by Toni Jordan AACNEM B.Sc. Dip A.

A combination of new research and open-minded physicians is blurring the lines in medicine, as Toni Jordan reports.

Until now, understanding your health care choices has been relatively simple. If you want a prescription for a pharmaceutical drug, you consult a traditionally-trained doctor. Or if you want a more natural treatment, you visit a naturopath. But to some patients, this division is not only artificial; it's harmful. It denies both sick and healthy people the ability to choose the best combination of conventional and alternative treatments.

But some medical professionals are now offering their patients the best available treatment, regardless of its origins. Professor Les Cleland, head of rheumatology at Royal Adelaide Hospital, is a doctor at the foreground of this paradigm shift. Professor Cleland has been treating arthritis sufferers for more than 20 years, but his treatment of choice isn't an anti-inflammatory drug produced by a multinational pharmaceutical company. It's fish oil.

The Royal Adelaide Hospital dispenses over 400 bottles of liquid fish oil each week to arthritis patients. "We've known for more than 20 years that fish oil supplements can benefit the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis." Professor Cleland says. Fish oil's effectiveness lies in its anti-inflammatory action. The omega-3 essential fatty acids found in fish oil are used by the body to manufacture prostaglandins, which are hormone-like chemicals that cause pain and inflammation. All prostaglandins cause inflammation, but those made from the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil are weaker than those made using other fatty acids. So fish oil can actually decrease an arthritis sufferer's pain, swelling and stiffness.

A reduction in the crippling symptoms of arthritis isn't the only benefit of taking fish oil. "Not only do we have better disease control in arthritis patients, we also have a reduction in a number of cardiovascular risk factors." Professor Cleland says. Research shows that patients taking fish oil have improved triglyceride and cholesterol profiles, which could lead to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Also, if you're taking fish oil, you're less likely to be taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, known as NSAIDs. NSAIDs were originally touted as a cure-all for a wide range of inflammatory diseases, but one, Vioxx, was recalled world-wide in 2004 because of its fatal side effects. "The Vioxx issue has caused an increased scrutinising of the other NSAIDs—they almost all increase the level of cardiovascular risk," warns Professor Cleland.

So why isn't everyone with arthritis taking fish oil? "The number one reason has been the lack of availability of a suitable dosage," says Professor Cleland. To control the symptoms of arthritis, sufferers need to take 10 or more fish oil capsules a day. At this dosage, fish oil supplementation quickly becomes expensive, and some people find this many capsules difficult to digest. Instead, the Royal Adelaide Hospital uses liquid fish oil supplied by Melrose Health Supplies. "Most people cope well with the liquid, taken on juice," adds Professor Cleland.

So is this mixing of conventional and natural medicine a sign of things to come? If the patients at Royal Adelaide Hospital are any guide, in the future more and more health consumers will combine the best of both worlds.

For further details contact Jackie Edgar at the Royal Adelaide Hospital's Preventative Care Centre on +61 8 8222 5219.

Toni Jordan AACNEM B.Sc. Dip A. is a Melbourne-based freelance and corporate writer, trainer and consultant to the health food industry.