Longer term benefits require looking at the underlying cause:

A natural approach to treating arthritis is much like the natural approach to many other diseases and health conditions. It's important to treat the entire body for the problem, because many health problems are actually caused by deeper issues that aren't readily apparent from the symptoms people are experiencing.

The first step towards naturally healing and strengthening your body is usually to do a full body detoxification programme. Detoxifying means you'll be helping the body to clean out excess toxins, pollutants, bacteria, germs, and parasites as quickly as it can. By cleaning these problems out of the body, every organ and tissue is able to devote time and energy into repairing, recovering and healing itself.

A full body detox is often done using colon cleansing and irrigation flushes combined with either a juice fast diet or a whole food diet, combined with specific herbs that help the body cleanse and heal. Many of the herbs used for detoxing also help the liver, kidneys and colon flush liquid and solid wastes out faster, so the excess harmful toxins can be removed as quickly as possible. Not everyone likes the idea of doing a colon cleanse via irrigation and enemas, so some choose to use herbs and dietary changes alone. This approach works just as well, but it can sometimes take a little longer to see the positive results.

There are a variety of natural and herbal remedy approaches to dealing with arthritis. In most cases, the affects of arthritis can be reversed, reduced and sometimes completely eliminated in time.

Many remedies can be used to treat the symptoms of arthritis, but treating the symptoms will not actually take care of the cause of those symptoms. Therefore relief is temporary and your condition will usually worsen over time. Similar to the whole-body approach to detoxing, the herbal treatment should be designed to take care of the underlying cause. In all diseases, treating the cause is paramount to recovery. Should you ignore the cause of arthritis, while treating only the symptoms, the condition will not improve.  

Most of the natural remedies marketed to treat arthritis are very safe; however, although many of these remedies have some efficacy, they are often with limited benefit.

These would include glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and some herbal formulas.  Alternatively many of the synthetic or prescription remedies have shown significant benefit but all too often at the cost of eroding the stomach lining, which leads to a variety of health issues. These remedies can also adversely affect the heart, liver and kidneys. Though "effective” at reducing symptoms, these medications are generally not safe and come with a host of side effects.

There are other alternatives which clinical research reveals may provide a balance between safety and effectiveness. Combining several lesser known but completely natural ingredients that have been proven effective can work to offer greater results. These unique substances include New Zealand green lipped mussel extract, white willow bark extract, chicken sternal collagen (unhydrolyzed), hyaluronic acid and cetyl-myristoleate. The New Zealand green lipped mussel was a staple in the indigenous Maori people’s diet and kept them free from arthritis; this mussel extract is often referred to as the Miracle of the Sea.

The combination of these ingredients was found to be completely safe and effective in treating not only the symptoms but the underlying cause of arthritis and to eventually repair the damage. They are designed to “clean up” the synovial fluid, protect and rebuild cartilage, lubricate the joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons, and act as a powerful natural anti-inflammatory without eroding the stomach lining.

There is no quick fix, however — what took thirty years to wear out will not be replaced overnight. Any natural remedy or combination of natural ingredients should be taken on a regular and long-term basis to see best results.

Dr. T. Stokes, PhD Biochemistry, BSc, is a natural products researcher.

By J.E. Croft, LRCS, MRSNZ, FRSH, is a Licentiate of the Royal Society of Chemistry (London, UK), a member of the Royal Society of New Zealand, a fellow of the Royal Society of Health (London, UK) and a published authour whose specialty is marine-based natural therapy. 

If you have arthritic joints or feel you may be susceptible to getting them in the future, for your own benefit it’s best to learn as much about arthritis as possible.

Arthritis is usually associated with aging; however it is frequently caused by injury or chronic overuse of your musculoskeletal system (skeleton and muscles attached to the skeleton that give you the ability to physically move). You may know that arthritis can be caused by abnormalities in your skeletal structure, by calcium build up, and/or uric acid crystals that can form in the joints. You may not have heard, though, that immune system dysfunction, infection of the joint itself, and an infection of the kidneys, heart, liver, thyroid or lungs can all contribute to arthritic disorders. There are more than a hundred different forms of this disease; all are labeled arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the natural wear and tear of joint cartilage and occurs even in active younger adults. One in every three people over the age 60 suffers from osteoarthritis. Type II collagen is the protein needed to maintain and rebuild cartilage tissue. As you age your body's ability to make type II collagen slows down.

