If anybody starts to take chondroitin/glucasamine, remember that it takes up to 3 months before it shows in the body. In the first weeks you need to take a higher dosage, then you taper it down. And then you need to keep taking it, and not talk yourself into stopping for reasons of inconvenience or cost.

When I was first diagnosed with the arthritis in my spine, my primary physician told me to take it, that I would be happy with the long-term results, and to always take it. The prescription medicines for arthritis are scary, and many of them are so powerful they have proven to cause blood disorders and other serious medical problems. VIOXX was taken off the market completely.

With regards to those who might dismiss taking supplements because there is a school of thought that say we excrete most of we ingest, there are an equal number of medical doctors who agree that some people do better with supplements. As we age, we can see the effects of the aging in the wrinkles we acquire, the gray hair, and the body slowing down. The aging is going on inside our bodies too, though we can't see it. One of the aging effects is that our bodies can't absorb nutrients as effectively from the food we eat, that our capacity to utilize the nutrients in the digestive tract diminishes. Therefore, supplements taken wisely can assist the body in getting enough of specific nutrients.

I know it works for me. I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters. The siblings who ate poorly, who didn't exercise, and who didn't understand the consequences of having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, high CRP and high homocysteine levels are all suffering serious health problems. The difference between me and them is I stayed on top of getting my lab tests done regularly, and understanding the results of my tests. When I got my first impaired numbers I took proactive steps to reverse the numbers into the low healthy ranges again.

My goal in life is to live into my 90s, active and healthy, and to be able to walk and bike and travel and do everything I love. I refuse to let myself get crippled with aging diseases that can be prevented or minimized with the appropriate nutrition and exercise.