Now that the "baby boom" generation has broken the middle-aged barrier, "arthritis relief" is a hot billion dollar industry today and has attracted the interest of the pharmaceutical companies. I suppose most of us have heard the dark little tale about the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Vioxx. It was prescribed to thousands of desperate arthritis sufferers, only to later be found to have most inconvenient side effects such as heart attack and sudden cardiac death. Downright irritating when it's making you $2.55 billion, isn't it!



The pharmaceutical company eventually pulled it from the market, but only when it absolutely had to. Deaths are a problem, but lawsuits... well, that's serious.

Around 107,000 people are said to be hospitalized thanks to bad reactions with NSAIDs - the group of drugs Vioxx belonged to.

There are different forms of arthritis, but the two most commonly known are rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. This is when the body fails to recognize its own constituent parts as "self" and begins to attack its own cells and tissues - in this case, the joints. Being a systemic disease, it often affects other body tissue, including skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs and muscles.

Osteoarthritis on the other hand, is a degenerative condition caused by a wearing of the cartilege that cushions the joints. This causes pain and loss of mobility which in turn may lead to muscular atrophy after a while, bringing further complications.

So what can you do?

Currently available drugs may focus on relieving the symptoms, but the best way to obtain arthritis relief is by dealing with the source of the problem. If your problem is Rheumatoid Arthritis, you need to improve your immune system. If it's Osteoarthritis, you need to repair damaged cartilege. We need to nourish our bodies with ingredients it recognizes as compatible and beneficial. In this regard...

Natural is always best.

An American company has developed a new product, appropriate named "Supple". They have packaged the most potent natural ingredients known to provide arthritis relief, such as glucosamine and chondroitin, into a delicious fruit juice drink. To this they've added a cocktail of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which work synergistically to provide what they claim to be "pharmaceutical strength" arthritis relief in a natural product that avoids the risks associated with drugs.

The promoters believe that for less than the cost of a small bottle of fruit juice each day, their product can bring arthritis relief in just 7 days, with the added "side effects" of feeling younger and losing weight.

Sound too good to be true? One way to find out.