Moxie Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 My DH was just diagnosed with arthritis in his shoulder and neck. He also turns 40 in a few days so he is NOT a happy fellow. Anyway, what can be done about arthritis? He's been taking (IMO) way too many OTC pain relievers. That can't be good, long term. I'd love to hear every idea you have, no matter how far out it is. BTW, he does see a chiro. already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 The doctor told my mom to take a good Glucosamine, Chondrotin, MSM combo. I take them too (when I can remember). We get the Joint Combo from Puritan.com http://www.puritan.com/glucosamine-chondroitin-045/triple-strength-glucosamine-chondroitin-msm-joint-soother-017895 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowing Brook Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I have psoriac arthritic and my dr. put me on a low does of antibiotics. Mine is a auto immune disorder. I am not sure if all arthritics are though. I agree with the above post. Also cherry juice is said to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabinfl Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 If it's osteoarthritis, acupuncture may provide some pain relief. Gentle exercise is supposed to be good too. If he hasn't yet, might want to investigate whether anything else is going on in the joint(s) like bursitis or pinched nerves, that may call for different treatment. Many docs lump all joint pain / "arthritis" into one big pile, and different conditions can respond to very different things. Talk to a doctor about pain relief options -- there are many options: topical creams, TENS units, ice and/or heat, and a variety of OTC and prescription medications that all have different risks and benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Warmth. I have to keep my bits with osteoarthritis warm. My worst location is in both hands. There are things I can't do anymore because of it. Supposedly I also have it in my shoulder. When I had the MRI two years ago it was found. I don't know if I have pain from the arthritis or the frozen shoulder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 My sister has RA, and her naturopath put her on a vegan diet that excluded the nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc.). Tremendous improvement! You might spend some time at Dr. McDougall's website and read the articles there concerning arthritis such as this one: http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/featured-articles/articles/diet-only-hope-for-arthritis/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 My dr. put me on Mobic, telling me it was safer than consistent OTC pain relievers. I don't know *how* much safer it's supposed to be, but that's what he told me! (I'm terrible with remembering pills, so I'm back to a few Advil a week again.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 My DH was just diagnosed with arthritis in his shoulder and neck. He also turns 40 in a few days so he is NOT a happy fellow. Anyway, what can be done about arthritis? He's been taking (IMO) way too many OTC pain relievers. That can't be good, long term. I'd love to hear every idea you have, no matter how far out it is. BTW, he does see a chiro. already. Definitely try pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMFT). I bought a device myself recently, the Almag-01 (Russian made, about $600), for sacroiliac pain which is at its worst early in the morning around 3:00 or so. Within the first week of using it, I'd say my pain went from a 6-7 down to a 2-3. Now it's about at a 1-2 but it varies. I'm on about day 10, use it anywhere from 40" per day to 3+ hours and plan to use it as long as needed. You can't feel it but the device gets a little warmish. Here's a short article explaining what PEMFT does: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/pulsed-electromagnetic-fields-how-they-heal Dr. Pawluk, the person who wrote that article, has a website with a number of helpful articles and quite a few PEMF devices that he thinks are good for the general public. Most are made by companies in Germany and other places in Europe where PEMFT has been used for as long as 50 years. In fact, in parts of Europe, you can drop by and use the mat for a fee. http://drpawluk.com I now want to buy the MagnoPro mat set which is basically a large mat and a smaller mat. You can use both at once, so your husband could probably place the smaller mat around his neck while lying on the big mat. It's about $2K, though. Hospitals, chiros and naturopaths sometimes charge a fee for daily use. I've seen $100 for monthly unlimited time to $200 per month for 20" per day. People with pacemakers and implanted devices should probably not use these. Another excellent therapy is prolozone. Do a search for Dr. Frank Shallenberger. I might get this done, too. If so, I'm going to make sure it's done by someone who's done quite a few and probably someone who uses guided ultrasound. Prolotherapy could help, too, but the salt solution sometimes gives people problems. Sugar seems fine from what I've read. Look up a Dr. Hauser in Illinois on Google. He has a lot of info about it. If Hauser offered prolozone, I'd go to him in a minute. I guess my suggestions are the far-out ones :) but they do work well. Good luck and I'd be happy to answer any questions if you have some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 i'm off to read, and listening closely. hip arthritis is currently debilitating. OP, i understand why your dh is taking OTC pain killers. our hot tub makes a big difference for me. looking forward to new things to try, ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Yoga helped me