Natural Health: Arthritis

Q. Some weeks back you responded to a reader looking for alternative natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in her wrist as opposed to the Methotrexate approach.

I took your recommendations and started taking the starflower and evening primrose oil along with krill oil and vitamin D to address an ongoing issue I have with knee inflammation. In the space of 12 hours, the heat had come out of my joint and the pain eased.

It’s four weeks since I started taking the capsules and I can now walk and do light work on the exercise bike, which I was unable to do prior to taking supplements. Even though the capsules have helped my knee, I may still end up getting a localised injection of Methotrexate to assist.

Many thanks for pointing out the natural benefits of the starflower and evening primrose oil. I wonder if there are any other natural remedies I could try?

I have discussed anti-inflammatory treatments with my consultant should Methotrexate not work for me, but they are pretty nasty biological treatments.

A. It is good to hear that the essential fatty acids in starflower (borage) and evening primrose oil have made such a significant difference. Even starting to address the stiffness, inflammation, and pain is impressive progress indeed.

As far as supplementation and natural remedies go, it may be worth looking into something as simple as vitamin C. If you don’t have enough vitamin C, then the connective tissue and ligaments lose strength, and cartilage deteriorates. A lack in vitamin C is indicated where inflammation is a problem, and of course since this vitamin is crucial to healing — unless you are getting enough, your body will have trouble repairing the damage.

Our bodies need vitamin C to make collagen, which is like a protein ‘glue’ holding cells together. Cartilage cannot be made without enough vitamin C present.

What I typically recommend in a situation such as yours is therapeutic dosing of vitamin C, since significant amounts are usually required to see results.

Some doctors are hesitant about this approach since there is a great deal of research done into drug therapy, but very little on megavitamin therapy. This does not mean that vitamin therapy doesn’t work, simply that there is more funding for research into pharmaceutical medications than there is for vitamin therapy.

Dr Robert F Cathcart III, an orthopedic surgeon, advised patients to use therapeutic doses of vitamin C to treat inflammation. In decades of practice, Dr Cathcart administered such treatment to tens of thousands of patients with arthritis, back pain, injury, etc.

The other bonus with using high doses of vitamin C for anti-inflammatory purposes, is that one of the side effects is prompt and significant pain relief. During the 1970s in Scotland, Dr Ewan Cameron, was successfully prescribing ten grams (10,000 milligrams) of intravenous vitamin C on a daily basis, replacing large doses of morphine or heroin, to terminally ill patients as pain relief. It was found to be a safe and simple treatment option.

So, how much should you take? Most naturopathic doctors recommend taking vitamin C in 1000mg doses every half hour until bowel tolerance is reached (loose stools are the indicator to stop). The dose varies widely between individuals, usually being over 10,000mg in adults.

While doctors can provide an intravenous option, you can also do this at home orally using sodiumascorbate, or calcium ascorbate powder — both of which are far more gentle on the stomach than ascorbic acid, not to mention much more affordable and pure than tablets or injections.