Does anyone know anything legitimate about the herb Yucca being used for arthritis?
453221
Mayo Clinic says it is not good for arthritis.\n\nYucca supplements have long been touted as a possible treatment for osteoarthritis. However, except for one small preliminary study reported in 1975, there have been no published clinical trials evaluating its effectiveness in treating osteoarthritis. Yucca is a group of evergreen shrubs and trees that grows in arid regions of North America. Although scientific studies have validated many alternative and complementary therapies for osteoarthritis, yucca is not one of them.
334930
go to herbalhealer.com and research it.
959828
I am so sorry...I don't know what "AA" arthritis is, but I have had "post traumatic" arthritis for 25 years..that is just another name for osteoarthritis caused by a severe bone injury.  People don't understand, do they???  It becomes such an emotional and mental drain as well as physical because you don't want to do anything...because everything hurts.  \n\nI don't see a doctor regularly because I know there really isn't anything they can do, and certainly not a cure for it.  I take Celebrex when I can afford it...it is cost-prohibitive without insurance.  I take it in spite of the warning and negative press.  Maybe it does increase the risks of internal bleeding and heart disease....so what?  I need it to move around.  People I know with the same affliction who say Celebrex doesn't help them take Aleve.  I also take glucosamine sulfate...it doesn't help much with the pain, but it does retard further bone deterioiration.  \n\nLastly, no matter how much it hurts, try to get up and move.  the longer I remain immobile, the more it hurts.  \n\nI sincerely hope you find some relief!!!\n\nMD Lean
814803
From medieval times to the mid 20th century, Ragwort was used against inflammations of the eye, for sore and cancerous ulcers, rheumatism, sciatica and gout, for painful joints.\n\nAccording to some, it would relieve the pain of bee stings.\n\nAll applications should be outward only, never internally, and only under professional supervision.\n\nWith the large range of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are known to inhibit or reduce cell division, some researchers hope to use them to slow down or arrest the growth of cells in cancer.\n\nThat's My Best Answer! Hope it can help!
910313
My understanding is that it is treatable but not curable.  So if believe that there are "last stages" of cancer then I guess there could be "last stages" for Rhumatoid arthritis.  I have it and it normally dosn't bother me as much as it used to because I treated it when it was bad.  Now I just have to watch it and take care of it if it flares up.  I haven't had any replacements or illness from it so obviously mine was a lot more mild but to answer your question I don't believe there are any "last stages."
399090
Is this a question?  It sounds more like a statement and you are correct.  Many herbalists and traditional healers say they use "science", but it really isn't.  \n\nHerbology and homeopaths have their own belief structure... but it is anything but science.  Science has shown that many of their unfounded beliefs are patently ridiculous.\n\nFor the other posters:  Here's why herbalism is wrong.\n1.  You are not just getting one active ingregient.  Herbs have hundreds of ingredients.  How do you know that some of them might not be harmful?\n2.  You might not be getting just that herb.  When a company buys it's herbs from farmers, there is no way to test to make sure that weeds and other foreign vegetation weren't accidently (or purposely) included.\n3.  What was the original theory for why certain herbs worked?  Most herbs have not been scientifically tested.  Instead, centuries ago, many herbs were chosen as "beneficial" because of how they appeared.  Asparagus is a long straight stalk... therefore, it was thought to be good against impotence.  Yeah, that's scientific.  \n4.  You cannot measure out the active ingredient.  Prescription drugs are tightly controlled for the amount of active ingredient each pill contains.  You can't do that with herbs.  Any stoner can tell you that one plant of marijuana might have more THC than another.  You cannot tell how much of an active ingredient it would have.  \n5.  Many herbs have been shown to NOT be beneficial.  Yes, there are some studies that show herbs like St. John's Wort to be beneficial.  How many studies actually show other herbs to be beneficial?  Very, very few.\n6.  Side effects and drug interactions have not been identified.  Prescription drugs are carefully tested to find out their side effects and their drug interactions.  Yet, sometimes we here in the news that a drug might have problems that weren't known.  This being the case, why would a herb be any better?  Because they'd be used for centuries?  Just because something has been done for a long time doesn't mean that it's the smart thing to do.\n7.  Information about herbs is frequently wrong.  Echineacea was shown to increase white blood cells.  Herbalists immediately jumped on a "echineacea is good for the immune system" platform.  However, the WBCs were malformed.  Later testing revealed that long term use actually lowered a person's WBC's count below normal.  Further testing revealed that the malformed WBCs initially formed did not help fight off viruses or bacteria.  What does this mean?  It meant that echineacea is actually BAD for you!  Yet, herbalists continue to tout it's supposed beneficial effects!
