Non VSG to the Older Crowd: Any thought on OsteoArthritis?

I feel you pain, I too have OA, feet, knees, feet, hands, hips, shoulder, back, jaw.. (where do I  ot have it!!??!! I think my nose is fine even tho I broke that too!).  I am currently taking a Prescription Food, Limbrel, problem is it is not covered by most insurance and is spendee.  It really helps me.  I broke both my wrists last October and ragrivated the problems in my thumb joints and I am just not keen at all on a thumb joint replacement.  I often feel like I would like to put my entire body in one of those parafin "baths".

Your post got me thinking I have one of thoe Ionic Foot Spa's  It works really great for the hands too. I need to get back to doing them as I haven't for awhile.  I have heard that some think the OA symptoms are aggrevated by toxins, so maybe try some sauna time?  I get a really good and thorough massage every 2 weeks from a "healing" massuse, That has probably made the biggest difference for me.  

I have some cheater things I use as I have zero strength in my hands.   I have a square of that anti=skid drawer mesh I use to help me grip most anything.

Acupuncture, Omega 3's and Glucosiamine helped me too.    

Baja

edited to add:  I did Physical Therapy for my hands after breaking the wrists.  It really helped my hand strength. 

* have some cheater things I use as I have zero strength in my hands.   I have a square of that anti=skid drawer mesh I use to help me grip most anything.*

Baja - for all of my life, we have called the rubber grip things "Rubber Husbands."

I had a conversation with a lady the other day who was fussing about decreased hand strength and I mentioned she should get herself a Rubber Husband and the look on her face and the ladies around her!  I realized maybe not EVERYONE calls them that and explained myself.

But it was amusing for a moment!  Maybe she thought I was one of those "Ladies funtime women party" people :}

I have an issue with arthritis in an ankle that I shattered quite nicely in my teens, but also issues with repetitive strain stuff from work in my upper extremities. 

Something that was AMAZING for my pain has been serapeptase - its an enzyme that is secreted by the silk worm when they need to break through the silk (when they are flutterbies!) and it works incredibly well for inflammation issues.

The orginal kind I took has been out of stock and I have been out for a good couple of months, and what I have found is - my pain has come back, but also other things - my lungs are chunkier than they were without it, and my iritis/uveitis has come back, where I have not had it since I had started taking the spzyme. 

http://www.greenwillowtree.com/-strse-626/spzyme,-serrapepta se,-anti-inflammatory,/Detail.bok

You can read about it there if you are so inclined.  That is also the brand that I took before, but that place has another type that I just broke down and ordered, supposed to be from the same manufacturer, so, we will see.  It was such a blessing to find it and I have been out of it a month and am seeing/feeling all of the benefits of it, because they are working on not being around anymore!