Replied by Art from California on 10/12/2020

Hi Gracie,

You are correct, not everything suits everyone and this goes for vitamins, supplements, herbs and prescription medications. Even something like vitamin D can not be taken by everyone. If the product was not compatible with you, I would definitely return it no matter how many pills are left in the bottle!

Even with prescription medications such as blood pressure medications, it always comes down to trial and error because nobody knows if one medication will work for an individual until they try it and that is the reason there are so many different blood pressure medications, because if one doesn't work or is incompatible with you, the doctor simply has you try another one. Supplements are the same, trial and error. I try to report the ones that show success in studies or people or both. Thank you for the feedback, Gracie! Positive feedback is nice, but it is also good to know about the downside too.

Art

Replied by Gracie from UK on 10/13/2020

Hi Art,

Thank you for the kindness and wisdom contained in your response to my letter. In the past I've tried two different types of collagen, one bovine sourced, the other marine, and had negative reactions to both. Brain fog, overwhelming tiredness, not wanting to do anything, so I should have known better than to try Dr Emil's version. I believe it was the success your friend had in taking the supplement, and all the different types of collagen in it that persuaded me to give it a try. Plus I was desperate because the arthritis in my right knee had spread to my left hip and I needed a solution!

I've taken many supplements in the past to stay well and have been relatively successful, so when I read of your recommendation for Amla I couldn't resist. I know you recommended it for memory loss, and my need is a solution for arthritis, I decided to give it a try because it is said to be good for so many ailments. I purchased the Amla in powder form (the taste is not good), along with Moringa (taste again not good), also a capsule filling device, and have been taking these two supplements to help with the arthritis and general health. And have been waking up filled with a wellspring of happiness and the arthritis pain at a more manageable level.

Amla has been used in Avedic medicine for centuries, and I feel it to be relatively safe, so thank you for the recommendation.

Best wishes.

Replied by Art from California on 10/13/2020

Hi Gracie,

Thank you for the reply and I'm sorry that the collagen was not helpful for you. I guess your previous issues with collagen were the warning.

The Amla is a very impressive supplement with the long history of healthful benefits that you mentioned and is the reason why it was the first supplement I offered to my friend to try and get her off of her prescription meds.

It has antioxidant and antiinflammatory qualities and at the amounts used has shown the ability to lower certain inflammatory mediators such as IL-1b, IL-6, TNF alpha and NF Kappa b. It also very significantly increases glutathione by up to 50% in just 12 weeks! Both antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects are likely what is helping your knee. You said you have tried many supplements, but have you tried, borax, MSM or boron yet for the arthritis as longer term remedies? I can recommend a couple of topical pain relievers, but they only offer temporary pain relief, but don't offer longer term relief as borax, MSM or boron can. There are also homeopathic remedies I can suggest.

I've even used borax topically for arthritic hands, but have not tried it that way for a knee or a hip. I made it into a lotion for the hands. Oral borax was a game changer for me and has kept my arthritis in remission for well over 12 years now and it was severe arthritis!

Colloidal silver has also been suggested for arthritis and while I have used colloidal silver a lot, I have not tried it for that purpose and since my arthritis is now nil, I can't even test it on myself first for arthritis.

Art

Replied by Betsy from Virginia USA on 01/03/2024

Like Gracie, I tried the combo brand you recommended but had the same side effects that made it unusable for me. I switched to a different brand of just type II but it’s not been all that effective despite being on it since July 2023z

I’m taking 6 mg daily of boron but haven’t tried straight borax. The boron removed my brain fog which was a pleasant surprise! My 24/7 pain is related to overuse of antibiotics coupled with a 40-year-old set of pelvic fractures which never healed properly. On top of that my cartilage is nearly gone in both hip sockets. So both legs constantly ache; and I have sharp low back pain from the osteoarthritis.

Do you feel borax would be beneficial for me?

