Conventional Arthritis Treatments Pose Health Risks

Learn why you should steer clear of medications to reduce arthritis pain

If you put your faith in conventional pain-killing medications to treat your arthritis pain, you’re flat-out on the wrong track. Today, the typical medical advice patients get when they complain of arthritis pain is to take aspirin or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) "as needed." But when it comes to arthritis, "as needed" can quickly become "every day."

Side Effects of NSAIDs and Aspirin

Long-term use of aspirin and NSAIDs has been linked to a long list of serious health problems. Most people are aware of the connection with ulcers, but even more alarming is their link to stroke, cataracts, kidney failure, and high blood pressure. On top of that, NSAIDs lose their effectiveness over time. Most doctors then turn to the "big guns"—steroids.

Side Effects of Steroids

Shooting cortisone into your joints is about the worst thing you can do to yourself! Despite the quick relief, steroids accelerate the arthritic process by wearing away (or "pitting") your cartilage and increasing the likelihood that you'll need joint replacement surgery down the road. In addition, prolonged use of steroids has been linked to:

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Cataracts
• Osteoporosis
• Fluid retention
• Ulcers
• Immune suppression

Steroids have a place in medicine: extreme emergency situations, not to relieve long-term arthritic pain.

The key to natural pain relief is to provide your joints with the nutrients and support they need to heal and rebuild. Simply put, a well-nourished joint is a pain-free joint. No drug on this planet can do all of that for you. It requires a lifestyle approach that includes a combination of nutrients and certain foods, plus exercises that allow the synovial fluid to deliver these nutrients into your joints.

To relieve acute episodes of arthritis pain, try one of my recommended natural pain relievers.

More Dr. Williams Advice on Arthritis

• How to treat arthritis pain through your diet
• How to relieve arthritis pain naturally with range of motion exercises
• Specific nutrients that can help relieve arthritic pain naturally
• How hyaluronic acid and lubricin can ease joint pain
• A simple way to treat arthritis pain using PVC pipe and static electricity