Arthritis has become a household word so it's no surprise that prescription pills for have become big business. Sadly more people should be considering collagen pills for arthritis instead.

Prescription pills for arthritis is a billion dollar a year business. Trouble is that these pills create a great deal of side effects which include heart valve failure, stomach problems, and more. In fact in just the past year we've seen two very popular arthritis medicines pulled off the market - Bextra and Vioxx are now both gone.

But that leaves arthritis sufferers wondering what there options are. After all that only leaves Celebrex in the COX2 family and a host of older drugs that are very hard on the stomach.

Now is a great time to consider alternative therapies for pain treatment. They are less expensive, have fewer side effects, and are much safer that some of the other treatments. And one of the most popular and successful of these alternative treatments has been the collagen pills.

When we hear the word collagen most of us think of wrinkle cream. Collagen is actually very important to the overall health of our joints and bones. Some types of arthritis cause the joint cartilage to lose its elasticity and to wear away.

Without its natural shock absorber ligaments and tendons stretch to fill in the missing cartilage. This becomes very painful. If you don't get treatment the bones will rub against each other which is very painful.

Prescription drugs can help relieve the pain but it is by no means a cure only a mask. Cartilage is made of chondorcytes, proteoglycans, collagen, and water. Collagen pills can help rebuild the cartilage so it does much more than just mask symptoms.

There are two types of collagen pills on the market - type I and type II. It restores cartilage and reduces stiffness and pain in the process. As new cartilage is rebuilt it also increases the amount of movement on the joint.

There are many suppliers of both types of collagen although type II may not be available over the counter and may require a prescription.

The studies that have been done have shown fabulous results and the proof of the ability of collagen to repair is in the study.

Now don't rush out and start popping collagen by the handful. That's not the solution. You should see a naturopath or other alternative practitioner to ensure you are correctly dosed. And if nothing else be sure to follow the directions on the bottle. Remember more is not always better.

Arthritis is a painful disease that can be crippling. It begins slow and usually progresses over time. Too often we ignore the symptoms or blame it on getting older. Don't do this to yourself. If you have mild symptoms for more than 6 weeks see a doctor. If you have major symptoms for less than 6 weeks see a doctor.

At this stage we still don't have a cure for this horrible disease but who knows collagen pills for arthritis could very easily be an important part of a cure.