Friday, March 12, 2010

MSM AND GLUCOSAMINE FOR JOINT PAIN

This isn't a homemade concoction, but it is a natural treatment for joint pain that I have found to be very effective. It was recently confirmed to me just how effective it is. I first discovered these supplements in the mid 90s when I was experiencing pretty serious pain in my neck and right shoulder. I read about MSM and Glucosamine and decided to try the combination. I had positive results so quickly that I wondered if it could be psychosomatic!  But as I continued to take it my neck pain completely disappeared and my shoulder pain disappeared for all normal daily movement. The only remaining sign of any problem was some pain if I stretched my arm around to reach my back on the opposite side. 


Unexplainably a few months ago I started to have pain in my right shoulder again similar to what I had experienced before. When it didn't improve even with the supplement I wondered if I had an injury from lifting or working out. Then about a month ago I was looking at the bottle and realized that for several months I had inadvertently been taking  1/3 of the recommended daily amount! Previously I had a formula that concentrated the daily amount in 1 capsule, and when I reordered I didn't notice that the new one required 3 capsules for that same supplement strength. I immediately increased to the recommended amount and, again, started experiencing improvement in just a few days.  Now I'm almost back to where I was before reducing the amount.  


Sometimes it is thought that health improvements with nutritional supplements can be attributed to the placebo effect.  But I am convinced that this combination is for real since the benefit disappeared when I unknowingly reduced the amount. Of course it did also confirm that this isn't a healing treatment -- you only get the benefit by continuing to regularly take the supplement. Even so, I would rather take this daily than an over the counter pain med or -- worse -- a prescription with 6 pages of health warnings. I don't know what the condition is that causes this pain, and the supplement might not work on every condition, but it's certainly worth a try if you have any kind of joint pain. You will soon know if it works or not.