Healthsifter by mary desmond pinkowish, since 2003

Glucosamine and Chondroitin: Not So Good for Arthritis

That's the conclusion of a study, called GAIT (Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial), sponsored by the National Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, as reported today by Reuters. Here's a segment of that report:

The original GAIT study results in 2006 found the supplements did not reduce the pain of knee arthritis, except among a small group of patients with moderate to severe pain.

The GAIT researchers continued to watch 572 volunteers for another 18 months and found the supplements did not appear to slow the loss of cartilage, taken either alone or together.

They said arthritis worsened in 24 percent of participants taking both, similar to those taking placebo.

"Research continues to reveal that osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, appears to be the result of an array of factors including age, gender, genetics, obesity, and joint injuries," said Dr. Stephen Katz, director of the NIH's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

You can find the original study summary here.

Arthroscopy Panned for Pain of Osteoarthritis

It sounds good--getting into that arthritic knee and scraping out all the loose, floating tissue. But in practice it turns out that physical rehab and anti-inflammatory drugs are just as good. Those are the conclusions of studies in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine and reported in the New York Times. It also confirms a study on the same topic from 2002. This is how Physician's First Watch summarized the two studies:

In the first, nearly 200 adults with moderate-to-severe knee osteoarthritis (without large meniscal tears) were randomized to physical and medical therapy alone or with arthroscopy. At 2 years, pain, stiffness, and physical function did not differ between the groups.

In the second study, nearly 1000 randomly selected adults aged 50 to 90 underwent MRI of the right knee. Overall, meniscal damage was noted in a third of participants, and increased with increasing age. Meniscal tears were more common in subjects with osteoarthritis (roughly 60% both in those who reported pain and stiffness and in those who were asymptomatic) than in those without arthritis (roughly 30%).

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Frankincense Works for Arthritis

Scientists have just presented data about the effectiveness of frankincense in people with arthritis. The original research is here, and one of several news reports is here from Fox and here from the Washington Post.

Andy Newman had a cool article in the NY Times a few weeks ago about the possible benefits for depression and anxiety. And earlier Healthsifter discussed its experimental use in people with brain tumors.

A New Kind of Ankle Replacement

A foot surgeon is touting a new type of ankle replacement that avoids the use of metal or joint fusion. As discussed at ScienceDaily, Dr. Daniel Lee, DPM, has found a way to use a collagen-like substance that's already approved for other medical uses to fix ankles with severe arthritic changes:

"During a two hour minimally-invasive surgical procedure, Lee, a podiatric foot and ankle surgeon, removes the damaged cartilage around the ankle joint through a four centimeter incision. The collagen material is then molded into the joint where it adapts to the contour of the patient’s ankle.

“Unlike a metal device, the advantage to this material is that the implant can be customized in size and contour for every patient’s individual need,” said Lee. “No matter how the patient’s ankle is shaped, the collagen is a perfect fit.”

The biologic material, processed from either human or animal collagen sources, has been used for more than 10 years in plastic and abdominal surgery and heart valve replacement. Since it is non-allergenic and sterile in nature, there is no risk of rejection or need for the patient to take immunosupressors."

Cod Liver Oil for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Nearly 40% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who took 10 grams of cod liver oil daily were able to cut back on their use of NSAID pain medications. The study was published in the journal Rheumatology and reported on the BBC website. NSAIDS have been linked to several health issues, including ulcers and heart attacks in some people, while cod liver oil has some potential health benefits, like lowering heart risks and improving symptoms of depression. Cod liver oil is loaded with vitamin A and vitamin D, so you need to be careful that you don't get too much of those vitamins, especially A. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, read this report from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine  on using supplements and alternative medicines to help manage RA. Talk to your doctor before you self-treat with cod liver oil.