a public thank you to Victor

[Helen]

Thank you for telling me about the cetyl myristoleate.  I looked it up, then ordered some.  I've been taking them for about a week now and there is a real difference in the level of pain from the arthritis.  Just a week ago, if I had been sitting for any length of time, I would not be able to straighten up right away but would need about 30 seconds to be able to stand up straight due to pain in my back.  That is not the case now.  I can stand up straight right away and that is so nice.  Pain in other joints has also decreased.  It doesn't disappear, but it's totally liveable now without any pain medications.

I'm posting this, this way so that others here who are older and have arthritis problems can check this out.  I don't think there are any side effects.  It's a little hard to remember to take it 30-40 minutes before eating and of course it is not guaranteed.  But the difference for me has been dramatic enough to mention it.  After all the other 'helps' other people have suggested through the years I have become very, VERY skeptical about any of them.

So thank you for this one.  To let others know, there are a few other things, non-medicinally, that work, too:

1.  Cod liver oil.  Ych, I know, but if you brush it on toast and put garlic salt on it, you can do it.  It does help with arthritis.

2.  Tumeric.  I make my own garlic salt with a lot of garlic and turmeric and not so much salt.  Really tastes tangy and good and turmeric is not only an excellent anti-oxidant but an anti-inflammatory as well.

3.  Stay away from sugars.  They really can mess up your joints as well as other damage.  Got a sweet tooth?  Then suck on something that takes a LONG time to  dissolve -- ONE piece of hard candy or something.  Using artificial sweeteners has its own dangers.  Getting off the sugar habit really is possible!

4.  Dark colored fruits and vegetables are excellent anti-oxidants as well, and that is a help.

[chosenone]

I have found that white flour has an equally bad affect on joints. So eat wholemeal bread and pasta, and only brown rice.

[Helen]

Thank you, chosenone -- the other times you have mentioned this have been in other threads and I always hesitate to go off topic, since I hate it when people do that to my threads! 

I know a lot of people are sensitive to white flour, and gluten in particular.  I don't have that problem, although I do all my baking with unbleached flour (and I make all our bread, except sourdough French).  And yes, we do eat primarily brown rice, although right now we are finishing up the white Basmati rice our Chinese students bought for us this past summer!  That's yummy stuff!

[Shizo211]

Great that you are better

[Helen]

Actually, I had to stop taking them.  As effective as they were, they had side effects of leaving me hyper.  This would probably not affect others as I have an inherited problem called paradoxic drug reactions.  Got it from my father and passed it on to my oldest son.  Total nuisance.