what do you take for arthritis?

[thai3]

Anti inflammatory pills are not an option for me so I have started on glucosamine with chondrotin whatever that is, and fish oils omega 3, not sure if they work or not though. There are loads of things on the web, mist i have never heard of and would be difficult to get in Thailand anyway, any Chinese medicine options? they would be fairly easy to get in Bangkok. painkillers of course certainly do work, ones with codeine and paracetamol anyway.

[johnatong]

A consultation with a Rheumatologist would result in a better treatment plan.

[manfredtillmann]

i have been taking vegetarian glucosamine (allergy to mussels) for over 20 years now, got onto it by a talk to an australian rugby league player.

of course, now i do not have the slightest idea if it really did anything beneficial for me as there is no direct comparison.

however, my father, having been a professional sports person in his youth but after the age of 30 had desk jobs, needed 2 knee and 2 hip replacements before he turned 60. my 10 years older sister dto.

i am 58 now. i have had a physically very challenging working life. but still walk ok on my own bones. without too much pain.

[donnybay]

Which type of Arthritis? they are both very different, for Rheumatoid my uncle reckons this just about cured him

Litozin

Can't buy it in Thailand as far as I know

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1554865/Rose-hips-could-treat-rheumatoid-arthritis.html

[thai3]

i have been taking vegetarian glucosamine (allergy to mussels) for over 20 years now, got onto it by a talk to an australian rugby league player.

of course, now i do not have the slightest idea if it really did anything beneficial for me as there is no direct comparison.

however, my father, having been a professional sports person in his youth but after the age of 30 had desk jobs, needed 2 knee and 2 hip replacements before he turned 60. my 10 years older sister dto.

i am 58 now. i have had a physically very challenging working life. but still walk ok on my own bones. without too much pain.

where to buy in Thailand?

[thai3]

A consultation with a Rheumatologist would result in a better treatment plan.

Not necessarily in Thailand, the doc I saw could not even say what type of arthritis it is, waiting to see a doc back home

Edited June 1, 2016 by thai3

[manfredtillmann]

i have been taking vegetarian glucosamine (allergy to mussels) for over 20 years now, got onto it by a talk to an australian rugby league player.

of course, now i do not have the slightest idea if it really did anything beneficial for me as there is no direct comparison.

however, my father, having been a professional sports person in his youth but after the age of 30 had desk jobs, needed 2 knee and 2 hip replacements before he turned 60. my 10 years older sister dto.

i am 58 now. i have had a physically very challenging working life. but still walk ok on my own bones. without too much pain.

where to buy in Thailand?

sorry, don't know. i bring my 10 months supply from oz when i get here after the xmas break. 200 units are about A$50 a box.

[Speedo1968]

Not sure if you are a vegetarian or just allergic to mussels.

I became vegetarian since 1971 and now vegan for many years. This is not for religious reasons / I have also been in farming since 1960.

If you drink soy milk e.g. Lactosoy Red ( vegan ) or Lactosoy Blue ( has cows milk ) could I suggest you limit your daily intake to one carton per day, I have found that more than this affects the joints in my fingers.

I would also suggest a low salt, low chili and less or zero red meat diet.

Good luck with finding relief.

[thai3]

not eaten meat or fish since '72. Maybe the fish oil is a good idea, no chili or soy milk and low salt.

[manfredtillmann]

Not sure if you are a vegetarian or just allergic to mussels.

I became vegetarian since 1971 and now vegan for many years. This is not for religious reasons / I have also been in farming since 1960.

If you drink soy milk e.g. Lactosoy Red ( vegan ) or Lactosoy Blue ( has cows milk ) could I suggest you limit your daily intake to one carton per day, I have found that more than this affects the joints in my fingers.

I would also suggest a low salt, low chili and less or zero red meat diet.

Good luck with finding relief.

if you don't know if you are allergic to mussels - try and eat one or two. a lot of vegetarians seem to think eating sea - food is ok. make sure you are near sophisticated medical aid, but.

the last time i did, i spent 7 days in intensive care at hamburg - altona hospital.

and just taking a single standard glucosamine tablet will convince you that you are suffering from advanced bowel cancer.

[Sheryl]

Treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthrotis is entirely different ,they are very different diseases. One is the normal result of wear and tear on the joints as one ages (occurring earlier if obese or many sports injuries) whereas the other is an autoimmune disease.

If the doctor you saw could not even determine if you have osteoarthritis vs. rheumatoid, you need to see a better doctor.

Where do you live? What type of doctor did you see?

And who originally diagnosed this arthriits and how?

[thai3]

Dr at a clinic, I will go to see somebody at a hospital next week

[curtklay]

manfredtillman:

I think you have the ultimate cure...glucosamine and a bottle of booze!

[johnatong]

A consultation with a Rheumatologist would result in a better treatment plan.

Not necessarily in Thailand, the doc I saw could not even say what type of arthritis it is, waiting to see a doc back home

That statement is very difficult to believe.

Best you do go home.

[johnatong]

Dr at a clinic, I will go to see somebody at a hospital next week

Do not bother !

Go home.

[Rhys]

Sometimes, the medication option is just only to make life easy... more range of motion exercises.. and the kicker, accepted it.. especially if osteoarthritis.

Best wishes.

[DogNo1]

My arthritis has been helped by Blackmore's Lyprinol which is concentrated green-lipped mussel oil. No other brand of green-lipped mussel oil has been remotely as effective as Blackmore's. I also take ordinary glucosamine and hyaluronic acid but no MSM or chondroitin. After taking four Lyprinol capsules per day for about a year, the inflammation has subsided and I only now take one Lyprinol capsule per day. I also take Tumeric and beta-sitosterol. It's necessary to be careful about the Lyprinol because in certain people it can cause hepatic damage and jaundice. People recover after stopping the Lyprinol though. For non-vegan arthritis sufferers it might be worth looking at the Blackmore website and reading the medical studies.

[SantiSuk]

Dr at a clinic, I will go to see somebody at a hospital next week

Do not bother !

Go home.

So that makes two people who are disgruntled because a general doctor (at a clinic or at the hospital) did not have the required experience.

Best to research for an immunologist or orthopaedic doctor with reumatic qualifications (ie the bigger hospitals that publish CVs of their doctors) or get a recommendation on here having stated your area.

[Iamemjay]

I have osteoarthritis in the minor joints, particularly the fingers and have had for quite some years, so much so that my middle fingers became deformed. I used to have to wear mittens during the colder months and had trouble driving the car. I spent a small fortune on glucomine/condroitin with no beneficial result and then found out it only works on 50% of the population. Then I read a recommendation from an Australian (Queensland) Government health authority, for those people for whom the glucosomine solution is useless, to take 10,000 mg of Omega 3 fish oil a day, and, as a healthier alternative to taking to take NSAID anti-inflammatories, to take 1000mg of turmeric (curcurmin) daily plus a couple of black peppercorns (They act as a catalyst for the turmeric which otherwise the body find difficult to absorb).

I gave it a go and it is really an understatement to say that it transformed my life. I no longer have the constant pain, I rarely need gloves or mittens during cold weather and I almost never have to take NSAID's any more.

I have recently also developed mild osteoarthritis in my knees ie major joints. Whilst the Omega 3 solution helps considerably, it is not as complete an aid as it is to my fingers.

One further point of learning. There are Omega fish oils and there are so called Omega 3 fish oils on the market. Many of them - usually the ones on special in Australia - are very low in the essential active ingredients ie. EPA and DHA. So check this out before you buy and don't waste your money.

I have found that the doctors in Thailand have no awareness of the benefits of Omega 3 for arthritis, in fact they are rather skeptical. This probably explains its scarcity and high price in this country.

[Sheryl]

Dr at a clinic, I will go to see somebody at a hospital next week

a "Dr at a clinic" (type of specialty not specified) is not an appropriate choice.

