Lee, S., K. M. Gura, S. Kim, et al. ‘‘Current Clinical Appli-
cations of Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.’’Nutri-
tion in Clinical Practice21 (August 2006): 323–341.
Morelli, Vincent, MD, Christopher Naquin, MD, and Vic-
tor Weaver, MD. ‘‘Alternative Therapies for Tradi-
tional Disease States: Osteoarthritis.’’American Family
Physician67 (January 15, 2003): 339–344.
Rindfleisch, J. Adam, MD, and Daniel Muller, MD, PhD.
‘‘Diagnosis and Management of Rheumatoid Arthri-
tis.’’American Family Physician72 (September 15,
2005): 1037–1047.
OTHER
American College of Rheumatology Fact Sheet.Herbal and
Natural Remedies. Atlanta, GA: ACR, 2005. Available
online at http://www.rheumatology.org/public/fact
sheets/herbal.asp (accessed March 20, 2007).
Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC).Diet and Arthritis: An
Information Booklet. ARC, 2006. A helpful 38-page
summary of diet in the management of arthritis. Avail-
able online in PDF format at http://www.arc.org.uk/
about_arth/booklets/6010/6010.htm.
Bartlett, Susan, PhD.Osteoarthritis: Weight Management.
Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, 2007.
Available online at http://www.hopkins-arthritis.org/
arthritis-info/osteoarthritis/weight-management.html
(accessed March 18, 2007).
Klaper, Michael, MD.Nutritional Strategies for Inflamed
Joints and Other Conditions. Manhattan Beach, CA:
Institute of Nutrition Education and Research, 2005.
Recommends the nightshade elimination diet. Dr.
Klaper is a vegan who conducts research on the health
benefits of veganism. Available online at http://
http://www.vegsource.com/klaper/nutrition.htm.
Koch, Cheryl, CSND.Nutrition and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, 2007.
Available online at http://www.hopkins-arthritis.org/
mngmnt/nutinra.html (accessed March 18, 2007).
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Med-
icine (NCCAM).Research Report: Rheumatoid Arthri-
tis and Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Bethesda, MD: NCCAM, 2006. Available online at
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/RA/ndash5.
ORGANIZATIONS
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP).
4435 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 403, Washington,
DC 20016. Telephone: (866) 538-2267 or (202)
237-8150. Website: http://www.naturopathic.org.
American College of Rheumatology (ACR). 1800 Century
Place, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA 30345-4300. Telephone:
(404) 633-3777. Website: http://www.rheumatology
.org.
American Vegan Society (AVS). 56 Dinshah Lane, P. O. Box
369, Malaga, NJ 08328. Telephone: (856) 694-2887.
Website: http://www.americanvegan.org/index.htm.
Arthritis Foundation. P.O. Box 7669, Atlanta, GA 30357-- Telephone: (404) 872-7100 or (800) 568-4045.
Website: http://www.arthritis.org.
Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC). Copeman House, St.
Mary’s Court, St. Mary’s Gate, Chesterfield, Derby-
shire S41 7TD United Kingdom. Telephone: +44 (0)
1246 558007. Website: http://www.arc.org.uk.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Med-
icine (NCCAM). 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD- Telephone: (888) 644-6226. Website: http://
nccam.nih.gov.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin
Diseases (NIAMS) Information Clearinghouse.
National Institutes of Health, 1 AMS Circle, Bethesda,
MD 20892-3675. Telephone: (877) 22-NIAMS or (301)
495-4484. Website: http://www.niams.nih.gov.
National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine (NIAM). 584
Milltown Road, Brewster, NY 10509. Telephone: (845)
278-8700. Website: http://niam.com.
Rebecca J. Frey, Ph.D.Artificial preservatives
Definition
Artificial preservatives are a group of chemical
substances added to food, sprayed on the outside of
food, or added to certain medications to retard spoil-
age, discoloration, or contamination by bacteria and
other disease organisms. Most preservatives are cate-
gorized by the federal government as food additives,
which are defined by the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (FD&C) of 1938 as ‘‘any substance,
the intended use of which results directly or indirectly,
in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the
characteristics of food.’’ A subcategory of food pres-
ervatives are classified asgenerally recognized as safe
(GRAS), which means that the government accepts
the current scientific consensus on their safety, based
on either their use prior to 1958 or to well-known
scientific information.
The categorization of any artificial preservative is
never permanent; it may change as new information
about the preservative’s safety is reported and ana-
lyzed. Certain preservatives that were once considered
safe—most notably sulfites and nitrites—have been
banned in recent years or greatly restricted in their
permissible uses. Information about the current status
of more than three thousand substances (including
coloring and flavoring agents as well as preservatives)
that the FDA has either approved as food additives or
listed or affirmed as GRAS may be obtained from
EAFUS, an online database maintained by the
FDA’s Center forFood Safetyand Applied NutritionArtificial preservatives