James

James is in his late sixties. He sent the following email on February 6, 2019.

(Vitamin MePA Only)

February 6, 2019

“The two people you reported finding relief from their arthritis are indeed fortunate, but I have lingering doubts that a sample of two constitutes statistical significance.

Unfortunately, my case wasn’t so positive. In the 16 months I’ve taken MePA, the arthritis in my right foot went from unnoticed (and likely, none) to suddenly in the last month, symptoms have appeared which are so painful that I now have difficulty walking and have had to make appointments with a podiatrist.

It makes me wonder about the efficacy of your nostrum; couldn’t an agent that showed promise in curing or relieving arthritis in those who already had the disease have prevented it in someone who appears not to have had it at the time he started taking it?

I apologize if you find my remarks to be slightly sardonic or cynical.

Would you advise that I continue taking MePA?”

Dr. Aardsma responded the same day.

“Thank you for sharing your experience. I am sorry for your pain, and I hope it resolves quickly. I am happy to act as an information resource to you regarding any questions you may have about vitamin MePA.

The summary report included three people: Valorie, Helen, and Kathryn. It is expected that the summary report will ultimately be followed up by a full clinical trial. Your experience could help design a better clinical trial, so I hope you will continue to share with us about it.

Specific questions at present are:

  1. Have you been diagnosed with arthritis by a qualified medical practitioner?
  2. Are you confident in the diagnosis? Another user has reported severe foot pain, but that was diagnosed as plantar fasciitis, not arthritis.
  3. Do you know what type of arthritis you have? I am not an expert on arthritis, but I understand there are different types. Here is from the Internet. There are more than 100 different forms of arthritis and related diseases. The most common types include osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), fibromyalgia and gout. www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/pain-management/…/types-of-pain.php
  4. What is your dose history for vitamin MePA? Have you been taking 1 drop per day for the 16 months?

You have asked whether you should keep taking the vitamin. Since you are the first person, out of several hundred users at present, to report a sudden attack of arthritis while on the vitamin, and since other users have reported relief of arthritis after beginning to take vitamin MePA, it seems unlikely that the vitamin is the cause of this attack. But do consult your professional medical practitioner for a professional medical opinion regarding whether you should continue to take the vitamin.”

James replied on February 9, 2019.

“In answer to your questions:

    1. Yes, I was diagnosed with arthritis by my regular doctor who is an M.D. working at the local Veteran’s Hospital.
    2. A number of x-rays were taken showing arthritic changes to both feet, but the condition of the right foot, the one in which I am experiencing pain, was the most severe. So, I’m confident that this is no will ‘o the wisp diagnosis but is based on sound medical principles.
    3. This is osteoarthritis, with the typical bone spurs, loss of cartilage and the growth of a calcified area—or as the radiologist’s report says, “joint osteoarthritis with osteophyte formation, joint space narrowing, subchondral sclerosis and a dorsal bunion. Scattered milder degenerative changes…
    4. I was taking two drops of MePA a day for the first 2 or 3 months, then dropped to one drop a day after that. I missed taking it for three weeks while on vacation, but have otherwise taken it regularly.

This condition may be genetic since I have a sister who suffers from the same condition in her foot.”

Dr. Aardsma replied on March 19, 2019.

“Thank you for this additional information. It is very helpful.

A reasonable hypothesis at this stage would be that osteoarthritis responds more slowly than rheumatoid arthritis to vitamin MePA and that Valorie, Helen, and Kathryn were reporting results for rheumatoid arthritis.

It is expected that some of the damage due to aging will respond very slowly to vitamin MePA. Noah’s experience shows that in his case it took 12 years for aging to be reversed by one year. It would not be surprising to find that osteoarthritis is in this slow category, given the fact that the body’s natural replacement of bone is a relatively slow process, taking roughly a decade.

Thank you for sharing your dose history. It confirms what others have reported, that a reduction of the dose seems to be followed by rapid loss of ground gained and emergence of negative health effects. Note that the most current dose recommendation says that you should be taking 3 drops per day.