Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Topical Treatments for Osteoarthritis are Safer than Oral Treatments

Long term treatments with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) for wear and tear arthritis has been discouraged in recent years. Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, Celebrex, Tylenol and similar drugs have been linked to gastric ulcers, kidney damage, hypertension, and possibly cardiovascular disease. In Europe, topical treatments are much more common than in the U.S. Drugs such as Diclofenac and Pennsaid have recently been approved for topical use. Natural prescriptions using DMSO, curcurmin and other substances also appear to be effective as well. Oral natural products such as glucosamine, MSM, bromelain and boswelia can also be very effective without the risk.

See Family Practice News (click here), April 15, 2010, p. 32.

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