glucosamine+and+chondroitin

=Glucosamine and Chondroitin=

How it works
It contains the building blocks of cartilage, which are the shock absorbers of the knee that degenerate in osteoarthritis. //Glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin sulphate are derivatives of glycosaminoglycans, and are building blocks of the ground substance of the articular cartilage proteoglycans. The rationale for the use of glucosamine sulphate is based on animal models of osteoarthritis in which there is normalisation of cartilage metabolism, some anti-inflammatory properties, and a rebuilding of experimentally damaged cartilage.//

Questions to Ask
What medications? - medical conditions? - allergies? //significant seafood allergy//

How to take
Glucosamine 1500-2000mg orally, daily in divided doses with food

Side effects
- mild gastrointestinal symptoms

Other advice?
__Glucosamine:__ - meta-analyses, including a Cochrane review, have shown glucosamine to be both safe and effective in osteoarthritis. In 12 of the 13 randomised controlled trials of glucosamine versus placebo, glucosamine provided better pain relief and improved function. In the 4 studies with NSAID as the comparator, glucosamine was better in 2 and equivalent in 2 for pain relief and improved function.
 * Evidence of use in osteoarthritis**

__Chondroitin:__ - a smaller number of individual studies with chondroitin have reported some symptom relief - one study has found that only the combined preparation, and not glucosamine or chondroitin alone, provided better symptom control than placebo. However, the hydrochloride forms were used and the placebo response was very high.

CMI
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