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  1. #1
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    Default Since I can't take any NSAIDS anymore...

    And I have some knee arthritis, and old lady pains, though nothing very severe, what is a good alternative for inflammation? I am a part-time Pharmacy Technician, so I asked my pharmacist what he thought and he said alot of people take Glucosamine Condroitin (sp?) and have had good results with that. I will probably give that a try, but wanted to ask the masses here, where there are undoubtably several people who take something alternative to INSAIDs for their aches and pains what works for them, since the aches and pains are mostly related to my hiking addiction. I have also heard someone say to take Collagen and that helps. Anyone here ever heard of that or used it successfully? Ibuprofen was my go-to but I can't take that anymore. Is there anything comparable in your experience?

    Yes, I could go to my doctor and pay a co-pay and take time off work for the visit just to be given advice of what over the counter supplement to get, but that seemed ridiculous.
    " Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. "

  2. #2
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    The scientific evidence for glucosamine and chondroitin appears to be weak:

    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/glucosamine-update/

    same for collagen:

    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/col...or-joint-pain/

    In addition to the likelihood of being ineffective for your condition, they may have side effects (beyond their cost), so the "what's the harm in trying" argument doesn't hold water.

    I'm not sure where that leaves you, if you can't take NSAIDs (or is it just ibubrofen? There's other NSAIDs, like naproxen sodium). Acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) is decent for pain, but it's not anti-inflammatory. Then there's the steroidal anti-inflammatories, for which you'd likely need a doctor's prescription.

    While it may be inconvenient to take time off to go to the doctor, it may also be inconvenient (and more so, in the long run) to have an untreated condition that interferes with your hiking. Also, might there not be an off-normal-hours place you could see a doctor? Such as pharmacy clinic or urgent care/quick care center?

    Do you use hiking poles? They have helped me a great deal - and not just with knee pain. They've also kept me from falling a number of times.

  3. #3
    Registered User NJdreamer's Avatar
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    Don't see your family doctor. See a sports doctor so you can find out exactly what hurts and how to fix it (with stretches and other exercises). (This presumes you think it is just arthritis but don't really know for sure.) Yes, you have arthritis, but that might not be what hurts you. For me, sometimes my knee with lots of arthritis hurts less than the one with very little. One other comment, Glucosamine can be very hard on the stomach (as in can cause ulcers or other stomach issues if you are inclined to have stomach issues).
    Just love being outside, not sure why. 765 AT miles done (2014-2018), many more to go.

  4. #4

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    I took Glucosamine supplements for awhile and don't think they did anything. Hard to tell really.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  5. #5

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    Omega 3 is an anti-inflamatory.

  6. #6

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    I suffered debilitating back pain for roughly 20 years.It was awful and I quickly learned that I was highly allergic to NSAIDS,including OTC meds like ibuprofen.I can take aspirin and do take a low dose enteric "baby aspirin" every 12 hours.However,what I take that is the real game changer is a 1000 mg tumeric capsule by Eden Pond that I get from Amazon.Cheap and highly effective.It works for me as I am 99% pain free for the most part.I take a tumeric capsule and baby aspirin together every 12 hours and it's working for me at least.Note,no doctor told me to do this but I was desperate to try anything because the pain was so bad.

  7. #7

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    I take fish oil (Omega-3) daily. When I first started taking it I was surprised at how quickly it seemed to moderate my knee pain. I also take glucosamine with chondroitin daily, though the latest studies on this supplement are not real strong in favor of its use, it seems when I stop taking it for any length of time I feel it in my knees. Placebo effect possibly, or perhaps combined with fish oil it works a little better than the last study would demonstrate. Not sure why its all working, but I'm not going to change things anytime soon.

    The other thing I use are compression sleeves for my knees, which seem to work very well.

  8. #8
    Garlic
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    Have you considered a change of diet and/or environment? Rheumatoid arthritis caused my wife to move away from a favorite place in the Pacific Northwest 30 years ago. It also led to trying a plant-based diet, which has had many benefits for both of us.

    MDs prescribed huge doses of anti-inflammatory meds, some prescriptions, and gave her a pair of crutches. They told her to just get used to it, people get old, etc. She did not listen, bought a new pair of walking shoes, and went on to thru-hike the AT and PCT. She's now a very young sixty.

    Your condition at least does not sound so severe. Best of luck dealing with it.

  9. #9
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    see your orthopedic doctor
    first ask about cortisone injections to reduce inflammation in the knee,
    another option
    ask him if Orthovisc or Monovise injections would help,
    they are both Hyaluronic acid (HA) approved by FDA
    I've had both in knee
    and orthovisc in shoulder for OA
    and both helped me

    https://www.anikatherapeutics.com/pr...gics/monovisc/

  10. #10
    Registered User SoaknWet's Avatar
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    My doctor put me on those GBD pills, twice a day, and after a week most of the pain is gone. Still have moments of sharp pain after 5 or 6 miles but Tylenol helps that.

  11. #11
    Leonidas
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    Turmeric, natural anti-inflammatory. You can get the raw powder and add it to food or do the capsule thing.
    AT: 695.7 mi
    Benton MacKaye Trail '20
    Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
    @leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail

  12. #12
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    Default turmeric

    a cautionary tale:

    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/nat...m-iv-turmeric/

    Over that same period of time [50 years] there have been around 120 clinical trials of curcumin. Collectively they have failed to show that curcumin works for any single indication.

  13. #13
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    There are so many posts/ threads on knee pain that I won't even try to find the one I read this in... but in one of them, one of our members said his doctor suggested one of the B vitamins (I think) and that it is in plentiful supply in Centrum Silver. He started taking the daily multi vitamin, and his pain went away.

