Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis

Most cases of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis will respond well to Herbal Medicine and lifestyle changes. Why should you learn to live with it, when there is an alternative?

Conventional drugs and their side effects

Modern treatments include symptomatic treatment of pain and inflammation, intervention with strong toxic drugs and surgical treatment of joint damage.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the mainstay of the conventional treatment for rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. These drugs are COX-inhibitors, which often cause the side effects of stomach erosion and increased bleeding tendency, sometimes leading to death by gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Patients complaining of side-effects and not enough pain relief are common in Herbal Medicine clinics

We have already witnessed the 2004 withdrawal of the drug, Vioxx, one of the main COX-2 inhibitors, due to increased cardiac deaths. Recent studies have raised serious concerns regarding the long-term safety of all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Some of the most commonly used NSAIDs are in fact more likely to cause heart attacks than Vioxx.

A study of more than 9000 people aged 25 to 100 who had suffered their first ever heart attack was published in 2005 in the British Medical Journal. A significantly increased risk of heart attack was observed for Diclofenac (55% increase), Ibuprofen (24% increase), Rofecoxib (32% increase) and Naproxen (27% increase). The authors concluded that their study suggested that enough concerns may exist to warrant a reconsideration of the safety of all NSAIDs

NSAIDs have also taken a hammering concerning their clinical efficacy. A recent review of 23 clinical trials including more than 10,000 patients found that NSAIDs were ineffective for long-term pain relief in osteoarthritis of the knee. The authors of this British Medical Journal study concluded that as serious adverse events are associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, only their limited use can be recommended.

Clearly the message from the current research is that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should not be the first option for the treatment of arthritis

Herbal treatment

Most cases of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis will respond well to Herbal Medicine and lifestyle changes.

Herbal Medicine provides gentle, safe and effective treatment largely avoiding the unwanted side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. There are no 'standard prescriptions' for particular conditions. Instead, tailor-made prescriptions are formulated to meet an individual patient's unique needs. Medicines are dispensed from the Medical Herbalist's own dispensary, using medicine authorised by the Department of Health's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and licensed under the European Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicine.

It can be dangerous to self-medicate especially with herbal extracts of unknown or poor quality. The medicine is a liquid tincture and is taken three times a day in a little water or fruit juice. Sometimes tablets may be given. Expect initial results only after 4-6 weeks and don't expect more permanent results without much longer treatment.

The use of anti-inflammatory Herbal Medicine is inappropriate, when there is already a prescription of anti-inflammatory conventional medication, unless the intention is to withdraw the conventional medication in stages with the consent of your doctor.

The clinical efficacy of Herbal Medicine in pain management has already been demonstrated in clinical trials. It has a superior safety and efficacy profile compared to NSAIDs. Professor Reinhard Saller, a rheumatologist based in Zurich, observed that the excellent results he encountered in his own practice attested to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic (painkiller) potential.

If you would like to try the herbal approach to rheumatoid or osteoarthritis, call for an appointment.