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News Releases
Aching for a Quick Fix
Columbia, Mo. (September 5, 2007) - From major flare-ups to daily joint aches, pain is the worst part of having arthritis. You've probably seen a miracle cure for arthritis advertised and maybe even bought a product in hopes that it would relieve some of your chronic pain.
"Individuals will often make the following statement to someone who is suffering: I know how you are feeling. However, unless you have experienced the pain associated with arthritis you really don't know how the individual is feeling," says John Hewett, Ph.D., a principal investigator for the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) at the University of Missouri-Columbia. "An individual with arthritis often gets to the point where they are willing to try most anything in order to get some relief from the pain. It's at this point where the individual needs to be very careful as to what potential remedies they are going to subject themselves to."
Claims are made daily that certain herbs, vitamins, and other dietary supplements are beneficial to one's health. Because most of these products and supplements are not regulated by any official agency, how do you know they will do what they promise?
The federal government only regulates herbal supplement as food and does not require the makers of these products to provide evidence of their effectiveness or safety. It is wise to investigate a product's ingredients before you trust its claim.
Hewett has developed a Web site to help people become better at evaluating advertising claims and tell the difference between credible and unproven remedies. Dubbed "Arthritis Fact From Fiction" the Web site's goal is to arm people with arthritis, their caregivers and family members with an arsenal of tools to be more informed and educated consumers.
To determine if a particular herb or other supplement should be used, Hewett says you should ask the following questions:
- What is the scientific name of the supplement? What are the ingredients?
- Is the supplement made from a certain part of a plant or animal, or is it made synthetically?
- Does a well-known, reliable source say what the product is supposed to treat?
- How is the product used?
- Does a well-known, reliable source say it is safe and effective?
- Are there warnings about effects on other medical conditions such as diabetes and/or interactions with current medications a patient may be taking?
"Before subjecting your body to some of the proposed remedies, you should conduct your own small research project," advises Hewett. "Find answers to the above questions for specific products which have been proposed as possible remedies." Getting the answers to these questions first can protect your wallet and safeguard your health. To learn more, go to "www.ArthritisFactFromFiction.org".
The Missouri Arthritis Research Rehabilitation and Training Center (MARRTC) was established in 1971 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Center. MARRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120) and is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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