Choosing the right supplement

For many, glucosamine is a wonder drug, and this includes myself. I suspect the chondroiting & MSM, or whatever are there to plump out the label.

It's only going to help if you have the right condition.

I am not a doctor, so I cannot prescribe anything; I take DL-Phenylalanine once a day. Sometimes twice a day (500mg). It's the "D" part that is for pain. The "L" part is supposed to be for mood. Wikipedia has a write-up. Read it thoroughly, since some folks should not be taking it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DL-Phenylalanine

I think it has helped a knee concern when MSM just gave me gas, and I never cared for the standard chondroiton and glucosamine, based on my own readings on the internet. So, even if DL-Phenylalanine is just a placebo, I feel like it has done some good? I am satisfied with the Vitamin Shoppe brand, since I do not find it in regular pharmacies, and I haven't investigated other supplement suppliers.

Also, everyone has a different threshold of pain, I believe. So, one of the ancient Stoics might have just ignored joint problems?

What the Heck? If the problem is just in your mind, and you think the nostrum fixes something, go with whatever works.

Is it really a supplement or more of pain medicine?

Yes, definitely Foofie. I agree that it all depends upon the nature of the body how it responds to the different kinds of medicine. The resistance power do differs from person to person like Phenylalanine works well for you.