Treatments for Inflammatory Arthritis: Potential But Unproven Role of Topical Copaiba.

Traditional medicines for inflammatory arthritis (IA) include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (COXIBs), which have variable clinical benefits and serious side effects. In large-scale randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) in IA, they have demonstrated significant decreases in pain and inflammation but also significant increases in gastrointestinal symptoms, serious bleeding, and cardiovascular events. Copaiba, an essential oil used topically, has potential but unproven benefits, with few to no side effects.

Modest dietary reductions in blood cholesterol have important public health benefits.

Large reductions in blood cholesterol produce major clinical and public health benefits. Based on extrapolations from randomized evidence, assuming no threshold, a 3% to 4% reduction in blood cholesterol would decrease risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) by 12%. If so, treating larger numbers of people at lower risk would yield greater reductions in CHD than treating smaller numbers at higher risk.