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Alternative Therapy
Herbs & Supplements
Herbs & Supplements
There are numerous claims that specific herbs help to alleviate the symptoms of many diseases and apparently we believe those claims. Americans spent nearly $12 billion, yes billion, dollars on herbal and dietary supplement products in 1997.
Very soon, we will add Alternative Therapy as a regular section of Arthritis Insight, and then we'll add new herb and supplement information on a regular basis. In the meantime, here are two to get you started:
Tripterygium Wilfordi Hook F aka Thunder God Vine
This vine like plant has been used for years in China as a treatment for autoimmune diseases. Recently Western medicine has become interested in its uses. At least one study has proven that extracts of the plant can suppress collagen induced arthritis in rodents. But we're not rodents, so does it work on humans?
One study says it does. This randomized, double-blind, crossover study of 70 people with rheumatoid arthritis showed that the patients receiving the extract showed significant improvement in all parameters of clinical disease activity and laboratory abnormalities as compared to those receiving the placebo.
Another open study in people with lupus also showed significant improvement. In fact, 42 of 100 people were able to decrease their daily dose of prednisone, while 12 people were able to discontinue prednisone altogether.
It is important to note that these studies used extracts of the root of the vines, not the root itself. No standard safe does have been established, further studies are needed. The leaves and flowers of this plant are highly toxic and can cause death; only the root of the plant is used for the extracts. This herb should only be used under the direction of a physician.
MSM
When James Coburn won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie Affliction, the world found out about his remedy for rheumatoid arthritis, MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane). Soon after winning the award he began appearing on talk shows, touting the virtues of MSM. He claimed he had worked wonders for his rheumatoid arthritis. Did he really conquer RA with MSM? It's hard to really know for sure. Rumor has it he was paid a large sum of money to promote the supplement.
Now it seems everyone knows someone who takes MSM and loves it. But what is it? MSM stands for Methyl Sulfonyl Methane, an organic sulfur. Marketers claim it treats everything from arthritis to constipation; it even helps you grow longer fingernails.
It seems unlikely that any one supplement could treat so many things. It is supposedly a substance that is naturally found in fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, fish and grains. It is lost during processing of these foods, so we need to ingest it as a supplement.
Does it work? Well, unless you have a long tail, we don't know for sure. No scientific studies have been done on humans, but MSM did ease rheumatoid arthritis like symptoms in mice. Even the doctor who developed MSM, Stanley Jacob, MD, acknowledges that the "arthritis cure" claims are over-hyped. While Dr. Jacob stands by the many benefits of MSM, he
does point out that it's not a "cure."
It does appear to be safe; no toxic effects have been noted, though
studies are needed. The Arthritis Foundation considers MSM an unproven remedy and at this point in time, I would have to agree. Until human studies are done, we just don't know enough about it to be sure of its safety or benefits.
References:
Arthritis Foundation's Guide to Alternative Therapies
The Arthritis Foundation's Statement on MSM
Arthritis Today: November/December: 1999 Explorations: MSM & DMSO By Judith
Horstman
THE CHINESE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE HERBAL REMEDY TRIPTERYGIUM WILFORDII HOOK F
Rheumatic Diseases Clinics of North America, Volume 26, Number 1, February 2000,
Copyright © 2000 W. B. Saunders Company
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