Make no bones about osteoarthritis

Oh, my aching, creaking bones! You’ve probably heard this all-too-common painful cry, mostly from the elderly. They say that you know you’re growing old if your back goes out more often than you do.

Make no bones about it: “Arthritis ranks second as the most prevalent chronic disease after heart disease,” stoutly declares Dr. Eduardo Rommel Poblete, assistant director and fellowship training officer, Geriatric Center, St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City, at a press conference on osteoarthritis (also called degenerative arthritis, which occurs when the cushioning cartilage — a connective tissue, including the joints between bones — breaks down). “It occurs in the fingers, neck, lower back, hips, almost any joint can be involved.  It’s more common in the elder population. It can start at around age 30 but peaks at around the age of the senior citizen or 60 years old in the Philippines. It usually occurs in people older than 45 years old, but the younger ones are not exempt.”

According to Dr. Poblete, osteoarthritis affects about 10 percent of the global population, who are prone to the risk of reduced mobility leading to disability, which is greater than any other medical condition in people who are senior citizens. “We can attribute the burden of the disease to the aging population in the world, the Philippines included, and the higher prevalence of obesity specifically among Caucasians. The risk is more common in Caucasians, but Asians are not spared.”

Fact is, roughly, 11 million Filipinos are afflicted with osteoarthritis (OA) and that number is alarmingly expected to double in the next 25 years.

Dr. Poblete tells us that OA can occur with other diseases, notably hypertension, but those with heart disease, diabetes, and dyslipidemia (increased cholesterol) are not spared.

To find out if you have OA, says Dr. Poblete, the doctor will examine your joints for any swelling, redness, and decrease in range of motion. X-rays can confirm the doctor’s suspicion, as well as other imaging tests like CT scans.

So, how does one manage OA?

No pain, all gain: Arthrite is not only anti-inflammatory; it contains herbs that act as antioxidants to ensure speedy recovery and to protect the cartilage from free radical damage, thereby preventing further degeneration of the cartilage.

“It’s a three-pronged strategy,” replies Dr. Poblete. “One is through information or education, the victims must be encouraged to have a weight reduction program. They must be taught certain exercises and must be able to self-manage.”

Careful not to touch the sensitive nerves of the elderly in the audience but instead tickle our funny bones, Dr. Poblete adds, “When you grow wiser, there are aerobic exercises that will not cause too much stress or strain on your bones. If those don’t work, we have drugs (paracetamol, anti-inflammatory agents like COX inhibitors) or mechanical devices.”

But if the disease further progresses, “we can do surgery to replace the joints. The operation can cost around P500,000 per knee (that’s a whopping million for the two knees — I overhear a humongous ‘Ouch!’ from some guests) and will take two to three hours.”

The good pain-free (it won’t put a major strain on your purse strings, too) news is that the safer and effective way to relieve arthritic pain is to go herbal.  Medicinal plants and herbs were used by our Filipino forefathers for many centuries. This  practice has been passed on from generation to generation, making a great difference in the health of the country, considering the fact that most Filipinos can’t afford expensive Western medical treatment. In 1992, the Department of Health through Health Secretary Juan Flavier came out with the traditional medicine program, under Administrative Order No. 12, to promote and advocate traditional medicine nationwide, or a more natural approach to healthcare called phytotherapy in the Philippines.

Now comes a breakthough phyto-medicine for osteoarthritis that has proven its efficacy in providing sustained pain relief to individuals suffering from OA through a local clinical study (more on this a wee bit later).  “Apart from therapy and lifestyle check, which are popular arthritis treatment options, we normally resort to arthritis medications,” Dr. Poblete notes. “However, they don’t do much to combat inflammation. On the other hand, Arthrite is a natural anti-arthritic medication validated by scientific phytotherapy. Its medical formulation is inspired by ayurvedic (a system of herbalism that originated in India, similar to traditional Chinese medicine) principles which have exposed these herbs to thousands of years of medical experience. What makes Arthrite different from the others is that it uproots the basic causes of arthritis as well as treats symptoms effectively in a shorter time frame with less dosage requirements. It prevents degeneration of the cartilage, aids in pain management, and treats inflammation, resulting in long-term improvement of the condition.”

The magic words “long term” can suddenly get you (especially those who think they have all the symptoms of OA but are afraid to ask their doctors) sitting up and aching to know more about this wonder drug, right?

