The Battle Against Osteoarthritis

Available for the 1st Time in the UK, LitoZin is an Effective Alternative to Vioxx in the Battle Against Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis occurring in particular in older people. In fact, according to Arthritis Care, over 8.5 million people are affected by it in the UK.

It is a degenerative condition caused by a gradual deterioration of the cartilage that covers bone endings. This results in joint friction and the development of bony spurs, leading to joint weakness, pain, inflammation and deformity. Joints most commonly affected include the wrists, knees, hips and spine.

While the arthritis drug Vioxx helped ease the pain of millions of patients, its withdrawal in 2004 due to safety issues left many arthritis sufferers seeking alternatives. This is why we at HSI are delighted to introduce you to a brand new product called LitoZin, available for the first time here in the UK.

New research has demonstrated that LitoZin works in an altogether different way from the common OA remedy, glucosamine, which works by helping to repair damaged or eroded joint cartilage. LitoZin appears to have an anti-inflammatory effect by reducing the migration of polymorphonucleated leucocytes white blood cells which are involved in the inflammation and tissue damage associated with osteoarthritis.1  

The Battle Against Osteoarthritis: After 5 years of research, Danish folk remedy leads to LitoZin development

The active ingredient in LitoZin is a galactolipid compound called GOPO, derived from the Langeland wild rose hip. The remedy was discovered, as many other discoveries are, by chance. In the early 1980s, Erik Hansen, a farmer and grandfather from the Danish island of Langeland, suffered from constant joint discomfort in his shoulders. After conventional medicine failed to help, Hansen took the advice of a friend who recommended he try a Langeland folk medicine wild rose hip jam. After eating the jam regularly, the farmers shoulder joints began to improve. So he decided to concoct a more concentrated version of the folk medicine by growing wild rose hips and drying and grinding them into a powder. Within a month of taking the powder, Hansens pain disappeared.

Word spread about the health benefits of the wild rose hips and Hansen began selling the powder to people all over Denmark. The response was so good that Hansen and his son eventually informed a medical doctor about their discovery. Dr Kaj Winther was impressed, which led to him to contact colleagues at the Copenhagen University Department of Clinical Microbiology, where the active compound in the rose hip powder was identified.

The GOPO content of wild rose hips varies considerably in different species, but through years of analysis, a unique subspecies of the rose hip plant with the highest content of GOPO was produced. From there the powder was patented, encapsulated and marketed.
  
Even though it has only been commercially available in Scandinavian countries for two years, LitoZin (originally called Hyben Vital) has become so popular that even the Danish Prime Minister is said to be using it. With five years of scientific research behind it and 13 studies completed to date, wild rose hip powder (under the name of LitoZin) is now being introduced into UK and US markets as a solution for osteoarthritic pain.

The Battle Against Osteoarthritis:Three studies show that LitoZin can help relieve pain and stiffness 

In 2004, a trial was carried out in order to determine the safety and efficacy of LitoZin as a treatment for osteoarthritis.2

One hundred and twelve patients were enrolled who were diagnosed with the condition. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received LitoZin for a three-month period while the other group received a placebo. After three months, the groups were switched so that the group initially treated with the placebo was then changed to receiving LitoZin and vice versa for another three-month period. During the trial the patients recorded the severity of joint pain, stiffness and their state of well-being. Overall, the authors reported the herbal remedy LitoZin has a moderate alleviating effect on joint pain and improves general well-being, sleep quality and mood in patients with osteoarthritis without producing any adverse side-effects.

In a Norwegian study, end-stage patients who were scheduled for a hip or knee replacement experienced a reduction in the limitations of freedom of movement by about 40 per cent, plus a reduction of pain after four months on LitoZin. They were also able to reduce the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).3

A more recent LitoZin study, published several months ago, enrolled 94 patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee in a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover trial.4

As in the previous study, the patients were divided into two groups. One group received 5g of the herbal remedy daily for three months while the other group was given a similar amount of placebo. The treatment was then swapped. After the first two weeks of treatment, patients were advised to try to reduce their intake of painkillers.

Within three weeks, the patients taking LitoZin had a significant reduction in joint pain while the patients taking the placebo had no reduction. After three months, however, although disability and stiffness eased significantly in those taking LitoZin, the percentage of pain relief in both groups was not significantly different.

The researchers put this down to the fact that more LitoZin-treated patients reduced their use of medication and concluded that a four-month treatment period may have shown better pain-relieving results, as in the case of the earlier Norwegian study.

Because LitoZin works by an entirely different mechanism than glucosamine and many other joint health products, you can add it to your current supplementation regimen for enhanced results to see if it works for you. However, as always, you should check with your doctor first.

If you decide to try LitoZin, we would love to hear about your results. Please write to us with updates on your progress. Well keep monitoring LitoZin research and share with you any new developments.

What to take for best results

The suggested dose for LitoZin is one to two capsules two to three times a day, depending on individual needs.

Sources:

1. J Nat Prod 2003; 66(7): 994-5
2. Phytomed 2004; 11: 383-91
3. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp 2003; 64(1): 21-31
4. Scand J Rheumatol 2005: 34: 302-8