Claim: Study: Supplements do little to ease arthritis
Verdict: SUPPORTS

Retrieved passages:
title: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
text: which will help reduce levels of permanent damage leading to disability. Beneficial advances in drug treatment have been made over the last 20 years. Most children are treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and intra-articular corticosteroid injections. Methotrexate, a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) is a powerful drug which helps suppress joint inflammation in the majority of JIA patients with polyarthritis (though less useful in systemic arthritis). Newer drugs have been developed recently, such as TNF alpha blockers, such as etanercept. No controlled evidence supports the use of alternative remedies such as specific dietary exclusions, homeopathic treatment, or acupuncture. However, an increased

title: Vitamin C
text: supplementation for achieving any potential benefit. A 2010 review found no role for vitamin C supplementation in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin C supplementation does not prevent or slow the progression of age-related cataract. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, with dietary excesses not absorbed, and excesses in the blood rapidly excreted in the urine, so it exhibits remarkably low acute toxicity. More than two to three grams may cause indigestion, particularly when taken on an empty stomach. However, taking vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbate and calcium ascorbate may minimize this effect. Other symptoms reported for

title: Osteoarthritis
text: cat's claw, hyaluronan, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), and rose hip. A few high-quality studies of "Boswellia serrata" show consistent, but small, improvements in pain and function. There is little evidence supporting benefits for some supplements, including: the Ayurvedic herbal preparations with brand names Articulin F and Eazmov; Duhuo Jisheng Wan, a Chinese herbal preparation; fish liver oil; ginger; russian olive; the herbal preparation gitadyl; omega-3 fatty acids; the brand-name product Reumalax; stinging nettle; vitamins A, C, and E in combination; vitamin E alone; vitamin K; vitamin D; collagen; and willow bark. There is insufficient evidence to make a recommendation about the safety

title: Osteoarthritis
text: found that while ASU might help relieve pain in the short term for some people with osteoarthritis, it does not appear to improve or maintain the health of affected joints. The review noted a high-quality two-year clinical trial comparing ASU to chondroitin, which has uncertain efficacy in osteoarthritis; the study found no difference between the two. The review also found that although ASU appears to be safe, it has not been adequately studied for its safety to be determined. Devil's claw, curcumin, phytodolor, SKI306X and s-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) may be effective in improving pain. There is tentative evidence to support

title: Knee arthritis
text: reduce inflammation, use over the counter anti-inflammatory medications, paracetamol (acetaminophen) and physical therapy. Topical creams and patches can also be used for pain treatment and they have been proven to reduce pain by 33 to 57%. Exercises can help increase range of motion and flexibility as well as help strengthen the muscles in the leg. Physical therapy and exercise are often effective in reducing pain and improving function. Working with a physical therapist to find exercises that promote function without risking further injury is effective for most patients. Many of the exercises used can be performed while sitting in a

title: Arachidonic acid
text: arachidonic acid supplementation in sedentary subjects have failed to find changes in resting inflammatory markers in doses up to 1,500 mg daily, strength-trained subjects may respond differently. One study reported a significant reduction in resting inflammation (via marker IL-6) in young men supplementing 1,000 mg/day of arachidonic acid for 50 days in combination with resistance training. This suggests that rather being pro-inflammatory, supplementation of ARA while undergoing resistance training may actually improve the regulation of systemic inflammation. A meta-analysis looking for associations between heart disease risk and individual fatty acids reported a significantly reduced risk of heart disease with higher

title: Rheumatoid arthritis
text: needed to prevent pain or tendon rupture when drug treatment has failed. Severely affected joints may require joint replacement surgery, such as knee replacement. Postoperatively, physiotherapy is always necessary. In general, there is not enough evidence to support any complementary health approaches for RA, with safety concerns for some of them. Some mind and body practices and dietary supplements may help people with symptoms and therefore may be beneficial additions to conventional treatments, but there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions. A systematic review of CAM modalities (excluding fish oil) found that " The available evidence does not support

title: Osteoporosis
text: USPSTF does not recommend low dose supplementation (less than 1 g of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D) in postmenopausal women as there does not appear to be a difference in fracture risk. A 2015 review found little data that supplementation of calcium decreases the risk of fractures. While some meta-analyses have found a benefit of vitamin D supplements combined with calcium for fractures, they did not find a benefit of vitamin D supplements (800 IU/day or less) alone. While supplementation does not appear to affect the risk of death, there is an increased risk of myocardial infarctions with

title: Clinical trials on glucosamine and chondroitin
text: of OA disease progression. Thus, while the researchers rightly concluded that no treatment in this study was found to produce a "a clinically important reduction" in joint space width loss none of the participants experienced clinically important progression of their disease during the study period either. In another 2-year follow-up study involving 662 patients from the GAIT trial, published in 2010, there was neither significant pain reduction nor improved function when comparing glucosamine and/or chondroitin to a placebo although the positive control also failed to perform significantly better that the placebo in this study. Glucosamine supplements are widely used for

title: Omega-3 fatty acid
text: of pain and disease activity" as well as the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The American College of Rheumatology has stated that there may be modest benefit from the use of fish oils, but that it may take months for effects to be seen, and cautions for possible gastrointestinal side effects and the possibility of the supplements containing mercury or vitamin A at toxic levels. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health has concluded that "[n]o dietary supplement has shown clear benefits for rheumatoid arthritis", but that there is preliminary evidence that fish oil may be beneficial, but needs

