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Up to several grams per day of each sulfur amino acid may be supplemented for long periods of time. One form of injectable glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) [glycosaminoglycan polysulfuric acid (GAGPS)] was used in a 1 year double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of 80 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee by Associate Professor Karel Pavelka, M.D., Ph.D.,100 Director of Institute of Rheumatology Prague, Czech Republic, "the index of severity of knee osteoarthritis decreased after the end of the injection period by 34% from baseline, and this effect persisted to 26 weeks. . . . The same results were shown by other assessment criteria," including pain and knee function, although the significance measured was somewhat lower for these last two. Richard A. Kunin, M.D. writes that "N-acetyl glucosamine and glucosamine sulfate have also proved beneficial in treating cartilage, tendon and joint inflammation, including both rheumatoid and osteoarthritic conditions. Usually it takes a couple of weeks before the tenderness abates, but once it is gone it tends not to come back. Golfers are particularly grateful to find their hip pain fading away. Several products have now been marketed which contain beneficial mixtures of glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate, compounds which occur naturally in joint cartilage. These mixtures may or may not be fortified with Vitamin C, calcium citrate, and zinc gluconate, all of which aid in tissue repair, and also bromelain (a mixture of enzymes found in pineapples) to help joint flexibility, Boswellia serrata (from a large branching tree native to India), supplying 60% boswellic acids, and Curcuma longa (the yellow pigment of turmeric), supplying 9095% curcumin. A chemical fraction of curcuma oil extracted from Curcoma longa, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic activity. There are many medicinal plants of great therapeutic value referred to in the ancient treatment systems of Ayurveda practiced in India over five thousand years, combining natural therapies with emphasis on body, mind, and spirit. According to studies, Boswellia serrata appears to act by mechanisms similar to non-steroidal groups of anti-arthritic drugs, but free of side effects and gastric irritation. 89 Available in Europe and some non-European countries, Arteparon®, glycosaminoglycan polysulfate, called GAGPS, is a mixture of sulfated glycoaminoglycans from bovine trachea and lung. It is administered by intramuscular (IM) injections, usually as a series of ten to 15 injections, 2 injections per week. 143
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"In two double-blind, randomized, short-term trials, some significant improvement in pain and joint mobility was recorded during a 6month follow-up period in 120 and 74 patients, respectively, after ten intrarticular (IA) injections of 50 mg," of glycosaminoglycan polysulfate, the patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. Pain and mobility was significantly improved in 140 patients with patients who had at least a possible narrowing of joint space in the knee or hip. Other studies confirmed these results. Rumalon® contains a glycosaminoglycan-peptide complex, called GP-C from bovine cartilage and bone marrow. This preparation has been used excluisvely in the form of a series of intramuscular injections, a series of 25 injections of 1ml each and generally 15 injections of 2ml each, two to three injections weekly. 143 Double-blind trials in patients with different forms of osteoarthritis demonstrated that the symptoms in 99 patients were significantly improved by 20 injections. These findings were confirmed in additional studies of 1,704 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, and fingers conducted in rheumatology clinics in five European countries. Other studies including 10,000 patients have also confirmed these results on patients having little to virtually no cartilage; that is those having determinable open space between the joints. 143 According to German Professor Werner Scheidl, 144 consultant to Instituto Medico Biologico, Tijuana, Mexico, Sulconar ® is an Argentina substance very similar to Rumalon ®, consisting of cartilage 33%, bone marrow 33%, hepato (liver) catalase enzyme 33%, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). It is successfully used to halt joint destruction when administered as intramuscular injections, 1 ampoule per day for 10 days. One week after the last injection good results should be noted. Sulconar is used as an anti-cancer agent, to decrease inflammation in osteoarthritis, against streptococcus, and against mycoplasm. Shark Cartilage Shark cartilage contains large amounts of muccopolysaccharides (carbohydrates that form chemical bonds with water) just as does the cartilage from cattle or animals. In either powdered or capsule form, it is the latest substance to become widely used among those with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or cancer. Shark cartilage has the ability to halt the growth of blood vessels, a process called "anti-angiogenesis," apparently having more of the growth-halting agent than of any substance known. Halting the growth of blood vessels can be very important for halting the progress of
