How I Solved My Degenerative Disc Disease With Hyaluronic Acid: A Simple Approach
Summary
The author successfully used oral Hyaluronic Acid to relieve chronic pain apparently caused by degenerative disc disease within 4 weeks. An additional benefit was a complete relief of apparent TMJ symptoms after 14 weeks.
Introduction
Lower back pain is a leading disease in the world. Millions of people live in pain and many are unable to work or enjoy life because of it. Some people have back pain because of a physical injury or an accident. But many more are suffering for no specific reason that doctors can find. Doctors tell us it’s all a part of growing old and to take some pain killers and learn to live with it [1]. Finally in March 2023 a doctor told me she thought I had degenerative disc disease but that there was nothing I could do about it.
I’ve learned to double check everything doctors tell me. There are many different fields of medicine, like osteopathic, allopathic, homeopathic, chiropractic, naturopathic, traditional Chinese medicine, and Ayurvedic, to name a few. One ailment, for example, might be difficult for an allopathic MD to treat, but simple to treat for a naturopath, and the other way around. I decided to search for a cure, or close enough.
It is generally thought that we naturally lose HA as we age. It’s certainly been observed that that is the case but it’s unknown whether that is a result of age or of some other affect. I don’t think it’s genetic. That paradigm has been over used. If all our ailments are genetic then we’re describing fate and there’s nothing we can do about that. We are conscious living beings and our bodies also have their own innate abilities to grow and heal. I believe most diseases are caused by nutritional deficiencies or external toxins. I suspect degenerative disc disease is mainly caused by nutritional deficiency. I think that makes sense because, as in my own case, I was able to rapidly reverse its symptoms with HA supplementation.
For over 20 years I suffered from back pain. Sometimes it was so bad I couldn’t get out of bed. I got rid of it in one month for less than $20 USD with Hyaluronic Acid (HA), also called Hyaluronan. HA is a natural substance and an important component of discs, cartilage, and skin. It is found mostly in synovial fluid. The synovia is the sack surrounding a joint, such as a knee or wrist. It’s found in all vertebrate animals.
Back pain only became an issue about a year or two following a car accident (a frontal collision at about 25 mph, 40 kph while slamming on the brake). One day searing pain left me huddled on the floor for many hours. After that I visited a chiropractor and have been visiting chiropractors since.
More than one chiropractor remarked that my bones looked properly aligned and that this is probably a soft tissue problem. A few physicians I saw about this problem said it was part of getting older and prescribed pain killers, mostly NSAIDs like Naproxen, which I took very sparingly on the worst days.
My Search For Relief
I used FireFox browser with DuckDuckGo search engine and searched for “Degenerative Disc Disease Natural Cure”. On the first page a result from Earth Clinic appeared. I’ve looked at the Earth Clinic site before. It’s a site where people share their experiences with different natural treatments and home remedies.
In the Earth Clinic site I looked at the “All Remedies” section and saw hyaluronic acid had the most entries at 14, and selected that. This brought me to a page titled “Ted’s remedies for degenerative disc disease” with a short explanation of his remedy. Then I checked the comments to see what results people had, which were positive.
I next searched for hyaluronic acid powder to check its price, availability, and reviews. Amazon is a great site for customer reviews and price checking. Two companies that specialize in supplement powders in the United States are Pure Bulk and Bulk Supplements.
User Reviews
I think it’s fair to say that most people will not leave product reviews. And those who do are either very happy with the product or very unhappy with the product. The best reviews describe actual product experiences. Product reviews are biased but valuable if they are first hand reports of use and results.
