Alternative Treatments for Arthritis - An Evolving Science

Arthritis has gained quite a reputation over the years as a deadly disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Its spread has been so vast that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared 2000 - 2010 as the decade of joint health as joints are pre dominantly affected in arthritis.

Millions of dollars are been spent on the research to find a cure for this disease. Conventional forms of treatment and alternative forms are been researched and debated world over. Clinical research is been done on a number of new drugs promising the magic cure.

New evidence from patients using both the conventional form of medicine and alternative forms has thrown new light on the treatment methodologies and side effects after prolonged use of the medicines.

Research has also helped in several medicines taken off the shelf as their use has been found to increase the side effects sometimes even leading to death. Vioxx was one of the most common and popular medicine prescribed for arthritis. Its prolonged use has been found to lead to heart attacks and internal bleeding.

As more knowledge is been gained about the causes, treatments and side effects involved in the treatment alternative or natural cure for arthritis has slowly but surely started gaining the upper hand over conventional medicine.

Causes of arthritis

• Heredity has also been found to be a major reason for arthritis.


• Hormonal imbalance, stress and anxiety and a sedentary lifestyle have all been cited as reasons for increase of arthritis incidence the world over.


• Accumulation of toxins in the body is the main cause of rheumatoid arthritis. The toxins accumulate on the joints and cause swelling and pain.

Ayurveda, homeopathy and traditional Chinese medicines provide a natural cure for arthritis.

What are the various treatment options for arthritis?

• Treatment of arthritis is a life long process and alternative medicines are a safe bet. Diet and overall lifestyle changes form part of the alternative treatments prescribed for arthritis.


• Japanese fishermen seem to be less prone to arthritis and studies conducted on them found that high intake of fish were the primary reason for keep arthritis at bay.


• Green lipped mussel found in New Zealand has also tremendous benefits and it has been found to be more effective than fish oil.

The traditional forms of treatment are not over the counter kind of treatment. They require expert guidance and a complete analysis of the patient's health, lifestyle and diet patterns.