Pain from osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, for example, is often mild, but can be severe. Gout, another form of arthritis, can be extremely painful. Without proper treatment, rheumatoid arthritis can be very destructive, even crippling. The common link of all forms is aching joints and muscles. The cause of most forms of arthritis is not known, and, with the exception of certain infectious forms of the disease, there is no cure.
Physicians stress preventive efforts and control of symptoms.
They include solvents, devices, diets, and other unusual therapies. Peddlers of quack products prey on their victims' hopes and on the public's misconceptions about arthritis. Copper bracelets supposedly allow copper to be absorbed through the skin, leaving a green mark said to relieve arthritis symptoms. No device has proven effective in treating arthritis, and the federal Food and Drug Administration has taken action against the promoters of some. According to the FDA, no herb, either singly or in combination with other herbs or ingredients, can cure any form of arthritis.