The popular supplement, glucosamine, received mixed reviews in a recent study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Some say it does not good whatsoever for those aches and pains in your knees and other joints. Other say it may work for you.
How it works: Glucosamine is a natural compound found in humans and animals. The supplement is made from shellfish skeletons. Chondroitin, a related supplement, comes for cow and shark cartilage.
Anti-inflammatory drugs do their job of relieving pain by reducing inflammation. Glucosamine and chondroitin are supposed to restore worn-down connective tissue (cartilage) that cushions bones. This is very important if you have joint pain because of osteoarthritis (OA), a common breakdown of cartilage. For the 20 million Americans with OA, both glucosamine and chondroitin may help make a protein that builds and repairs cartilage.
Brent Bauer, MD, Director of Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic, says the finding is good enough for patients with regular joint pain to consider several months of glucosamine-chondroitin therapy. He recommends the combination of 1,500 mg of glucosamine and 1,200 mg of chondroitin three times daily.
I’ve met and spoken with Dr. Bauer several times, beginning when he first was selected Director of Complementary and Integrative Medicine at Mayo. He approaches medicine traditionally in that he needs to read the research and know the results before he endorses anything. If Dr. Bauer says glucosamine-chondroitin therapy is worth a try and it can’t hurt, I recommend people with knee and joint pain get started on the therapy.
Don’t throw away your ibuprofen or naproxen right away. Still take them if you’re hurting. Bauer says if the supplements start working you can cut back on the meds.
To find a reliable brand for the supplements check with www.USPharmacopeia.com or www.consumerlab.com
If you’ve taken the supplements let us know about you’re results. Were you able to get off the ibuprofen? Scroll down to Comments and type your story in the blank window.
Blog posts on similar topics check out: http://fyad.org/v5x6;
To your successfully balanced life.
Ruthan Brodsky
I do freelance content marketing for business owners and health care providers.
Hi Joint and Bone Supporter
I do have some suggestions.
I've not gone on line to order a brand name of anything unless someone has referred that product or service to me.
Vitamins aren't well regulated which means the consumer needs to be cautious.
I would suggest you check out these sites before you buy any nutritionals:
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPInet.com); Consumers Report; www.quakworld.org; and Consumerslab.com/product/reviews
Let me know if this helps.
Posted by: Ruthan Brodsky | July 16, 2008 at 06:13 PM
Very informative post, I have been researching the topic of joint and bone support for a while now and this is one of the best things I have read online to date! I am a bit older and have been feeling my age lately so I started to do some research online and see what my options were short of bothering my doc. I must admit, I was pretty shocked to see some posts about the success people have had with MSM, Chondroitin and Glucosamine. So, I started looking online (savvy in my old age ;) and found a site called Vitaminworld.com that had a whole section devoted to joint and bone support here http://www.vitaminworld.com/joint-and-bone-support-031 they are offering some unbelievable deals like “20-50% off site wide” and free shipping on orders over $75.
Anyway, I am about to make my first purchase with them as they seem to be highly reputable and was wondering if anyone here has had any experience buying supplements online? Seems like a great way to go, I even found a local Vitamin World retailer right down the street with great deals…but before I jump on the bandwagon I figured I would ask the alum. So whatcha got for me?
Posted by: Joint and Bone Supporter | July 15, 2008 at 10:30 PM