Balance Your Health

Do Glucosamine & Chondroitin Releive Your Arthritis Pain?

You don't read anything bad about them and they are still very popular nutritional supplements, but research continues to report that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate do not work any better than a placebo to reduce the amount of pain from knee arthritis.

This was reported back in 2007 and a huge discussion ensued.  Some said the results were confusing and more study was needed. The original study, GAIT, was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes, and happened to confirm other findings with smaller numbers of people, which showed that the supplements had few or no effects.

This was back in 2006. For another 18 months, however, the researchers continued to watch 572 volunteers and found that the two supplements did not appear to slow the loss of cartilage either taken alone or together. In fact the arthritis worsened in 24 percent of participants taking both which was similar to the results for the placebo.

The supplement manufacturers argued that the results of the GAIT study were not conclusive. As it happened, the researches took a second look at patients from the original 1,600 who were classified as having moderate to severe osteoarthritis. These patients did record a significant improvement when using the combination of chondroitin and glucosamine.

Even with these results these two supplements remain popular, especially glucosamine. This supplement has gained such widespread credibility by the public and among health care professionals that it is often recommended for older people to help relieve pain from arthritic joints.

So what does all of this mean for you? I think the finding in those with moderate to severe pain is important but should be interpreted cautiously. The problem is that industry sponsorship of drug trails usually produces biased results and most of the earlier studies were underwritten by supplement manufacturers. They may not have fabricated the results of the study but publicly funded studies, such as Gait, are larger.

My opinion, the supplements aren't very effective and if you are reluctant to give them up at least they won't cause you any harm. However, it appears that you are tossing away your money needlessly.

I know several people will stop taking these supplements once they learn more about them.  Will you continue knowing what you know now?

To your success at balancing your life.

Ruthan Brodsky

An Anti-Inflammatory Diet Can Reduce Chronic Pain

Celebrities, among them Oprah, have been touting anti-inflammatory diets for several years. More physicians are considering it as part of their patient treatment programs particularly when it comes to chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome and sleeplessness. Apparently, eliminating most of the foods that trigger inflammation such as wheat, corn and dairy food,

Medical research now shows that inflammation is a hidden factor in many chronic diseases. Often times it is called the silent inflammation. Some of these diseases include diabetes, heart disease, dementia, obesity and certain forms of arthritis. For some reason, silent inflammation makes all of those diseases either chronic or worse.

Many suffering from pain use anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen to treat symptoms. Anti-inflammatory foods may be just as effective because the purpose of an anti-inflammatory diet is to stop the creation of the inflammation instead of fixing it after it occurs.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are, of course, a major part of the diet. The Mediterranean Diet is a popular form of the anti-inflammatory diet. Even so, it may take six weeks to six months for the diet to show results. Plus, the diet may not work for everyone.

Before you make any decision to change your diet behavior, check it out with your physician to make sure this diet will fit your health profile.

If you or someone you know has been on an anti-inflammatory diet, we would love to hear about the results. Simply scroll down to Comments and type their story in the blank window.

To your success at achieving a balanced health.

Ruthan Brodsky

Check out my other blog:  Upside Of Aging

Preventing Bunion Pain

I personally know one man and two women who had bunion surgery a few months ago. Their goal was to have the surgery early enough so that they would feel better and be without pain for the holidays. One of the women was in her mid forties, and the other two were in their mid fifties. I tell you this so you won't think bunion pain only happens to older people.

At any rate, their surgery worked – for the most part.

The surgery to correct the misaligned joint and remove the bump that causes all the pain really isn't that bad. The recovery time, however, takes two to three months!

A bunion is an abnormal, bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of your big toe. Your big toe joint becomes enlarged and pushes against your other toes. This puts pressure on your big toe joint, pushing it outward beyond the normal profile of your foot which results in pain.

The most common cause for bunions is your foot structure – so you can blame your parents. However, it's not all heredity. If two people have the same abnormal foot bone structure and one wears narrow and poorly fitting shoes like high heels and pointed toes, pushing toes into an abnormal position and putting pressure on toe joints, the person NOT wearing those kinds of shoes is not likely to develop bunion pain. Simple enough.

The point is shoes don't cause a bunion but they can speed up the process and make a bunion worse.

You can prevent pain by making sure your shoes fit properly. Trade in narrow shoes or shoes with heels or very flat with wider toe boxes and more support like a pair of sneakers.

Also make sure you are wearing the correct size. Your feet do grow as adults because with time your ligaments loosen and your arches flatten.

Visit a podiatrist. Your doctor may prescribe custom orthotics that fit into the shoes and prevent over pronating. That's because bunions frequently occur in feet that pronate, their ankles rotating internally as the forefoot rotates externally. Some insurance plans cover orthotics which cost anywhere from $300 to $500. Medicare doesn't cover the cost.

You may also want to take an over the counter anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen. Sometimes a steroid injection is prescribed.

Surgery is also an option. The surgery will relieve bunion pain but bunions can grow back especially if you wear shoes that don't fit.

I would love to hear about your experiences with bunions, any secrets you have to prevent pain, and your experience with surgery. Scroll down to comments and type your short story in the blank window.

To the best of your health.

Ruthan Brodsky

Glucosamine May Be Your Relief

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.

Glucosamine Effectiveness Remains Questionable

Even though the effectiveness of glucosamine has been in conflict for several years, shelves of drugstores and health stores are well stocked with bottles of the popular dietary supplement representing many different brands.

Another study published this February reports that glucosamine is no more effective than placebos when it comes to relieving pain, improving function, or preventing structural damage in people with hip osteoarthritis (OA).