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that can result from an auto-immune disorder, wear and tear on the joints, like the knees, hips and fingers, from an injury, diabetes etc. Many people may have only mild discomfort. But as cartilage covering the ends of bones in the joints wears away, many people may have considerable pain, inflammation, and loss of movement. OA occurs more often as people grow older and is the most common joint disease. About one third of people over age 35 show some signs of OA when they have x-rays. In addition to aging, other risk factors for OA include being overweight, injuries, and diabetes. Over 20 million Americans suffer from OA.
Rheumatoid arthritis - RA:
The main symptom of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is inflammation—redness, heat, and pain—at the joints. RA affects the joint membranes, cartilage, and bones the way OA does. But unlike OA, RA can also affect the whole body—with loss of appetite, a general feeling of being unwell, and other symptoms. RA takes very different forms in different people. Some people have only a mild form of RA that does not get more severe. Others go on to develop severe deformities of the joints. Most people with RA fall somewhere in between. RA is usually first noticed in the small joints of the hands, feet, and wrists. It may then move on to the larger joints — elbows, shoulders, and knees. As RA gets worse, the joints can become deformed and too stiff to move. RA affects about 1 in every 100 people. It affects women 3 times more often than men. The people most likely to develop RA are those between the ages of 35 and 50.
Source - NIH; National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

Myths About Treating Arthritis
At this time, the only type of arthritis that can be cured is that caused by infections. Symptoms of other types of arthritis can be managed with rest, exercise, and medication, but there are no cures. Though medications are somewhat effective in relieving pain and inflammation they do not address the underlying cause. They also often have some very severe adverse effects on the body.
There are however, safe and effective compounds that relive pain and inflammation and even help rebuild cartilage - and without adverse effects. Many of these compounds are what a healthy body produces naturally, and though the mechanism is not yet clearly understood, it has been known that replenishment of these compounds does indeed provide effective treatment as well as relief from pain and inflammation. There is clinical test data to back this up - see below.
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Conventional Treatments for Arthritis
Commonly prescribed treatments for rheumatic diseases include medication, rest and relaxation, exercise and proper diet. Other treatments include the use of pain relief methods and assistive devices, such as splints or braces. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary.

Physical exercise can reduce joint pain and stiffness and increase flexibility, muscle strength, and endurance. It also helps with weight reduction and contributes to an improved sense of well-being. Another important part of a treatment program is a well-balanced diet. Along with exercise, a well-balanced diet helps people manage their body weight and stay healthy. Weight control is important to people who have arthritis because extra weight puts extra pressure on some joints and can aggravate many types of arthritis. Diet is especially important for people who have gout. People with gout should avoid alcohol and foods that are high in purines, such as organ meats (liver, kidney), sardines, anchovies, and gravy.

Medications
A variety of medications are used to treat rheumatic diseases. These medications do not provide a cure, but rather limit the symptoms of the disease. Infectious arthritis and gout are exceptions if medications are used properly. Another example is Lyme disease, caused by the bite of certain ticks, where symptoms of arthritis may be prevented or may disappear if the infection is caught early and treated with antibiotics.
Analgesics (pain relievers) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx),are used to reduce the pain caused by many rheumatic conditions, and in many cases, inflammation as well. Other drugs include disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD). This category includes several unrelated medications that are intended to slow or prevent damage to the joint and thereby prevent disability and discomfort. DMARDs include methotrexate, sulfasalazine, and leflunomide (Arava) - also etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), and anakinra (Kineret).

Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, cortisone, solumedrol, and hydrocortisone, are also used to treat many rheumatic conditions because they decrease inflammation and suppress the immune system. The dosage of these medications will vary depending on the diagnosis and the patient.
Hyaluronic acid products like Hyalgan and Synvisc mimic a naturally occurring body substance that lubricates the knee joint. They are usually injected directly into the joint to help provide temporary relief of pain and flexible joint movement.

Topical ointments and lotions containing capcaicin among other ingredients have also proven to be useful and effective in temporary pain relief and without any significant short or long term adverse effects.

Hyaluronic acid products like Hyalgan and Synvisc mimic a naturally occurring body substance that lubricates the knee joint. They are usually injected directly into the joint to help provide temporary relief of pain and flexible joint movement. Devices Used in Treatment Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been found effective in modifying pain perception. TENS blocks pain messages to the brain with a small device that directs mild electric pulses to nerve endings that lie beneath the painful area of the skin. A blood-filtering device called the Prosorba Column is used in some health care facilities for filtering out harmful antibodies in people with severe rheumatoid arthritis. Heat and Cold Therapies Heat and cold can both be used to reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis.
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Efficacy and adverse reactions of Arthritis drugs
The most commonly used medications, analgesics (pain killers) along with Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx) do work in temporarily relieving pain and in some cases inflammation as well. Unfortunately they do not work on the underlying causes of the disease and frequently cause severe and even life threatening adverse effects.

