Arthritis
Generic Drugs Hammered | Are AUTHORIZED Generics…
This has been a very bad week for generic drug manufacturers and the FDA. Here are just a few of the stories that have made headlines. “A New Book Argues That Generic Drugs Are Poisoning Us” (New …
How to Substitute Powdered Pectin in Arthritis R…
Because arthritis is so common, people have invented dozens if not scores of home remedies. Scientists have not done studies on most of these approaches, but that won't stop people from trying them. O…
Bee Sting Therapy (Apitherapy) for Arthritis Pai…
Most people have never heard of bee sting therapy. The idea that someone would voluntarily seek to be stung seems implausible. And yet apitherapy has a venerable history. We were fortunate enough to i…
Could a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Ease Your Knee Pai…
People with troublesome arthritis pain in their knees may want to consider changing the menu, according to a small trial. Researchers at the University of Alabama in Birmingham studied the effects of …
Are Gin-Drenched Raisins a Big Joke?
Whoever said "Getting old isn't for sissies" certainly got it right. As we age, we often accumulate aches and pains that may be attributed to arthritis. People with arthritis are faced with a horrible…
How Risky Is Shoulder Replacement Surgery?
Shoulder replacement surgery is becoming increasingly common. Now, researchers writing in The BMJ say that patients should be warned that the risks of this procedure are higher than doctors originally…
Will Rosemary and Turmeric Help Your Arthritis P…
People with arthritis pain face a difficult dilemma. Arthritis is a chronic condition, but the usual NSAID pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and naproxen (Aleve) should be used only …
Opioids for Osteoarthritis Seem Scary! How About…
When you are in pain it is hard to function. People who have osteoarthritis of the spine, hips or knees have difficulty getting around, let alone exercising. There are no perfect drug solutions for tr…
Will Apple Cider Vinegar Lower Your Blood Pressu…
Apple cider vinegar is an extremely popular home remedy. More than 50 years ago, D. C. Jarvis, MD, published his best-selling book, Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health. In it, he pr…
What Happened to Cod Liver Oil as a Home Remedy?
The origin of many a home remedy is lost in the mists of time. Usually we don't have a good record of who started using it or when, and we also rarely have information on when and how it falls out of …
Could Massage Make Your Knees Feel Better?
A weekly whole-body massage sounds like a luxury, but new research suggests it could help people with knee arthritis live with less pain (Journal of General Internal Medicine, online Dec 12, 2018). It…
Why Is Duexis So Expensive?
People with chronic joint pain often find themselves between a rock and a hard place. If they take an NSAID pain reliever, they can keep moving–which is good. But they may also suffer serious digest…
Meloxicam for Pain | This NSAID is NOT a Narcoti…
We are not huge fans of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for arthritis pain. That’s because arthritis is a chronic condition that requires long-term treatment. When you take an NSAID da…
Should You Pay Less for Vicks VapoRub®?
Vicks VapoRub® is a familiar household product with a venerable history. It has been around since the turn of the 20th century, and for much of that time, it contained natural essential oils. In the …
Show 1140: How Can You Manage Arthritis Pain?
More than 50 million adult Americans have been diagnosed with arthritis. While osteoarthritis is the most common form, there are many others, including rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis …
Januvia Joint Pain | A Disabling Side Effect
Sitagliptin (Januvia) is a type 2 diabetes drug that has been on the market for more than a decade. It belongs in a class of drugs called gliptins or DPP-4 inhibitors. These meds enable the body to ma…
Do People Who Eat Fish Grow Old More Healthfully…
Does eating fish or taking fish oil make any difference for your health? For decades, researchers have touted the anti-inflammatory benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. They have sug…
Arthritis Remedy Does Double Duty Overcoming Con…
Some remedies are perennially popular, presumably because they help enough people to generate word-of-mouth support. We first heard about the grape juice and Certo treatment for arthritis over 20 year…
Can You Get Celecoxib as Good as Celebrex?
People who rely on pain relievers generally know whether their medication is working or not. We have heard many complaints from readers that their generic celecoxib does not work as well as brand name…
Will You Risk a Heart Attack with Diclofenac Gel…
People with arthritis have a very difficult dilemma. The primary drugs used to treat joint pain are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Unfortunately, these arthritis medications can produc…
The Dangers of Diclofenac and Other NSAID Pain R…
Doctors love NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). That’s largely because they don’t have a lot of other tools in the toolkit when it comes to treating pain and inflammation. Opioids have…
Can Cod Liver Oil Relieve Your Knee Pain?
