Strengthen your body instead of breaking it down!

Added 23.06.2008

Both glucosamine and chondroitin are produced naturally by the human body. We start developing osteoarthritis when the body can no longer produce these substances in sufficient quantities, either because of aging or due to too much tearing of the joints. Scientific studies have revealed that not only do glucosamine and chondroitin treat the symptoms of pain but also treat the cause of osteoarthritis. Glucosamine and chondroitin rebuild joints, thicken the cartilage and even treat chronic inflammation. Unfortunately, some of the most popular osteoarthritis drugs have, in scientific studies, been shown to further break down the cartilage, thereby worsening the osteoarthritis in the long run.

Glucosamine combined with chondroitin proven more effective than pain relieving osteoarthritis drugs

A new scientific study shows that nutritional supplements containing both glucosamine and chondroitin are more effective at relieving moderate to severe pain than osteoarthritis drugs.

The study

Taking place over 24 weeks, the double-blind study involved 1,583 individuals suffering from osteoarthritis, two-thirds of which were women. The average age of the subjects was 59 years. The subjects were given either: glucosamine alone; chondroitin alone; glucosamine and chondroitin combined; the pharmaceutical drug Celecoxib (Celebra); or placebo. Neither the pharmaceutical drug Celebra, nor glucosamine or chondroitin alone, had a significant effect on moderate to severe pain. However, the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin had a highly significant effect on pain compared to the placebo group (p<0.002).

The Results

The study clearly shows that:

• Combining glucosamine and chondroitin is the most effective medical treatment for severe to moderate osteoarthritis pain.
• Glucosamine on its own does not have any effect on pain.
• The pharmaceutical drug, Celecoxib, does not have a significant effect on moderate to severe osteoarthritis pain; however, some effect on mild pain was experienced.

Chondroitin has a long-term effect

Scientific studies show that one of the many advantages of choosing a natural supplement like chondroitin is that its beneficial effects continue even months after you have stopped taking dietary supplements. A scientific double-blind study compared the effects of the osteoarthritis drug, Diclofenac, with chondroitin and a placebo.The researchers found that Diclofenac had only a short-term effect, while the effect of chondroitin kept increasing even three months after the subjects stopped taking the supplements.

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