DMARDs do have some effect on the cause of certain types of rheumatic diseases but their adverse reactions can be even more severe.

Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, cortisone, solumedrol, and hydrocortisone, have proven to be effective in the treatment of many rheumatic conditions and work to decrease inflammation and suppress the immune system - which is a known and significant cause of arthritis. Unfortunately they have a host of rather awful side effects including: swelling, increased appetite, weight gain, emotional ups and downs, stretch marks, excessive hair growth, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, damage to the arteries, high blood sugar, infections, and cataracts. It is also dangerous to suddenly stop taking Corticosteroids.
Source: NIH
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What are some Safe and Effective Therapies for Arthritis? Do they work?
There exists a wide variety of "Natural or Herbal Remedies, Alternative medicines, and Nutraceuticals" that claim to relieve pain and inflammation and even repair the damage caused by arthritis. Though it is likely that some of these may demonstrate beneficial effects, there exists very little hard medical, clinical or scientific evidence to back up the claims often made by the makers and sellers of such compounds.

There are several exceptions however. Some of these are compounds produced normally by the human body but whose production has been found to have decreased among arthritis sufferers. Two such are Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate, and there is good clinical evidence to indicate their efficacy in treating Osteoarthritis - OA. Also, being natural to the human body, the body does not treat them as foreign substances and they have proven to be very safe when formulated and produced to good quality standards and used properly.

Another is cis-9-cetylmyristoleate or CMO. The discovery of cis-9-cetylmyristoleate in 1994, has been hailed by medical researchers like Dr. Harry Diehl of the National Institute of Health as "one of the most important discoveries this century in treating joint and cartilage problems." The active ingredients in CMO are wholly derived from 100% natural bovine food sources. When used for joint support, in a randomized clinical trial, cetyl myristoleate achieved an impressive 87.3% response when taken with glucosamine and hydrolyzed cartilage.
(Click for complete study)

Methyl-sulfonyl-methane (MSM) is a naturally-occurring dietary sulfur compound found in all living things. Medical research indicates that MSM can offer men and women benefits that include Anti-inflammatory and pain relief to help with joint function. It improves natural defenses against allergies and environmental toxins. As an immune system ‘normalizer’ it also seems to help undo the source of other health problems and diseases as well.

Pregnenolone is also produced naturally in the body and is used for the building-block of many hormones. It facilitates inflammation relief. Medical researchers believe it plays a major role in anti-aging by helping your body produce healthy levels of many essential hormones. As a ‘hormone precursor’ it may be the key to regaining "younger" levels of vital hormones.

Supplements: It has been known for some time that a disorder in the body's auto-immune system is a significant factor in the development of arthritis. A balanced and nutritous diet along with exercise does indeed tend to help the body try try to restore its own balance and there is a body of evidence and research to indicate that the intake of certain vitamins, minerals and amino acids can be greatly beneficial. For those who have trouble maintaining such a diet there are carefully researched and formulated supplements that can help.There are many brands of supplements to choose from and we indicate one such at the bottom of this page that we have found to be among the most effective and balanced.
Click here for more on nutrional supplements.
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What are their side effects?
Several natural remedies and nutraceuticals do indeed exhibit adverse and sometimes dangerous side effects, especially when taken in combination with prescription drugs. Not much is known about many of them and one needs to be a bit careful. After all, there are many compounds found in nature that are toxic and poisonous to humans.

The compounds mentioned above have however proven to display no adverse side effects, when formulated carefully, manufactured to high quality standards and used PROPERLY. The simple reason for this is that they are part of the body's own natural chemistry.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate - Clinical Studies:
"An analysis of clinical trials on glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for treating osteoarthritis has shown that these compounds may have some efficacy against the symptoms of this form of arthritis. (OA)
The study, by Timothy E. McAlindon, DM, and colleagues at the Boston University School of Medicine, located 37 studies of the compounds in osteoarthritis by a thorough review of the scientific literature published over more than three decades.
Based on data from the trials, the researchers calculated an overall "effect size" for the two compounds: the figure 0.2 is considered a small effect; 0.5, moderate; and 0.8, large. The researchers calculated an effect size for glucosamine of 0.44 and for chondroitin sulfate of 0.78..."**
** The study was published in the March 15, 2000, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates in the treatment of osteoarthritis:
Survey de los Reyes GC, Koda RT, Lien EJ. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.

For more than 30 years, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been used as standards in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Serious and often life-threatening adverse effects due to these agents are common. Clinical findings have revealed that glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate are effective and safer alternatives to alleviate symptoms of OA. Experimental evidence indicates that these compounds and their low molecular weight derivatives have a particular tropism for cartilage where they serve as substrates in the biosynthesis of component building blocks. This paper is a literature review of the chemistry, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy and safety of these two nutraceuticals.
Publication Types: Review, Tutorial PMID: 11127967 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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