Taking cod liver oil once a day can reduce the need for painkillers in people with rheumatoid arthritis, according to Dundee University researchers.A 10g daily dose of cod liver oil reduced the need for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by 30 percent.
Patients in the study were given either cod liver oil or a placebo. After 12 weeks, they were asked to gradually reduce their use of NSAIDs. Among those taking cod liver oil, 39 percent reduced their daily dose of NSAIDs, compared with 10 percent taking a placebo. The reduction in drug use was not associated with any worsening of pain or of the disease.
It is thought that the fatty acids in the fish oil have anti-inflammatory properties that are responsible for the beneficial effect.
NSAIDs are associated with many side effects, including stomach bleeding, heart attacks and strokes. The researchers believe the study offers hope for many rheumatoid arthritis patients who would like to reduce their NSAID use.
 | Dr. Mercola's Comments: |
| Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint disease that causes intense pain and in some cases, peripheral distal joint deformity. The throbbing and aching of joints that is associated with this condition can make everyday activities, such as going for a walk, very painful, which is why so many rheumatoid arthritis patients rely on painkillers to get through the day. Among them, NSAIDs are one of the most popular, and it’s been found that over 70 percent of people with rheumatoid arthritis use them regularly. Painkillers May Kill More Than Your Pain Why is it so concerning that NSAIDs are the go-to solution for so many people with pain? Because NSAIDs can, quite literally, kill you. Back in 2004, you may remember, it came out that the cox-2 inhibitor class of these drugs -- including Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex -- increase your risk of serious heart problems. Vioxx alone was responsible for killing over 50,000 people before it was finally pulled from the market. But it is not only the prescription NSAIDs that are dangerous. Even the over-the-counter varieties, including ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), Aspirin and Aleve, are loaded with health risks such as:
Well, if you are looking for pain relief without the significant side effects of these medications, there are many options out there,. Omega-3 fats are clearly one of the best, but there are many sources for them. First of all it is important to recognize that studies are very clear that the omega-3 should come from animal -- not plant -- sources, as the conversion of ALA (in plant sources) to the beneficial DHA and EPA occurs minimally. But within animal sources, common sources would be fish, cod liver oil or krill oil. For a large number of excellent reasons it has been my personal choice for a few years -- for myself and patients -- to use krill oil. I have also written about seven safe alternatives to anti-inflammatory drugs in the past, and I highly suggest you give these natural remedies a try before resorting to any type of synthetic pain medication. However, there is something else I want to share with you, and that is how to actually make rheumatoid arthritis improve by addressing its underlying causes. You CAN Improve Rheumatoid Arthritis Conventional medicine “experts” will tell you that there is no cure for RA, and that remissions rarely occur. Well, your first step to getting better should be to get that thought right out of your head, as I can personally attest that over 80 percent of the more than 3,000 people I personally treated for RA over 20 years have had improvement. Although most of these patients were taking drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, I was able to help most of them dramatically reduce -- if not eliminate -- all of the toxic poisons they were prescribed. Most of these drugs are simply too dangerous to use, and can increase your risk of infections and cancer. Yet, virtually all rheumatologists are clueless about the root cause of the disease they are treating, which is why they typically resort to these toxic prescription medications. Next, consider this: Rheumatoid arthritis may actually be caused by an infection, a type of mycoplasma, which is a submicroscopic infection that gets into your joints and tissues. This theory, which now has considerable scientific support, came out in the late 1980s from Dr. Thomas Brown, who was successfully using a controversial treatment for RA using antibiotics. Well, initially I too followed this protocol, and it often was successful, but I felt that there must be a better way -- one that did not involve antibiotics or drugs of any kind. And there was. Dr. Brown’s program was a phenomenal improvement over traditional approaches, but it still failed to address the emotional and nutritional aspects of RA. When these items are also addressed, many cases of RA will routinely go into remission without the use of antibiotics. Here are the details of what needs to be addressed to successfully treat rheumatoid arthritis: 1. Get your vitamin D levels checked. It is rare to see someone with RA who does not have incredibly low vitamin D levels. If you have RA, your vitamin D level should be measured regularly, and should be between 50 and 55. The best way to get your vitamin D levels where they should be is by getting safe sun exposure. 2. Address any emotional traumas. In people with RA, there is almost always an emotional insult, a severe, emotional trauma that occurred before the age of 5. Typically, all the traditional counseling in the world does not effectively address this. What I have found to be particularly helpful in this regard is a powerful, energy-psychology technique called Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT. 3. Optimize your diet by finding out your nutritional type. This allows you to find out the unique diet that is right for your body. Do you need to be eating mostly protein? More carbs? Higher fat? Nutritional typing will tell you. 4. Reconsider having a root canal. Root canals can be a source of infection that can contribute to rheumatoid arthritis. 5. Get enough omega-3 fats. As this study showed, they’re very useful for managing pain. The DHA and EPA found in krill oil and fish oil are also profoundly helpful for normalizing the immune dysfunction that seems to be a major contributing factor in rheumatoid arthritis. Just be careful about using cod liver oil, as it has vitamin D and you can overdose on it, especially in the summer months. So if you chose to use it make sure you get your blood levels tested. 6. Incorporate regular exercise into your daily schedule. For those with seriously impaired joints, gentler exercise like Tai Chi is recommended, as you need to be very careful when your joints are inflamed. Exercises like running can cause permanent joint damage due to the excessive amount of inflammation present. A simple key to follow is that if you have pain two hours after exercise that specific exercise was likely too aggressive for your joints in their current state of inflammation. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, or know someone who does, please consider using these natural approaches as soon as possible. Much of the damage of RA is irreversible once it has occurred, as once the joints are destroyed there is no way to bring them back. So the sooner you make the lifestyle changes I’ve listed above, the better your chances will be at overcoming this disease. | |
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