    I thought that sounded like an easy experiment. I'm not yet 50, but one daily multi vitamin pill designed for those who are (over 50) can't hurt me, so I tried it. Mind you, I've taken glucosamine with chondroitin and msm, I've taken fish oil, I've tried that red Hawaiian Astaxanthin... none of these seemed to do anything for me. After taking the daily vitamin for a while I realized my knees didn't hurt much anymore. Not very scientific, I know, but I'm not a scientist.

  14. #14

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    I have found that cannabis based CBD tincture works very well for my knee pain and general joint pain from osteoarthritis.

    When we hike in states out west like Colorado and California I have been able to use CBD for my entire hike without any need for Advil. YMMV but my experience was extremely positive. It is a must carry for me if it is available.

    I know that availability depends on location However, if you are hiking in states where recreational marijuana is sold then CBD tincture is worth consideration. In non legal states, you may also consider trying hemp based CBD which I believe is legal in most states.

    I found that cannabis based CBD was faster acting and better results from a smaller quantity dose. But in the absence of availability hemp based CBD is far better than Advil for me.

    My acupuncturist has recommended the tumeric anti-inflammatory as well. I have not tried it but it is something I may try in the future if needed.

  15. #15
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    Look at relief factor. I tried buying just the base ingredients after hearing a bunch of testimonial based radio commercials, & I think it helped a little. Not a cure for acute pain injuries, but for my knotted shoulder and general well feeling I think it helped. Maybe better with their blend and specific dosage combinations, I have no idea...
    curcumin, reservatrol, fish oil, and some other thing.... you could look it up.

  16. #16
    LT '79; AT '73-'14 in sections; Donating Member Kerosene's Avatar
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    I've tried turmeric in various forms, glucosamine sulfate, and tart cherry juice without any noticeable improvements in knee pain associated with OA (40 years of soccer, basketball and backpacking). NSAIDs (namely naproxen sodium) have been the only thing that seems to make a difference, but then only in large doses (800-1200 mg) for short periods (1-4 weeks max). Of course, that increases the risk of imbibing and tends to disrupt my sleep patterns, but I can usually walk the next day.

    If homeopathic treatments work for you, then go for it, but my guess is that rest followed by a gradual leg strengthening program will be more effective for most people. The stronger my quads are, combined with consistent "rolling" of my IT Bands and orthotics, the better I hold out. Even so, I can no longer make a 1,500' descent at the end of a 10-mile day without significant pain and swelling. +1 on the trekking poles.
    GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014

  17. #17
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    Default

    Thanks All! Very helpful information to look into deeper. I do have and use trekking poles and yes, they do help a good bit on those downs. I was just looking for a safe but effective alternative for NSAIDS for when I need it. I can't take anything hard on the stomach, so probably the glucosamine is out. I am already taking a multivitamin and additional Calcium +D3 daily. I will always do that. I guess I just need to suck it up and go to my doctor to see whats up with my knee, and go from there. Both ache a little after a long hike, but my left one aches almost daily, just sitting at my desk all day. I have a good bit of arthritis in my family so I just assume that is what it likely is.

    Thanks for all the ideas here.
    " Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. "

  18. #18

    Default

    http://www.mapi.com/products/herbal-...veda-2240.html
    Need to take for at least 3 months, but it goes to the root of the problem.

    May want to do this first: http://www.mapi.com/doshas/vpk-explanation.html

  19. #19

    Default

    In many cases arthritis is partly, or entirely, an auto-immune response to diet. Some of the worst triggers are plant foods, because they have a number of clever toxins to keep you from eating them! At best they are hormetic stressors. At worst they destroy your joints. And the nutritional value is not very high, so you are not missing much (besides carbs) by ditching them. Ancestrally we got our energy and nutrition mainly from animal foods, until agriculture was developed when we promptly got shorter, sicker, and our teeth rotted in our heads.

    I can add a personal testimonial to this, I had advanced degenerative knee arthritis and sports medicine doctors told me I might not ever run again. Four years later, on a mainly meat-based diet (no sugar, no grains), I am pain free and have run more than 20 half marathons.


    An interesting resource is the accounts on meatheals.com. Many report resolving auto-immune arthritis symptoms with a meat-based diet.
    http://meatheals.com

    Mikhalia Peterson had severe RA; several joints were replaced before she corrected her diet (eliminated plant foods). She has healed and is no longer in pain. http://mikhailapeterson.com/


  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by RockDoc View Post
    In many cases arthritis is partly, or entirely, an auto-immune response to diet. Some of the worst triggers are plant foods... Many report resolving auto-immune arthritis symptoms with a meat-based diet...
    According to a systematic review study published in the Australian Journal of General Practice:

    1. The Palaeolithic diet is currently over-hyped and under-researched. While the claims made by its celebrity proponents are not supported by current evidence.
    2. The Palaeolithic diet remains controversial because of exaggerated claims for it by wellness bloggers and celebrity chefs, and the contentious evolutionary discordance hypothesis on which it is based.
    3. GPs should caution patients who are on the Palaeolithic diet about adequate calcium intake, especially those at higher risk of osteoporosis.
    4. The diet has been the subject of intense criticism by health professionals because of wellness bloggers’ and celebrity chefs’ exaggerated claims about its purported effects
    5. ... criticism from anthropologists, who argue that there is no blanket prescription of an evolutionarily appropriate diet, but rather that human eating habits are primarily learned through
    behavioural
    , social and physiological mechanisms
    6. While proponents of the Palaeolithic diet claim that it is evidence-based, there are only a limited number of controlled clinical trials comparing the Palaeolithic diet to accepted diets such as the diabetic or Mediterranean diets
    7. One positive note, a mere whiff of possible usefulness: May be of benefit in the management of various metabolic derangements. Further research is warranted...

    Source: https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2016/ja...eolithic-diet/

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