When she could no longer hold a needle or grip the reins of her horse Casper, vet and keen horse woman Philippa Barton, 54, from Nottingham decided it was time she left her beloved profession. Arthritis had made it impossible for her to carry on.

BY Philipa Barton 3 July, 2007

"My arthritis started with a nagging ache and swelling of my fingers and wrists, which soon developed into quite intense pain, especially in the mornings and when the weather got colder. The pain came on quite quickly and became unbearable within a matter of months. Being a very active and fit woman for my age I was surprised and distressed that I had got arthritis so early.""I was given painkillers (NSAID’s) for my arthritis by my doctor but within months they made me feel sick, giddy and unwell, so I stopped using them even though the pain in my fingers and wrist was still very intense."

"My husband is a doctor and even he agreed that we had to find another option to help with the pain in my hands because the painkillers were not working for me and he had concerns that they might be affecting my long-term health."

"Together we scoured the newspaper health sections and came across  Celafen. My husband contacted the company who made it and asked for the research behind it, which he said seemed convincing so we decided I should give it a go."

"The products arrived the next day, and as directed I rubbed the cream into my fingers for five minutes before bed. I lay with my fingers throbbing as usual and must have drifted off to sleep. The next morning my first waking thought was ‘my fingers don’t hurt’. I’m usually woken by the throbbing pain in my fingers, but that morning I awoke naturally and without pain."

"Since using Celafen three months ago I have been able to actually get my wedding ring back on my poor swollen finger, which I never thought I’d do again. I feel virtually no pain most days and my grip has greatly improved. I get the odd twinge in cold weather first thing in the morning but soon after applying Celafen (which I do religiously every morning and evening) the pain has gone. I am delighted with the results and I’ve been able to start riding again, which is a blessing as poor Casper was starting to get rather plump just sitting in his field all day eating grass! I feel I have got my life back after arthritis had robbed it from me."

There is a review of Celafen here >>>