393118
Semper Fi, Gunny!  No, I'm afraid glucosamine and that other "alternative remedy", chondroitin, have been studied quite extensively, and no measurable benefit has been found.  This remained true whether the two substances were used alone or together.\n\nOsteoarthritis is a real bummer - mine has taken a big hunk out of my life by limiting my mobility and my flexibility.  It eventually does a number like that on most people who develop the disorder.  The only way to avoid it is to choose your parents carefully.  \n\nThere are some prescription medicines that can help; see your doctor.  If what he/she prescribes does not seem to help enough, ask for a referral to a rheumatologist, an MD who specializes in illness of this nature.\n\nGlucosamine and Chondroitin are not the only "alternative medicine" remedies suggested by herbalists and others who shouldn't be attempting to practice medicine ('cause they ain't nowhere near prepared or experienced enough), and some of them have appeared, at times, to offer slight to moderate relief from some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis.  Those results simply have not proven consistent. You might take a dose of Glucosamine and feel great the rest of the day, but next time you take it, you don't feel any relief or you feel worse than you did before taking the second dose.  \n\nI have interviewed several dozen folks over the past thirty years who have tried Glucosamine and Chondroitin together and tried each seperately.  None of them has obtained the hoped-for relief from those substances.  \n\nThe choice of whether or not to try either substance or both of them is up to you.  But after reading the above, at least, you will be able to make a more fully informed choice.  Good luck, Gunny.  Hope you find some relief.
669849
HELL YES. \n\nMy sister suffers from Lupus. She was in Kaiser for 6 months last year. She was taking sleeping pills, and 5 Dilodins (HEAVY pain meds) per day just to get thru it (which, incidentally, are extremely addictive). Since she's discovered medicinal marijuna, she hasnt used sleeping pills, and takes one Dilodin every OTHER day....\n\nWhen she told the Kaiser doctors, they freaked out and told her to quit...and Rx'd EVEN MORE MEDICATIONS! Weed is natural and grow on trees...but they want her to stuff herself full of medications that are hard on her liver. Freakin western medicine...
420669
Say with me "residual income" if you are serious about your question and would like the opportunity to look at a serious business in an industry that is booming around the world. Tahitian Noni International is the company. we have a product that is listed with the 2005 medical PDR as the only product with zero side effects! that says alot! I use to have arthritis and type 2 diabetes, after drinking the tahitian noni juice for a short while, my doctors cleared me of both conditions. the health and wellness industry is the industry to be involved and we are leading the way with our all natural products. if you are serious about your question...let's talk!
395972
Methotrexate is a very common treatment for RA that has been used with success for many years.  However, no single drug can cure arthritis.\n\nMethotrexate is actually a chemotherapy drug, but it's used in small doses for RA and acts by suppressing the immune system, which is overactive in an autoimmune disorder.  It's usually used for more aggressive treatment, and is thought by some to slow the damage to the joints from RA.  It's relatively inexpensive, and works for many people.  However, it does cycle through your liver, so you have to get regular bloodtests and you won't be able to drink anymore.  But if they work for you, it is worth it.\n\nI am on methotrexate, but am now reducing my dosage since I didn't have any relief from that combined with other drugs (plaquenil, naprosyn), so my doctor put me on Enbrel - this is a new, expensive injectable drug that works on a specific protein in the immune system (It's a TNF blocker).  Enbrel, along with the other bioligic drugs, are thought to really slow down or stop damage from RA.  I have been on Enbrel for 6 months, and I'm in full remission.  But that's just remission - I could have another flair at anytime, god forbid.\n\nGood luck with the methotrexate - hopefully you will be able to tolerate it and get good results - your doctor obviously thinks you should get aggressive treatment if he wants you to go on methotrexate.  Just be careful about drinking, and follow your doctor's opinion, and hopefully you can get a relief in symptoms or remission, but at this point, there is no way to cure RA at this point.  But let's keep our fingers crossed for the future!!\n\nVisit http://www.arthritis.org for lots of info - there is a discussion board in the RA connect section that has lots of great info and is a great place to talk to others with RA.  Good luck!
