Unproven Remedies for Arthritis.
Last updated Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Characteristics of arthritisArthritis is chronic and unpredictable Many aspects of arthritis can encourage people to try unproven remedies.
Arthritis is chronic, which means it may affect you for the rest of
your life. But, arthritis symptoms may come and go without warning. You
may think a new remedy worked because you took it when your symptoms
were going away.
Arthritis can improve after you do or take something that you
believe will help. This is called the placebo effect. The power of
positive thinking may cause you to feel better. This improvement
usually lasts only a short time. Studies show that about one-third of
the people taking a placebo improve. This happens even when people take
sugar pills. Scientists think the body releases certain chemicals that
promote this positive effect.
Some aspects of arthritis treatment can also encourage you to turn
to unproven remedies. For instance, treatments vary for each type of
arthritis. They work differently on every person. And they can change
with time as the disease changes. So, your doctor has to find the
combination of things that works best for you. This takes time and
patience. It's easy to become discouraged with this process and hope
for a quick and easy answer. What should False and exaggerated claims Promoters for unproven remedies offer hope for an answer to your
problems with arthritis. Ads often make false or exaggerated claims
that the remedy will:
- cure arthritis
- be natural--no side effects
- work for all types of arthritis
- require no effort on your part
- work for everyone
- be inexpensive
- work immediately and permanently
- keep you from needing drugs or surgery
Suspect health fraud when you see these claims for a remedy.
It may be hard to spot an unproven remedy at first glance. The only
source of information on a remedy may be what's given out by its
promoters. You can sometimes spot an unproven remedy by asking what's
known about its effects, safety and promotion.
How useful was this page or article?
This article has not been rated.
|
|