Skip to main content

Non Drug Pain Management Ideas: Straight from the Cow!


People with arthritis definitely suffer from chronic pain....some more than others, of course. And while medications can help control pain sometimes, there are many non drug remedies for that pesky joint pain. We've discussed many of these in prior posts...exercise, weight control, and dietary modifications, including omega-3 supplements and glucosamine.  Today's post is about a newer dietary measure that I find most interesting...milk consumption!

Dr. Bing Lu of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston recently shared the results of a study on this very topic . In this study, 2,148 men and women  with osteoarthritis of the knee were followed over a period of four years with respect to their health, diet, and behaviors.  X-rays were obtained on each subject every year during the duration of the study. Using the X-rays researchers  were able to determine the speed of arthritis progression in the subjects.

At the study conclusion, researchers found that people who drank milk had slower progression of the disease. For men, the beneficial effects only showed up in those who drank seven or more glasses per week. For women, the effects of milk were seen in those who drank milk in general. Within the study, more than 90 percent of the people had consumed fat-free or low-fat milk. The researchers did not find any positive effects in other dairy consumption, such as cheese or yogurt. Cheese, in particular, however, appeared to speed up the progression of knee osteoarthritis. 

The researchers acknowledged the fact that the study is purely observational and that no cause and effect relationship was found.


The study, "Milk consumption and progression of medial tibiofemoral knee osteoarthritis: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative," was funded by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and was published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Sources:counsel & heal;wikimedia, wiley.com
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Living with Chronic pain hits the big screen!

Been to the movies lately?  Jennifer Aniston is on the big screen in a recent release titled "Cake." Her character, Claire is a victim of chronic pain...she belongs to a support group, where all of the members are coming to terms with the suicide of one of their members.  Of course, she also takes pain medication and addiction is another of her problems...and of course there's more! I guess I am writing this post just to bring readers' attention to the fact that Hollywood has become aware of the crisis that is chronic pain.  This movie is a testament to that. People that don't have to live with this kind of pain don't fully understand the whole story.  Maybe this movie will shed some light on the issues. Here is the official trailer for the movie: Sources: prweb;NorthJersey.com;YouTube
Post a Comment
Read more

The Multimodal Approach to Pain Management

OK..so if you've been following this blog you will notice that there are a good number of ideas to help manage chronic pain.  You might ask yourself, "Which one of these ideas is best for me ?" I would suggest that you might try any number of these things, depending on your level of ability/disability, health care team recommendations, and your personal interests.  There are a number of reasons for doing this: 1) The patient is in control..with few exceptions, it is your decision what to try/not try and how many different things you want to experiment with at any time. 2) Non drug pain management ideas do not have any of the drug interactions or side effects that medications have.  You may have to set limits or modify activity according to personal circumstances, but usually it does not hurt to try any of them. 3)You usually do not need a prescription for most of the ideas I have described.  There are a few exceptions, such as physical therapy.  There ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beware Of The Tick!

It's tick season, everyone! And while we all know about Lyme Disease and its lingering effects, a new problem has entered the scene. According to the CDC, the Powassan virus is another tick-borne disease that has recently been recognized. The CDC says symptoms become apparent anywhere from one week to one month after infection. Symptoms include vomiting, weakness, confusion, loss of coordination, problems with speech and seizures. Approximately half of those infected by this virus have permanent neurological symptoms, which can include muscle wasting, problems with memory, and recurrent headaches. Many people who have been infected with Powassan virus required hospitalization and sometimes even respiratory support (i.e., a respirator). Treatment is focused on supportive measures. In the meantime, preventive measures are the best way to avoid Lyme disease, Powassan virus , or any other tick-borne virus.  You can read more about preventive measures by clicking here . Sour...
Post a Comment
Read more