Natural remedy expert answers reader questions

By Jonathan Evans Herbal Information Specialist /Business Representative for the Herbarium Special to PRIME Dear Jonathan: I have osteoarthritis and don't want to take Naproxin or aspirin constantly. Walking is difficult. I just got a cortisone shot in the left hip. I don't know if it will clear the pain or if I need a hip replacement. My spine is also affected. I read that pycnogenol is good for bones, joints, etc. What do you think? Are there side effects that help with pain but exacerbate the problem? Can I take it with lisinopril for HBP? Is pycnogenol a vitamin? I take 1000 mg of vitamin D and calcium daily. Can you recommend something that is not harmful but helps with mobility? Thank you for your response. I am 69 years old, but feel old due to this condition. -Aline Dear Aline: Thanks for your questions. There is a lot going on in your note, so let me give you some basics and we can go from there. Pycnogenol is not something that would directly affect your bone health. It is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, so it might be helpful for your pain, but it is not my first choice. It is not a vitamin, though it can act in conjunction with a vitamin. My biggest concern is the calcium you are taking. My guess is it is a store brand, which means it is a calcium carbonate, with no magnesium. Magnesium is the forgotten mineral. Without adequate magnesium you will not absorb your calcium. Research from Cornell Medical Center, University of California Irvine and other sources are showing the great importance of taking enough magnesium. Noting your age, it is reasonable to assume difficulty in digestion, meaning difficulty in breaking down your minerals and properly absorbing them. Unfortunately, many health professionals are not reading this information, or suggesting it to the patients. As I wrote in last month's PRIME magazine, researchers are finding vitamin D important for immune boosting and anti-cancer activity and it is important for people in the northern climates to take enough vitamin D for a variety of reasons. For pain relief, we have found several herbs and nutrients that are very effective for inflammation and pain. Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has the same anti-inflammatory properties as Vioxx, or Celebrex, but without any negative side effects. Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple and Boswellia, a resin used in Ayurvedic medicine, are also very effective. These nutrients will not cause bleeding or liver damage. For topical treatments we use two essential oil blends created by herbalist and clinical aromatherapist Kathleen Duffy. One is called "Pain Away", a mixture of ginger and black pepper oil which is a wonderful deep penetrating heating oil and the other is "Pain Free", which also incorporates two different chamomile oils for antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory actions. Lastly Pycnogenol is usually more expensive and not as strong as grape seed extract. They are both proanthocyanins, but research has shown grape seed is more powerful and a whole lot less expensive. If you are interested, we have plenty of free literature available at the Herbarium. Dear Jonathan: I am interested in doing a cleanse, but there are so many products out there and they all sound good. Any advice? -David Dear David: My best advice is: anything you have seen on television, the Internet or any infomercial should be avoided like the plague! One of my customers came in with information from an Internet site that claimed to be the global leader in cleansing. I never heard of them before, and I have been associated with the herb business for three decades. I have seen television shows that misspelled the herb ingredients! Anybody trying to get you into a "program" should also be avoided. These clowns are charging hundreds of dollars for something that you can get from a nationally respected company for about thirty bucks. Renew Life is a very good company and the products are safe and effective. We have a detoxifying formula that can be used on a daily basis just to keep things moving smoothly. Many people do a spring and fall cleanse, just like spring and fall cleaning in their homes. Just watch out for ripoffs - and heaven knows there are many out there. As a last note, if someone is trying to convince you that a foot soak or detox pad applied to the soles of your feet are going to actually going to cleanse your colon, liver, etc, just laugh at them. The only thing that is going to get cleaned out is your wallet. Jonathan. Please send your questions on botanical remedies to Natures Rx : Jonathan Evans via e-mail at info@theherbarium.com, or by regular mail at The Herbarium, 264 Exchange Street, Chicopee, MA 01013. If you are requesting additional information from Jonathan, please include a self-addrresed stamped envelope.