Get Your Vitamins and Minerals From Food, Not Supplements

April 23, 2019 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Many people ask about taking dietary supplements, vitamins, minerals, and various natural compounds to improve their pain and their life. These are not officially regulated as far as how well they work. They are regulated only to the level that they cannot be toxic when ingested and they have become a billion dollar business.

Are They Effective?

Recently, a large study was done with regards to multiple dietary supplements, with an extra emphasis on medications with claims of helping with heart disease and natural degeneration caused by aging. Simply put, nothing had any positive impact on health for any of the compounds being pushed. The study was published in JAMA in January 2019 and looked at many different compounds. Included were ginkgo balboa, coenzyme Q10, coral calcium, and many others. These are all found in the vitamin and supplement aisle of many stores. None of these promoted items had any impact on cardiac health, dementia, cognition or any general component of health. Basically, none of these vitamins, compounds or minerals made a difference.

The answer of what really works is eating healthy. All these various compound are found in our fresh foods. Eating fresh food provides nutrients in a way through the gut that the appropriate vitamins and minerals are absorbed correctly and can be used by the body. In pill form or other concentrate, the body often will not be able to utilize the compound successfully. Many times the form of the compound in a pill is not absorbed or is destroyed by the body’s digestive processes. When we eat our food, our digestive system can find the nutrients and make sure they travel to the correct areas of the body. All the studies show that nutrients that come from eating a good diet are helpful, and adding a variety of supplements shows no benefit.

The best suggestion based on all these medical studies is save the money spent on supplements and spend the money on eating a healthy diet with fresh fruit and vegetables and low fat protein. Highly processed foods with high carbohydrate loads often do not have a high nutritional value. Develop a diet that comes from the outer aisles of the grocery where the fresh foods are found. None of the claims for supplements have really be proven, so save your money for now.

Supplements For Joint Pain

July 31, 2015 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Chronic joint pain plagues many of my patients, and oftentimes this condition is caused by arthritis. Because so many people suffer from joint pain and arthritis, a lot of pharmaceutical companies are trying to cash in on the demand for vitamins and supplements. But which supplements are the best, and what else should you do to combat arthritis pain?

The first thing you’ll want to do is understand that there is no magic pill to fix arthritis. Some supplements may alleviate some symptoms in the short term, but they won’t provide a full on cure. You need to take proactive steps and focus on all aspects of your health if you really want to see results. That means you need to get off the couch and start exercising. We already know that 30 minutes to an hour of moderate to intense activity is great for your body, but it can also help alleviate symptoms associated with arthritis.

Diet is another area of focus. Foods with Omega-3 fatty acids are natural anti-inflammatories, so ditch the pizza and soda for fish and leafy greens. Combined with exercise, a balanced diet can help you lose weight, which means your body won’t need to bear as much weight. Losing weight is a natural way to take some stress off your joints.

Paired With Pills

If you are going to take a supplement to combat your osteo or rheumatoid arthritis, be smart about what you put in your body. First and foremost, you should follow your doctor’s instructions. Ask them what supplements they’d recommend, especially if you are taking other medications to manage pain. Stick to your doctor’s instructions, and never take more than the recommended amount, even if you’re in more pain than normal.

Again, discuss these options with your doctor, but some good vitamins and supplements to consider include:

Calcium

Vitamin D3

Ginger

Turmeric

Omega-3

Vitamin E

Green Tea

Paired with diet and exercise, supplements can be a key component in keeping your arthritis under control.

Are Supplements an Effective Joint Pain Relief Option?

September 23, 2013June 24, 2014 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Critical review of articles is essential to understanding whether or not the conclusion is accurate. A recent New York Times article cited a study that researched whether Vitamin D and Calcium help relieve joint pain. The conclusion was that these supplements do not help.

Unfortunately, this conclusion is misleading. Vitamin D and Calcium are used primarily to promote healthy bones and prevent osteoporosis. Joint health is a completely different issue

The question of whether supplements such as Glucosamine, chondroitin and fish oil help with joint pain is unclear. Multiple studies have been done on these compounds and the results have been mixed on whether they actually do anything. Many people find these compounds to be very helpful. It is fairly clear that they are not harmful. Take these as directed on the bottle, and they might help, a 3-month trial would be reasonable and decide on your own.

Medications that Reduce Joint Pain

So if these supplements do not help reduce joint pain, what are some pain management options? There are numerous ways to combat joint pain. Medications that have FDA approval for joint pain include:

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and naproxen
Analgesics like acetaminophen
Steroids like prednisone
Injections like hyaluronic acid

Some of these are now available without a prescription. NSAIDs act by interrupting compounds in the body that cause inflammation and thus joint pain. Prednisone is a corticosteroid, a very powerful prescription level medication that decreases inflammation, but can cause significant other problems when not used cautiously. Analgesics block the transmission of pain signals to the brain or their perception. As noted, these medications all may have significant side affects and can cause other more severe medical problems besides helping with joint pain.

Other Joint Pain Treatment Options

A lot of joint pain is caused by slow deterioration of the joints as we age. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one of the best ways to prevent joint pain. Here are a few specific ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle and prevent joint deterioration:

Eating appropriately
Exercising regularly
Keeping muscles strong, and the body moving
Proper body mechanics while doing activities
Not over stressing the body

To maintain bone health, taking Vitamin D and Calcium has been proven to be healthful. However, joint health is a different issue entirely. When reading research, sometimes it is necessary to understand more background information to be able to determine if the conclusions make any sense. Just because someone did a study does not make it correct.

Source:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/supplements-fail-to-relieve-joint-pain-in-study/?_r=1