When it comes to arthritis, people are willing to spend enormous amounts of money on any drug that will give them temporary relief. The keyword here is temporary. Consumers and their doctors have slowly accepted that long term relief does not come from prescriptions but supplements for arthritis. Which supplements, you ask? The one recommended by the Arthritis Foundation - omega 3 fish oil.
Sufferers of Rheumatoid arthritis [RA] do not need to be reminded of the stiffness and lack of mobility that are caused by the swelling of the joints. Another way to put this is that the pain is caused by inflammation. Eventually this leads to joint degeneration and cartilage deterioration.
People have been looking for supplements for arthritis to replace drugs for years. These alternatives would include glucosamine, chondroitin, citrus bioflavonoids; SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine); cherries; eucalyptus globulus; meadowsweet; burdock; ginger extract; avocado-soy extract; bilberry; pine bark; isoflavones; birch; echinacea; frankincense; devil's craw; turmeric and many others.
I mention all this because the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected joint health claims for all these ingredients. Nutrients they do approve of are the omega 3s in fish oil.
This endorsement of fish oil supplements for arthritis is based on a lot of research. Many studies have concluded that omega 3 fatty acids may be the best natural anti-inflammatory agent that we have. RA is an inflammatory disease.
Some of the research was recently presented at the Annual Congress of the European League against Rheumatism. It was shown that a diet of omega 3 loaded oily fish was not only effective in reducing the risk of RA, but helped alleviate the problems for people who had it. Research studies in other countries have had similar results.
An important point here is that although some companies use the title arthritis fish oil, this is not necessary. Omega 3s are the same anti-inflammatory agents whether you need them for arthritis, heart disease or anything else.
I mention cardiovascular issues because omega 3s are also endorsed by the American Heart Association. This is significant since patients with RA are more likely to have heart problems.
A few points on supplements. Although two grams of omega 3s per day is a good number for health maintenance, many experts believe that more is needed to fix issues that have been there for years. When dealing with these type of doses, it is important to use a quality product. Taking a lot of bad fish oil, of doubtful freshness and potency, is not going to fix anything.
In general, even the best supplements for arthritis are going to take a few months to settle into the body. The good news is that the longer they are used, the more noticeable the benefits.
Keep in mind that fish oil is not an artificial chemical - it is food. The body will always prefer natural cures over synthetic ones. In this case, you are attacking the causes of arthritis, not the symptoms. My website can help on this subject.
Author Resource:
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