DEAR DR. GOTT:
About 25 years ago my sister injured both knees in a motorcycle accident. She has had eight surgeries and countless draining procedures and shots. In speaking with her yesterday, she mentioned that her knees are no longer bothering her and the swelling is gone. I was, of course, curious what wonderful thing could have caused this dramatic change. She said she started eating ¼ cup of raw pumpkin seeds a day less than two weeks before. She had heard that copper was good for reducing inflammation and that pumpkin seeds were full of it. Her husband is also eating the seeds daily for his knee problems and says he feels great again.
I was wondering if you had ever heard of this and what your opinion is.
DEAR READER:
Raw pumpkin seeds for knee pain is new to me, but if it works for your sister and her husband they should stick with it. There is no harm (to my knowledge) in eating a small amount of raw pumpkin seeds daily. The best part is that they can easily be mixed with other foods such as oatmeal, cold cereal or salads.
Copper bracelets have been used by many to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis and there is a general belief that it will alleviate symptoms in many individuals. Therefore, it stands to reason that if pumpkin seeds contain copper that they can also be useful as a treatment option. To my knowledge there have been no studies on this effect, however.
Pumpkin seed oil is purported to relieve symptoms of bladder problems, enlarged prostates, kidney stones, irritable bowel syndrome and more. The oil is available in capsule form at many health food and vitamin stores.
Readers, if any of you have had experience with pumpkin seeds or pumpkin seed oil please let me know. I will print a follow up with the results, either positive or negative.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Understanding Osteoarthritis”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
About Dr. Gott