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cancerous tumors, and may also be effective in stemming the growth of unwanted blood vessels that reach into joint areas where cartilage has thinned, or disappeared, subsequently causing calcification of the joint. Mucopolysaccharides contained in the shark cartilage also stimulate the immune system and reduce pain and inflammation of arthritis. According to I. William Lane, Ph.D., an independent consultant on marine resources, oral dosages are believed to actually help repair damaged human cartilage. 5 This would be true if for no other reason than the high content of chondroitin sulfates contained in shark cartilage which would be available as a simple nutritional supplement. "Jose Orcasita of the University of Miami School of Medicine gave six elderly patients suffering from 'significant-to-unbearable' osteoarthritis doses of dry shark cartilage for a period of three weeks. In all cases, each patient reported that pain was grealy reduced and quality of life was vastly improved." 64 Eighty percent of osteoarthritis patients at Comprehensive Medical Clinic in Southern California responded well. The percentage of response for rheumatoid arthritis patients studied in other research was 50 to 60 percent. 5 Usually, after two to three weeks of therapy, improvement should be noted, but if not, then this treatment probably won't help. A daily dose is taken 3 times daily in equal amounts about 15 to 30 minutes before meals. One gram of dry powdered shark cartilage is to be taken for every three to five pounds of body weight. A 120 pound person would take between 40 and 60 grams, 3 times daily. There have been a few reports of allergy reactions to shark cartilage, but normally it's non-toxic and so you can't overdose. Best, (for reasons of taste), that you blend the substance with fruit juices or water, or take it in capsule form. 64 Bovine Cartilage In contrast to the above, one of us (Gus Prosch, Jr., M.D., Birmingham, Alabama) has found clinical successes better with bovine cartilage than with shark cartilage. There are more than 40 years of significant scientific research verifying the effectiveness of bovine cartilage. As much as $10,000,000 has been invested in clinical research directed by John F. Prudden, M.D., Med.Sc.D., Chairman of the Foundation for Cartilage and Immunology Research, who also discovered the use of bovine cartilage in 1954 while experimenting with methods to improve wound healing. He published in 1974 ( Seminars in
ARTHRITIS by NTHONY DI F ABIO, M.A. & GUS J. PROSCH, JR ., A NTHONY ., M.D.
about Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Disease, including Rheumatoid Arthritis
A complete and wonderful updating of Anthony di Fabio’s Fabio’s Rheumatoid Rheumatoid Diseases Diseases Cured CuredAt AtLast Last with Osteoarthritis added. This book will set the standard for treatment of more than 80 forms of arthritis for years to come. -- Jack M. Blount, M.D.
A publication of The Roger Wyburn-Mason and an d Jack M. Blount Foundation for the Eradication of Rheumatoid Disease a non-profit, tax-exempt foundation AKA The Arthritis Trust of America ®, AKA The Rheumatoid Disease Foundation
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Arthritis and Rheumatism ) studies showing that of 28 patients, over a period of 3 to 8 weeks receiving daily subcutaneous injections of 50 cc of bovine cartilage solution, 19 were classified as "excellent," 6 were "good," and 2 noted "some" benefit. No toxicity was reported, and the pain relief lasted an average of 7 months after completion of the study. Dr. Prudden later tested the effects of orally ingested bovine cartilage, 9 grams daily. Of 700 cases of osteoarthritis treated with bovine cartilage, 59 percent experienced "excellent" results and 26 percent experienced "good" results for a total amelioration rate of 85 percent. The average length of remission was 6 to 8 weeks. In the early 1970s Dr. Prudden began long-term clinical trials and his studies, since then, have involved more than 1,000 patients, some of whom have more than 18 years of follow-up history. A long term, double-blind study in 1987 at Charles University in Prague, Czechoslovokia confirmed Dr. Prudden's results. Pain scores dropped an average of 50 percent in 194 participants. (See Chapter II, "Shark Cartilage" and "Bovine Cartilage," Rheumatoid Arthritis.) Chicken Cartilage Joel Wallach, D.V.M., M.D.,139 author of Rare Earths: Forbidden Cures, reports on an arthritis research program conducted at Harvard Medical School and the Boston VA Hospital. Twenty nine people who had failed to respond to traditional medical treatment using aspirin, prednisone, cortisone, gold shots, methotrexate, and physical therapy were preparing for hip surgery. They were asked to delay for 90 days during which period they were fed heaping teaspoons of ground-up dried chicken cartliage in orange juice each morning. In ten days all their pain and inflammation was gone. In thirty days they could open new pickle jars, and in ninety days they had return of their natural joint function. Dr. Wallach says that if grinding up your own chicken cartilage is too messy for you, then purchase Knox Gelatine ®, as its made from beef cartilage and beef tendons, and consists of the same raw material as does the chicken cartilage. Summary The general dietary guidelines for specific nutrients should allow useful concentrations of nutrients to reach cartilage cells (chondrocytes). When chondrocytes are fed, they are more able to perform their function — repair cartilage. Combined with other treatment modalities to reduce the wear on cartilage, optimal nutrition allows the cartilage cells (chondrocytes) to perform to their
