Glucosomine Chondroiton...does it really work?

[Hmac]

Like I said...if you think it works for you, you should use it.

[$CashMoney$]

I'm no doc, that's for sure. Nor have I read anything truly scientific that says that it will work, but I still take it for mild arthritis in an elbow that I broke about 20 years ago and for putting off an inevitable shoulder surgery. I can still do crossfit or Gym Jones as long as I'm taking it and I have no serious pain. Once I stop taking it both joints will hurt to the point of seriously limited movement.

I have had doctors tell me that people say it works, but I am not arguing that there is scientific evidence. Nor do I think that it will regenerate any damaged tissue. I do think that it may prolong the inevitable, however.

But, if it's not working for you, then stop wasting money on it and maybe use a strong anti-inflammatory or something.

[jmoore]

There is also a real world study at KSU vet school on fish oil supplements in arthritic dogs. The dogs on the fish oil supplements had singificantly improved ROM and ease of movement.

No placebo effect in dogs.

Had great luck with GC in one of our dogs, too. However, dogs are physiologically different than humans in terms of bioavailibility of drugs. Controlled studies show no significant human benefit from GC (aside from placebo :)

john

PS - My wife is a veterinary toxicologist, and I teach pathophysiology - so we've checked into this quite a bit, as I'm pushing 60 and would love to find something that works on joints:)

[300WM]

I looked at this carefully about 3 years ago too because I'd been taking glucosamine/CS for years and my knees weren't any better. The literature in two large randomized controlled trials showed that chondroitin, omega-3, and even Synvisc joint injection was no better than placebo. The placebo effect can be very powerful for some people but it did nothing for me.

Anyway, my new knees are about 10 months old. I did two defensive handgun courses and a carbine course last summer as well as several of our bi-weekly Tac Team training exercises. Once that knee joint gets to a certain point, I'd choose stainless steel and UHMW polyethylene over chondroitin any time.

Since you are a good candidate for this question (still working the knees), what was your recovery time from op to where you could walk fairly easily?

[Hmac]

Since you are a good candidate for this question (still working the knees), what was your recovery time from op to where you could walk fairly easily?

I ditched the walker for a cane after about a week, but my operation was a muscle-sparing (sub-vastis) unicompartmental replacment on both. The recovery from that operation is typically shorter. I was back at work after 3 weeks, but it took 3 months before I had the quadriceps strength for water skiing.

[luckybychoice]

i took GC for about 4months,with no real affect,i'm 53,still lift weights and take ibuprofin,and my joints ache but i chalk it up to my mispent youth and getting older,i also work out with a heavy bag and every joint in my fingers feel it."Getting old ain't for pussies",thats what a couple old timers told me a few years ago.

[FMJ556]

There have been some studies indicating that turmeric (curcumin) has anti-inflammatory effects:
Can Turmeric Relieve Pain? One Doctor's Opinion

[Hmac]

There have been some studies indicating that turmeric (curcumin) has anti-inflammatory effects:
Can Turmeric Relieve Pain? One Doctor's Opinion

"One doctor's opinion" doesn't mean shit. Theoretical computer modeling doesn't mean shit. Experiments in the lab with Norwegian rats don't mean shit.

Give me a randomized, prospective, controlled, double-blinded trial on human beings and we'll talk. Otherwise, it's nothing but anecdote and junk science, and Medicine doesn't work that way.

[FMJ556]

Ok... I know the gold standard for the effectiveness of a medication a double blind cross-over study etc etc. But you need to realize this: no big pharmaceutical company is ever going to expend the money and resources to test a nutraceutical compound that they cannot patent. There is no benefit for them to release results of something that the public can buy for cheap.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center got a patent for the "use of turmeric in wound healing." This patent also granted them the exclusive right to sell and distribute turmeric. This patent was later struck down. That was pretty much killed any interest a pharma company would have in investigating such natural compounds.

Various drugs over the years have been derived from anecdotal evidence , example : aspirin was extracted from pine bark which was used in folk medicine.

Now coming back to double blind research on turmeric:

A double-blind crossover study in patients with "definite" rheumatoid arthritis compared the antirheumatic activity of curcumin (1200 mg/day) with phenylbutazone, a corticosteroids drug (300 mg/day). The curcumin therapy resulted in "significant" improvements over corticosteroids.

link

There are other studies mentioned in the link above.

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Its a scam will not work.

Only thing proven to reverse the loss of cartalage is a drug prescribed for bone loss called FORTAIO you have to inject it every day for 6 months and it will cost you 3k.