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Questions and Answers

Q
This is going to sound silly, but have you ever heard of eating golden raisins which have been soaked in gin to help control arthritis pain? Someone told my 85 year old father to try this. The fellow swears it works. I think it is a bunch of baloney, but it probably couldn't hurt him. You are supposed to eat 10 a day. What do you think?
A
Sounds delicious! There are no reliable data for this remedy, nor is there any shortage of those who have tried and benefited from such exotic nostrums - you'll likely know of some who wear pure copper bracelets and wouldn't be without them. If you check any herbal text, you will come across very many preparations recommended for just this purpose.

The explanation lies in the nature of arthritis and its most obvious symptom, chronic pain. The appreciation of pain has a very large subjective component, a component that may be influenced, to a greater or less extent, by external factors. Some individuals are more likely to feel benefit from a preparation with no pharmacological activity than others who obtain no benefit.

Perhaps the most important component is an unquestioning belief that the preparation is going to work, hence the importance of anecdotal good experience presented in a believable and persuasive manner. An exotic name (eg, Devil's Claw - very popular) helps a lot as does appearance and cost. None of this applies to your raisins, so your father's friend must have been well-persuaded him/herself and, to improve the chance of a favourable response, should be equally persuasive.

Best wishes to you and your father.

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