1172822
There is no system in place to test herbal supplements for the claims they make, nor is there any system in place to guarantee they contain what they claim to contain. You can grind bluegrass from your yard, place it in a capsule and call it an herbal remedy, make tons of money because you've got testimonials from all of your friends and neighbors that it straightened the problem right out. Unless there is true scientific proof, testimonials are the same as the ten different stories you'll hear from ten people watching a robbery. You figure it out.
350683
I know how you feel, I used to suffer from this problem but since i am an alternative medicinal therapist I've managed to control it. Now let's see if i can help.\nThere are many effective alternatives for this condition so be patient.\nThis condition is an erosion of a cartilage of a joint.The aged sometimes suffer from a dimished supply of hydrochloric acid in the stomach which is necessary for normal calcium metabolism. An effective substitute is 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar in a glass of water sipped before or during meals.\nAlternatives are: Black Cohosh and Meadowsweet(natural sources of salicylic acid) Hawthorn for blood circulation or Devils claw.\nCelery seeds = 1 tsp to one cup of boiling water, infuse for 15 mins. Half to one cup 2-3 times a day,before meals.\nDiet: Oily fish,low fat, low salt,high fibre.Avoid lemons and other citrus fruits.\nCod liver oil is very good for cartilage repair.Hot and cold compresses twice daily.Capsicum cream. Hot epsom salt baths twice weekly.\nThe list is endless, but your GP won't give you any information like this.They like to dish out painkillers instead.\nSuppliments: Pantothenic acid, 10mg of Vitimin A = 7500iu \nVitimin B6 25mg, Vitimin E 400iu: Zinc 25mg\nI can also give you recipes for aromatherapy oils but it's much to long for this page.\nIf you need any more information please contact me by e-mail 'alternative@medicine123.wanadoo.co.uk or tele 01843 588668.I'm always here.\n\nGloria j Jones )BSYA-SEN)
1167543
First off, don't listen to ignorant answers from people like martinamagrace.  Obviously she's lucky enough not to have been afflicted with debilitating pain!\n\nI don't know anyone who's used it, but I've heard opinions that it is more helpful than any other high-potency pain killer.  Medical marijuana should not be illegal.  It's been a great help to many people who suffer from a number of diseases.  And kudos to the doctors who prescribe it.  If only there were more like them!
62242
I have had arthritis for over 30 years now, and I have found the best products for me are Melaleuca Oil, used directly on the joints to reduce inflamation, (on those days when there is a flare up) and Melaleuca's Replenex which contains Glucosamine HCI, Bromelain, Ginger, and Green Tea.\n\nI would be happy to talk to you further about Melaleuca if you are interested.
