Concerns about safety of cod liver oil supplement/easing joint pain?

[Guest Brendan]

I am 27 and am working on transitioning to a CR diet, and I have some concerns. Firstly, I am a highly-trained jazz guitarist. If it hadn't been for joint problems (and a subsequent surgery), I could be doing it professionally. The issue I'm having is whether or not it's okay to take a cod liver oil supplement, as I've found this dramatically reduces my picking hand joint pain and inflammation, not to mention that it's been shown to slow cartilage destruction - a very desirable benefit for a guitarist. The problem with this oil, as I understand it, is that it's not proven to be completely safe with respect to OTHER aspects of long-term health, and oxidative damage can occur from it over time. I also understand that DHA used to be considered a bad thing in the CR community. IS this still true?

 

If the cod liver oil is indeed a bad or unsafe thing, does anyone have any ideas on alternative ways to decrease joint pain, cartilage destruction, inflammation that wouldn't affect overall health? I've taken cod liver oil in the past and thought I was doing a good thing. Its physical benefits were certainly stunning, as my pain disappeared entirely. Now, from what I understand from extensive Googling, this could be risky in the long-term?

 

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance! I've tried doing research, but nothing seems as promising as fish oil in the area of joint problems, and I plan on practicing guitar about eight hours per day for the next several years. Certainly should be possible, but I'd really like to avoid pain and potential osteoarthritis problems if I'm going to be CR'd and playing that much. To be honest, I am even more serious about the pursuit of mastering my guitar than I am about anything else in life, and a big reason I want to live longer is so that I can do it longer...

[Guest Brendan]

I should also add, just to be clear, that my joint surgery did totally fix my original problem, but afterwards it placed some more wear and tear on the joint below the IP joint, which is the thumb MP joint. This joint is uninjured and has no anatomical abnormalities, at least from an X Ray and consult with a hand surgeon. Most likely, it was simply not used to bearing the burden that would normally be shared by two joints, so it was getting inflamed and slightly painful. However, it has gotten a lot better, and I can play without much pain. I'm just thinking that having some sort of protection against pain, inflammation, and wearing out of cartilage would be ideal, as one who plays so much guitar might expect to run into problems with these things at some point. Again, even if no actual injury is present, this kind of pain is something I think I need to avoid, as it is an unpleasant distraction. Just wanted to clear those few things up! :)