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capabilities, meaning a net result of healing. The most important single nutrient for cartilage cells (chondrocytes) is chondroitin sulfates. One of the advantages of nutrition is that all body cells are affected, and there can be improvements in the growth of new blood vessels where needed, and the halting of such growth where inappropriate. Thus many factors contributing to osteoarthritis can be favorably modified by judicious use in diet and specific nutrients. Botanicals Recommended Herbs The cases of deaths caused by the use of herbs in the United States can be counted on your fingers, whereas there are reported from 10,000 to 20,000 deaths per year from gastric hemorrhages from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used for arthritis. 147 Dr. Louis J. Marx, M.D., Ventura, California, reminds us that the proper use of herbals is in the preparation of a specific formulation that is needed by a particular person at that time; "others with the same symptoms may need very different formulas." Various herbs16 have been useful for treating arthritics, especially in treating inflammation without the serious side-affects attributed to aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS). These are licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) , alfalfa (Medicago sativa) , devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) , and the proanthocyanidins, cherries, hawthorn berries and blueberries 17,18 CF Randall103 reports in the British Journal of General Paractitioners beneficial effects of two elderly people who used stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica). One, an 81 year-old man with confirmed unilateral hip (one hip) osteoarthritis, "found great relief where ibuprofen had previously failed. He had to apply the leaves only once every few days to maintain the effect. "An elderly woman of unidentified age had similar benefits for inflamed, arthritic fingers." Michael T. Murray, N.D., Bellevue, WA, author of many medical articles and books on the use of natural healing methods, also recommends the use of sulfur-containing foods such as garlic, onions, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage, as these will increase the sulfur content in sufferers who are often deficient in sulfur. 47 According to Dr. Murray, feverfew ( Chyrsanthemum parthenium ), long in folk history for the treatment of arthritis and migraine, acts to inhibit inflammation and fever better than does aspirin, also inhibiting the synthesis of many pro-inflammatory compounds. A related herb,
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Tanacetum parthenium , also decreases the pain of headache as well as arthritic pains. The active ingredient, parthenolide, must be present in sufficient concentration, which is not always the case with various species or as presented for sale at the marketplace. 85 Reported in the Alternative Medicine Digest 96 are new (1995) clinical studies from Sun Yet Sen University of Medical Sciences in China demonstrating that devil's claw root ( Harpagophytum procumbens) extract can bring some relief to osteoarthritis. In that study, a total of 40 patients, aged 38-52, received daily dosages of PagosidTM, a standardized water-based extract of devil's claw root, for 4 weeks at the dosage rate of 500 mg daily. Doctors rated effectiveness of the herb at 85%, while the patients rated it 90%. A parallel study (1995) consisting of 38 patients at China's First Military Medical University gave arthritis patients one gram of Pagosid every day for 4 weeks. Doctors rated it 79% effective as patients reported relief from their general arthritic conditions, including joint swelling, morning stiffness, and lowered grip strength. Effectiveness for Osteoarthritis was 85%. Dr. Michael T. Murray describes the gum exudate from Boswellia serrata, a large branching tree native to India, as containing boswellic acids which have an effect on the inflammation of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. "The standard dosage for boswellic acids is 400 mgs, 3 times daily." There are no side effects from its use. Kombucha Tea is grown from a Manchurian mushroom in one's own refrigerator. The fungus is placed in a tea base where complicated biochemical processes take place. Author of "Kombucha Tea," Debbie Carson,71 reports that, "Fermentation produces a small amount of alcohol (0.5%), carbon dioxide, B vitamins, Vitamin C and various organic acids that are essential to human metabolism." Its most important products are said to be glucuronic acid and polysaccharides. The glucouronic acid has the property of bonding to harmful substances in the body, rendering over 200 substances harmless, and also helping to "form connective tissues, cartilage, gastric mucous membranes and the vitrious body of the eye." The polysaccharides "strengthen the body's immunity responses to pathogenic bacteria, yeasts, viruses, and increases the body's resistance to these diseases." Energy Medicine Background
