My career choice and carpal tunnel syndrome go together. I remember reading a response from Earthmama where she gave recommendations for helping this, but cannot find it again. My printer was out of ink at the time and I was not able to print it out. If anyone can tell me where the response was (I think it was off topic), or can respond under this thread, I would really appreciate it. ANY help is valued. Thanks.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2001

Answers

I got the best results when my doctor prescribed Celebrex for mine.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2001

Hi Amber, my sister-in-law has BAD carpal tunnel syndrome, she's a professional computer "geek" and spends many, many hours every day on the computer. She saw all sorts of doctors about the pain, wore the wrist braces for years, finally had an operation to fuse the bones in her wrist! This has helped a little, but the best pain reilef comes from the prescription Vioxx, like Jay mentioned, Celebrex is the other brand name cox 2 inhibitor that works great for musculoskeletal pain of all types, this drug is the best for your type of pain, works at least twice as good as ibuprofen. I have taken it for over a year for joint pain, it is the only legal pain relief that actually works!!!

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2001

Hi Amber,

If you havent totally blown out your wrists yet, this may be of help to you. It is an exercise, repeated a few times a day: stand with your back to a table or other hard surface, place your palms on the edge of the table and slowly rest your body weight on your hands, slowly release, rest a few seconds, and repeat a few times. Putting pressure on this part of the hand apparently stretches the tendons in the opposite way that they are strained when using the keyboard,etc.

And if perchance you , like me, don't believe in using drugs, you might like to try using Vitamin B6, 100mg three times a day , which works wonders in my family for most all types of inflammation.

Best of luck,

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2001

Also Earthmama told me something that works very well. Hold your wrists in hot water for 5 minutes, then plunge in cold water for as long as you can stand it, it hurts! BUT, it really helps the circulation and really makes my wrists and arms feel better.

When you are filling up the washer with hot water, hold your wrists there under the water. I do it every time. It feels so good and helps allot. Thanks Emama.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2001

A point about the Vioxx and Celebrex. The two are different enough but do the same thing that my doctor explained that should I begin to develop immunity to the Celebrex, he could alternate me to the other to maintain the benifit of the medication while I became non immune.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2001

Thanks Jay, for the info about the cox 2 inhibitors, now I know I can switch if it appears to quit working :-) !!!

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2001

I have milkmaid hands from milking goats. Without my MSM, Glucosomine and Chondroiton daily during milking/show season, my hands ache so bad at night I have to take Aleve, or Advil. Something with my asthma I don't need to be doing! Vicki

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2001

Thanks for all the help. I do not have carpal tunnel syndrome yet, and want to stay away from prescription medicines as much as possible. I am a dealer and use repetive movements in the wrists/hands and shoulders. I love my job, but would like to do everything I can to prevent problems in the future. I figure I have a much greater chance if I practice preventive medicine. Thanks again.

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

B6 has give me great relief in the past when trouble with my hands, helps diminish the numbness. Ditto also on MSM with Glucosomine for arthritic pain, I take it daily and swear by it, also I get the cheaper stuff from Walmart, saves a ton of money over the health food store brands.

Namaste, Judy

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

What is MSM with Glucosomine? I've heard you all talk about it before but I don't know what it is.

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Glucosomine and Chondroiton I purchase in a pill together, also a Wallmart shopper, I just check to make sure it hasn't expired. Used to use the General Nutrition stuff that is 5 times as expensive, one month I simply couldn't get to the mall and was out, bought the Sun Valley brand at wallmart and saw no difference! Both glucosomine and chondroiton stop the destructives enzymes in our joints, with Chondroiton being part of normal cartilage itself, and gulp :) it is derived from cattle, but I am simply not going to stop using it.

MSM is used as sulfur in the body which adds strength and stability to the sturcture of collagen rich tendons, ligaments, joint tissues and connective tissues.

This is not off the bottles, it is however out of the unitedequinevet.com containers I use for my older does! :) I actaully was using it on my goats for years (MSM more recently) before I thought about using it on myself. My mom is 75 and still rides and trains her horses that compete at the Nationals (arabians). She was the first one I knew that was using these, she had broken her pelvis, when she was a young adult, when a horse reared up and sat on her, with her in the saddle still, now with two bionic shoulders (replacements from slinging sadles for 60 years, she says she doesn't think she could get out of bed without these! Vicki

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

So Vicki, you really are a goat lady, you're takin goat medicine! So this MSM, it's sulfur kinda? My hands are getting worse right now, I've been using the wire cutters way too much, and pulling weeds too much.

Plus twice I had to milk the cow, and oh, it hurt. That's allot of milk! What I did was squeeze with my left hand and then grab the end of the teat with my right, and got allot more outta each effort. You can get a whole hand and two fingers on her teats! I only had to milk out 2 thank goodness as the 2 Jerseys get the other 2 and strip her out. I don't think I could do all 4 without crying. It's a good thing she's patient with me, the sweetheart.

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

So where do you get the MSM?? What does the MSM stand for?? I have missed this one I guess.

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

MSM stands for "Methylsulfonylmethane". Arent you glad you asked? ( I really dont know that by heart; have to look up spelling every time)

I know lots of people have had very good luck with it; negatives I have heard are its expensive, and with some people it has over long term made their joints kinda sloppy-like.(technical term) Still good idea compared to side effects of drugs, in my humble opinion, of course. ;0

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

http://www.bulkmsm.com

Check it out!

MSM is not a medicine, a drug, or a food additive. It is a FOOD - a pure white sulfur powder. It comes from the ocean and is water soluble. Sulfonyl sulfur is found in plants, meats, dairy products, and vegetation. MSM is the 3rd largest ingredient found in your body.

If our body doesn't receive the proper nutrition and the building materials it needs, it will produce bad, dysfunctional cells, deficient of the basic ingredients that constitute a healthy cell. If you've ever had a canker sore it's because you lack something in your diet, possibly vitamin A or C. Your body tries to heal itself, but with deficient materials, it draws from other resources, and usually takes what it needs from the inside skin of our mouths. It takes what it needs and leaves a sore on the inside of the mouth. If we give the body what it needs to heal itself, it will repair the sore in the mouth and the skin will become healthy again. If we want a good flexible cell, capable of maintaining good health, we need to supplement our diets with MSM, to enable the body to heal itself.

Pure MSM 250 Capsules, 510 mg each

$12.00

This comes to $94 per KG Pure MSM 500 Capsules, 510 mg each

$22.50

This comes to $88 per KG

This site has many references to carpal tunnel and the benefits of MSM.

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001

I get the MSM with glucosamine at Wal-Mart for less than $10 for 120 capsules. I take two a day, I just looked to see the dosage, each capsule is 250 mg of each, so I guess I am only taking 500 mg of each a day. At that rate a bottle of 120 lasts me awhile, I know some folks take alot more, guess it's an individual thing. I know the Wal- mart stuff is not the pure natural stuff from the health food store, but it's working very well for me and doesn't break the bank. My left thumb joint use to give me alot of grief and now the only time I notice it is that I don't have the strength in my hands that I once had.

Namaste, judy

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001