Unearthing a Natural Approach to Arthritis Management

Abstract

Clay minerals have been used for healing since the beginning of recorded medicine. The "Fathers" of medicine and pharmacology wrote about them and around the world there are stories of the use of clay for healing. One of the more recent discoveries of healing clays was in Northern Nevada in the 1970s.

In the early 2000's this clay was patented and began to be marketed as SierraSil®. It has a foundation of clinical research highlighting safety and efficacy that may push the boundaries of the conventional trade-off of efficacy versus safety for certain inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis.

Of course, the most integrative way to address arthritis and other inflammatory conditions is with lifestyle and dietary measures. But often these are not enough and practitioners and patients turn to natural health supplements, sometimes with unreliable results. This is because every body is different, there is variability with natural products and to date, the most recommended natural products need patience for patients to feel results.

Also often overlooked is that the "joint health" supplement category is best bifurcated as joint builders and inflammation calmers. Research shows that the patented SierraSil® minerals offer new and perhaps more reliable hope that the inflammation can be calmed, enabling the joint builders, such as glucosamine and collagen to be more effective in their role.

Adapted from Michael Bentley’s keynote address 

"Un-earthing a novel approach to living better with arthritis”

 to the Global Webinar on Traditional & Integrative Medicine March 12, 2025

Five years ago, I met a young man, in his mid 20s, who was taking a break from training to be a professional golfer. But his break wasn't voluntarily. It was to cope with pain from Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, known as JIA. Sadiq told me he was diagnosed when he was just a few years old, and that he had been on a cocktail of medications since. But the pain challenge persisted.  Everyday of his life.

In 1996 the book The Arthritis Cure, by Dr. Jason Theodosakis put natural remedies, specifically glucosamine, on menu for addressing arthritis.  But why was this important? Arthritis affects 1 in 5 North Americans, but the ratio escalates with age.  And arthritis impacts quality of life, inhibiting joy and ability, and in its severest forms contributing to disability.

The arthritis challenge has led to significant investment in pharmaceutical research. The US National Institute of Health (NIH) in 2023 invested US$321 million on arthritis research, not an outlier, but reflecting consistent growth in their arthritis research investment. Arthritis Research Canada, and similar organisations in other countries invest many millions as well, and so do pharmaceutical companies. We could get lost in the numbers. Chat GPT estimates the annual research exceeds US$5 billion. 

The research is driven in part by the high cost of treatment. Metatech Insights published in February this year that in 2024 US$26.43 billion was spent on RA treatment. That does not include treatment for other forms of arthritis. Collectively arthritis treatment may exceed US$40B per year.  The point is there is a problem and better options are needed.

I will address some leading supplement ingredients for managing arthritis and unearth for you the discovery and research on an interesting clay mineral complex that may offer even more hopeful results. But first, I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight the most important integrative approaches.

Integrative approaches must include lifestyle and diet and may also include hands on therapy such as physio and massage. Supplements should not be considered silver bullets. Yes, for some, they may come close. But it’s really important to encourage people to pursue healthy diets and lifestyles. This is a passion for me, hence my involvement with the Canadian Health and Fitness Institute and their Let's Move Canada podcast series and an upcoming National Health & Fitness Summit. Kindly visit chfi.fit if you want to learn more.

Encouraging people to be fitter and healthier not only reduces the impact of disease such as arthritis, but enhances their chances to have better quality of life, whether enjoying their closest relationships, engaging with nature and even just doing their work or chores. Being healthy also enhances our chances of maintaining independence further into our senior years.

You know the recipe. Healthy food in moderate portions, hydration, sleep, calmness (or reduced stress), having a sense of purpose, reasonable weight management, and at least moderate regular exercise. I can't emphasize these enough.

When we think of supplements for arthritis, glucosamine  and chondroitin are usually top of mind, representing 1/3 or more of all natural joint health supplement sales. Other common choices include collagen, omega3 fish oil, curcumin and other ingredients, including CBD. Lets take a brief look at these choices.  

So starting with Glucosamine. What is it and what's the evidence? Glucosamine is an amino sugar often paired with Chondroitin. These supplement ingredients are intended support your body's natural cartilage production. Glucosamine is most commonly sourced from the outer shells of crustaceans (shrimp, lobsters and crabs) although vegetarian options are available, usually fermented from corn or wheat. Chondroitin is sourced as a byproduct from animals or sharks.

