Pattye, I read with sympathy, your posts on joint pain. I wonder if you have ever taken a look at spa treatments in your area that can address the symptoms of osteoarthritis. As an example, I am a day spa owner in Saratoga, CA, and I designed a special Black Pepper & Ginger Pain Balm wrap that uses Peanut oil, Black Pepper & Ginger essential oils, a Cayenne pepper liniment, and Olive oil to help relieve the symptoms of joint pain. It doesn't smell like a normal "spa" treatment, but it sure can pack a therapeutic punch in terms of providing warmth and blood flow to the local areas, which in turn can help flush out calcium and uric acid deposits. Also, I have read that taking Cayenne extract orally causes the brain to produce sensory neurotransmitters that mediate pain. In any case, I thought you might want to look into it. The page on my spa's web site where we talk about this particular wrap is http://www.PaviaDaySpa.com/body_therapy.html. If there are day spas in your area that provide these kinds of services, they might be helpful as an ongoing pain relief sanctuary. Just my two cents.