AddThis Feed Button "Frequently Copied, Never Duplicated"

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Win with Willow Bark

Win the Fight Against Arthritis with an ally -

Most folks don’t need hardcore painkillers.

When pain starts…

Doctors might tell you: “Your arthritis is too far gone… And besides, joint pain is simply part of the aging process…”

Don't take this as gospel, and always look for more information and other opinions. Often when not using Rx your pain can return. Something much safer and more effective could be White willow bark.

White willow bark is the original aspirin. Bayer began manufacturing aspirin after creating a synthetic form in the 1800s. It comes from a tree native to Europe and Asia.

The medicinal use of willow bark dates back to the ancient Egyptians, who took advantage of its anti-inflammatory power. The ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates had his patients chew on white willow bark to reduce fever and inflammation.

White willow bark contains salicin, the same curative compound found in aspirin. But there’s big difference: White willow bark won’t upset your stomach, because your body first has to extract it from the plant’s natural fibers, slowing its release into your system.

Willow Bark is effective. A study in the American Journal of Medicine looked at salicin’s effectiveness for lower back pain. Researchers gave 120 mg, 240 mg, or a placebo to three different groups every day for a month.

In the fourth and final week of the study, 39% of the group on 240 mg of salicin were pain-free for at least 5 days, compared to 21% in the 120 mg group and only 6% in the placebo group.1

Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, willow bark is able to be easily utilized by your body, and it is greatly helpful for joint pain and muscle aches and pain, with very few or no side effects.

People love it because it works.

To Your Good Health.

1 Chrubasik et al, “Treatment of low back pain exacerbations with willow bark extract: A randomized double-blind study,” American Journal of Medicine, 2000, 109: 9-14.

Ginger is also another good choice for pain and inflammation and works as well to help warm you and your joints. Add MSM for a powerhouse anti-pain and inflammation trio. We have been avocating for this combination for more than a decade.

More on MSM -
MSM makes its name known for osteoarthritis
By Clarisse Douaud 12/10/2007-

Researchers have associated methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM, to protecting
articular cartilage and reducing inflammation in osteoarthritis - findings that
could bolster the profile of the ingredient for joint health.

The findings of the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) researchers were presented last week at the 2007 World Congress on Osteoarthritis in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The abstract of this study is to be published in the Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Journal. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate have been the most high profile joint health supplement ingredients to date, with MSM following in third place.

With a larger proportion of the American population aging than before, supplements focusing on joint health will likely continue to grow in popularity,especially if they can be scientifically proven to be effective.

Market researchers have time and again revealed baby boomers as a key demographic for
supplement formulators and marketers as this generation is not only going to face more and more health problems as it approaches old age, but it also tends to have a greater sense of wanting to take charge of its own health, and in addition has the disposable income to do so.

The form of MSM used in the UCSD study, was Bergstrom Nutrition's OptiMSM - which was provided by the Vancouver, Washington company. The in vitro study investigated the effect of the MSM on healthy and osteoarthritic articular cartilage from post mortem human knees.

The researchers focused on cytokines - genes that are markers of inflammation and are related to cartilage degradation. They say the study results point to a protective effect of MSM on reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. "It suggests that MSM acts as a barrier, shielding cartilage in early stages of osteoarthritis from further degeneration from inflammatory cytokines and cartilage degrading enzymes," said lead researcher David Amiel, from the UCSD's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

With more researcher planned for 2008, the investigators say additional studies will
be necessary to elaborate an optimum dose concentration for use in supplements by humans. The generally recommended dosage is 1,500 to 6,000 mg of MSM per day.

Copyright© 2000/2007 – Decision News Media SAS – All Rights Reserved.

No comments: