fyi- bit of a support backlog due to health issues..

[Sean]

Thanks for the comments guys. Nick, thanks for sharing that story and offering any help. How are you these days? Feel free to PM me.

[Chazzy]

Sean, I'm glad that you found some things that work for you. Recent X-rays revealed that I have osteoarthritis in my back, but I'm not feeling pain from it and my doctor told me that it's very common at my age (54). I'm wondering whether I should be doing anything to prevent it from getting worse? I hate to spend a lot of money on dietary supplements if I don't need to, but I don't want to wind up in your predicament either. I'll think about the Omega 3's to start with.

[Sean]

Hi Charles, that's good news you have no pain at the moment. If I were you I would avoid any wear and tear activities like heavy lifting, running. Keep the back active without subjecting it to gravity, can't recommend swimming enough. Find a local lap pool and have a swim every few days if you can, vary the strokes etc. I'm lucky there is a lap pool 7mins from me and it's about $2 to have a swim. You might be fine for now with omega3 and maybe a 'joint formula' supplement that has glucosamine & chondroiton, and a light dose of collagen at night for now. That would minimise cost as supplements are never cheap. They are also once again linking vitaminD deficiency to more ailments including arthritis so ensure you get enough vitD. If you really want to go all out a teeter inversion table is great, has done wonders for me.. http://www.teeter-inversion.com/ good luck!

[Rick A]

I've been reading up on diet, and which foods are natural anti-inflamatory. Looks like grapes are the best for relieving arthritis. Eat a handfull of red grapes daily, or grape juice, and red wine are nearly as good. Grape seed extract has added benefits besides relieving arthritis, aids dental hygene. Theres something in GSE that prevents tooth decay. Fresh pinapple, fish that is high in omega-3, olive oil, and broccoli, all top the list of beneficial foods for us sufferers.
Bonus--grapes relieve gout(not that any of us suffer from that)