Baby boomers, who now dominate the age demographics in which arthritis is most common, are less willing to accept the pain and disability that they saw their parents endure with this disease. This is causing a rise in both pharmaceutical and alternative treatment options, as people demand more quality of life from the treatments they receive.
Recent publicity around the increased heart attack risk posed by the COX-2 painkillers, which were introduced by the pharmaceutical industry in 1999 with much fanfare, has caused people to look for low-risk alternatives. In fairness to the COX-2 drugs, it should be said that, although they have been found to increase the risk of heart attack to varying degrees, the risk to the individual patient remains statistically small.
Despite this, when a patient's life is on the line, he or she tends to look upon any risk as unacceptable, or at the very least undesirable. Enter the boomer-generation alternative treatments.
Are alternative treatments over-hyped? Do they work? There is anecdotal evidence to support the effectiveness of some alternative treatments, but data from properly conducted trials is often lacking. Many people claim to have derived a benefit from methyl-sulfonyl-methane (MSM), ginger, glucosamine, and vitamin and mineral supplements including C, E, and the B group, especially B6, B12, and B3.
One form of non-drug treatment that does have a body of proper research to support its efficacy is marine oil, from both fish and the New Zealand green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus). Diets high in marine oils from cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna have been shown to reduce the inflammation of joint conditions such as arthritis.
The problem for arthritis sufferers is that they would have to change their diet to something akin to that of the Eskimo or traditional Japanese fishermen to consume enough fish oil to make a difference to their condition. Such fish oils can be bought in a more convenient capsule form at most pharmacies and health food stores, but you have to take a lot to have a significant therapeutic effect.
A more convenient alternative is the oil of the New Zealand green-lipped mussel. Research has shown that the oil of the green-lipped mussel is 200 times more effective than the best of the fish oils as an anti-inflammatory, so the amount that needs to be consumed daily is miniscule by comparison.
Medical interest in the New Zealand green-lipped mussel was piqued when doctors noted that the coastal tribes of the original inhabitants of New Zealand, the Maoris, had a very low rate of arthritis and generally enjoyed good health when compared with the rest of the population. The coastal Maoris attributed their good health to the consumption daily of raw green-lipped mussels.
Research by scientists in various countries found this Maori belief to be correct. It should be noted that the Maoris eat their mussels raw. You may well find this mussel in a seafood market, but the moment that the mussel is exposed to the air or heat, the therapeutic value of the mussel oil is destroyed by oxidization.
To date, only one company has managed (via a patented process) to extract the oil of the New Zealand green-lipped mussel in a form that has retained its medicinal value. This is marketed under the name Lyprinol®. Work done by Dr. Michael Whitehouse, M.D., Ph.D., at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, showed that the oil of the green-lipped mussel was comparable in effectiveness with the COX-2 inhibitor drug Celebrex® and had an added advantage of no adverse side effects. To date, the safety record of the mussel oil is untarnished. During more than a decade of research and use in twenty-four countries, not one adverse reaction has been recorded.
The mussel oil has another advantage over fish oil, in that it does not affect the necessary functions of blood platelets and does not increase the risk of bleeding. The consumption of large quantities of fish oil can be contraindicated for some patients who have platelet dysfunction or are on blood-thinning medications because fish oil inhibits clotting.
As boomers reach the age of aches and pain, they no longer have to suffer the pain of arthritis as their parents did, nor do they have to settle for high-risk treatment options.
About the Author:
A fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, Georges M. Halpern, M.D., Ph.D., is board certified in internal medicine and allergy, and is past adjunct professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis. He is currently Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and author of The Inflammation Revolution: A Natural Solution for Arthritis, Asthma & Other Inflammatory Disorders (Square One).