However, you can supplement what your body isn’t making and rebuild your cartilage tissue using natural-source type II collagen. There is now a patented collagen supplement called Kolla2, available in different brands of arthritis formula, which supplies the necessary nutrients to help the body support joint health and repair worn and damaged cartilage. Therefore it also helps relieve the pain and swelling associated with arthritic diseases. Kolla2 contains 65 to 70 percent type II collagen (protein). It also contains 25 to 30 percent carbohydrates including chondroitin, glucosamine and hyaluronic acid, which are the major components of joint cartilage. Kolla2 is made using a low-temperature process to maintain the integrity of its delicate molecules and long chain amino acids, ensuring that the body’s own enzymes recognize the genetic code of the supplemented collagen for maximum absorption.

GlycoMarine, another ingredient found in several natural arthritis remedies, defends joints against cartilage breakdown or degeneration, and improves function and mobility of joints. GlycoMarine is a unique green lipped mussel extract that has shown significant results in treating arthritic disorders. GlycoMarine has also been found to have gastro-protective properties, meaning that not only does it not damage the delicate stomach lining, it actually protects the stomach. Thus, GlycoMarine is able to relieve the inflammatory symptoms associated with arthritic diseases while protecting the stomach from the damaging effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s). GlycoMarine is used for rheumatoid and osteo forms of arthritis as a complement to other treatments or alone as an alternative treatment. 

Myristin is an organic compound made from cetyl alcohol (a form of alcohol) and myristoleic acid (omega-5 fatty acid), which is found in very small amounts in all fats and oils. Myristin has often been used in the cosmetic industry because it’s a lubricant, but is now also used worldwide for nutritional arthritis formulas. Myristin appears to have the same characteristics as the essential fats omega-3 and omega-6 except that it may be stronger and longer lasting. The use of EFAs over an extended period has been shown to decrease the pain, inflammation, and limitation of motion of arthritis. It is thought that Myristin may stimulate the immune system’s cells and therefore has potent effects on autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Myristin has been shown to decrease stiffness and pain, and increase flexibility and range of motion in test subjects with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. (When tested by the Federal Department of Agriculture, Myristin had the highest amount of the essential ingredient cetyl myristoleate than any other alternative.)

Hyaluronic acid plays an integral role in maintaining and regulating moisture within the tissues. It helps transport nutrients into cells and removes metabolic waste. Hyaluronic acid is found in all of the body's tissues, with the highest concentrations located in the skin and the synovial fluid that bathes the joints and cartilage. Optimum levels of hyaluronic acid are essential for the health of joints and cartilage. Hyaluronic acid can be found in everything from chicken soup to pate, but to obtain it in high enough amounts to ease flexing of the joints and restore cushioning, a supplement is required. It is suggested that those who are beginning to see the first signs of wear and tear on their joints supplement with hyaluronic acid.

Another natural substance worth mentioning is white willow bark extract, which contains salicin that the body converts to salicylic acid. This has the same effect on the body as aspirin without the side effects. In fact, white willow bark was the basis for making aspirin. This plant has anti-inflammatory effects and reduces fever; it also acts as an analgesic, an anti-rheumatic and an astringent. Specifically, it helps to relieve pain associated with inflammatory conditions like rheumatism, arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome and alleviates muscle aches and pains. The tannins and flavonoids it contains probably account for some of these benefits.

For effective relief from arthritis, I recommend that you look for at least two of these natural ingredients on your arthritis formula labels.

Dr. T. Stokes, Ph.D. Biochemistry, B.Sc., is a researcher in the natural products industry.

