Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: bromelain + wonder + joint  Related to the article below (Last Update: 12/1/2008)

News results: Standard Version | Text Version | Image Version

Browse Top Stories Recent Last hour Last day Past week Past month Archives All dates Blogs News Alerts RSS | Atom About Feeds Your search - bromelain + wonder + joint - did not match any documents. Suggestions: Make sure all words are spelled correctly. Try different keywords. Try more general keywords. Try fewer keywords. Try Google Blog Search. Also, you can browse today's headlines on the Google News homepage.

Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: joint cure + bromelain + joint  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/7/2008)

Daily Mail It's NOT all hokum! A new book reveals which herbal remedies work ... Daily Mail, UK - Aug 4, 2008 INEFFECTIVE/HARMFUL: Chiropractic, a wide range of manipulative techniques designed to improve joint pain or muscle spasms. ... Pineapple packed with health benefits Marion Star, OH - Aug 2, 2008 Bromelain has also been found to be a useful anti-inflammatory, effective in reducing swelling and assisting in the treatment of arthritis and mild joint ...

Is bromelain a wonder cure for joints?

 For six months I have been taking 600mg of glucosamine twice a day and 1000mg of cod liver oil once a day. This has helped a little.

Recently I have read about bromelain and started taking it five days ago and the pain and stiffness has almost cleared leaving me to partake in light sporting activities.

The man in the local health shop said to take 500mg three times a day, but on the bottle it says to take one a day.

I would like to know how much bromelain I should be taking each day and whether after some time I should reduce the intake. Also, is it OK to continue taking these supplements in the long term?

Answer: Bromelain is an extract of pineapple which has natural anti-inflammatory properties. For this reason it is quite frequently used in natural medicine to treat minor injuries, sports injuries, and to help recovery after surgery or trauma.

Bromelain activity is measured in units known as milk clotting (MCUs) units or gelatine dissolving units (GDUs). 1 GDU is roughly equal to 1.5 MCU. The potency or activity of a bromelain products can vary quite a lot. Strong products generally contain at least 2000 MCU (approximately 1300 GDO) per gram of product.

If we assume the product you are taking is of about this quality, then each 500mg tablet or capsule will contain about 1000 MCUs of activity.

The research which has found bromelain to be useful in healing and as an anti-inflammatory agents has generally used supplements that supply 500 MCU, four times a day. This would be equivalent (assuming good potency) to 250 mg of your supplement, taken four times a day. You are currently taking 500 mg, three times a day.

While this dose is somewhat larger than that used in the studies, sometimes it can help to use a decent dose during the initial stages of treatment. The most important thing here is that bromelain does seem to have helped your condition. However, as you suggest, it might be possible for you to reduce the dose in time. Try, 500 mg, twice a day for a while, perhaps going down to a one-a-day dose later on.

Bromelain is a very safe substance generally, but can thin the blood. For this reason, it needs to be taken with care if you are on any blood-thinning medication such as aspirin or warfarin.

Apart from being a natural anti-inflammatory, bromelain is also a digestive aid (it helps break down protein). When taken with food, there is always the possibility that some of bromelain's activity will be lost through the digestion of food. Therefore, to get the maximum benefit from bromelain it should be taken on an empty stomach.

I would recommend that you continue to take the glucosamine and cod liver oil. Glucosamine (in the sulphate form) helps to regenerate damaged cartilage, and cod liver oil has anti-inflammatory action in the body. These supplements appear to be safe to take in the long term.