|
Always consult your doctor
before taking a supplement, especially if you are taking prescription
medications, are pregnant or breastfeeding, are taking blood-thinning
medications, have special or severe medical conditions (including but
not limited to heart, kidney, or liver disease; high blood pressure;
stomach disorders; ulcers; blood clotting abnormalities; or
depression).
|
|
Multivitamin
|
|
Benefits
|
An insurance policy to protest you
from deficiencies that can weaken your body and lead to painful
syndromes.
|
|
Best for…
|
Everyone
|
|
Dose
|
Follow the instructions on the
label.
|
|
Comments
|
Don’t use a multivitamin as a
replacement for a good diet.
|
|
B-Complex Vitamins
|
|
Benefits
|
Promote proper functioning of the
nervous system
|
|
Best for…
|
Peripheral neuropathy
|
|
Dose
|
Take a product containing 50
milligrams of several B-complex vitamins, including B2 (riboflavin),
B6, and B12.
|
|
Comments
|
You should also eat plenty of
green, leafy vegetables and whole grains.
|
|
Bromelain
|
|
Benefits
|
Appears to have an
anti-inflammatory effect and to encourage healing of repetitive strain
injuries.
|
|
Best for…
|
Chronic sprains and strains
|
|
Dose
|
Take between 1,500 milligrams and
2 grams of bromelain daily. You can also try Wobenzyme, a commercial
product containing a mix of bromelain and other enzymes. Take
Wobenzyme according to the package label.
|
|
Comments
|
Give bromelain a couple of weeks
before deciding if it works for you.
|
|
Calcium
|
|
Benefits
|
Relaxes smooth muscle tissue and
supports the nerves’ ability to fire normally.
|
|
Best for…
|
- Headaches
- Nerve pain
- Pelvic pain, including PMS
|
|
Dose
|
1,000-1,200 milligrams daily
|
|
Comments
|
Best when used in conjunction with
magnesium
|
|
Capsaicin or capsicum (chili pepper oil) (Topical)
|
|
Benefits
|
May reduce substance P, a
neurotransmitter that facilitates the pain message. The burning
sensation blocks the pain signal from traveling up the spinal cord
|
|
Best for …
|
- Any pain on the body’s
periphery-hands, arms, shoulders, feet, or legs
- Joint pain
- Nerve pain, especially peripheral
neuropathy and post-mastectomy pain
|
|
Dose
|
Rub a commercially prepared cream
onto the painful area three times a day. (If you apply it less often,
you won’t get the cumulative effect that reduces substance P.)
|
|
Comments
|
Expect a slight stinging sensation
from the cream. Some people find it pleasant; others can’t stand it.
It should work within three or four days.
|
|
Devil’s claw
|
|
Benefits
|
Used in southern Africa for
centuries to relieve pain and inflammation.
|
|
Best for …
|
- Osteoarthritis
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Tendonitis
|
|
Dose
|
Take 4,500 mg of dried tuber or an
equivalent extract every day.
|
|
Comments
|
Give devil’s claw a month to work
|
|
|
|
Feverfew
|
|
Benefits
|
A couple of good studies have
demonstrated a reduction in number and severity of migraines, along
with the vomiting that often accompanies migraine pain.
|
|
Best for…
|
Migraines
|
|
Dose
|
Follow the directions on the
product label.
|
|
Comments
|
Feverfew is a prophylactic – it
does not break an existing migraine. You may need to take it for up
to a month before you see results.
|
|
Fish oil
|
|
Benefits
|
Reduces inflammation.
|
|
Best for …
|
- Any painful condition
- Inflammatory disorders
|
|
Dose
|
10-12 grams of fish oil
concentrate daily, or 15-20 milliliters of cod liver oil daily. If
you’re a vegetarian, try Neuromins DHA, which is derived from plankton
and algae. Start with 100 milligrams per day, going up to 300
milligrams daily as tolerated.
|
|
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)
|
|
Benefits
|
GLA appears to have
anti-inflammatory properties. One study showed that in people with
rheumatoid arthritis, six months of treatment with evening primrose
oil (a form of GLA) reduced swelling, tenderness, and pain; another
study showed that after a year of taking evening primrose oil,
rheumatoid arthritis patients were able to cut back on painkillers or
stop using them entirely.
|
|
Best for …
|
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Pelvic pain
- Any inflammatory condition
|
|
Dose
|
There are several forms of GLA
available on the market, including borage oil, evening primrose oil,
and pure gamma-linolenic acid.
Since some people respond to one
form of GLA but not to another, start with borage oil, which is the
least expensive of the three.
Borage oil: Start with 1 gram per
day and increase as tolerated, for a total of no more than 6 grams
daily.