The largest study on these is the US National Institute of Health (NIH) Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT) published in 2006, with ancillary studies published in 2008 and 2010. The three resulting papers looked at results on a WOMAC scale (which is the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index), then the structural gap in the knee joint and finally a longer term revisit of the WOMAC scores. The news of the day was that glucosamine (and chondroitin) didn't work. But my take was that over time, they performed slightly better than placebo, and actually not to far behind the pharmaceutical that was included as reference point.  Over a two year period the final paper of the study reported that the odds of achieving a 20% greater reduction in WOMAC scores than placebo were 21% on the pharmaceutical, and 16% on glucosamine.

Another big glucosamine study was the Australian Long-term Evaluation of Glucosamine Sulphate Study (know as LEGS) published in 2015. It evaluated Joint Space Narrowing (JSN) and maximum knee pain as self-reported in a participant diary. The results showed modest symptomatic benefit above placebo including some reduction in JSN at 2 years. However, the NIH study did not show reductions in JSN.

Bottom line? Glucosamine when combined with chondroitin sulphate or other appropriate ingredients may have some benefits versus placebo over time.

Another popular joint builder is hydrolyzed collagen, a structural protein found animal tissues. There are numerous collagen types, maybe over 20, but for supplements generally there is Type 1 or Type 2 (animal and marine sourced). Unlike glucosamine, I'm not aware of any defining large studies on collagen for joint health, but there are numerous smaller studies, some with proprietary formulations. There seems to be no consistency on dosing, but dosages that showed promise tend to be far higher than are generally recommended for skin and hair health and results, aside from placebo, need time.

The challenge for these joint building supplements is that they aren't adequately addressing the underlying issue - inflammation  Let me provide an illustration. Think of the majestic polar bears and the receding polar ice caps, shrinking their habitat. So you think, I’d like to help. So you fill coolers with ice, head up to north and empty your coolers out on an ebb tide. If enough of us join, surely it will make a difference? Right? Or maybe not. Wouldn’t it be better just to turn down the temperature, so the ice didn’t melt so fast?

Turning down the heat, so to speak, has led to the growth of joint health supplements that focus on inflammation, the underlying process in joint and arthritis pain. The leading inflammation fighting choices are omega 3 fish oils and curcumin, a herbal ingredient. 

For Omega3 fish oil, there is broad research extending far beyond joint health and its generally good news. Additionally, most omega 3 fish oils tested by Consumer Reports in 2023 met the label claims for quantity and purity. While I recommend Omega 3 health supplements especially for people with modest consumption of fish such as salmon, don't expect omega 3 fish oils on their own to provide fast results for easing arthritic symptoms.

On the other hand some proprietary curcumins may offer reasonably rapid relief.  Natural curcumin is from the tuber rhizome root of the turmeric plant, native to SE Asia. I say natural curcumin because there is also growing use of synthetic curcumin.  Natural curcumin is only a small portion of the tuber root, well under 10% and within that small fraction there are different forms of curcumin. These include curcumin, de-methoxy curcumin and perhaps the most important being bis-de-methoxy curcumin, sometimes referred to as BDMC or Curcumin 3.

I like curcumin a lot due to its broad potential health benefits. But I wouldn't trust any curcumin, due to the risks of impurities such as filler and agricultural contaminants, and that without the right co-ingredients, it's very difficult to absorb for those health promoting benefits.  I'd suggest sticking to branded curcumin ingredients such a Meriva®, made by Indena™ and available with SierraSil®.  Meriva has natural co-ingredients to aid balanced absorption of the curcuminoids, it has extensive clinical research and thorough quality control including testing for over 300 pesticides.

What about cannabidiol, otherwise known as CBD?  It is a natural ingredient found in cannabis and hemp plants. Can it be considered a natural herb? Well regulators in Canada and the US, aren't so sure. In Canada, I think manufacturers should have the opportunity to register their CDB product as a natural health product under Canada's very thorough Natural and Non-Prescription Health Product guidelines.  But could a CBD manufacturer meet the test of clinically supported claims for joint health? I'm not so sure.  There are some who claim, 'it hasn't been studied as its been illegal until recently'.  Yet it hasn't been illegal everywhere. An acquaintance of mine with a leading US clinical study research organisation in California told me there have been lots of studies, but the sponsors haven't liked the results, which in some cases lag the placebo. Let me quote a Harvard Medical Review article:

While there are laboratory studies suggesting CBD might be a promising approach, well-designed studies demonstrating compelling evidence that CBD is safe and effective for chronic arthritis pain in humans do not exist.

