glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, of little help?

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http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/521828?src=hp27.infocus

http://www.life-enthusiast.com/amino/product_notes.htm

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can you smoke it?

Neither of them ever helped me.

Over a longish period I believe glucosamine DOES have a clinically measurable effect.


I certainly notice after a while if I forget to take it....but of course, that is just anecdotal.


Green lipped mussel oil keeps me moving, too.

My wife and I seem to benefit from it. If it's a placebo effect, who cares?

My thoughts exactly.

Re: glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, of little help?


Edgar, I can tell you why that only works about 50% of the time. You see, most people don't realize it, but pills in tablet form do not dissolve properly in the human system. In fact, most of it gets elimated.

If that weren't enough, a person who is older who has eaten cooked foods all their life has a depleted amount of enzymes in their stomach, which are needed to digest things, properly. And everyone can use good a helping of good bacteria (acidophilus).

EASY SOLUTION: Go to your local health food store, and pick up a bottle of a good-quality enzyme supplement (I use the NOW brand, which is the least expensive..."Super Enzymes"), and an acidophilus supplement (I prefer the Kal brand, "ProBiotic-5" for this).

ALWAYS buy CAPSULES whenever possible, because they dissolve the best. Unless, of course, you can find a good quality liquid supplement you can use, which would be ideal.

Just take one enzyme capsule and one acidophilus capsule before you take your tablets. I like to take my supplements with 100% purple grapejuice with about a teaspoon of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar mixed with it (I use "Bragg's" from the health food store. But if you can't get it, Heinz from the regular grocer is best... if not, read the ingredients!)

Be sure you take your calcium with it too, of course. I use Citrical Plus, because it has Boron and a few other things in it, to help the calcium do its work. The reason I brought up the AC vinegar, is because vinegar works with calcium so that you get the most benefit from it.

I tried mashing up the Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulphate, and MSM (don't forget the MSM!), but all of it has a yucky salty taste to it.

Oh, one more thing... It's always good to take the enzyme and acidophilus before each meal. This will help prevent further depletion. When food doesn't get digested properly, the nutrients can't be absorbed into the body, which opens up a Pandora's box of illnesses in life, that most people mistakenly attribute to so-called "old age".

And it's always best for your tummy to eat as much raw vegetables and fruits as possible. At least have something raw with your cooked meals, whenever possible.

The glucosamine chondroitin supplements I've been using are chewable. They go down as a liquid by the time you're done chewing.

glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, of little help?


That sounds great, but is it doing you any good? If not, you might want to consider changing brands. Are you taking MSM, too?

Also, BEEF GELATIN is imperative to getting bones back in shape and combating bone disease. Instead of getting Knox, I buy the plain in bulk at the HF store. It's tasteless, and does very well in juice.

As I wrote in the original post, I could barely make it up a flight of stairs before I took them. After one day I felt pretty good. Now, I have the capability to run up a flight or two.

glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, of little help?
That's wonderful.

Same experience as dlowan, and again, just anecdotal. I use it and don't have pains in the knees and hips. If I quit for more than a week or two, I do.

My glucosamine/chondroitan/msm is taken in liquid form. I have stopped taking it for extended periods of time (up to a month) and eventually began to experience the old aches and pains, which is why I went back to the regime. It is virtually impossible to have absolute confidence in such supplements because they do not undergo the most rigourous of (double blind) tests with large samples over considerable periods of time (with sophisticated statistical controls for other non-experimental factors). But, then, even the so-called properly tested drugs sold and tested by the major pharmas, often turn out to kill us.
Frankly, I have no evidence that most of the healthful foods I eat are in fact as beneficial as they are conventionally understood to be, but I still consume them anyway with a large bowl of faith as a side dish. It's a matter of placing your bets.

glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, of little help?
New information added in text at 1:17 AM, Thursday, February 23, 2006



JL, one month is not enough. Not only that, you aren't supposed to skip any dosages. It took years to get like that, and it will take a long time for your body to completely restore itself in that area. The best thing to do is to get a physical (x-rays, possibly) to find out exactly how bad the problem is. Then go for another check-up every 6 months to chart your progress. Even when you get to the point where the problem is solved, it would be smart to take a maintenance dosage to help prevent the problem from returning.

Did you know that American doctors only get about 4 hours of training on nutrition in college? If they happen know more, it's likely because they've studied on their own for it. The last place I go to for a health question is a doctor.

I was fortunate to be acquainted with a nationally known doctor who happened to also be nutritional expert. While on the telephone with him one day, he informed me that drugs do not heal. They only keep the problem and/or symptoms under control until the body can heal itself. BUT... The body can't heal itself properly if you don't have quality nutritional supplements and a healthy, adequate diet. I only visit a doctor if there is no other alternative. I've been up on nutritional information for years, now, and I'm so very grateful that I took this route.

There is a great book out there to start off with. It's called "Let's Play Doctor!" (not his "herbal" one) by Joel Wallach who has degrees up the yazoo on medicine and nutrition. It's an oldie (1989) but a goodie. There are so many good resources, you'd never run out of information. Another good old one if you can get it, is "Overfed But Undernourished" (1971). On the Internet, look up the name "Joanna Budwig" from Germany. You'll learn life-saving information on her scientific discoveries.

Don't let people fool you into believing that only one brand is the "best". This is sometimes true, but many times is not the case. There are lots of good products out there, and lots of inferior ones. You just have to read the labels and do your research, just like anything else.

Just as with anything, there will be tons of differing opinions on what works and what doesn't work. This is why I listed Wallach's book, first. There comes a time when you have to just rely on your instincts and go with it, with trial and error, until you find what works for you.

Medice, cura te ipsum! - Physician, heal thyself! (Versio Vulgata)

P. S. - Quality supplements and healthy food are necessary, but at least a moderate amount of systematic exercise must be implemented as part our daily regimine, as well. Exercise comes very close to being almost magical. This cannot be overstressed.

Jack LaLanne is hitting at least 90, if I'm not mistaken. Around 2001 or so, I actually got to talk to his wife, Elaine, on the telephone. I'd located their website, and called up to inquire about their juicer. Well, Elaine LaLanne happened to be there, so she picked up the phone, which she normally doesn't do. She must have spent a good 20 minutes talking with me; it was a pleasure to speak with her. She told me that Jack had just had a physical, and his body, according to the test results, showed to be at the age of 28 YEARS. This can't happen by food and vitamins alone. Exercise has to be a part of it, too, if we want to get the best out of life>>>

I have been taking glucosamine chondroitin, and MSM for a number of years. A couple of years ago, I had to go in for a minor surgical procedure. To make sure that I would not have any bleeding problems, my doc gave me this huge list of stuff (like aspirin, etc.) that tends to thin blood out. I had to stop anything on that list that I had been taking.

Glucosamine was on the list, and I had to stop it for over a week. I was absolutely miserable. I literally had to hold onto the walls to pull myself up from a sitting position. As soon as I resumed the glucosamine, my symptoms completely abated.

I heard about the study on NPR yesterday. I think the researchers overlooked a valid use of the supplements: as a way to prevent serious osteo-arthritis.

I'm not saying the supplements work; I'm just saying the authors only looked at near-term pain relief.

Two points: research that claims "scientific" status, as to mere clinical status is not by any means infallible. Always check to see who sponsored it.
And anecdotal evidence isn't always unreliable.