So, here’s everything you might want to know about Arthrite: It’s the first traditional herbal medicine approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for joint pain. It consists of 14 herbal components (all these herbs are also available in the country) that work synergistically to reduce pain caused by OA. But aside from providing pain relief, Arthrite contains several active herbal ingredients that can reduce joint inflammation, aid in pain management, and improve joint mobility.

“Arthrite is not only anti-inflammatory,” Dr. Poblete points out, “these herbs also act as antioxidants to ensure effective therapeutic action and speedy recovery, and to protect the cartilage from free radical damage, thereby preventing further degeneration of the cartilage.”

To further ease our worries, we get these bits of vital info: Every soft-gel capsule of Arthrite (at P32 each, much cheaper than most OA therapies) guarantees potency with no toxicity. Every single raw material used to manufacture Arthrite goes through very stringent quality and safety control measures to ensure that proper cultivation and harvesting guidelines are met. The finished formulation itself is required to pass quality assurance standards and safety guidelines to ensure it is free from toxic effects. The therapeutic doses of each plant formulation in Arthrite were scientifically validated.

To further prove the efficacy and safety of Arthrite in providing symptomatic relief to patients with mild to moderate OA, a local clinical study was conducted by Dr. Poblete. The clinical trial tested 60 patients (90 at the outset, but only 60 made it due to the very strict requirements), aged 45 years old and up, who were diagnosed with mild-moderate OA. For the duration of eight weeks, the patients were asked to take two Arthrite capsules after breakfast and two capsules after dinner, for a total of 120 capsules for a period of two months. They were also asked to take one tablet in the morning of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called Meloxicam as a rescue medication.

According to Dr. Poblete, international efficacy parameters were used in the study (how effective the drug was in reducing pain as it was meant to) while the subjects were engaged in functional activities such as squatting (picture the elderly planting rice, for instance), sitting with crossed legs (which can put a lot of strain on the knees), and climbing the stairs.

Now, the findings: The physician’s global evaluation showed that 83 percent of the patients experienced moderately effective pain relief while 17 percent found very effective pain relief on the first month of observation. During the second month of the physician’s global evaluation, 45 percent experienced moderate effectiveness; 30 percent had very effective pain relief; and 25 percent were symptom-free. The patient’s global assessment in the first month showed majority (or 75 percent) had experienced moderate effectiveness, followed by very high effectiveness (23 percent), and symptom-free (3.2 percent). Furthermore, no side effects were reported during the clinical trials. Majority of the patients were symptom-free (no pain at all) after only two months of treatment (very fast-acting indeed). Because of its effectiveness, Arthrite has been recommended to be part of the treatment regimen of patients with mild to moderate OA  (for more info, visit www.multicare.com.ph).

“Yes, doctors are now open to traditional medicine,” asserts Dr. Poblete. “Doctors are always after scientific evidence, little knowing that herbal medicine is just there to complement traditional medicine.”

He prescribes, “Yes, you can get Arthrite over the counter, but it’s best that you get a diagnosis from your doctor so you know the best treatment for your condition and you don’t waste time and money.”

Dr. Poblete discloses that his youngest patient is a 45-year-old. And his worst patients? “Doctors!” he says with a chuckle. “The retired and semi-retired ones.”

“Last Sunday, I went to Mass and there was this lady I had given Arthrite to about three weeks ago as she was really complaining about the pain on her knees,” relates Meneleo Hernandez Jr., Multicare Pharmaceuticals president. “She was walking and she was smiling; she was actually able to attend Mass. It’s the kind of thing you actually get satisfaction from if you’re in the pharma industry.”

Confessing that this is the first time he’s addressing a non-medical audience, Hernandez tells us more about Multicare Pharmaceuticals. “We were the generic division of Astra Zeneca until we went independent as a company in 2002. Our founder was Romy Sy and in 2009, we forged a strategic alliance with the third largest Indian manufacturing pharmaceutical company called Lupin Ltd. But our goal of giving more value to family healthcare has not changed even with our alliance with an Indian company. Multicare envisions a healthy future for everyone regardless of age. For every Filipino to live a healthy life. To deliver products according to international standards and prices approved by Filipino standards. To provide a better quality of life for Filipino families by giving them access to unique medicines that are of high standards and quality.”

Now, this phyto-medicine for OA must really be A-OK!