Maria from England, April 2016, wrote that she had “chronic Degenerative Disc Disease and three herniated discs for twelve years” and had been in pain every day. After two weeks of HA she reported she was “without all the pain”, walking well and with “a bit of a swing again!” [EarthClinic]
Ashley from Pennsylvania, February 2013, wrote “… I have been suffering from back pain since I was 17 … I’m 29 now. I’ve always had my back “go out” on me and be laid up in bed for a few weeks and then be able to start hobbling around again. … This past Sept. (2011) my back finally gave up on me. I lost the use of both legs and was in the most excruciating pain of my entire life. I was … on horrible prescription drugs for months. I was constantly in a fog of pain and exhaustion (brought on by the drugs). I tried physical therapy and that helped but I had to stay on the meds”. She was diagnosed with severe disc degeneration, spinal arthritis, bulging L4, L5, with other discs beginning to bulge, and “little to no fluid left to cushion them”. Ashley reported: “I have been using this remedy now for maybe 2 1/2 weeks and I am almost 100% pain free. I went off my meds on day two so I could feel how much the hyaluronic was working, except that it relieved almost all of my pain after only 3 doses!!! It’s so incredible to feel this pain free.” [EarthClinic]
Recent Studies
I found no studies on the effect of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) on degenerative disc disease. There are studies on HA in relation to arthritis and osteoarthritis, and skin. Most of these studies look at HA injection. Few studies consider oral HA where the HA is ingested in capsules.
Oe, Tashiro, et al. (Oral Hyaluronan Relieves Knee Pain: A Review) reported oral administration of HA had been found to significantly improve knee pain and other joint discomfort in several randomized controlled double-blind studies by different researchers conducted in Japan, USA, and Spain in doses ranging from 48 mg to 240 mg daily and for periods from 2 weeks to 6 months [2].
Hsu, Su, et al. (Oral Hyaluronan Relieves Wrinkles and Improves Dry Skin …) evaluated the impacts of oral HA on skin conditions. They ran a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study of daily HA (120 mg) intake for 12 weeks with 40 healthy Taiwanese men and women between age 35 and 64. The study participants were not currently taking any HA or any other health, nutritional, herbal supplement for skin; not currently under-going any medical treatment; and not using any physician prescribed topical medication. They found HA subjects had statistically significant improvement in skin elasticity and concluded that oral ingestion of HA may suppress wrinkles and improve skin condition [3].
Tashiro, Seino, et al. (Oral Administration of Polymer Hyaluronic Acid …) studied 60 people with knee joint osteoarthritis. They ingested 4 hard capsules containing a total of 200 mg of HA once a day after breakfast, everyday for 12 months. Improvement versus placebo was not significant. However subjects in the study were over age 69 and it was noted several were taking other medications [4].
Risks
The only downside risks I found were associated with HA injections. And there are always risks whenever anything, no matter how benign, is injected into the body. When taken orally some people reported no effect. There appears to be no downside risk with HA when taken orally.
The upside potential is improved mobility, and improved ease and comfort.
Method
The original Ted from Bangkok recipe from Earth Clinic is:
• 500 mg Hyaluronic Acid powder
• 9 g of sea salt
• 500 ml water
And to store in refrigerator when not in use. The dose is about 8 capfuls three times a day on an empty stomach. Ted did not clarify the volume of a “capful”. He states it takes about 2 weeks to completely remove all back pain and that affected areas in the extremities may take a little longer [EarthClinic].
Based on user comments to Ted’s Remedies I modified the recipe:
• 1/4 teaspoon, rounded of HA, which is about 400 mg
• About 400 ml of distilled or spring water
• A pinch or more of unrefined sea salt or Himalayan pink salt.
• A 1 pint (16 fl oz) or 470 ml glass screw top mason or canning jar
I drank about 200 ml, half of the HA solution each day; some in the morning and some in the evening, usually on an empty stomach. Each batch of HA solution lasting 2 days. I followed this regimen for about 6 months beginning the last week of March 2023.
I made each batch by adding 1/4 teaspoon, rounded of HA powder to an empty pint jar. Then I added distilled or spring water along with a pinch of Himalayan pink salt. The jar was then closed and placed in a refrigerator overnight to fully dissolve. I noticed that the HA solution sank to the bottom. So the HA solution should be shaken before using.
