Does anyone know if there is any real benefit to taking glucosamine?

Tһеу ѕау tο take glucosamine fοr joint therapy bυt аrе tһеrе οtһеr natural alternatives tο treating arthritis? Wһаt аrе tһе benefits οf glucosamine? Hοw long ԁοеѕ іt take fοr іt tο work?

6 Responses to “Does anyone know if there is any real benefit to taking glucosamine?”

KAZ K:

February 9, 2012 at 12:46 pm

It will take 6+ weeks to kick in, my understanding is that you have to take it over long periods before it will give you signs of enhancement.
araktsu:

February 9, 2012 at 12:48 pm

To the best of my knowledge the reported effects are anecdotal, not verified.

Considering that joint pain is regularly transient, anything you happen to ingest can be mistakenly associated with the cessation of joint pain. One could just as well ascribe relief from joint pain to prayer or animal sacrifice, smoking dope, or having sex. The latter is the most likely to have any useful relation due to certain changes in physiology during sex. Low impact, constant movement exercises is another reasonable candidate. But there is no evidence as far as I know that glucosamine brings physiological changes leading to relief of joint pain.

Keep in mind that there are a variety of causes of joint pain; one substance attacking any the symptoms or cause of all of them is a rather broad claim, so it ought to come along with substantial physiological evidence and controlled studies, peer review, and meta-analysis before being taken seriously.
DesiKay:

February 9, 2012 at 1:16 pm

Here’s what I’ve personally seen- My Dad needed double knee replacement, but chose to take glucosamine. He took four pills a day & after 8 weeks he could run pain free (side affect was gout). X-rays of his knees proved that it helped & his doctor was amazed (no surgery) but not compulsory shell fish free- some bottles say “contains shellfish proteins” . My personal experience ongoing with lower back pain after having 2 babies in 2 years. I wanted a high quality glucosamine because i’m allergic to shellfish. So I ongoing drinking Monavie Active with a high-grade fish-free glucosamine in it. I establish out that its used by pro-athletes world wide (17 countries) & its been scientifically tested & approved. Anyways, 4 weeks into it my pain was completely gone & bonus- so was my ibs. Now our whole family drinks it . One case lasts 1 person one month (2 oz. am- 2 oz. pm-). Not a cure, but a fantastic supplement that helps a lot more than just my pain if I take it faithfully. Excellent luck with whatever you choose!
Gary Y:

February 9, 2012 at 1:18 pm

Like most alternative medicine, it’s largely placebo. Read: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/glucosamine.html
Lanamoon:

February 9, 2012 at 2:11 pm

I use to have a knee problem. I took glucosamine for about 2 weeks and my knee felt fine and still does years later.
Anebturia:

February 9, 2012 at 2:41 pm

The literature only supports glucosamine’s benefits on knee joints. Even better, Glucosamine / Chondroitin complexes are better, as they increase the efficacy of treatment. My husband had no cartilage on his left knee (verified by x-ray) and took Triple Joint Flex from GNC and was starting to get our of his crutches in a matter of days.

He was also one of the lucky 20% who benefit from DLPA for pain, as the pain meds given him were doing nothing for the pain and making him loopy. We used Vitamin Research Products brand, as it helped him with a serve tooth abscess about ten years prior and I remembered it worked well for his pain back then. He no longer takes the DLPA as it uses your body’s own painkilling system of endorphins to fight pain, and it is pretty potent.

In two days all the pain was gone, and in three weeks he no longer felt any bone-on-bone pain nor popping and clicking. After a year, he no longer has to take any Triple Joint Flex nor DLPA.

DLPA is contraindicated for anyone with PKU or nervousness disorders. If I take it it makes me jittery.
But, I have nervousness disorders. I’m not that lucky 20%.

Also, the triple joint flex has MSM. Maybe that helped his joints heal more quickly.