Biking-Severe Arthritis-Vitamins-Supplements

[OakLeaf]

What I've read about glucosamine and chondroitin is basically three things.
-Glucosamine HCl is useless, glucosamine sulfate may be useful.
-Glucosamine sulfate demonstrably rebuilds cartilage and slows deterioration of cartilage.
-Glucosamine does not necessarily relieve pain.

That's in line with the fact that no one actually knows what pain is. Radiological evidence of osteoarthritis does not correlate well with pain. I'll continue to take glucosamine to protect my joints, whether or not it's useful for pain relief. I do get some pain relief from it, but I'll grant that it may be placebo effect. My guess is that it probably prevents much more pain than it relieves... but of course that's impossible to measure.

I've had better results with shark cartilage than with bovine glucosamine/chondroitin, but I hesitate to take it since sharks are so overfished. You never know if it's really by-product cartilage, and even if it is, whether the meat was legally and sustainably fished.

My dog had excellent results with Adequan injections (glucosamine/chondroitin). Oral forms really didn't help her much, and I'm pretty sure there was no placebo effect involved with her shots.

SAM-e sent my blood pressure sky-high.

I'm generally skeptical of mainstream medicine doing research on supplements, not because I assume any direct bias, but because the studies are often designed around forms of the supplement that are already known to be the least effective.

Green tea and foods high in omega-3s like nuts and leafy greens are known to be anti-inflammatory. Sugar and caffeine are thought to promote inflammation. Yes I know green tea has some caffeine.

It doesn't cost anything to do a challenge diet for food sensitivities and allergies, and it can be very revealing. When your immune system is stressed by food allergies, systemic inflammation can't help with joint pain.

Supplements only go so far - most of this should happen through (1) good body mechanics, (2) regular activity through a full range of motion, (3) healthy diet, (4) if necessary, other therapies such as acupuncture, massage, heat/cold therapy, occasional homeopathic treatments.