Omega 3 fish oil is a very effective rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain reliever. In fact, it may be the best since it doesn't have any serious side effects.

The most commonly prescribed pain relievers for RA are NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). But they're not safe. NSAIDs, such as Advil, Aleve, Motrin and Nuprin, according to the New England Journal of Medicine (1999; 340 (24): 1888-99), cause severe gastrointestinal complications that are responsible for a hundred thousand hospitalizations and over sixteen thousand deaths annually. And that's just in the U.S.

But that's not all. NSAIDs are also being linked to an increase of cardiovascular disease. Vioxx, for example, was shown to be involved in tens of thousands of deaths from heart attacks before it was removed from the market.

If that's the case, then NSAIDs should be the last choice arthritis sufferers take for pain relief. The two million Americans with arthritis, according to the Mayo Clinic, already have twice the risk of heart failure and sudden cardiac death. They certainly don't need NSAIDs increasing their risk any more.

But here's the good news for arthritis suffers. Omega 3 fish oil has been found to provide effective pain relief, as well as protection against heart disease.

Numerous studies have shown fish oil was so effective at significantly reducing the severity of morning stiffness and number of painful joints that many arthritis patients reduced or totally eliminated their use of NSAIDs.

In a recent long term study of arthritis and fish oil, for example, fish oil was so effective that 75% of participants stopped taking controversial NSAID pain medication. But there's even more to this story. The arthritis patients also lowered triglycerides, raised good HDL cholesterol levels and improved their cholesterol/HDL levels. (Journal of Rheumatology, October 2006)

"Anti-inflammatory doses of fish oil," the researchers concluded, "should be considered in patients with RA as a means of reducing CV risk."

After reviewing more than 75 fish oil clinical trails (Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, 18: 28-36), Dr. Robert Oh asserted that "Physicians must recognize this potential life-saving treatment choice in patients with cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis." Dr. Oh concluded that "Fish saves lives."

Dr. Oh suggests that doctors get all their patients to follow American Heart Association guidelines that recommend everyone eat at least two servings of fatty fish a week or get from 650 to 1,000 mgs of combined omega 3 fish oil DHA (docosahenaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) fatty acids per day through supplementation.

And don't be concerned about fish toxicity. Research done by Drs. Dariush Moxaffarian and Erik Rimm of the Harvard University School of Public Health showed fish benefits are 300 to 500 times greater than any threat of risk. They said despite the negative press mercury in fish was just "background noise." (Journal of the American Medical Association 2006, Vol. 296: 1885-99)

If you want to take good care of both your heart and your joints, eating fatty fish on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. For even better arthritis pain relief and heart disease prevention, eat fish and take a good quality omega 3 fish oil supplement on a daily basis. That way you can be sure you're getting what you need to feel your best.