Questions About Glucosamine & Condroiten

[SiouzQ.]

I went to my annual physical today and spent a lot of time talking to the doctor about my unrelenting aches and pains. After the new plan year starts, I'll probably go get some more knee x-rays to see if my arthritis has progressed, but in the meantime, it was suggested I try glucosamine and condroitin. Do you have any favorite brands and dosages? Do you think it ends up working? I heard you need to allow at least four months. Any other ideas?

I've been taking a lot of Epsom Salt baths since my house mate has been away this X-mas, and while they feel good, they are not a magic elixer. I am trying not to take as much ibuprofen because it can't be very good in the long term.

[herbgeek]

A number of my family members swear by a combination of turmeric and cumin for aches/pains/inflammation. I think its about a teaspoon of each, stirred into tomato juice once a day. I took glucosamine/condroitin years ago- not sure if it actually helped, but there were definitely some unplanned....um..side effects. Trying not to be too graphic here, but there was a lot of resulting gas and it was FOUL. At the time, I worked in a cubical farm so it was most unfortunate and embarrassing.

[pony mom]

I can only speak of my experience using joint supplements on horses, but I found that Hyaluronic Acid and MSM to be more effective for him. MSM is great for lots of things, but especially for inflammation.

I have a few sample packets of Curcumin from a health food store given to me when the owner saw me in my sling. Haven't tried them yet but it seems to be geared towards overworked muscles; maybe they have to word it that way since they can't give specific claims.

[JaneV2.0]

I haven't found glucosamine and/or chondroitin (or much of anything else) particularly helpful. I like cannabis salve, and am planning on making my own soon (recipe courtesy of a friend who swears by it). But I'm not expecting miracles.

[CathyA]

I couldn't take G/C. It messed up my GI tract.

[iris lilies]

G/c helped my bulldog,Daisy , quite a bit.

[cindycindy]

Both DH and I were having knee issues, so we started g/c a few weeks ago. I had sort of forgotten about it until I saw this thread. Both DH and I realized knee issues stopped. Coincidence? Placebo? I'll take it.

[frugal-one]

Our dog was having arthritis issues so we gave him Glucosamine. He is doing much better. If I forget to take it .... I notice a difference too. YLMV

[Simplemind]

There was a drink in a can that Costco carried. I used it after my long dog walks. I quit after I went through a case because I didn't feel it was making any difference.

[kally]

how about changing what you eat. There are so many ways to reduce inflammation through our food choices.

[Gardenarian]

Following this thread..

[iris lilies]

how about changing what you eat. There are so many ways to reduce inflammation through our food choices.

For my dog and my neighbors dog it worked well. It a pain reliever and also is thought to build cartilage. But you are right it is also an anti inflammation drug.

[awakenedsoul]

I took it for years and I don't think it helped. In my case I had worn away all of the cartilage in my hips and they were bone on bone. I had a lot of aches and pains because of that for years. I thought it was aging. It was osteoarthritis. Once I had my hips replaced, and they healed, my pain was gone.

I now feel thirty years younger. If you've worn away the cartilage in your knees, I don't think the supplements will help. Once it's gone, it's gone. I hope you find a solution. I would get an xray. That's what turned things around for me.

[Kestra]

It's helped me immensely. I take 500mg/400mg Glucosamine/Chondroitin twice a day. When I first started I think I took 3 a day for a few months, until it seemed to be working. Every time I went off within a week my knee pain started to return. In my mid-20s I couldn't sit without pain, I could barely do stairs. Now 10+ years later I'm still virtually pain free.

There's really no harm in trying it, as you know, try for several months before you give up. If it works, great. If not, well, at least you know.

[Williamsmith]

The Mayo Clinic reports that their is good evidence that glucosamine sulfate helps the knee. Must have the sulfate Component. And I know very active people who use it with good result. I personally have no issues such as this but I would experiment with different manufactures before I render an opinion.

[lessisbest]

After decades of arthritic knees (severe arthritis since I was 13-years old), going gluten-free did the trick for me. Gluten was my main source of inflammation throughout my body. Now I take Turmeric & Bromelain, but it's for post gallbladder issues, but it also helps with any inflammation.

For more information on the subject try these books:
-Grain Brain - by David Perlmutter, MD
-Wheat Belly - by William Davis, MD

[SiouzQ.]

It also finally occurred to me to I have been ingesting a lot of sugar during the holiday season (that happens when the bakery is the next department over, and Dan, the porter (fancy name for the janitor/maintenance guy) brings in 3 dozen donuts from the Washtenaw Dairy almost every day. When I returned to work in September, I held out for as long as I could regarding the damn donuts, but as the holidays approach and the stress level rises, so does my donut consumption...However; I managed to remain donut-free yesterday once I made the connection. I am really going to think about my diet again because without realizing it, I slowly go off track starting in the fall leading into the dreaded holiday season. At this point I really am craving simple, simple foods anyway - kale salads, steamed, plain vegetables and such. I will not go "on a diet" but return to my usual way off eating, which will probably still have a lot of hidden sugar that I don't usually even pay attention to.

I realize I've also been eating more carbs ( ie. bread) more than usual too. I tend to not get totally fanatical about food and diet but these are things I think I'll spend the next few months experimenting with. All I have to do is just start purchasing way more vegetables and fruits and do the shift away from "treat" foods. And I am going to go buy the glucosamine stuff today and start that, along with resuming my Vitamin D with Calcium that I always forget about. I need to get a weekly pill organizer so I remember these things from day-to-day (though I never forget my thyroid pill). My thyroid levels will be checked again as well in the next week.

I am so looking forward to getting the damn holiday season done with! I always end it feeling run-down and in pain due to working in retail. I like the feeling of a fresh start with the New Year, a way to get back on track with everything :)

[kally]

look at inflammation and dairy and meat. Just google this.

[kally]

http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/

[lessisbest]

Good point kally......

Our daughter, an avid athlete, had problems with inflammation and her knees and stomach issues and it was due to too much milk in her diet. She was tested for lactose intolerance (which runs in our family) as well as a milk allergy, but no indication of those issues. She eliminated dairy for 3 months, then reintroduced it in small amounts after that. She immediately knows when she consumes too much....

Protein powders (whey, rice, soy, etc.) are also highly inflammatory.

Lean muscle meat is inflammatory, but you can overcome that issue by eating bone broth or gelatin when you consume lean muscle meat to balance the inflammatory protein makeup of muscle meat. This became an issue when we stopped eating meat that had bone and fat with it where we also got naturally-occurring gelatin along with the lean meat. I use homemade bone broth (which is high in gelatin) to make a quick pan sauce when serving lean muscle meat. Heat a few "cubes" of bone broth (I freeze it in ice cute trays), season to taste, reduce it in the pan for more flavor, add a tablespoon of butter to thicken it just before serving.

You can use both types of gelatin - the one that gels, and the one that doesn't - to balance the inflammatory lean protein. In fact, just adding gelatin to your diet is an excellent aid. There are sooooo many health benefits. I make all kinds of gelatin-rich foods and add the non-gelling gelatin to hot drinks (like cocoa).