Any of you got it? Mine is getting worse, sometimes it makes playing my bass hard. Joints are swollen, skin is irritated, sometimes I get bad aches deep in the joints.

Any ideas?

jrl,

i was going to say glucosamine, which is great for joints and i've heard it's good for arthritis.
i did a fast google and came up with a supporting article:

http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/gl ... ritis.html

There's a description of how it works and then this bit:

"Glucosamine cannot cure your arthritis, but it will do wonders for your arthritis and joint pain. Because glucosamine works from within, bathing your joints in a proverbial warm and protective solution and working to heal your joints instead of merely cover up pain, results take a little bit longer than NSAIDs or COX-2 drugs. Once you have achieved relief, however, glucosamine works to protect your joints from further damage while continuing to stave off further damage. Contrasted to glucosamine, there is evidence that many of the NSAIDs can actually work against your arthritic joints, to cause your arthritis pain to become even worse by breaking down your joints.

If you need immediate pain relief, glucosamine can be taken with traditional NSAIDS (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc) if you need temporary pain relief while the glucosimine gets to work rebuilding your cartilage and reducing your pain. Note that most clinical trials tested 1,500 mg of glucosamine per day. Also, many people find Chondroitin Sulfate and MSM to be helpful for their arthritis pain, so consider a product that contains them as well, if possible. Be sure to explore the Glucosamine Product Guide for a fair comparison of the leading glucosamine products available today."

My Gad (not god) was taking it for years for a knee situation caused by heavy volleyball playing. No side effects, which is always nice, just plain remediation.

I've also heard that the infamous (i love it) grape diet is good for arthritis, or good old cabbage compresses (see the Swiss Family Doctor book). but if you like your cures out of a bottle, try glucosamine. It's not expensive and it's from nature.

best to you - judih

I have tried glucosamine, but I had tendinitis then which it doesn't help, I think I still have a bottle somewhere so I will try it again.

What about copper braclets? My conservative brother in law swears by it, calls it "voodou shit that really works". Anyone know anything about it?

What you need is glucosamine and chondroitin both. Get the triple strength pill because that's the best bargain. Look for price, it all seems to work the same. I get mine from Sam's club. The correct dose is important. Too little will do nothing. No side effects have ever been reported though a mild stomach upset is possible in a few. Take with food if that is a concern. A good dose may be from 2 to 5 triple strength per day.

It takes from a few days to a couple weeks to kick in. Do not skip any days. Once you feel the effect, you will be hooked. If you doubt they are working after you've taken them a while, try quitting them for a few days, ouch.

Other things that may help a little but are more costly include things such as sam-e and hyaluronic acid. Your gl and ch are the workhorses that give the most bang for the buck.

My parents have always swore by horse chestnuts or buckeyes as they're sometimes called. They carry one with them at all times and claim it helps their aches n pains. Hey whatever works right!

Peace,
ObOdAoUr

Some of my friends wear those magnetic bracelets.

What type of arthritis ? Have you tried cutting out the dairy ? My Mother in law has osteo arthritus and is significantly more mobile now she has quit dairy foods.

Bushpig