Q: My sister has had severe rheumatoid arthritis and lupus since she was in her late 20s. She is now 52. She has been treated with every experimental drug approved by the FDA, but her condition continues to worsen, she is bed ridden most of the time and is being treated with morphine daily to keep the pain down. Can you help her? Thanks.
A: Early animal studies at Harvard in the 1980s demonstrated significant benefits in both conditions with high-dose fish oil. For her situation, I would recommend 10 grams of EPA and DHA per day to see if she observes a reduction in the level of pain and hence a decrease in the amount of morphine required.