Do I hear a debate starting???
I know Lovie, I think I'm starting something here! Sorry everyone! Still researching and Ive found things like the article below so I'm thinking its worth a try. I have nothing to lose but everything to gain so why not! x
There have been many double blind placebo controlled trials and studies done on glucosamine. In many trials and studies, glucosamine has shown to be very effective at:
Jenna I just couldn't resist. We've just had a simular debate about special diets as well as herbs and such and it got a little heated...just my attempt at humor.
They'll be lots of interest in your findings...thanks for sharing.
Best of luck with your quest. Keep us informed of your findings.
Certainly nothing wrong with taking antioxidents, helps remove some of the poisoness gunk left over from the meds. I find green tea one of the better ones. As for Glucosamine, well, asked my own Rheumy about that a few years back and he just gave me a polite smile, shrugged, and said no more on the subject! Not sure if stimulating the body into producing more Synovial fluid is gonna help too much, as it gives the RA something more to attack! It would be no harm to use it as long as the RA was under control by some other means.Hi Jenna,
I have some friends that use Glucosamine, but not for RA. I think 1 uses it for a bad knee from a prev injury and the other uses it for OA. Both have mentioned it to me because they feel it has really helped them with pain level. Worth a try? I think so.
Good luck with whatever you decide, if you do try it let us know how it goes.
BarbEhhh, Ive been taking glucosamine for years and it didnt do anything
but drain my pocket. My new rheumy told me to stop because its not
gonna do anything for me. *shrugs* I also drink green tea quite a bit,
because I heard it was a good stuff. I dunno, I guess if you have the
money to spare then go ahead and give all that stuff a try. I however
dont so meh. hehe good luck and let us know how it goes.
I've been told that glucosamine helps OA but not RA for what it's
worth. I've never wanted to try it as I hate meds with a
passion. Wish i was on some but hate em all the same. I have recently been told that Omega 3 6 9 oils is good for OA don't know about RA, but it must be organic and the oil not capsules. Also supposed to be good for memory and concentration, thought that I might try some if only for my memory. Pat I have been taking it ALL. Glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, fish oil, and MORE. The problem is I am newly diagnosed and I don't know what is working and what is not. This damn disease is so frustrating because I feel good then I feel bad in the same day. It really sucks. I don't know if mtx is helping, or relafin or plaquenil. It is all very confusing. I am glad rheumy took me off plaquenil just to see if I get better with the methatrexate. I figure the vitamins can't hurt. It is frustrating that they do not do more studies on herbs and alternative meds. Good luck. I am definitely interested. Jenna, I take the following supplements, and I have practically ZIP pain now. A year and a half ago, I was in bad shape and was diagnosed with RA. I do not take any medication. A combination supplement called FYI (For Your Inflammation) manufactured by Garden of Life. Fish oil Multi vitamin Extra Vitamin C Extra Calcium a Probiotic For me, these seem to do the trick; I especially give alot of credit to the FYI, fish oil, and MSM. Good luck to you in your quest for the right combination of supplements for you. Regards, Rana Hey Jealousy- Back when I was going to a RD. she made me take 1500mg of calcium a day plus a multi-V. The calcium she said was to keep my bones from getting brittle. And the multi-V was who knows, I guess for the magnesium to get the calcium to absorb. I still take a multi-V when I remember to...it helps my hair to grow better and mynails to stay strong. I take high strength fish oils and a whole heap of others for various different things, but it does need to be properly discussed with someone who knows what they're talking about, i found the staff in the health shop just knew what to suggest for different 'ailments' but didn't really know a lot about effects they could have on other meds or what you should and shouldn't take with other diseases. Thats not making a lot of sense i'm sure, but for example there are some supplements that i was told in no uncertain terms not to take because of the hypothyroidism. I also give my son fish oils good luck
A probiotic (like acidophilus) is a supplement of good micro-organisims (bacteria) that aids the digestive tract to help with better nutriment absorption. I take it on the theory that those with chronic inflammation are dealing with problems with digestion. I've read studies on this. You can find out more information on the internet on probiotics. All I know is that since I've started on it, I've experienced less and less pain and as an added plus, my digestion (& elminination) is great. I can't remember last when I had a stomach ache or constipation or diarrhea. But MSM and fish oil I think also has a hand in this. Rana I have taken MANY herbs , natural supplments and meds over the course of 22 yrs of being dx'd with RA. My rhuemmy was one of the drs. who developed "Remicade " and was head of " The Arthritis Foundation " of Arizona and my take on all of this is , try it if your dr oks it , good luck with it , But old uncle arthritis is gonna tell you how and when you feel good or bad . Yes there are things you can do to help or make your RA more painful for the short run, but uncle arthur is gonna rule for the most part ! People go into remission all the time , if they happen to take MSM or fish oil or wear copper bracelets at the time they will swear that this was the reason for their remission . I have done the same. We are on a weird ride and I think we all remember best what we were doing when the ride went down ( pain level ) than when the ride went up ( majior flare ) because its such a relief not to be in great pain. Just my 3 cents worth ( money is worth more up here at the north pole )
Just curious - when you tried the MANY herbs and natural supplements, were you also on the traditional meds at the same time? And - it is my strong belief that my improvement with RA symptoms is not due solely with the supplements I take, but in conjunction with a diet free of wheat (gluten), dairy and sugar (all sugar). From reading many posts, evidently I am not the only one who reports this. In my case, I am not one who is in remission and am mistakenly contributing my positive results from what I am doing (namely, injesting). Over the course of a year and a half, whenever I change my diet/supplement plan, I feel the symptoms begin to creep back. It's all the motivation I need to stick with it. Regards, Rana Just thought I'd let you all know, there is a big article in one of our national newspapers today about the vitamins that we need for our body to repair and maintain a healthy living. Two of the main ones stated are glucosamine and omega-3 and although it lists the food which provide these substances it also recommends buying the supplements in a health store. Both continue to state how studies have proven that they assist in arthritis pain relief. I've stated taking Glucosamine but plan to get down to the shops in the next few days to stock up. As stated in a previous post my uni lecturer swears by them as many of his family have RA. It definatly sound slike its worth a shot especially as the supplements can be quite cheap. Just wanted to say that I got myself motivated this morning at 8:00am (that's early for me) and went for a swim. Quite proud of myself. In fact I have no pain still and I could so run the marathon right now if I didn't have asthma as well x
hugs, wayney
I was wondering, for those that do take meds.. do you all at least take
a multi-vitamin or calcium? Because I was thinking about starting those
up. But Im not sure what to take. Any suggestions?
Rana, What is a probiotic?
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