The standard in the medical field is to say, if something shows a positive effect on the the control of a disease in a carefully planned study, that the recommendation is evidenced-based. Here are the results of scientific studies of the Arthritis Research Campaign:

http://www.arc.org.uk/news/pressreleases/awareness/CAM.asp

For rheumatoid arthritis (RA):

13 out of 21 complementary medicines per cent) had no or little effect based on the available evidence (scoring 1 out of 5 on the effectiveness scale).

The 13 that had no effect were: antler velvet; blackcurrant seed oil; collagen; eazmov herbal preparation; feverfew; flaxseed oil; green-lipped mussels; homeopathy; reumalex herbal mixture; selenium; Chinese herb tong luo kai bi; vitamins A,C and E anti-oxidant vitamins; and willow bark.

By contrast fish body oil scored 5 out of 5 for people with RA, reducing joint pain and stiffness.

Devil's claw (made from a plant which grows in Namibia), Boswellia (from the frankincense tree) and rosehip were found to have effectiveness in treatment.

These last 3 and the other 4 medicines in the study were not mentioned as to relative efficacy on the 1-5 scale, but they reportedly can be obtained from the following email address: arc@bradshawsdirect.co.uk

One study (on rats, but a part of the review mentions prior studies on humans) indicates that static magnetic fields increase mobility. I know people that have had positive response to magnet treatments as well.
Source(s):
http://www.cks.nhs.uk/home
www.arc.org.uk/news/pressreleases/.../CAM.asp
ecam.oxfordjournals.org/.../187?

Asker's Rating:

Permalink | Report