Gregory Chandler on Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) impacts the lives of millions of people in the United States. According to research tumeric, pycnogenol, and vitamin D are helpful in combating OA.

Researchers in an OA study said that long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) for pain can cause serious side effects. After stopping pain medication for a week, 107 people, aged at least 50, with pain and stiffness from OA of the knee, took 400 mg of ibuprofen twice per day or 500 mg of tumeric curcuminoids four times per day. After six weeks, neither group had serious side effects and the tumeric group had less pain than the ibuprofen group when climbing stairs.

In a separate OA study, 50 people with OA took 200 mg a day of a complex of curcumin and phosphatidylcholine or a placebo. After three months, while the placebo group showed modest improvement, the curcumin group reported 58 percent better symptom scores, and had a fourfold increase in the distance they could walk on a treadmill at a slight incline, adding about 839 feet. In a subgroup with inflammation, levels of inflammatory C-reactive protein decreased 93 percent among those who took curcumin.

Researchers in an inflammation study explained that pycnogenol works differently than NSAIDS to reduce pain. Six healthy participants took 150 mg of pycnogenol per day for five days. Blood samples taken before and after supplementation showed that pycnogenol blocked two pro-inflammatory enzymes scientists believe are the root cause of inflammatory pain.

In yet another OA study, researchers measured vitamin D levels in 1,104 men, average age 77, and followed up for five years. Men with vitamin D blood levels of 30 nanograms per milliliter or less were twice as likely to have OA of the hip than men with higher vitamin D levels.

GREGORY CHANDLER, Attorney at Law