Natural Remedies For Arthritis Pain Relief - Can You Avoid the Side Effects of Drugs?
Anyone who suffers from arthritis will know what it's like to be in constant pain and not have the strength or energy to accomplish even some of the most basic of daily tasks, such as removing the lid from a jar.
Arthritis -- in any of its various forms -- is a truly debilitating illness, affecting in excess of 40 million Americans (that's almost 1 in 5 adults) and many more millions worldwide.
And, despite beliefs to the contrary, arthritis is not an illness restricted to the elderly -- anyone, children and animals included, can become an arthritis sufferer at any time.
It's well known that no medical cure currently exists for arthritis.
It's a chronic, degenerative illness that, once contracted, stays with the sufferer for life.
Not a very comforting thought.
Regular medicine provides a number of drugs to treat arthritis, if only in terms of pain management rather than reversal of the condition.
As mentioned, arthritis is a chronic, degenerative condition that cannot, at the present time, be reversed.
Available drugs are effective.
They do help control the pain...
but not without cost.
Firstly, there is the monetary cost which can run to hundreds of dollars per month -- insurance will, no doubt, cover the cost for many people but for how long? Secondly, and of far more concern, is the potential cost to the patient's long-term health from potential addiction or reported side effects, the most serious of which include severe toxicity of the kidneys, liver and bone marrow.
There have even been reports in recent years of arthritis-treating drugs having been linked to heart failure - this is very worrying! Against this background it's no surprise that more and more people are looking to alternative treatments for their condition.
And it's why the more natural remedies for arthritis pain relief have such high perceived value; anything that can reduced pain and at the same time help increase strength and energy with few or no side effects must surely be worth trying.
There are a number of readily available dietary supplements that have the potential to offer pain relief to arthritis sufferers.
Some of these supplements such as Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate are very well known and have been extensively studied by the scientific community and there does appears to be good evidence of efficacy.
Another product, Rosehip (Rosa Canina), is a more recent discovery in terms of arthritic pain relief but scientific studies -- most notably in Europe -- suggest this is a very promising, all-natural pain-relieving supplement and a herbal alternative to the animal and marine extracts used in the manufacture of Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate.
Unfortunately, because of the vast sums of money involved there are also many false claims made on behalf of totally ineffective or even fake products that are promoted as wonder cures for arthritis.
The problem for many people is how to know what is a genuine and what is fake.
There is no simple answer other than to search for the evidence.
This does not mean the testimonials on retailers' or manufacturers' websites -- after all, these companies have an interest in presenting their products in the most favorable light.
Of course, where a company can show hundreds of testimonials for a single product rather than just a handful it might be a little more meaningful (think Amazon, for example).
Anyone thinking of taking natural remedies to aid arthritis pain relief needs to look for evidence of qualified medical or scientific studies for those specific products.
See what conclusions are reached.
The researchers will put time and rigor into their studies -- not to mention putting their own reputations on the line.
Arthritis -- in any of its various forms -- is a truly debilitating illness, affecting in excess of 40 million Americans (that's almost 1 in 5 adults) and many more millions worldwide.
And, despite beliefs to the contrary, arthritis is not an illness restricted to the elderly -- anyone, children and animals included, can become an arthritis sufferer at any time.
It's well known that no medical cure currently exists for arthritis.
It's a chronic, degenerative illness that, once contracted, stays with the sufferer for life.
Not a very comforting thought.
Regular medicine provides a number of drugs to treat arthritis, if only in terms of pain management rather than reversal of the condition.
As mentioned, arthritis is a chronic, degenerative condition that cannot, at the present time, be reversed.
Available drugs are effective.
They do help control the pain...
but not without cost.
Firstly, there is the monetary cost which can run to hundreds of dollars per month -- insurance will, no doubt, cover the cost for many people but for how long? Secondly, and of far more concern, is the potential cost to the patient's long-term health from potential addiction or reported side effects, the most serious of which include severe toxicity of the kidneys, liver and bone marrow.
There have even been reports in recent years of arthritis-treating drugs having been linked to heart failure - this is very worrying! Against this background it's no surprise that more and more people are looking to alternative treatments for their condition.
And it's why the more natural remedies for arthritis pain relief have such high perceived value; anything that can reduced pain and at the same time help increase strength and energy with few or no side effects must surely be worth trying.
There are a number of readily available dietary supplements that have the potential to offer pain relief to arthritis sufferers.
Some of these supplements such as Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate are very well known and have been extensively studied by the scientific community and there does appears to be good evidence of efficacy.
Another product, Rosehip (Rosa Canina), is a more recent discovery in terms of arthritic pain relief but scientific studies -- most notably in Europe -- suggest this is a very promising, all-natural pain-relieving supplement and a herbal alternative to the animal and marine extracts used in the manufacture of Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate.
Unfortunately, because of the vast sums of money involved there are also many false claims made on behalf of totally ineffective or even fake products that are promoted as wonder cures for arthritis.
The problem for many people is how to know what is a genuine and what is fake.
There is no simple answer other than to search for the evidence.
This does not mean the testimonials on retailers' or manufacturers' websites -- after all, these companies have an interest in presenting their products in the most favorable light.
Of course, where a company can show hundreds of testimonials for a single product rather than just a handful it might be a little more meaningful (think Amazon, for example).
Anyone thinking of taking natural remedies to aid arthritis pain relief needs to look for evidence of qualified medical or scientific studies for those specific products.
See what conclusions are reached.
The researchers will put time and rigor into their studies -- not to mention putting their own reputations on the line.
