Here’s a useful supplement that can ease the pain of arthritis: bromelain, an enzyme found in extracts of pineapple (the fruit and its stem). Bromelain has both anti-inflammatory and pain-killing properties, like aspirin.
The original extractions–performed by Dole Pineapple–became commercially available in 1957. Chiropractors have been recommending bromelain for years as part of the treatment for any soft tissue injury, such as a sprain. I first learned about bromelain from my chiropractic associate Dr. Paul Rubin.
Most recently, studies placed bromelain head-to-head with prescription anti-inflammatories of the NSAID class (called COX-2 inhibitors), such as Celebrex. The results were impressive in that both therapies gave excellent relief, but the bromelain had virtually no side effects, even in high doses.
If you’re walking around with an achy knee or hip and have a sensible fear of an NSAID like aspirin behaving like Mount St. Helens in your stomach or a COX-2 inhibitor giving you a heart attack, consider bromelain. Click here for information about the product Dr. R and I recommend to our patients.