 The Green Lipped Mussel (Perna Canaliculus) from New Zealand has proven its effectiveness for 15 years and remains one of the most time honoured natural arthritis remedies.  The flesh of the mussel is made of 9 different glycosaminoglycans (GAG’s) and is more effective than a glucosamine or a chondroitin alone.  In herbal medicine we believe that the adjunct effect of 9 different ingredients in small amounts is more powerful than a large amount of one single ingredient.  In the past 20 years, I have seen Perna work better than glucosamine alone.  The first generation of mussel supplement was made by dry freezing and lyophilizing the flesh of the mussel and was marketed under the name of “Perna Caps®” by VetriScience.   These are still highly in demand.   The second generation that is now available in Canada (Maori Miracle®) utilizes an extract from the mussel called GlycoMarine™ that has anti-inflammatory, Cox-2 inhibitory, chondroprotective and lubricative properties. Thus, not only does it bring about pain killing benefits, it also improves joint structure and mobility.   Contrary to drugs, it actually promotes gastro-intestinal mucosal integrity.   The glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid contents are reinforced by Collagen Type II (patented as Kolla2®) refined from chicken sternum cartilage.  Kolla2 repairs cartilage and lubricates the joint.  The third component in Maori Miracle is a fatty acid ester called Cetyl-Myristoleate (Myristin®).  This is not only a joint lubricant but also an immune modulator so it is effective also for rheumatoid arthritis which is a systemic auto-immune disease.    The fatty acid ester also mediates histamine and leukotrene response hence it controls the damage caused by inflammation.  The fourth component is a popular herbal pain-killing and anti-inflammatory agent called salicin extracted from White Willow Bark.   These 4 components in Maori Miracle form a strong team in the fight against arthritis.  The only contraindications are allergies to shell fish and aspirin.

            If you want to make this combination even stronger, the 2 elements I suggest you can add to Maori Miracle® are MSM and anti-oxidants.  Many successful formulae are made of the 3 classical ingredients: glucosamine, MSM and antioxidants.   Anti-oxidants reduce the MSM into active sulfonyl groups which in turn activate the glycosaminoglycan pathway in lubricating and repairing the joint.  This cascade of events is being utilized in many successful formulae such as Recovery®.   What is missing in Recovery® is a direct pain-killer.  So if you compare the formula of Maori Miracle with that of Recovery, you will find that the two products are in fact complementary to each other.  I encourage my clients to try either one of the two and add the other one if necessary.  

             In case all of the above still does not give you enough relief from your sufferings, you can add a catalyst that activates both the healing process and the anti-inflammatory effect.  This would be either in the form of an enzyme or a homeopathic medicine.

Dr. Henry Cheng: medical graduate of the University of London, England; Bachelor of Medicine( M.B.); Bachelor of Surgery (B.S.); Post-graduate Degree in Diagnostic Radiology (D.M.R.D.); 2 year course in complementary medicine with Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine; Certified Natural Products Advisor (C.N.P.A.); practiced family medicine & radiology for 12 years; trained in orthodox/western medicine and herbal/homeopathic medicine;

If you’re a baby boomer, the painful truth is, many of you probably already have or will have arthritis.  We are all familiar with the word arthritis, but do you recognize some tell-tale signs of its onslaught. Your fingers are feeling stiff, your knees hurt when you bend, there’s a nagging pain in your shoulder or your hip begins to ache when you walk more than a block.

Arthritic diseases have a variety of possible causes, and they are often associated with one’s age or caused by injury or chronic musculoskeletal overuse. Arthritis can also be caused by skeletal structural abnormalities, calcium build up and/or the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints. Additionally, immune system dysfunction and infection of the joint itself or an infection of the kidneys, heart, liver, thyroid or lungs can all contribute to arthritic disorders. There are more than a hundred different forms of this disease.

Several natural products including glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM (methyl sulfonyl methane), have been on the market for a number of years as treatments for arthritis. There are however other natural substances, more effective but perhaps less recognized, that are gaining ground as serious second generation fighters in the war on arthritis. Substances such as GlycoMarine, an extract from the New Zealand green lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus,  Kolla2, a Type II collagen from chicken cartilage, Myristin (cetyl myristoleate), which is a fatty acid ester of cetyl alcohol and myristoleic acid, and a powerful lubricant called Hyaluronic Acid a substance found our own bodies.

GlycoMarine

GlycoMarine is a glycogen complex that targets arthritis pain and joint disease.  GlycoMarine is superior to glucosamine/chondroitin sulphate based products because it is multifunctional and has significantly greater anti-inflammatory activity. The main anti-inflammatory component in the extract is a glycogen complex, which has been shown, by standard pharmacological techniques used in the assessment of medicinal products, to have a significant effect in suppressing inflammation.  This compound also uniquely exhibits chondro-protective properties, defending joints against cartilage degeneration and improving joint function and mobility. Another valuable feature of GlycoMarine is that it has been found to have natural gastro-protective properties. This means that, not only does it not damage the delicate stomach lining; it actually provides a protective function for it. Thus, the product is able to relieve the inflammatory symptoms associated with arthritic diseases while protecting the stomach from the damaging effect of some painkillers, should a person find it necessary to be taking these at the same time.

Kolla2

Collagen Type II is the most abundant structural protein found in joints. Kolla2 is unhydrolyzed Type II Collagen that supplies our joints with vital amino acids (the protein building blocks of cartilage), glucosamine, chondroitin, and Hyaluronic Acid (HA) to maintain water in the intercellular matrix of connective tissue, which contributes to the elasticity of skin, flexibility of joints and supports cardiovascular health. Research has shown that Type II collagen is lost progressively, along with mucopolysaccharides in rheumatoid and osteoarthritis patients. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis affecting more than 40 million North Americans, it is characterized by joint degeneration, loss of cartilage, alterations of subchondrial bone and damage to the extra-cellular matrix. Taking a supplement containing Kolla2 will help slow down or reverse the process. Kolla2 offers the complete building blocks for cartilage and joint health.

Myristin

Myristin (Cetyl Myristoleate also called CM or CMO) was discovered in 1964, by researcher Harry W. Diehl while working for the US Institute of Health. The Cetyl Myristoleate molecule is a fatty acid ester of cetyl alcohol and myristoleic acid, not to be confused with myristic acid. Myristoleic acid is found in very small percentages in all fats and oils. Historically, many of these products were used in the cosmetic industry because of their ability to act as lubricants. As a fatty acid ester, it appears to have the same characteristics as the essential fatty acids, linoleic and alpha linolenic acids, except stronger and longer lasting. These fatty acids are referred to as essential fatty acids (EFA’s) because the human body cannot make them and so we must ingest them. The use of EFA's over an extended period of time has been shown to decrease arthritic pain & inflammation, and improve mobility.  It is speculated that Myristin stimulates the production of immunoglobulins and series 1 and 3 prostaglandins, thus acting as an immunomodulator, which could explain why it has such a potent effect in auto-immune and inflammatory conditions.

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid, (HA) plays an integral role in maintaining and regulating moisture within the tissues and facilitates the transport of nutrients into the cells and the removal of metabolic waste. HA is found in all of the body's tissues, with the highest concentrations located in the extra-cellular matrix of the skin and the synovial fluid that bathes the joints and cartilage. Optimum levels of HA are essential for the health of the joints and cartilage. HA restores lubrication and cushioning to the joints.

White Willow Bark Extract

Another natural substance worth mentioning is white willow bark extract (WWB). WWB contains salicin, which the body converts to salicylic acid and has the same effect as aspirin without the side effects. In fact, White Willow Bark was the basis for the synthesis of aspirin. The benefits of White Willow Bark today are that it is an anti-inflammatory alleviating joint & muscle aches, a fever reducer, an analgesic, an anti-rheumatic, and an astringent. Specifically, it helps to relieve pain associated with inflammatory conditions like rheumatism and arthritis. White willow bark contains tannins and flavonoids, which probably account for some of these benefits. There are no major side effects known. Arm yourself with these safe, powerful natural medicines now to begin the process of defeating arthritis and re-gaining the full range of your mobility.