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Until the last half of this century there has been but sparse attention to the application of physics to the practice of medicine. Pharmaceutical industries had long promoted chemicals (drugs) almost exclusively for treatment of symptoms. With the growth of physics ap plications in medicine, more and more new therapies are being discovered that utilize electrical, magnetic, sonic, acoustic, microwave, infrared or other light frequencies that have beneficial effects on the body when they're correctly utilized . Energy medicine can be as simple and inexpensive as the transfer of energy by touch to another, or as complex and costly as some of the newly developed hospital equipment whose function is to form accurate images inside the body's soft tissues. In the early dawn of our history, the physics of medicine was first -- and perhaps unknowingly -- applied when a loving touch or comforting voice aided another human being through painful moments. Massage therapy, therapeutic touch and other forms of energy transfer have assumed such an important role that they often have their own special chapters, and are seldom described as a "transfer of energy" or even as similar to the utilization of portions of the electromagnetic spectrum on the human body which we now define as "the physics of medicine." Seldom, if ever, does a natural therapy operate independently from one another, and in this section we will see that several forms of thera pies operate together to reduce pain and restore health for the arthritic. According to Yang Jwing-Ming, Ph.D., Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, author of numerous books, physicist and master of Chinese qigong -- an ancient healing discipline -- writings in Oracle-Bone Scripture (Jia gu Wen) show evidence that from 2690 B.C. to 1154 B.C. "stone probes" pre-dated the discovery and use of acupuncture, specific body points connected by energy flow lines called "meridians." Until 1026 A.D. there was much disagreement about acupuncture theory until Dr. Wang Wei-Yi wrote on its principles and techniques in Illustration of the Brass Man Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Tong Ren Yu Xue Zhen Jiu tu ). Although the concept of bio-electricity was unknown, Dr. Wang Wei-Yi also cast a famous brass human figure which illustrated for the first time many of the important acupuncture points and energy flow lines -- meridians -- that were important bioelectrical connections to all parts inside and outside the body. Dr. Wang Wei-Yi's acupuncture points and meridians have been verified during modern times using modern physics equipment, and they have been added to until now we know of over two thousand that
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have a specific relationship to internal organs. In the 1940s Reinhold Voll, M.D. was able to measure changes in electrical conductivity of each of the body's acupuncture points, discovering that electrical resistance of the skin decreases dramatically at these points when compared to surrounding skin areas. Dr. Voll also found that each point had a standard measurement for anyone who is in good health. The energy flow along meridians was called by the Chinese "qi" (pronounced "chi"). The measure of this bioenergy -- Chi -- deteriorates as the health deteriorates. Based upon these early Chinese discoveries and later discoveries of Dr. Voll and colleagues along with Japanese researchers, modern energy medicine has rapidly matured, becoming an accurate, safe, and effective means for both assessment and treatment of health conditions. Acupuncture and various forms of massage therapy have become so well known in their own right that energy medicine is now more restrictively defined as the application to healing of safe and appro priate frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum. Some of the important applications of these frequencies for arthritis, including osteoarthritis, follow: The TENS Unit TENS is an acronym for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator, which is used in doctors' offices, physiotherapy clinics, and homes. By applying a light electrical current to affected nerves and muscles, the TENS unit causes a blockage of electrical conduction, hence pain, along that particular nerve. It's believed that TENS units also stimulate the production of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. Although the TENS unit provides great relief for many arthritics, it does not, as a rule, address itself to the causation of pains, but rather to symptoms, and therefore does not solve the initial causation of the pain signal, nor promote self-healing. The MORA Based on further discoveries of his colleague, Dr. Voll, the MORA was invented by Franz Morrel, M.D. Dr. Morrell believed that disease is primarily the body's production of the wrong electromagnetic information. The MORA reads the information which the patient produces, and the MORA corrects it. No artificial signal is introduced into the body, thus the MORA is considered a "natural" therapy. The MORA is being successfully used for treatment of many con-