Tendonitis and Osteoarthritis, Can Omega-3s Help Me?
I am disoriented because the rheumatologist is guiding me toward a total shoulder prosthesis, as is the orthopedic surgeon, but I am fighting osteoarthritis, tendinitis with cartilage destruction, along with cortisone infiltrations—3 in three months and another 3 in the following three months—methotrexate therapy, and swimming in 34-degree water. I have committed myself to avoiding oral cortisone (I can no longer take it) and to following a healthier diet. Now I would like to know if I can start taking omega-3 supplements and which ones I could buy, considering that I am hypertensive under treatment and have high cholesterol but am not on therapy. Thank you.
Dear Madam,
Both for tendinitis and osteoarthritis, you could indeed find benefit in a synergistic supplementation of omega-3 and omega-6, supporting your pharmacological therapy.
Several clinical studies have highlighted that polyunsaturated fatty acids (particularly EPA, DHA, and GLA) may help suppress the inflammatory processes underlying chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, arthritis, and tendinitis.
Following your doctor's advice, you may supplement your diet with 2-3 capsules per day of Omegor TwinEFA to be taken before a main meal—breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Omegor TwinEFA features a synergistic formulation of fish oil high in EPA-DHA (600 mg per capsule) and borage oil (rich in GLA 10 mg/capsule).
This supplementation could progressively be useful over time:
- For inflammation. The combination of omega-3 and omega-6 may influence and moderate the production of chemical mediators of pain (pro-inflammatory eicosanoids) in favor of other substances with anti-inflammatory action that resolve the inflammatory state. Both tendinitis and osteoarthritis are linked to inflammatory processes.
- For pain. Over time, this supplementation might also help alleviate the chronic pain associated with your condition and reduce the use of anti-inflammatory NSAIDs.
I remain available for further information.
I recommend consulting your doctor before starting supplementation, especially considering your concurrent pharmacological treatments.
Best regards,
Rosaria Ramondino, Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Chemist
