Erosive osteoarthritis pain but can't take NSAIDS

This is interesting to hear your experience—thanks for sharing. But doesn’t Voltaren gel contain NSAIDs?

Yes, but only a small % of it reaches your bloodstream, and none ends up in your stomach to irritate it.
We have used it for many years, long before it was widely available in the US, and even my husband nephrologist allows it with his CKD. I believe the situation may be different if you have liver failure.
Sue

Why hold off? The younger we are the more health , strength and energy we have to give to the healing process. I had knee surgery a little over 2 years ago and it’s the best move I ever made. My doctor used robotic surgery and I highly recommend that. Plus, get one of those continuously circulating ice water machines.

Just a caution about turmeric supplements. Their use has been linked to an increasing number of cases of liver injury (although still rare). The culprit is thought to be the synthetic curcumin often found in these products.

Hi Pacer - Since I use curcumin daily, I immediately jumped in and read the article.

First, let us note that the sample is VERY, VERY small - 10 people over a period of 5 years. And millions of people use turmeric every day in their diets. Second, there was no reporting of the amount of turmeric or curcumin the affected people were using daily. Remember, people often take the approach that "It's natural, so it's harmless" And still others believe "If a little is good, a lot is better."

You said, "The culprit is thought to be the synthetic curcumin often found in these products."

I didn't find that, but the report said, "Chemical analysis confirmed the presence of turmeric in all 7 products tested. Moreover, the detection of piperine in several of the more recent cases raises the possibility that it increased bioavailability, and thus, toxic exposure was the cause of hepatotoxicity. However, no cases of hepatotoxicity secondary to piperine ingestion alone have been reported, making the latter possibility less likely. Thus, it stands to reason that the addition of piperine could enhance direct toxicity of the turmeric product." Peperine is the active ingredient in black pepper.

What I found interesting was that a specific genetic anomaly was found in the 70% of the cases reported. "The small sample size of this case series limited the genetic analysis. However, it is notable that 7 of the 10 patients carried HLA-B*35:01, a class I HLA allele previously implicated in green tea (Camellia sinensis), Garcinia cambogia, and Polygonum multiflorum hepatotoxicity.18,20,21 Genetic studies performed by our group and others suggest that there is a common susceptibility link in persons carrying HLA-B*35:01, making them sensitive to multiple polyphenols.20,21 Therefore, carriage of this allele may be a risk factor for liver injury from several herbal components."

This sub-class of individuals represents 5-15% of the population, depending on ethnicity. Other research show people with this genetic sequence often react to other liver-affecting substances in negative ways as well, including some antibiotics, green tea and some Oriental herbs. They may also have increased adverse effects to liver-toxic substances like some chemotherapy drugs.

This simply reinforces the caveat that every individual needs to be aware of every substance they use, and how it affects them. Use only products from reliable sources and only in recommended amounts.

So thank you for the heads-up. I will be watching over time to be sure I am not having physical symptoms. And since my pain doc recommended curcumin, I will share the article with her and have her do my liver panel twice a year to watch for changes.
Sue

This article discusses the link between synthetic curcumin and liver injury. I'm not sure if the article is by subscription only, which is why I didn't post it with my comment above. It should be noted that the Nutraingredients_usa articles tend to be supportive of the dietary supplement industry.
https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Article/2022/10/24/A-rare-phenomenon-Experts-weigh-in-on-DILIN-data-linking-turmeric-supplements-to-liver-injury

I have an arthritic knee and have started exercising to build the muscles around my knee to help with pain. Also stay away from sugar and carbohydrates as much as possible. You can find exercises on You Tube - search El Pasco Manual Physical therapy. Lots of exercises for different joints and degrees of arthritic pain. You must follow through with exercise program daily ( sometimes 3-4 times per day ). I am starting to notice improvement although I just recently started exercising. Hope you find something that works for you.

Turmeric/Curcumin is not recommended for people with gallbladder issues either.

Good morning, was reading this with interest as both of my knees are 100% bone on bone and an allergy to bone glue eliminates surgery. Eight weeks ago I purchased a vial of Frankincense essential oil from Vitality. I blend it with organic olive oil as a carrier oil and rub on knees once a day. I am amazed at the relief I have had. Last week, I had to visit a Dr in a very large facility, which last year just the walking in and out I was in pain 2 days…. This time I didn’t suffer at all. Yes I still walk stiffly, but the sharp pain no longer bothers me.
Back in the 70s, I was exposed to Agent Orange from washing my husbands uniforms…. So the result for both of us is new allergies cropping up almost daily. Pain meds and antibiotics are out. So when I found this oil, I wanted to try it.
One of my friends had both knees replaced 10 years ago and swims several times a week to exercise, but still in discomfort. She is now using this oil too.
Like everything else out there, go for quality. Some companies dilute their oils to reduce the price. Vitality brand is more expensive, but frequent coupons helps. I recently bought 2 vials for less than my first vial.
Hope this will be of help to someone.

Interesting article. The supplement I use says it is from the rhizome of curcuma longa (the plant that gives us turmeric) so I would say it is not synthetic. We need to look for USP or other certification on herbal products, and not necessarily shop by price. Also, when supplement companies give their herbal ingredients proprietary names instead of using plain Latin, I wonder what I am getting, and whether it is from the earth or from a lab. This includes some of the big advertisers in print, on the air or on-line.
Sue