Knee osteoarthritis can really interfere with mobility. Doctors prescribe pain relievers such as diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren) or meloxicam (Mobic), but patients should not take such NSAID medicatio…
Can Meloxicam Raise Blood Pressure Dangerously H…
Meloxicam (Mobic) is one of the most popular prescription NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) in the pharmacy. According to our calculations, over 22 million prescriptions are dispensed each…
What Are the Best Drugs for a Desert Island Adve…
Remember Robinson Crusoe? He was the protagonist in a novel written by Daniel Defoe that was published in 1719. Crusoe was stranded on a desert island for 28 years before being rescued. A modern versi…
What Is the Best Way to Take Celecoxib (Celebrex…
A panel of outside advisers to the FDA recently voted on the cardiovascular safety of Celebrex. These experts concluded that people who take celecoxib (Celebrex) to ease arthritis pain are at no great…
Will Arthritis Remedy Block Your Vitamins?
Many people who take over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen or naproxen for their arthritis pain eventually experience adverse effects. Not only can such nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (…
Generic Celebrex Disappoints | How to Get Author…
The Food and Drug Administration first approved generic Celebrex (celecoxib) on May 30, 2014. Not long after that, we began getting complaints from people in pain. Many maintained that the generic cel…
Why Is Antidepressant Withdrawal So Hard?
It is estimated that one out of every eight Americans takes an antidepressant medication (JAMA Internal Medicine, Feb. 2017). According to the New York Times, roughly 25 million Americans have been ta…
No Study Support for Fish Oil Soothing Dry Eyes
Fish oil is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These compounds have anti-inflammatory activity, and doctors have hoped that fish oil supplements would prove useful against a wide range of…
Will Curcumin Pills Ease Your Knee Pain?
Who would guess that the yellow spice in curry would become controversial? For centuries, people have been using turmeric to add color and flavor to their food, and in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, …
Will Bromelain from Pineapple Ease Aching Joints…
What can you do for the aching joints of arthritis or the sore muscles and soft tissue of fibromyalgia? Many sufferers are caught in a difficult dilemma: without relief for the pain, they have trouble…
How Can You Ease Arthritis Pain Safely?
People with chronic pain such as the joint pain of severe osteoarthritis are often faced with terrible trade-offs. To get relief from the inflammation and discomfort, they may have to rely on medicati…
What Do You Really Know About Scary Ibuprofen Si…
Do you read the labels on OTC pain relievers? Be honest now. The last time you purchased Advil, Motrin IB or some house brand ibuprofen pills, did you check out the dosage instructions or the warnings…
How To Choose Safe and Effective Over-The-Counte…
Americans love to play doctor. And the FDA has made it easy. That’s because the agency has allowed Pharma companies to switch many Rx drugs to OTC in a big way. We spend $33 billion on over-the-coun…
Do Ibuprofen Side Effects Include Hormone Imbala…
Pain relievers like ibuprofen are “the most commonly used over-the-counter drugs worldwide (Nature Reviews Endocrinology, July, 2016). People assume that if the FDA permits OTC sale, such products m…
Blackseed Oil Saved Knee and Lowered Cholesterol…
Have you ever heard of blackseed oil? We didn't think so. It has not gotten the attention that turmeric has. The first we became aware of this dietary supplement was from an integrative oncologist, Dr…
Can Cocoa in Oatmeal Ease Arthritis Pain?
Scientists have found that compounds in cocoa can affect the balance of bacteria in the intestines (Magrone, Russo & Jirillo, Frontiers in Immunology, June 9, 2017). Those changes in turn seem to …
Seeking a Super Smoothie for Everyday Health
People love smoothies. They are a fast way to get off to a healthy start in the morning. But not all smoothies are created equal. Some have way too much sugar or carbohydrate. How can you creat…
Ibuprofen Eased Back Pain But Caused Life-Threat…
Americans love ibuprofen. Some have taken to calling it vitamin I because they rely on it so often to relieve pain. But ibuprofen and naproxen can cause life-threatening ulcers. Just because they are …
The Best Christmas Present Yet!
Do you hate thinking about shopping for presents at this time of year? What do you give mom or grandpa. What about the neighbors or cousin Charlie? Just trying to come up with the right gift for peopl…