Replied by Art from California on 01/03/2024

Hi Betsy,

I also tried 3 mg, 6 mg and 9 mg of boron before trying borax and it offered no benefit at all. I wasn't taking boron individually, but rather it was included in the glucosamine multi supplement I was taking at 3 mg per serving. In desperation I had increased the glucosamine supplement to 3 daily servings to try to reduce my arthritis pain. This effectively increased my boron intake to 9 mg/day, but this resulted in no benefit in terms of pain relief as my arthritis was significantly advanced by that time in my life.

I read about Ted's borax recommendation for arthritis and eventually went out and bought a box of 20 Mule Team Borax. That box sat on my shelf for about 3 months before I finally got the nerve to give it a try. It wasn't easy for me to try a laundry booster orally, but I finally tried Ted's dose of 1/4 teaspoon of borax for men mixed in the quart of water and drank the full quart each weekday and took the weekends off. The results for me were life changing because this put my arthritis into remission and has kept it there for about 15 years now.

Borax does not work for everybody because some people are unable to tolerate it and I have seen this happen in a couple of friends, but judging by reports on EC, it seems to help the majority of people who have tried it, but like anything else, it requires taking it to find out if it will help you or not.

Ted's dose for women is half of the men's dose or 1/8 teaspoon in a quart of water consumed in full each weekday with weekends off.

To give an idea of how much boron the dose of borax contains, borax is said to contain approximately 11.3% boron. On my digital milligram scale, my 1/4 teaspoon of borax weighs in at about 985 mg. Multiply this times .113 or .113 x 985 = 111.35 mg of boron in the men's dose and half of that or (111.35 /2=55.6525 mg) approximately 55 mg in the women's daily dose. A note of warning, not all 1/4 teaspoons are exactly the same size, so the dose can vary depending on your 1/4 teaspoon.

The original discoverer of the use of borax/boron for arthritis, Dr. Rex Newnham used lower dosing than Ted, but he also found it effective for many people with arthritis decades before Ted. So it seems the effective dose is not carved in stone, but it is the dose that Ted recommended for men that worked very effectively for me, so that is the one I mention.

I think one of the reason that Ted suggested sipping the quart throughout the day was to essentially create a timed released dose that would be less likely to have negative side effects on the gastrointestinal system because sipping would help prevent large concentrations of the high pH borax in the digestive system at any one time, potentially reducing the potential for gastric upset or discomfort, that some users have reported and found intolerable. There is always the possibility that a person can be allergic to almost anything, including borax and I did see this in one friend who was not able to take borax. So that has been my experience with borax for arthritis and I am very glad that I finally decided to test borax. I was at a point pain wise where I felt I had to at least test it. It is also worth mentioning that boron/borax has shown potential benefit for osteoporosis/ osteopenia as I discussed here :

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/osteoporosis-supplements-art-solbrig.html

Lastly, based on multiple friend's experiences with melatonin lotion for various body aches including arthritis, I think melatonin lotion that they made themselves is turning out to be quite useful. You can read about their results and how they made their melatonin lotion at home with simple and common ingredients here :

https://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/topical-melatonin-pain-relief-success-stories.html

You might also read the replies to the original article as there is more reporting or updating there.

Art

Replied by Betsy from Virginia on 03/03/2025

Hi Art! Again I didn’t see your comment in a timely fashion so am only just now responding. Since we last spoke, I gathered up my courage and decided to try the borax (20 Mule Team). Through trial & error, I learned that the concentrated solution was not for me, but adding 1/16 tsp to my morning coffee had nearly immediate benefits. That was about a month ago and I’ve been slowly inching my way up to a total of 3/16 tsp spread out evenly across the day in my coffee, and spring water. I also tried 5 days on and 2 days off but it set me back as if I’d not tried anything.

The most relief from the pain has been with that tiny initial starting amount. So I’m returning to that this week to see where it will take me.

On a side note, I had to stop taking the Niacinamide due to the development of a very itchy skin rash.

Thank you as always for your insight!

Betsy

Replied by Art from California on 03/03/2025

Hi Betsy,

Please keep us posted on what dose of Borax you find to be most effective for you.

