The AANP has reported on the efficacy of utilizing complementary and alternative care for relief of arthritis symptoms. If you suffer from arthritis, please call and see what naturopathic care can offer you!
“AANP – Study Finds Many Arthritis Patients Improve With CAT – (Friday, November 2, 2012) -A study reports that nearly a quarter of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis used complementary and alternative therapy (CAT) to help manage their condition. Researchers interviewed 250 patients aged between 20 and 90 years of age of whom 67 percent had rheumatoid arthritis and the remainder had osteoarthritis. They found that 23 percent used CAT in addition to prescribed drugs and that 64 percent of those patients felt that the therapy was beneficial, reporting improvements in pain intensity, sleeping patterns and activity levels. The study underlines the importance of healthcare professionals being knowledgeable about the potential use of CAT when providing medical care to patients with arthritis. A quarter of the patients using CAT also sought medical care because of CAT side effects, but they were not serious and were reversible. The most common side effects included skin problems (16 percent) and gastrointestinal problems (9 percent). The most common CAT used was herbal therapy (83 percent), followed by exercise, massage, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, and dietary supplements. This study is now available online at http://tinyurl.com/aykqoxs with access fee or subscription, and appears in the November 2012 issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.”