title: Osteoarthritis
text: cold can relieve muscle spasms and pain. Among people with hip and knee osteoarthritis, exercise in water may reduce pain and disability, and increase quality of life in the short term. Also therapeutic exercise programs such as aerobics and walking reduce pain and improve physical functioning for up to 6 months after the end of the program for people with knee osteoarthritis. The pain medication paracetamol (acetaminophen) is the first line treatment for osteoarthritis. However, a 2015 review found acetaminophen to only have a small short term benefit with some laboratory concerns of liver inflammation. For mild to moderate symptoms

title: Vitamin D
text: general, no good evidence supports the commonly held belief that vitamin D supplements can help prevent osteoporosis. Its general use for prevention of this disease in those without vitamin D deficiency is thus likely not needed. For older people with osteoporosis, taking vitamin D with calcium may help prevent hip fractures, but it also slightly increases the risk of stomach and kidney problems. Supplementation with higher doses of vitamin D, in those older than 65 years, may decrease fracture risk. The effect is small or none for people living independently. Low serum vitamin D levels have been associated with falls,

title: Arthritis
text: of the particular joint and the overall body of the person. Individuals with arthritis can benefit from both physical and occupational therapy. In arthritis the joints become stiff and the range of movement can be limited. Physical therapy has been shown to significantly improve function, decrease pain, and delay need for surgical intervention in advanced cases. Exercise prescribed by a physical therapist has been shown to be more effective than medications in treating osteoarthritis of the knee. Exercise often focuses on improving muscle strength, endurance and flexibility. In some cases, exercises may be designed to train balance. Occupational therapy can

title: Rheumatoid arthritis
text: inflammation, and improve a person's overall functioning. This may be helped by balancing rest and exercise, the use of splints and braces, or the use of assistive devices. Pain medications, steroids, and NSAIDs are frequently used to help with symptoms. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as hydroxychloroquine and methotrexate, may be used to try to slow the progression of disease. Biological DMARDs may be used when disease does not respond to other treatments. However, they may have a greater rate of adverse effects. Surgery to repair, replace, or fuse joints may help in certain situations. Most alternative medicine treatments are

title: Intermittent hydrarthrosis
text: inhibitors are not generally helpful other than for general pain relief. They do not seem to help reduce effusions or prevent their occurrence. Low-dose colchicine (and some other ‘anti-rheumatic’ therapies e.g. hydroxychloroquine) have been used with some success. (Use of methotrexate and intramuscular gold have not been reported in the literature). More aggressive treatments such as synovectomy, achieved using intra-articular agents (chemical or radioactive) can provide good results, with efficacy reported for at least 1 year. Reducing acute joint swelling: Arthrocentesis (or drainage of joint) may be useful to relieve joint swelling and improve range of motion. Local steroid injections

title: Chikungunya
text: shown several medications to be effective "in vitro". In those who have more than two weeks of arthritis, ribavirin may be useful. The effect of chloroquine is not clear. It does not appear to help acute disease, but tentative evidence indicates it might help those with chronic arthritis. Steroids do not appear to be an effective treatment. NSAIDs and simple analgesics can be used to provide partial symptom relief in most cases. Methotrexate, a drug used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, has been shown to have benefit in treating inflammatory polyarthritis resulting from chikungunya, though the drug mechanism for

title: Rheumatoid arthritis
text: However, there is a lack of evidence to distinguish between the biologics available for RA. Issues with the biologics include their high cost and association with infections including tuberculosis. Glucocorticoids can be used in the short term and at the lowest dose possible for flare-ups and while waiting for slow-onset drugs to take effect. Non-NSAID drugs to relieve pain, like paracetamol may be used to help relieve the pain symptoms; they do not change the underlying disease. NSAIDs reduce both pain and stiffness in those with RA but do not affect the underlying disease and appear to have no effect

title: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
text: consumption of omega-3 fatty acids proved to be beneficial in two small studies. Celecoxib has been found effective in one study. Other aspects of managing JIA include physical and occupational therapy. Therapists can recommend the best exercise and also make protective equipment. Moreover, the child may require the use of special supports, ambulatory devices, or splints to help them ambulate and function normally. Surgery is only used to treat the most severe cases of JIA. In all cases, surgery is used to remove scars and improve joint function. Home remedies that may help JIA includes getting regular exercises to increase

title: Clinical trials on glucosamine and chondroitin
text: Trial continued the supplementation for two years. After two years of supplementation with glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, alone or in combination, there was no benefit in slowing the loss of cartilage, in terms of joint space width, when compared to a placebo. However, no patient group, placebo or glucosamine alone, or in combination, experienced joint space width loss at even half the rate expected during this study, making it difficult to assess the clinical effectiveness of any treatment on the progression of OA. In another two-year follow-up study, there was no significant pain reduction or improved function when compared to

title: Arthritis
text: is acetaminophen (paracetamol) while for inflammatory arthritis it involves non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen. Opioids and NSAIDs are less well tolerated. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is autoimmune so, in addition to pain medications and anti-inflammatory drugs, is treated with another category of drug called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which act on the immune system to slow down the progression of RA. An example of this type of drug is methotrexate. A number of rheumasurgical interventions have been incorporated in the treatment of arthritis since the 1950s. Arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee provides no additional benefit to optimized physical