Subject: Re: Herbs to relieve severe arthritis pain

From: [email-masked] (jonathan treasure)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 1995 06:42:54 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
[email-masked] (Steve Dube) wrote:

>I have severe arthritis pain in my hips and knees and need to know how to 
>relieve it with herbs or other alternative medicine.  Almost all pain 
>relief addresses itself to "minor" pain.  Any suggestions will be really 
>appreciated.

severe arthritic pain, especially in very acute attacks, is almost
impervious to 
symptomatic treatment. Acute inflammatory pain whether OA or RA can cause
associated muscle spasm and guarding, as well as vascular symptoms.

 I have used  Lobelia internally for spasm, Lobelia/Symphytum
poultice or plaster topically, Arnica oil topically. loads of Valerian,
Scutellaria to help sleep. If there is heat, cooling helps (ICE) but often
acute attacks are not associated with heat..... 

The use of arthritis specific anti-inflammatories eg Yucca or Harpagophytum
cannot be regarded as an antidote to the acute pain attacks, and indeed
several weeks highish dosage is required before they can help, both
with prostaglandin inhibition and articular surface lubrication.
Some people swear by Green lipped muscle extract - but evidence is sparse
and conflicting and it ain't a herb.......

Some practitioners consider articular damage to be susceptible not only 
to limitation but to actual reversal, and this involves major
Calcium/magnesium supplementation, plus zinc, B6, E, C, as well as EFA's 
eg
evening primrose oil etc. These should be used with the above herbs.

It is very frequently the case that OA and RA present in association
with poor eliminative functions, overweight if not obesity, and
hypertension. Conventional herbal treatment for arthritis  addresses
all these with cleansing, alterative, hypotensive tonic herbs- 
such as Hawthorne, garlic, Dandelion root, Burdock,etc and such regimes
should be maintained until there is improvement. 
 
 Its a bad pain - but keep off the steroids if you can......
 
 regards
 jonathan treasure