Joint Function

Joint Function

Joints are the connection points between two or more bones – there are over 140 joints in your body, all designed to protect the ends of your bones from rubbing together and creating friction. When joints are healthy and functioning normally, the intricate system of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage work together to absorb shock and promote smooth, comfortable movement. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis in which the cartilage covering the ends of bones breaks down, causing unprotected joint endings to rub together. Over time, cartilage degradation causes pain, swelling, reduced joint mobility, and stiffness.

The unique complex of minerals that makes up SierraSil® has been clinically proven to decrease joint pain, stiffness and enhance mobility in a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted by Dr. Mark Miller in 2005. In this study, patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis were instructed to take either low-dose (2 g), high-dose (3 g), low-dose SierraSil® with cat’s claw extract or placebo. The primary efficacy variable of the study was the WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities) Osteoarthritis Index. WOMAC is a disease-specific self-administered, health status measure that is widely accepted as reflective of osteoarthritis disease activity. There are three sections to the WOMAC Score, evaluating joint pain (Section A), stiffness (B) and physical function and mobility (C).

Miller and his team discovered that the magnitude of the benefits on joint function and mobility were far greater in all 3 Sierrasil® treated groups compared to placebo. Furthermore, they found that the therapeutic effects of SierraSil® were much more rapid than other natural joint therapies, such as glucosamine and chondroitin, with statistically significant benefits being seen within one week of treatment, with steady improvements with continued administration.

While the mechanism of action of the therapeutic benefits of SierraSil® in this study is unclear, these clinical results support the findings of the previous mechanism of action study performed by Miller and his team. This study suggests that SierraSil® may affect transcriptional events, as indicated by the reduced production of nitric oxide in response to cytokine IL-1β, a primary initiator of cartilage breakdown. Inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide are known to alleviate numerous inflammatory diseases including arthritis. This evidence provides a plausible mechanism of action for the therapeutic effects on joint function seen in patients taking SierraSil®.