Glucosamine No Help for Bad Back

I know there seems to be a controversy over the effectiveness of Glucosamine, but I have found it, taken alone, to be a big help with my knee and joint aches and pains that come from running and weightlifting.

I am a 70 year old male and take Glucosamine Chondrotin with MSM. I have osteoarthritis in the knees and other joints. I have had very good results results from continuing my physical therapy exercises as well as using the supplement. Two years ago I could not climb steps in my two story house without dragging one leg and now I can move at will with no pain or knee support. I continue to play tennis on a hard court weekly and have discontinued using a knee support when playing tennis or pushing a lawn mower.

I was talking to a friend my age who runs almost daily for long distances and he also takes G C. I mentioned to him that there was no clinical evidence that conclusively proved positive results and that my physical said any improvement was psychological. He told his dog was was up in age and was having trouble moving and it was obviously painful. His Vet put him on G C and the dog now is with no pain or restriction of movement. He is convinced G C works since his dog does not know what he is taking.

We had a particularly bad winter last year with much snow and ice. Some of my
joints began to ache. Thinking it made no difference, I had stopped taking
glucosamine. In the spring I visited my orthopedic doctor who is probably in
his early 40's, asking him about the value of resuming the glucosamine. He was
very definitely in favor of it, advising that I buy the Spring Valley brand from Cosco or Walmart, 1500 mg., 2 tablets daily. He added that I could stop
and start this medication as needed. I cannot speak for spinal pain, but
the pain in my knees was greatly reduced shortly after resuming glucosamine.

Regarding back pain - check your shoes before you have surgeries or take medicine that will counter effect the rest of your body. I suffered from lots of pain in my back, hip and upper leg off for several years until I purchased good orthotics (not just off the grocery store or drug store shelf - but recommendation from a podiatrist or at least from a shoe store that caters to problem feet and supportive shoes).

My alignment needed correction: my left foot was rolling to the outside (supination). The orthotics corrected this abnormality and after only a few days, the difference was like day and night. Pronation (your foot rolling to the inside) can also be the problem which again, good orthotics will help to keep your foot in proper alignment. I am 75 years old and am on my feet most of the day...

I've found turmeric (the form with black pepper added, which is supposed to increase bio-availability) very helpful for joint pains, especially if taken with each meal. Your newsletter mentioned it -- thanks!

Glucosamine and chondroitin are now often made from shellfish, which is troublesome for those with a shellfish allergy; there is a vegetarian form available. Originally, the supplement was made from chicken and I do wonder if the newer forms are less helpful than the older chicken based form, or even than a chicken soup or bone broth might be.

Since 1996, I have taken 500 mg of Glucosamine daily. Only when I feel pain in either hip do I increase the dosage to 1,000 mg. and then only for a few days until the pain subsides. (I am very satisfied with the supplement from Puritain's Pride, which the ConsumerLab study supports or approves its ingredient.)

I also follow the Certo/purple grape juice remedy, and at age 79 I have had no hip or knee replacements, walk without a cane or walker, and thank God that I am able to enjoy 98% of the "stuff" I did during 53 years of teaching music. However, I am indebted to Joe and Terry for all I learned from them and passed on to others.

To echo Jim's comments, I have heard that glucosamine-chondroitin is best when MSM is taken with it. In addition to herbs like turmeric and boswellia, you might want to try cetyl myristoleate. That is recommended by Dr. James Howenstine and is also useful for emphysema. There's also an herbal supplement called Zyflamend that combines some of the herbs for more effectiveness. And definitely try to avoid surgery since that can be counterproductive.

I am 43 years old and suffer with Rheumatoid arthritis and I have to tell you that I have tried many natural products and several herbal treatments however I have found that the Yucca Root (found in capsule form in most health food stores) has been the most effective when it comes to arthritic pain. I am virtually pain free unless I forget to take it. I tell anyone who wants to listen "it's at least worth a try." It took 5 days for it to start working on me. I take two capsules three times a day. Best of luck to you all who are willing to try it.

After trying several therapies for severe hip and knee pain, I was searching the web for other reasons for arthritis pain. I found a link between arthritis and iodine insufficiency. I decided to test the theory by topical applications of tincture of iodine. After several years of this I am still pain free. It's cheap and I have no side effects (one of the most common is a metallic taste). I was certain I was going to have to have hip replacement as the pain was not helped by OTC pain relievers.

I apply a spot of iodine about the size of 2 silver dollars on the inside of my arm.
(I use the colored not clear iodine) I don't apply more until that spot is gone. But no more than once in 24 hours. It took several days to see a difference, but the change was amazing.

I had a different experience with glucosamine-chondroitin. After taking it for about seven months I had received little relief for my back pain, but was willing to continue to see if eventually it would help. About that time I had blood work done for my yearly exam and found that my cholesterol had jumped from under 200 to 239. I had made no changes in life-style or diet, other than adding GC. Needless to say, I haven't taken any since.

Our eleven-year-old Golden Retriever was having problems going up and down stairs and the vet said she has bad arthritis in one back leg. He recommended that we started giving her Glucosamine and she has no problems with stairs any longer. It was a very obvious improvement. I agree, a dog has no idea what you have given them so it can not be a placebo effect.