a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingedradical Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I have lupus related arthritis and more recently, osteoarthritis, too. I've tried just about everything, alternative and traditional. I agree that yoga or some kind of stretching program is great although I'd include a couple of cautions: If you have any arthritis anywhere already, do the modified asana for that area and don't do yoga-robics and 2)Don't expect instant relief; it WILL HELP over time. If you are against yoga, any exercise program that emphasizes slow movement and breathing would be helpful. Heat - most things I read say that saunas are better than hot tubs but I hate saunas and love my jacuzzi. It was expensive, but the best investment for health, aside from good food, I've ever made. I get in every single morning (and sometimes at night) except in when it's been 115 during the day (I live in AZ) - then I just take a bath. I don't have a jetted tub, only the outdoor kind which I can enjoy with DH. It helps his aches and pains, too and it is a great opportunity to enjoy being together. I was formally on antibiotic therapy for lupus (Doxy and/or Minocen) and I agree, it helped the arthritis (and butterfly face rash) but I had to stop due to repeated problems with yeast. I've tried herbs, acupuncture, homeopathy, diet (like giving up nightshade plants, and other inflammation producing foods)etc. None of those things even touched it. It is possible that some of them would help a person with fewer problems, but they didn't help me. I finally gave in and sometimes take Celebrex, which doesn't bother my stomach like everything else, including most herbs. My doctor would like for me to take it all the time and it does work better that way. But it has side affects, too, of course. Warning re: NSAIDS, like aspirin and ibuprofen - they will really mess up your stomach and esophagus. Drink lots of water (like 16 oz) as you take them. I took Ibuprofin for years due to endometriosis and then took it for lupus pain and now I have to take Nexium due to acid reflux and esophogeal scarring (yes, I tried natural cures for that, too). NSAIDS are horrible, horrible for you. Sometimes they are necessary but do try to avoid as much as possible. Tylenol is not as effective because it is not an anti-inflammatory, just a pain/fever reducer and it is worse on the liver. Sometimes, a doctor will give ]steroid injections to the affected area 2-3 times/year. This is usually pretty effective for pain but 1)over time, it will speed up joint deterioration and 2)sometimes allow small amounts of steroids into the blood stream. If there is anything worse for the body than NSAIDS, it steroids. Finally, my sister had arthritis in her knee and thought she would need surgery. They injected something into her knee - and I can't recall the name of it - but it was basically, fake synovial fluid. It has worked wonderfully for her. I think it only works with knees and shoulders. It is very expensive, though, and not all insurances cover it. It is also fairly new and probably doesn't have any long term effects established. And fwiw, most recent studies have not shown that glucosamine chondroitin helps with pain although it might possibly help avoid further deterioration of osteoarthritis. It's debatable. Of course, it can't hurt, but when trying to treat chronic pain, supplements start getting expensive. So choose carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 My GM always felt better after eating cherry pie. Turns out there is a connection: http://www.arthritistoday.org/what-you-can-do/eating-well/arthritis-diet/cherries.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 Last night was my first night without back pain in four months. Took about 12 days using my Almag for 1-3 hours per day. If you're dealing with osteoarthritis, Pawluk recommends a frequency around 10 hz; really stubborn cases might need a PEMF device that offers a variety of frequencies and intensities. Pawluk uses the Almag-01 when his hip and shoulder flare up. It has a frequency of 7.8 hz and is about 200 gauss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 My grandmother swears by golden raisins soaked in rum. She has 10 of them before she goes to bed at night. There seems to be some folklore behind it if not science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rieshy Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Negin, Wonderfully helpful posts! I also read about taking Matcha 3 times a day. -And drinking a tea made of boiled ginger root. Unfortunately the boiled ginger root made me remember my dusting chores with Lemon Pledge as a child. Instead I concocted a smoothie made of kefir, 1/2 a banana, boiled ginger, a small piece of raw tumeric, a dash of pepper, a couple strawberries, some cherry juice to sweeten and cinnamon. It was yummy. No idea if it will help long term but I'm willing to do anything to get back into my normal work out routines- umm, not to mention getting over the injury and back to walking :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Instead I concocted a smoothie made of kefir, 1/2 a banana, boiled ginger, a small piece of raw tumeric, a dash of pepper, a couple strawberries, some cherry juice to sweeten and cinnamon. It was yummy. No idea if it will help long term but I'm willing to do anything to get back into my normal work out routines- umm, not to mention getting over the injury and back to walking :crying: I hope that you will feel better soon. Be patient and keep doing all that you can. Healing from an injury takes time. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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