Ouch - Its no wonder that following the dramatic rise of CBD for joint pain, there has also been a dramatic fall.  But the CBD story, not just the massive research dollars overall, highlights that consumers and experts are still looking for new ways to address and mitigate arthritis symptoms.

Before going further, let me share a caveat. Every body is different, and no one solution is going to have universal results. And specifically, for those listening in the US, what I'm about to share is not fully DSHEA compliant, but it is FTC compliant, as the statements are supported by data.  So let's Unearth a New Approach, and yes, its a play on words.

The new approach, may be a new discovery, but it is really old, and is from the earth, hence the title.

It's a hydro thermal clay mineral complex, discovered in the US Sierra Mountains by an intrepid prospector looking for gold. The registered tradename, SierraSil®, reflects the source and the silicate structure. The prospector observed animals grazing on a sparking mineral deposit and subsequently. Drawing on ancient knowledge of clays for health, he tried it with his animals and then with people in his network.  That was back in the late 1970s but it wasn't until my dad and I and some additional investors, acquired the mineral rights, that research began in the 2000's.

We’ve learnt that this deposit is basically volcanic rock that was geo-thermally altered about 8-10 million years ago, with an intense natural acidic wash, thus a hydro thermal mineral deposit, something that can’t be recreated in a lab. We know that SierraSil calms inflammation at a gene expression level that affects nitric oxide release, effectively slowing down ‘silent’ or ‘soaker hose’ inflammation. 

We also know from clinical studies that SierraSil reduces cartilage breakdown, detoxifies by attracting and binding heavy metals, letting them safely pass from your body, and that it reduces Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and improves peak sport performance. Pretty cool!

The detox effect comes with two cautions. Drink plenty of water so that process can do its job and two, take SierraSil away from critical medications.

We know these things because of a commitment to first-hand clinical research. The research has included various lab safety studies such as Ames, AOT, SAOT all done to established protocols. Even at the most rigorous level, SierraSil has proven to be safe. The human clinical trials have included pilot studies, double blind, placebo controlled published trials and even double blind cross-over trials! 

The novelty and effectiveness led to the minerals being US patented as a Nutritional Supplement for Osteoarthritis.

Its important to note that the results have been remarkably consistent:

• Improved WOMAC scores,
• Improved quality of life scores and
• Excellent safety profiles.

Here are three examples.

1. A six month study by Dr. Jim Lavalle in Ohio. I will never forget a call from Dr. Lavalle, in part because of his ironic choice of words.  Dr. Lavalle advised me that SierraSil was going to be “a killer product for heart disease” and he went on to explain the correlation between heart disease and lead build up, and that there was statistically significant evidence that SierraSil

“may have a profound effect on the lowering of lead levels” “and may have the potential to lower the risk of adverse health effects associated with lead exposure”.

In other words, SierraSil may be pulling lead out of the body, possibly substantially reducing a number of health risks!  Let me quote from the paper on the study:

“As a natural chelating agent, ingestion of SierraSil® caused a 56.9% decrease in lead between T0 and T6, and a 62.7% decrease between T3 and T6, both of which are statistically significant at the 5% level.  … it appears that daily ingestion of SierraSil® may have a profound effect on the lowering of lead levels and may have the potential to lower the risk of the adverse health effects associated with lead exposure.”

1. The largest study, a double blind placebo controlled cross-over study with 150 people in Ontario. Here’s what was agreed to in the peer reviewed published research:

Dr. Mal Evans of KGK Synergise, wrote that SierraSil “significantly improved physical function and total physical activity, improving the quality of life of participants.” It “was most effective in normal weight subjects” showing that “increased dosage may be required for North American subjects with BMI >25 kg/m2.” That’s pretty remarkable. If you are suffering with arthritis, isn’t that exactly what we want, quality of life improvement!

Please note that this study was not done according to the previously recommended protocol. Unknown to the sponsor, the protocol was changed from a once daily weight dependent dose away from food, to a split dose with food and the same dose regardless of the participants weight. yet the results were still positive, although not as over overwhelmingly so as the "real life" experiences of SierraSil customers who use the natural health product as directed.

1. Research by Dr. Don Mckenzie MD at University of BC Sport Medicine clinic, using elite university athletes in a double blind, placebo controlled, cross-over study. Dr. McKenzie reported that “the results followed the expected outcome for both performance data and DOMS”. 