Evening primrose oil: 4-6 grams
per day.
Gamma-linolenic acid: 1-4 grams
daily.
|
|
Comments
|
No matter which form of GLA you’re
using, try it for no less than two weeks and maybe even a couple of
months before deciding if it works for you. In addition to GLA, make
sure to eat oily fish, walnuts, and flaxseed and reduce consumption of
saturated fats and partially hydrogenated oils.
|
|
Ginger
|
|
Benefits
|
Reduces inflammation and nausea.
|
|
Best for …
|
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Nausea from pain medications
|
|
Dose
|
For nausea, drink ginger tea. To
relieve inflammation, take 1,000 milligrams of ginger powder daily or
5 grams of fresh gingerroot.
|
|
Glucosamine and chondroitin
|
|
Benefits
|
Glucosamine appears to promote
growth of new cartilage between arthritic joints; chondroitin seems to
keep existing cartilage elastic and supple, possibly preventing
further degeneration.
|
|
Best for …
|
Osteoarthritis
|
|
Dose
|
1,500 milligrams of glucosamine
hydrochloride, glucosamine sulfate, or N-acetyl glucosamine and
500-600 milligrams chondroitin daily.
|
|
Comments
|
You’re building up new tissue, so
allow one or two months for the supplements to work.
|
|
|
|
Kava
|
|
Benefits
|
Used in the South Sea islands as a
sedative
|
|
Best for …
|
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Muscle tension
|
|
Dose
|
Take 60-120 milligrams of an
extract containing kavalactones, kava’s active ingredients. A good
product is kavatrol.
|
|
Comments
|
Don’t use if you have a liver
condition or for prolonged periods. Do not mix with alcohol or other
sedatives.
|
|
Magnesium
|
|
Benefits
|
Proven to relax the smooth muscles
of the body. A low-grade deficiency of magnesium may make nerves less
stable and more irritable.
|
|
Best for …
|
- Headaches
- Chronic muscle spasm
- Leg cramps
- Peripheral neuropathies
- Any nerve-related pain
|
|
Dose
|
400 milligrams of magnesium
gluconate daily. About half of long, bad migraines can be broken with
intravenously delivered magnesium.
|
|
Comments
|
Fruits, vegetables, and whole
grains are even better sources of magnesium than supplements.
Magnesium is best taken with calcium.
|
|
Niacinamide
|
|
Benefits
|
Eases pain and stiffness.
|
|
Best for …
|
Osteoarthritis
|
|
Dose
|
500 milligrams three times daily,
or 1,000 milligrams of a sustained-release product two times a day.
|
|
Comments
|
It may take six to eight weeks
before you see results. Your doctor will need to monitor your liver
enzymes.
|
|
Quercetin
|
|
Benefits
|
Suppresses inflammatory
prostaglandins.
|
|
Best for …
|
Arthritis
|
|
Dose
|
400 milligrams two or three times
a day
|
|
St. John’s wort
|
|
Benefits
|
Mild to moderate depression;
especially helpful for people who haven’t responded to prescription
antidepressants.
|
|
Dose
|
300-900 milligrams per day of a
standardized extract.
|
|
Comments
|
Do not try to treat depression by
yourself. Talk to a doctor or therapist. Be especially careful with
this herb, as it’s known to interfere with several mediations. Don’t
take it without checking with your doctor.
|
|
Turmeric
|
|
Benefits
|
Anti-inflammatory.
|
|
Best for …
|
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Other inflammatory conditions
|
|
Dose
|
To make a tea, pour a cup of hot
water over 1.5 to 3 grams of the powder and let steep. Drink the tea
two or three times daily after meals. Or use 10-15 drops of straight
turmeric tincture two or three times daily.
|
|
|
|
Valerian
|
|
Benefits
|
Mild sedative and muscle relaxant
|
|
Best for …
|
Insomnia, especially from muscle
pain.
|
|
Dose
|
Use a tincture according to the
package directions.
|
|
Comments
|
Don't take with other medications
or alcohol.
|
|
Vitamin B2
|
|
Benefits
|
Several papers in medical journals
have suggested B2 reduces migraine pain.
|
|
Best for …
|
Migraines
|
|
Dose
|
100 milligrams daily; you can
also take the product Migraleve, which combines B2 and feverfew.
|
|
Comments
|
If you don’t get results after two
weeks of taking B2 or Migraleve, discontinue use.
|
|
White willow
|
|
Benefits
|
Appears to relieve inflammation
and pain.
|
|
Best for …
|
Early tests indicate that white
willow may relieve low back pain.
|
|
Dose
|
240 milligrams per day.
|
|
Comments
|
Don’t take if you have had bad
results with NSAIDs. Can be taken with acetaminophen.
|