Published November/99 in The Gold River Record
Have you been told by your physician that you have arthritis, there is no cure and here is an antiinflammatory prescription for pain management? Of course there are many types of arthritis and many avenues of treatment. Glucosamine has been so successful for some people that many physicians are now recommending it.
Over 300 scientific studies indicate that glucosamine sulphate is better than the non steroidal antiinflammatories (NSAIDS) such as Ibuprofen, Naprosyn and Aspirin in controlling the pain of arthritis.
In addition to controlling the pain, glucosamine sulphate doesn't have the side effects that the NSAIDS have. The side effects that I am concerned about are damage to the intestinal tract and stomach ulcer formation. I have seen many patients who have had severe stomach bleeding as a result of NSAIDS particularly in the elderly. In fact death as a result of gastric bleeding from a stomach ulcer causes more deaths than deaths from cocaine overdose!
Other serious side effects of NSAIDS are liver and kidney damage! So you can understand why I would want my patients on an alternative antiinflammatory. The other surprising research indicates that NSAIDS actually inhibit the repair of the cartilage of the joint and actually speeds up the destruction of the joint!
Can glucosamine actually cure arthritis? Glucosamine sulphate provides the ingredients required for the formation of cartilage glycosaminoglycans, which are the building blocks of the cartilage. After taking glucosamine sulphate for over one year you will notice an increase in joint mobility because your cartilage has been rebuilding itself!
If you have tried it with no result there may be several reasons. The qualility of the product may be poor; the salt free variety is known not to work as well; chondroiton sulphate has been shown not to be absorbed more than 13% and if your are not noticing any difference, should not be part of your formula; you have not been avoiding your food allergens as discussed in last months column; you are not taking enough for your body weight; or you have other nutritional deficiencies that you have not identified.
The professional brand made by Enzymatic Therapy is patented which means this same product was used in the research. I find that patients respond quicker with it and it comes in an easy once a day packet dosage.
I recommend a very useful test as a way of determining your bone health and thus a measure of the health of your joints. It is a urinary bone marker test. If after a treatment program of three months you are still losing bone in your urine, your treatment program must be adjusted. This is an easy in home collection test and not offered by the Medical Services of this province. This test is an excellent one to also monitor osteoporosis.
There are answers to chronic pain management and treatment of all kinds of
arthritis. The trick is to keep investigating until you have found a way that
works for you. After all you deserve the best health you desire.
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