Expected, because Dr. McKenzie and some of his colleagues were already familiar with some of the research on SierraSil. He wrote that in addition to reduced DOMS, that the 3% improvement in peak performance with the treatment group versus slight reduction when on placebo, was “certainly sport significant”! His associate Dr. Jack Taunton MD,  who very sadly passed away last fall and was one of the most highly regarded sport physicians in Canada declared "every Canadian Olympian should be using SierraSil".

Dr. Jack, as he was know, isn't the only physician to comment on the SierraSil minerals.  A leading Canadian neurosurgeon, Dr. Chris Honey MD who by that way wrote a wonderful book called the Tenth Nerve, said for him, the SierraSil minerals enabled him to defer hip surgery for many years and he liked that they were effective and side effect free. Specifically, Dr. Honey wrote to an orthopaedic surgeon friend

"While I was waiting for my hip replacement, I used SierraSil and had a surprisingly good response in terms of pain and mobility. Not enough to avoid the procedure but enough to make the wait more comfortable. It was an unblinded, cohort of one but personally convincing."

Dr. Kam Shojania MD head of Rheumatology at western Canada's largest hospital wrote:

"About two years ago, after discussion with other physicians, I investigated the research on the SierraSil® minerals. Subsequently I recommended them to some of my patients with mild to moderate OA and/or RA. It is my observational experience, that the minerals have been helpful in the majority of patients. Many of these patients have felt less pain and have been more able to resume exercise or enhance their mobility or other activity, improving outcomes and well-being. I note that the onset of such results has typically been within one or two weeks surpassing my expectations. As these are just my observational findings, may I encourage SierraSil Health to continue its research"

I could share many more testimonials from experts, including Dr. Earl Mindell, PhD and Pharmacist, author of the Vitamin Bible and of his wife Gayle, who became SierraSil fans for their personal use.

 But what's my point in sharing these testimonials? I hope its clear. This new approach may indeed offer some hope. I am not going to suggest that it is the only hope, simply a new one, and one that I hope you will consider among the many options for your patients or clients.

So before returning to Sadiq, let's remember the challenge. Arthritis is a big issue. Over $5B annually still invested seeking better management of it.

That the best management of arthritis is the most truly integrative approach, lifestyle, diet and exercise. Yet often than is not enough which has led to perhaps a significant market for joint health supplements. Common choices are glucosamine, chondroitin and collagen as joint builders and omega 3 fish oil and certain herbs such as curcumin as inflammation calmers.  But disappointment with these or perhaps curiosity, led to the rise of CBD but alas that has also disappointed. Which leads to something very old possibly becoming something very new.

The clay minerals trade named SierraSil. Sourced in the US Sierras with a silicate mineral structure. Supported by quality research including safety studies, mechanism of action (MoA) and double blind, even cross-over, clinical studies. Minerals without dietary restriction, although as an abundance of caution, recommended to be taken away from critical medications due the absorptive properties of the minerals.

So remember Sadiq, the young man with JIA. I met Sadiq in the spring of 2021. I learnt about his pain and offered him SierraSil. He was game to try anything as he was almost without hope. 

Sadiq started SierraSil and within days, noticed his Whoop app recovery score improving, as did how he felt. He kept getting better, perhaps starting to feel normal. But was it placebo? When Sadiq finished his bottle, he didn't replace it. But the pain came back and the recovery scores descended. So onto another bottle of SierraSil. Quickly the recovery scores started to ascend again, and his body started to feel better.

Sadiq told me its important that I note for you that he didn't change anything else in his medication regimen, rehab routine, or sleep pattern, other than adding back the SierraSil. Sadiq wrote that his "recovery scores went up along with how I felt in the mornings, throughout the day and after all my training was completed each day."  Sadiq also shared with me, "With SierraSil, I still get the occasional flare-up, but now I go sustained periods of time without pain for the first time in my life, yes ever since I can remember and it helps me better manage my JIA".

Arthritic pain is a big issue and sometimes is a disabling issue. We know that every body is different. No one protocol is going to be right and complete for everyone. But along with healthy lifestyle and diet choices, SierraSil, the hydro-thermal mineral complex, discovered in the US Sierra mountains, supported by some good and independent research, may offer some hope for those looking for a novel, albeit it very old, natural approach to managing arthritis. What a joy it is to make a difference, a positive difference, in people's lives.