Finding natural compounds that help osteoarthritis
I regularly find myself buried in scientific research always looking to improve both my products and the advice I give.
Ultimately it is the real benefits people get that is important. If the best research cannot be translated into health benefits it is of no value.
One of the main differences between orthodox medicine and nutritional medicine is that, for good reasons, medical treatment is generally limited to those medications that are registered treatments using drugs that have gone through many years of testing.
In nutritional medicine we first gain an understanding of the disease processes. We then identify natural compounds that help. With osteoarthritis this means adding compounds, most importantly quality chondroitin at 800+mg daily with glucosamine to impact the disease processes.
Once we have helped correct faulty disease processes we then focus on reducing inflammation, the cause of much of the pain and mobility loss.
We identify dietary changes and supplements that can help reduce inflammation within the joint capsule by adding curcumin from turmeric and Omega 3 from fish oils.
The outcome of improving joint function and reducing inflammation is less pain and increased mobility.
I spoke with a client I have been helping for six months with knee arthritis. I put him on my nutritional medicine knee osteoarthritis programme and he reported that his knees are less painful, have greater flexibility and do not click as much.
Of course I am delighted for him to be feeling better, but this comes as no surprise as this is a typical response for those I help with knee arthritis. The key to any nutritional therapy is to work to a personalised programme with regular reviews.
I have no doubt that the correct dose of high grade CS is the most important natural compound to help joints affected by osteoarthritis.
As an example I have been helping a man with osteoarthritis in both knees. The pain levels had become quite debilitating.
We started with a booster dose of 1600mg of high grade chondroitin with the same amount of glucosamine and 400mg of high potency curcumin (from turmeric). After three months the pain level had significantly reduced and is now mobile again.
More recent research from the British Medical Journal (May 2017) compared high grade chondroitin with common anti-inflammatory medication and found that 800mg of CS was beneficial.
Researchers commented, “This compelling benefit-risk profile, in light of the known clinical risks associated with chronic usage of NSAIDS and paracetamol, underscores the potential importance of pharmaceutical-grade [chondroitin sulfate] in the management of knee [osteoarthritis], especially in the older population requiring long-term treatment.”
The question is how can it help? Researchers have found that CS has multiple benefits. Firstly it helps regulate inflammatory processes within the joint capsule. Secondly and more importantly it helps specialised cells that reside in cartilage called chondrocytes. CS improves the ability of chondrocytes to secrete and repair cartilage. This comes as no surprise as CS is an important component of cartilage. I have worked with so many people with osteoarthritis that I am genuinely surprised if we cannot get an improvement within three months.