From my experience the measurements do not have to be exact. A rounded 1/4 tsp and fill to a 1/2 inch from the top is good enough. Using distilled water or spring water is preferred. I speculate that filtered water is okay if the filter can remove chlorine and fluorine/fluorides.
Results
I started taking HA the last week of March 2023. Before the end of April 2023 the back pain that I had endured for over 20 years almost disappeared completely.
An additional, unexpected, benefit has been an almost complete reversal of a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) on my left side, as diagnosed by a dentist. My jaw used to lock halfway and I would have to thrust my chin forward to unlock it before I could open my mouth all the way. By 14 weeks of taking HA TMJ symptoms diminished to a stretching feeling with only a little click. As of April 2024 (1 year later) no TMJ symptoms are apparent.
Discussion
In March 2023 I was age 64 with no history of tobacco or other drug use, and taking no medications. Male; height about 72 inches, 182 cm; weight about 195 pounds, 14 stone, 88 kg.
Additional factors that may have influenced my results are diet changes I made in the year prior. I changed from a “standard American diet” to a low carbohydrate high fat “ketogenic” diet with almost no plants or dietary fiber. The dietary changes included near total elimination of liquid oils (plant derived fats that are liquid at room temperature) and products containing liquid oils, and at least 95% of sugars and refined carbohydrates. However, I experienced no relief from back pain until I started taking HA.
The ingested HA was first dissolved in water. Previous studies of oral HA used capsules containing HA, assumed to be in dry powder form. Their results suggest that HA in capsules will be effective but I speculate that it will not be as effective as HA in water. HA is a polysaccharide and is mostly absorbed through the large intestine [2, 3, 5]. Dissolving HA in water ensures a more complete absorption than taking it in a capsule because a gelatin capsule may not fully dissolve in the stomach before passing through the intestines and into the colon, and because HA once released from capsule may form a gelatinous clump and become difficult to fully digest.
Several reviewers on the Earth Clinic site commented that Vitamin C should not be added to the mix (or, I assume, be taken at the same time as HA) because vitamin C acts with iron to break down HA. I have not been able to find verification.
Conclusions
References
1. Donnally III CJ, Hanna A, Varacallo M. Lumbar Degenerative Disk Disease. [Updated 2023 Aug 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448134/
2. Oe M, Tashiro T, Yoshida H, Nishiyama H, Masuda Y, Maruyama K, Koikeda T, Maruya R, Fukui N. Oral hyaluronan relieves knee pain: a review. Nutr J. 2016 Jan 27. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4729158/
3. Hsu TF, Su ZR, Hsieh YH, Wang MF, Oe M, Matsuoka R, Masuda Y. Oral Hyaluronan Relieves Wrinkles and Improves Dry Skin: A 12-Week Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 28 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8308347/
4. Tashiro T, Seino S, Sato T, Matsuoka R, Masuda Y, Fukui N. Oral administration of polymer hyaluronic acid alleviates symptoms of knee osteoarthritis: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study over a 12-month period. ScientificWorldJournal. 2012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23226979/
5. Mamoru Kimura, Absorption Of Orally Administered Hyaluronan, J-STAGE, 2018 Volume 14 Pages 30-35 . (Abstract in English) https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ffr/14/0/14_30/_article/-char/en
Recipe and Instructions
Ingredients
● About 1/4 teaspoon, rounded or 400 mg of Hyaluronic Acid powder (HA).
● Distilled or spring water.
● A natural unrefined salt such as sea salt or Himalayan salt.
● A glass jar, 1 pint or 500 ml capacity, with a screw top, like a small canning jar.
Procedure
Measure out HA and put in jar. Fill jar with water to almost full, about 14 fl. oz. or 400 ml. If using distilled water, add a pinch or more of salt. Seal jar and place in refrigerator until fully dissolved. Keep it cold.
Drink half one day, some in the morning, and some in the evening. Best if on an empty stomach. Drink the other half the next day. Shake before drinking as the heavier dissolved HA will tend to sink to the bottom. When finished, prepare next batch. Continue for at least 2 months.