Art

Replied by Betsy from Virginia on 03/07/2025

Thank you, Art, I sure will. I do have two other questions. The recommended dose for women is 1/8 teaspoon daily. Because I am overweight, should that be adjusted upward? If so, by how much? I’m approximately 60 pounds overweight. Also, does age play a part in the dosage? I am 65. Thanks!

Replied by Art from California on 03/07/2025

Hi Betsy,

I would give the 1/8th teaspoon a full month or two. If you get minimal benefit from 1/8th teaspoon after that, then you can consider increasing the dose, but not exceeding the 1/4 teaspoon dose that Ted used for men.

Art

Replied by Betsy from Virginia on 03/07/2025

Thank you, Art. I’ve been on the 1/16th for a week now and have added back 500 mg Niacinamide 3x daily. I’d been taking Niacinamide for a while but was apparently on a much too high amount, so after developing a rash, I quit it for a month. Happy to say it’s been a pretty good week in terms of osteoarthritis pain. Today I even did a heaping 1/16th in my coffee and so far so good. Next week I’ll try 1/16th + 1/32nd, and then will go to 1/8th the week after that for a month as you suggest. I noticed that you said your arthritis was pretty severe. So is mine. When did you notice complete relief from your pain after beginning the borax?

Replied by Art from California on 03/08/2025

Hi Betsy,

It was many years ago, I think over 16 years ago, but to the best of my recollection, it took about three months for all PA related pain to be completely gone.

Keep in mind that Dr. Rex Newnham, the founder of using boron/borax for arthritis, used significantly lower dosing than Ted did and had good results also, but he felt it could take three to four months to get maximal results.

Art

Replied by Betsy from Virginia on 03/08/2025

Patience is key I guess. I’m glad it’s helped you for so long. Truly amazing testimonial! So if I stick with this, maybe by June, I might see some really noticeable differences. Something to look forward to! Thank you, Art, for sharing your experiences and helping this borax newbie.

Replied by Art from California on 03/09/2025

Hi Betsy and you're welcome!

I may not have been clear in what I said. Although I mentioned three months as the time to eliminate all pain from the PA, relief was very evident in the first month. So I would think that you would see noticeable improvement by April if borax is going to work for you.

Borax is also beneficial to help prevent osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Art

Replied by Betsy from Virginia on 03/10/2025

Thank you for that clarification. Even more to hopefully look forward to. What are your thoughts about borax 5 days on/2 days off versus daily? I’ve been using 1/8 tsp in my coffee every morning for the past 3 days with no problems. Thanks!

Replied by Art from California on 03/10/2025

Hi Betsy,

I do the weekdays on with Saturday and Sunday off. Borax moves through your system fairly quickly and I think the two days off allows any excess amounts of borax to be naturally eliminated during the two off days.

Art

Replied by Betsy from Virginia on 03/10/2025

Thank you! I’ve been taking it consistently for a while now starting with the 1/16 tsp and have worked my way up to 1/8 over about a month’s time. Will follow your lead and try weekdays only. I’ll update with a new post in the borax area of EC in a month or so, as I seem to have unintentionally hijacked the collagen section. Sorry about that!

Replied by Betsy from Virginia on 07/12/2025

Hi Art!

Well, here we are approaching mid-July already. I wanted to drop in and provide an update on my borax supplementation.

Through trial and error, I’ve found that the amount that works best for me is 1/4 tsp daily in my morning coffee. Been at this dose since early June and am having much less osteoarthritis pain.

That said, I also have non-Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism which unfortunately got way out of whack recently, likely due to using CBD gummies in the evenings for several months. I discontinued those, but a new-to-me internal medicine doctor decided in early June since my TSH was 37 (and as recently as a week ago it was 58) that my Armour thyroid needed to be increased from the 105 mg I’d been on for a few years (with good results) to 120 mg. That turned out to be too much. After being off Armour for about 2 weeks, I began again today at 15 mg and will gradually increase by 15 mg per week with labwork in 4 weeks.

Question: is it possible that the dramatic TSH increase I experienced be a result of the borax supplementation? I was under the impression that it actually helped to regulate hormones.

For what it’s worth, the last time I had had it tested prior to June, it had risen to 12 from a normal level of 4; the general practitioner doctor I was seeing at that time didn’t think I needed to treat it. So it continued to climb. And yes I was on 1/8th tsp of borax during that period.

I don’t want to stop the borax, as between it and the Niacinamide, it’s really reduced my pain to a very manageable level. But if it’s playing havoc with my thyroid, I may have to rethink it. Your perspective would be very much appreciated.

Thank you as always for your time and insight.

Replied by Art from California on 07/12/2025

Hi Betsy,

To answer your question regarding borax and elevated TSH levels, yes, this could be a possible contributing factor based on the boron content of borax, as boron has shown the potential to raise TSH levels in some people.

What can you do if you want to continue taking borax? You could consider trying 1/16th teaspoon of borax or you can rely solely on niacinamide or niacinamide plus another antiarthritic, but in my experience niacinamide may not be sufficient by itself.

Dr. Rex Newnham said that the benefits of borax are not fully reached until the 2 to three month area, but in my experience I have seen people take a year to reach full benefit. If I understood you correctly, you are just past one month into borax. So in my opinion, doubling your dose was not an optimal choice. You said that when you got the high reading you were still at 1/8th teaspoon, if I understood you correctly. Instead of doubling your dose at that point, it might have been better to halve your dose to 1/16th teaspoon each day for 5 days per week with weekends off.

Increasing the dose may have increased the speed of effect, but it may now have further increased your TSH level even higher, if it actually is a contributing cause. I understand the pain makes you want to speed the process, but borax is only going to work so fast at Ted's recommended dose for women.

Art

Replied by Betsy from Virginia on 07/13/2025

Thank you, Art. Actually I’ve been on borax since early February of this year and have been very careful about slowly increasing it from 1/16 tsp to 1/4 tsp over those 5 months.

This morning I read another person’s account of how borax decreased her TSH to the point that she’s had to take about half her thyroid med. I guess it’s different for everyone?

Niacinamide worked well for me by itself until I developed an itchy rash so I had to discontinue it. After a few months I added it back but at a reduced amount of 500 mg twice a day. Between the two I have much less pain, though it’s not completely resolved. Was hoping to experience that after being on the 1/4 tsp for a while (which has only been 6 weeks as of now).

B.

Replied by Hollyhock from America on 07/13/2025

Betsy, some people do well on just a "pinch" of borax. We're all different. I read a study on the use of boron, and the result was the lowest dose gave the best results for the participants! And a member here on EC named Prioris, he mentions a supplement called biocell collagen helping arthritis. I plan on ordering it this week.

Replied by Betsy from Virginia on 07/13/2025

Thank you, Hollyhock, for your reply. I remember when I first started borax back in February with a mere 1/16 tsp that it gave me relief in just a few days. At the time, I thought it was expected to slowly increase the amount to eventually reach 1/8 or 1/4 tsp (and as I’m about 60 pounds overweight the 1/4 made sense for me). Perhaps it’s different for everyone as it’s probably dependent on absorption rates. I take a daily diuretic which likely flushes it out of my system faster than someone who doesn’t take one. Good luck with the biocell collagen! It didn’t have any noticeable effects for me.

Replied by Art from California on 07/13/2025

Hi Betsy,

Yes, a friend had his TSH level significantly decline once he started on borax, but not with other friends where their TSH levels were not affected. Science suggests that boron has the potential to increase TSH levels, but not in all people.

So yes, it appears to be very individual.

At 6 months into borax, I would have expected it to have resolved your arthritic pain. Since the niacinamide is no longer causing the rash, maybe you can increase it again and reduce your borax dose back to Ted's recommendation for women.

Keep us updated on your progress.

Art

Replied by Betsy from Virginia on 07/14/2025

Thank you!