60866
This plant apparently has lots of medicinal purposes...See the site below.\n\nCurrently, the FDA considers Calamus root to be carcinogenic.  This assertion is the result of lab studies that involved supplementing the diets of lab animals massive doses of isolated chemicals (beta-asarone) over a prolonged period of time.  The animals developed tumors, and the plant was labeled carcinogenic.  Again, these tests were Lab tests of isolated chemicals in massive doses over an extended period of time. \n\nChewing on Calamus seems to sharpen vision noticeably, but ironically, this effect is more pronounced when you’re just taking things in, and less so when you try to focus on something specific.  When you do try and focus, the clarity diminishes somewhat; to return when again you return from “looking” to “seeing”.  This effect seems to extend, as well, into its more energetic effects.\n\nClearly, given such suggestive descriptions, it would be easy to assume that Sweet Flag is a hallucinogen, which indeed has been done.  This opinion has been widely popularized by Hoffer and Osmund’s The Hallucinogens, which briefly covered its use and said that it produced an experience comparable to LSD.  More suggestions were made because Calamus Root can be used in the synthesis of TMA-2, a synthetic hallucinogenic phenothylamine that is similar in structure to Mescaline.  It has been erroneously reported that the body converts the asarones in Calamus into TMA-2 as they are metabolized, and that Calamus contains hallucinogenic compounds similar to (and more powerful than) Mescaline, and that it produces “strong visual hallucinations”.  Web searches on Calamus will turn up as much information on its purported hallucinogenic activity as they will on its medicinal actions... more, perhaps.  Most often, they depict accounts of (presumably) adolescents consuming very large quantities of the root along with beer, Mountain Dew, corn chips and doobies because they are “pyschonauts” looking for a “plant ally” to teach them all about life; emesis is often the result.  This misguided course of action (which, incidentally, definitely does not impress plant spirits) is rather ironic in that Calamus can indeed serve as a “Plant Ally”, and you can indeed learn a lot of interesting things from chewing on it.  \n\n(All of the above was taken from the website below)
924340
Hi Djinn\n\nHere are a few ideas to help the healing process.\n\nCause: \nArthritis is caused by acids and waste matter in the body, which eventually become solidified and lock the joint. This condition is caused and aggravated by improper diet. Some of the worst intakes are eggs, bread, milk, meat, salt, sugar, etc., because they cause arthritic calcification. The use of extremely hard water (generally of twelve or more grains in hardness) will often accentuate an arthritic condition where softer water will help relieve it. Sometimes an individual with a good inherent structure can throw off the hardest water without arthritic effect. The weaker person may drink water that is not very hard and absorb from it relatively larger quantities of the inorganic minerals. \n\n\nQuick Action Plan for Rheumatoid Arthritis\n\n1. Acupuncture treatment helps to reduce the body's aggressive defenses that inadvertently attack its own joint tissue. \n\n2. Massage affected joints with rosemary, benzoin, chamomile, camphor, juniper, or lavender. \n\n3. Diet plays an integral part in reducing or preventing the onset of all types of arthritic conditions. A diet rich in an abundant selection of fresh vegetables, and a wide variety of sweet and non-sweet fruits, soaked nuts and seeds, and whole grains is recommended. \n\n4. Tomatoes, cayenne, black and long pepper should be avoided by person's with rheumatoid arthritis. Minimize protein intake, choose small quantities of fish, legumes, eggs, soaked nuts and seeds. Eliminate beef, chicken, shellfish, and pork completely. Eat no hydrogenated fats, processed sugars, dairy products, alcohol, coffee, or black tea. \n\n5. Use the following powerful aids to speed and assist healing: Goji, Acai and Noni juice, bee pollen, royal jelly, and evening primrose oil are recommended, as is Shark cartilage, Wobenzyme, DMSO, MSM Manganese Cetyl myristoleate with lipase, and vitamin C.\n\n6. Test for food and environmental allergies and avoid all foods and substances to which you are allergic. \n\n7. Cleansing and Detoxification including colon and bowel cleansing therapies, fasting, kidney and gallbladder flushes, physical medicine, and homeopathic remedies. \nIsometric exercises, stretching, and yoga can help ease arthritis pain. \n\n8. Constitutional hydrotherapy (apply two to five times weekly) or heating compress (apply once daily to affected areas). \n\n9 Drink the juice of half a lemon before every meal and before going to bed. \n\nBest of health to your family.\n\nCheers
1167434
The monks of the Middle Ages grew mullen for a number of ailments, especially those associated with coughs and congestion. One of its common names was "bullocks lungwort," taken from a common home cure used to treat cattle with coughs and pneumonia. Sap from the crushed leaves of the plant is said to alleviate the pain of insect bites.\nhttp://www.arhomeandgarden.org/plantoftheweek/articles/Common_Mullen.htm\n\nMixed with heated beeswax, Mullen plant has been used to relieve Arthritis.\n\nDrinking 6-8 glasses of distilled water with apinch of unrefined sea salt could also do wonders.