Are you in emotional or physical pain? Before you take harsh medications there is another option.
In today’s Health Alert, I’ll tell you about a remarkable nutrient widely used in Europe – but virtually unused by American doctors. It relieves joint pain and depression as well as anti-depressants, but without the side effects.
Nature’s Mood Enhancer and Pain Reliever
I’m talking about SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine). SAMe is naturally present in every cell in your body. Its natural function is to:
• Maintain cell growth and health
• Prevent DNA mutations
• Help produce melatonin (for mood and sleep)
• Help produce acetylcholine (for memory)
Both pain and depression can have serious consequences. And drugs can make problems worse. Doctors often prescribe medications with a range of serious side effects, such as NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and anti-depressants.
What’s worse, is that many of these drugs are addictive. And because of the long lapse before these medications begin to work, many people take too many.
SAMe: Safe and Clinically Proven
You don’t have to take these risky medicines to get relief. SAMe can help tremendously.
Scientists have been diligently studying SAMe since the 1980’s. They have reported numerous trials in which SAMe has worked just as well as anti-depressants. And SAMe was overwhelmingly better tolerated than the drugs in every study.
In 2002, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study that compared SAMe and the drug imipramine’s effectiveness for the improvement of major depression. One group took SAMe, while the other took imipramine for 6 weeks.
Both groups had an equal positive improvement. However, the SAMe group reported considerably less adverse side effects. SAMe was just as good as the drug and better tolerated.1
Researchers are also interested in SAMe as a pain reliever. It raises levels of dopamine in the body. Dopamine is responsible for that “feel good” mood. SAMe can not only make you feel better; it can help to correct swollen joints. SAMe helps to create glucosamine in the body. Glucosamine is a building block of joint cartilage.
The Journal of Rheumatology published a study proving the effectiveness of SAMe for joint pain. Researchers studied patients with osteoarthritic knee pain. Participants either took SAMe or a placebo for 23 days. Scientists measured their improvement on standardized pain scales. Those taking SAMe had a “significantly greater reduction in overall pain…” than those taking the placebo.2
SAMe is widely available. You can find it in health food stores, drug stores and on the internet. I recommend starting with 200mg of SAMe a day. If there is little improvement after 2 weeks, I increase the dose to 400mg once a day. I occasionally work up to 400mg twice a day.
The only side effects I have seen with SAMe are upset stomach – or very rarely, a skin rash which resolves when you stop taking it.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears MD
1 Delle C et al., Efficacy and tolerability of oral and intrramuscular S-adenosyl-l-methionine 1, 4-butanedisulfonate (SAMe) in the treatment of major depression: comparison with imipramine in 2 multicenter studies. Am J Clin Nutr 2002 Nov; 76(5): 1172S-1176S
2 Bradley J. et al., A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial of oral SAM therapy in patients with knee osteoarthritis. J Rheumatol 1994 May; 21(5): 905-911