6 replies to this topic

[Apparelyzed]

I figured this would be of interest to those with shoulder pain.

Supplements for osteoarthritis 'do not work'

Supplements for osteoarthritis 'do not work'Two popular supplements taken to combat joint pain do not work, a study says.

The review of 10 previous trials by Bern University in Switzerland found glucosamine and chondroitin did not have any beneficial effect on osteoarthritis of the hip or knee.

The supplements are not normally given on the NHS, although they are bought over the counter in UK pharmacies.

But the researchers said they did no harm so if people wanted to continue taking them they could.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk...health-11330747

[julibugs]

This will save me a fortune - we get through loads between me, my husband and his elderly mother. I must admit I did have my doubts about it - I could feel no difference at times when I stopped taking them for any reason.

[greybeard]

I took them for years when I first had knee trouble. They didn't seem to improve anything, and when I eventually stopped, there was no discernible difference.

[Josh D._1985]

This was interesting to read. I have not personally had any experience taking glucosamine and chondritin. However I have a 10-year-old black lab that has some serious arthritis issues in his front shoulders. Now I realize I'm talking about an animal, and not a human. But I have been very impressed with the results of giving him this medicine. He went from having a painful looking and disruptive limp in his gait, to hardly anything noticeable at all. And when he misses a few days of his medicine I can definitely notice a difference in his gait. Just an observation though, as I said I have not personally taken it.

[Parachute]

I used Healthspan-Chondromax while in hospital, seemed to work for me. I ended up being the fastest ever to recover in Wakefield Pinderfields so my consultant said, on BBC Look North Fri 17 July 2009. I have been taking them for around 6-7 years now. I sware by them.


Parachute

[dangerousdave]

Dont ask me why, as i dont know - but it has removed my clicking elbow joint problem, and i cant put it down to anything else as when i ran out of tabs and sorta stopped for a couple of weeks, the problem came back

[nomis]

This interests me. I've been taking them for about eight years. My hands and wrists have improved rather than deteriorated since then though they still suffer somewhat. I began taking glucosamine and chondroitin at the same time as fish oil capsules plus taking better care of my hands like not using them in activities that hurt. So it's hard to know what exactly the cause of improvement is due to.

Certainly I'll now be more sceptical of glucosamine and chondroitin but I note that the above article made no mention of the word SULFATE and you'll see from the following taken from Wikipedia that that may be significant:

"Controversy surrounds glucosamine.[36] A 2010 meta-analysis has found that it is no better than placebo.[33] Some older reviews conclude that glucosamine sulfate was an effective treatment[37][38] while some others have found it ineffective.[39][40] A difference has been found between trials involving glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine hydrochloride, with glucosamine sulfate showing a benefit and glucosamine hydrochloride not. The OARSI recommends that glucosamine be discontinued if no effect is observed after six months.[41]"

This controversey is by no means over.