See an orthopedic specialist at a hospital (unless you are young, odds greatly favor this being osteoarthritis -- if in fact it is arthritis at all).

[Gary A]

Google Sacha Inchi oil. I have been taking two tablespoons every day for about a year. Either I am getting younger or this stuff works. (71 years old) My joints are much less painful and I have more flexibility. My blood pressure has also gone down without using any drugs. I'm due for another checkup and am anxious to see my triglyceride levels. they have always been too high even with a statin drug. The last checkup, the doctor took me off allopurinol for gout. I have not had any gout attacks since. I don't know if this oil has helped all my problems but it certainly hasn't hurt anything. I intend to keep taking it. Getting old stinks!

[mikebike]

Turmeric.

[owenm]

I'm in the chronic category of Rheumatoid Arthritis. I'm on plaquenil, folic acid, methotrexate and arava. As well as a biologic injection, Humira, that I take monthly. In Australia was fortnightly. I'd love to go off my meds and go to Blackmores Lyprinol and Tumeric were working great back home, but haven't seen Lyprinol in Thailand.

No shown deformities, pretty well dormant here. See a rheumatologist at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, near to Khaosan area who is quite knowledgeable. I do my 3 mth blood tests, that have all been good in past 12 mths. I'd love to get off my heavy drugs

[johnatong]

I'm in the chronic category of Rheumatoid Arthritis. I'm on plaquenil, folic acid, methotrexate and arava. As well as a biologic injection, Humira, that I take monthly. In Australia was fortnightly. I'd love to go off my meds and go to Blackmores Lyprinol and Tumeric were working great back home, but haven't seen Lyprinol in Thailand.

No shown deformities, pretty well dormant here. See a rheumatologist at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, near to Khaosan area who is quite knowledgeable. I do my 3 mth blood tests, that have all been good in past 12 mths. I'd love to get off my heavy drugs

Your medication regime would suggest your Rheumatoid disease is advanced/severe. Please do not be tempted to alter/change/add to your medication without the benefit of expert advice from your Rheumatologist.

[thai3]

Are you a Dr Johnatong?

[Speedo1968]

Common purslane is available in some Thai markets, this has a high level of Omega 3 etc. It can be eaten in salads or like spinach, and is famous in the salad fattoush as well as many other dishes.

[Sheryl]

BNH Spine Center.

[DogNo1]

For posters information, I order Lyprinol from Amazon.com. I pay about $75 for 100 capsules with free shipping. It's not cheap. There are two other supplements which seem to help me: Alpha Lipoic Acid and N-Acetyl-L Cysteine. I was made aware of the benefit of N-Acetyl when a doctor at Bumrungrad prescribed it to treat a lung infection in combination with an antibiotic. I get Alpha Lipoic Sustain and N-A-C Sustain from iHerb. All of these can be ordered in Thailand. I really do feel a benefit from the Alpha Lipoic and N-A-C. I also take Tumeric twice daily but have not reacted well to the Tumeric sold locally. Both the Tumeric and Curcumin supplements from iHerb have been good. As someone mentioned, it's good to get the type that contains peperine (black pepper.)

[dominique355]

Dr at a clinic, I will go to see somebody at a hospital next week

Do not bother !

Go home.

I have been suffering from a form of arthritis since the age of 18. When in 2006 I moved to Thailand, it practically stopped but is now coming back a little.

For other reasons I had to see a doctor at the hospital who sent me to the Rheumatology Center in the same hospital. The doctor interviewed me about my history and asked questions. I was impressed how much she knew about my specific arthritis, although this must be a rather rare disease here in Thailand.

So I can only recommend the Bumrungrad Hospital here in Bangkok. And if you need a specific name of a doctor, PM me.

[opalred]

told by dr 15yrs ago had it in ankles foot and knees

had trouble walking

over the yrs tried everything pills etc waste money

now . seem free and walk and sleep ok

no beef / plenty black pepper/ boilded ginger water and lemon juice

drink cold as many times aday as you can

beer with ice every afternoon

and no everning meal

am72 but now feel 40yrs

cheers