Arthritis sufferers take matters into their own creaky hands

Apparently people can be motivated to change without being badgered to by their doctors. At least that's what Canadian researchers found for people with arthritis, according to this report in Monday's Health & Science Section by my colleague Marie McCullough:

Imagine it: patients making commonsense lifestyle changes on their own, without urging from a doctor. Amazing or not, that's what Canadian researchers found when they surveyed 190 osteoarthritis patients.

By six months after diagnosis, 90 percent of the patients — predominantly white overweight women, average age 63 — had visited their family physician, and half were taking prescription or nonprescription painkillers. In addition, three-quarters started exercising and one-third started taking dietary supplements such as glucosamine — without the advice of a health professional.

As a result, "they saw improvements in their pain and function," concluded the study, published in the April issue of Arthritis Care & Research.