SAMe helps arthritis in this state of the art study

In this study the effectiveness of SAMe was compared to that of the commonly prescribed drug celecoxib (known by its trade name; Celebrex) in helping patients with painful osteoarthritis of the knee. The study was randomized, double-blinded, performed in a cross-over fashion; meaning that all 61 patients took both the drug and the supplement over a 16-week period. In the first month celecoxib gave significantly more pain relief than SAMe, by the second month statistically, the level of pain relief was the same between SAMe and the drug. Both reduced pain and improved the ability to function and use the knee to a similar degree by the fifth week even increasing the ability to perform exercise. To sum up, SAME has a slower onset of action but is as effective as celecoxib for relieving the symptoms of arthritis in the knee. Research shows that SAMe is a very useful and well tolerated nutrient. The study was published in the medical journal BMC Muscoloskeletal Disorders, Feb, 2004.