May is arthritis awareness month

Researchers from Bethesda North Hospital Pharmacy, in Cincinnati, Ohio reviewed the evidence for using supplements to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

First, the details.

• A literature search included the terms cat’s claw, ginger, fish oil, omega-3, turmeric, vitamin E, vitamin C, Baikal skullcap, barberry, Chinese goldthread, green tea, Indian holy basil, hu zhang (contains the chemical called resveratrol), oregano, and rosemary.
• Glucosamine, chondroitin, and methyl sulfonyl methane were excluded.
• There were 16 clinical studies, 1 meta-analysis, and 1 review article.

And, the results.

• Osteoarthritis
  • 3 studies supported cat’s claw used alone or combined with other treatment.
  • There were insufficient data to recommend omega-3 fatty acids.
• Rheumatoid arthritis
  • 2 studies supported omega-3 fatty acids for treatment.
• There were insufficient data to permit recommending the following for osteo or rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Vitamin E alone
  • Vitamins A, C, and E in combination
  • Ginger
  • Turmeric
  • Zyflamend

The bottom line?

What’s interesting to me is that the authors search included many supplements that apparently have never been studied. 5/3/10 16:52 JR