Steps to more comfortable joints (Part 2)
Most who contact me with joint problems have already tried joint health supplements with little or no success. We make what appear to be minor changes in dosages and within a few months many get significant benefits.
Joint supplements are usually heavily weighted towards glucosamine. The main reasons are that most of the original research into joint supplements was focused on glucosamine; secondly, glucosamine is relatively inexpensive while chondroitin is very expensive. I know of one major company that recently reduced chondroitin in their supplement because of cost.
Older style formulations have something like a 4:1 ratio of glucosamine to chondroitin. The most recent research shows that the chondroitin is the most important and effective joint compound. I find that a 1:1 chondroitin/glucosamine ratio has a huge impact on joint health. It is also worth noting that chondroitin is available as a prescription medication in many European countries.
On the basis of modern research, I re-formulated my Bettaflex joint supplement that a daily dose has 800mg of both chondroitin and glucosamine with 800mg of each plus 200mg of latest generation Curcumin extract (from turmeric). In most cases I start people on a double dose delivering 1600 mg of chondroitin and glucosamine and 400mg of BioSolve® Curcumin.
While research is helpful in understanding disease processes, the real test is to whether something actually works. I spoke to a client yesterday who experienced significant improvements in her thumbs and knee after only 8 weeks on higher doses.
Please email me if you would like a copy of my Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition Guide.
John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv.Dip.Nut.Med.) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health. If you have questions or need help you can contact John 0800 423559. You can email John at john@abundant.co.nz.
Please note that the health advice given through this column is for general educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any health problem. © John Arts 2024