Glucosamine Chondroitin Therapy for Joint Pain

Author : Jack Russel 

Damaged cartilage due to everyday wear and tear, traumatic injuries, dehydration, and an unbalanced and deficient diet would often result to arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that involves varying degrees of pain with no known cure. Most people will control the pain with NSAIDS and other pain relievers, which address the pain, but does nothing to go to the root of the problem. A better alternative is helping the body repair the damaged joints with natural supplements to reduce pain, without risking the dangerous side effects of todays powerful drugs.

What is Glucosamine?

Glucosamine is a naturally-occurring nutrient inside our bodies. It is an amino sugar that is formed by the combining of glucose, hydrogen and nitrogen amines in the body. Although glucosamine exhibits some properties of carbohydrates, they do not act as energy supplies but rather as building blocks of the cartilage found in the joints. Specifically, glucosamine is essential in the production of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans that are necessary to keep the joints healthy.

As we grow old, the production of glucosamine in our bodies tends to slow down. When this happens, cartilages in our body cannot fully recover from the strain of everyday activities such as walking, running, and the lifting of heavy loads. Hence, there is a day to day imbalance between work and rest that the cartilage in our joints is put through leading to a deficiency of the component. This deficiency then leads to the degeneration of the joints that causes the formation of bone spurs which leads to inflammation of the joints, especially in the knees, back, and hip area. Furthermore, joint pain is a result of the scarcity of the synovial fluid, thinning of the cartilage and synovium which causes friction between the bones.

What are glucosamine supplements?

Fortunately, scientific innovations have produced glucosamine supplements to help aid the glucosamine production process. Man-made glucosamine comes in three variants, namely: glucosamine hydrochloride or glucosamine HCl, glucosamine sulfate, and N-acetyl-glucosamine. The technical difference is that the latter (N-acetyl-glucosamine) is the neutral form of glucosamine while the first two (glucosamine HCl and glucosamine sulfate) are composed of charged anions that have been found to be beneficial when it comes to joint protection, repair, and rehabilitation. Both are more sought after than N-acetyl-glucosamine because they are easily absorbed by the body thereby nutrients are more easily digested and distributed to the cells.

These types of glucosamine can come either in pill or liquid form and are alternatives to the usual pain killers that only relieve pain. By not addressing the condition of the damaged cartilage, NSAIDS are more of a band-aid to the immediate pain, with side effects that have pulled some products off the market due to deaths attributed to them. Todays glucosamine supplements contain not only glucosamine but a combination of other nutrients that aid in cartilage and joint repair. Glucosamine often is joined by chondroitin sulfate that not only aids in protecting the cartilage and protecting the cartilage from damage but also enables the quick absorption of glucosamine in the body's cells. The combined effects of glucosamine and chondroitin and their synthesis are further amplified by the presence of manganese ascorbate in most supplements. In addition, glucosamine supplements also contain anti-inflammatory ingredients such as yucca, white willow bark and bromelain that act as analeptics.