I was talking to my neighbor recently. He complained briefly about some pains he was having in his knees. I asked if it were arthritis. He told me that he played college football and now he is paying for it.
I told him that Type II undenatured chicken collagen has been able to help, especially with osteoarthritis. He knows I am not a medical doctor. He also knows that I research and write about the cause and effect of various health issues. Arthritis is a term used to describe inflammation of the joints. Arthritis is one I have written and talked about over the years.
There are two primary types of arthritis – rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation in the joints (fingers, wrists, feet, and ankles). It can be painful and limit body function. The immune system attacks the synovium around the joint and can eventually destroy the cartilage and bone around the joint.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis. It is associated with wear out of cartilage in the joints, usually in weight-bearing joints (hips, knees, and spine). Cartilage is a shock-absorbing tissue found in various parts of the body. Fibrocartilage is associated with arthritis. OA symptoms include pain, soreness, stiffness, joint swelling, and more.
RA risk factors include sex (women are more likely to develop RA), age (usually starts around middle age), family history (heredity), smoking, environment (asbestos, silica, and other), and obesity. OA risk factors are similar with regards to heredity and obesity. OA is more often seen in injuries, joint overuse, and some diseases, especially if you already have RA. For this article, I will focus on OA.
Doctors treat OA with exercise, weight loss (if needed), medication, and physical therapy to start. Over the counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatories are recommended for pain. Some physicians will inject hyaluronic acid (HA) into the joint. My mother’s doctor prescribed a steroid shot. None of these treatments address the cause. All of them treat the symptoms.
Type II undenatured chicken collagen is a molecule that is nearly a mirror-image to human collagen. When chicken breastbone is prepared a certain way, the alignment of the molecule looks very similar to its human counterpart. It is available in pill form. Eighty percent of our gut is our immune system.
When collagen is exposed, the immune system attacks it because it has never seen that molecule before. The result is swelling, inflammation, soreness, pain, redness, and heat. It is the autoimmune system responding properly to an invader.
To treat the cause of the problem, the body (our immune system) must see this ‘new’ molecule on a regular basis. Scientists found that allowing the immune system to see type II undenatured chicken collagen for at least ninety days in a row, the autoimmune response stops. It recognizes the human-like molecule as no longer a threat.
Swelling, inflammation, and other symptoms recede. Scientists also found that cartilage restoration also took place is a large percentage of patients. Human studies showed a 50% improvement in joint pain and function and reduced further cartilage loss by monitoring the biomarker CTX-II.
Reducing pain and inflammation without a prescription or over the counter medicine has many advantages. Studies also show similar results with animals and joint problems. Further human studies combined glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate with type II undenatured chicken collagen. A year-long study had over one hundred patients averaging over 60 years of age. Biomarkers of cartilage loss were much less with the added components.
The next phase of studies was randomized and controlled. They treated patients from mid-40s to 70 years of age with OA in their knees. One group was given Tylenol and the other group was given Tylenol and type II undenatured chicken collagen.
After three months, the group with both Tylenol and type II chicken collagen had significant improvements compared to the other group. Knee function, quality of life and a 50% reduction in pain. Tylenol is a brand name for acetaminophen. Long term usage of acetaminophen can damage the digestive tract and kidneys. It also increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure.
Talk to your personal doctor before beginning any treatment with type II undenatured chicken collagen. Never stop taking any prescribed medicines without consulting your physician. The use of type II undenatured chicken collagen might be a topic to discuss with your doctor if you suffer from either RA or OA. Type II undenatured chicken collagen is taken generally for 90-120 days.
Life Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin