Uni turns to volunteers for help
A university in New South Wales is looking for volunteers to participate in a research study that examines the effects of a seaweed supplement on osteoarthritis of the knee. The study is being conducted by Professor Stephen Myers and Dr Ann Mulder of Southern Cross University’s NatMed-Research unit; and follows on from earlier trials.
A university in New South Wales is looking for volunteers to participate in a research study that examines the effects of a seaweed supplement on osteoarthritis of the knee.
The study is being conducted by Professor Stephen Myers and Dr Ann Mulder of Southern Cross University’s NatMed-Research unit; and follows on from earlier trials which indicated the seaweed extract may be as effective as conventional drugs in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
The researchers are looking for 150 participants from across the Mid North and North Coast region of NSW to participate in the trial.
“The medication, developed by a Tasmanian company, and to be tested in the study recently showed a significant reduction in the pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis,” Professor Myers says.
“This follow-up study is much larger and is expected to confirm the effects of the seaweed preparation on people suffering osteoarthritis.”
He says the goal is to find a treatment that provides “a safer, but equally effective alternative treatment.”
Arthritis is a leading cause of disability affecting about one in six Australians; , and as the population ages, ; the prevalence of the condition is likely to increase.
“Current standard clinical practice is to use non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), but these have a high side-effect profile. Each year there are substantive number of hospitalisations in Australia for gastric bleeding, induced by these agents, and a number of deaths,” Professor Myers says.
He says the risks involved in the trial are likely to be small, while the “potential benefit is large”.
Participants in the upcoming trial will be given the chance to attend clinical meetings in Coffs Harbour, Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay or Tweed Heads.
“This research may help to pioneer a new approach to this condition and in doing so, reduce the more substantial risks associated with the current standard therapy of NSAIDS,” Professor Myers says.
If you experience moderate levels of pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee and would like to know more about the study, contact the study coordinator Dr Ann Mulder on 0418 111 597 or email osteoarthritis@scu.edu.au.
