Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Dear Terry, “I have arthritis. I have tried several medications for my arthritis and they seem to help but I don’t like the side effects. Is there anything that I can find in my health food store that would support my joints?” —Janice J., Elgin IL A. Dear Janice, The level of relief that you will obtain from drugs or natural supplements will be determined by the degree of damage that has already occurred. If you’re talking about joint pain due to bone on bone function, it’s very difficult to correct such damage. I am not trying to discourage you from finding a supplement that will give you results, but I just want to caution you that you’ll need extra time and attention to get some relief. In the case of arthritis, I always find people will respond much more favorably when they give up grains that contain gluten, dairy products, sugar and soft drinks of any kind. Yes, even those diet soft drinks—they are the worst of the lot. I would supplement with a combination of ingredients such as boswellia, curcumin, Indian gooseberry and devil’s claw. These four ingredients are very effective in reducing inflammation and pain. Devil’s claw has also been reported to increase hyaluronic acid in the joints, which increases lubrication and cushioning. I would look for a daily dosage that contains about 1000 mg of these herbs combined, and I think that you will be very pleased with the results. Healthy regards! Terry . . . Naturally