My ideas sometimes come from the most bizarre places. For most, the epiphany will come in the shower, or when the heart rate has increased through exercise. The idea for this blog was inspired by the fact dogs (in doggie years) hit middle age quicker than us humans. As I have previously written about, we are introducing a pet health care section in the pharmacy, and as a result we received quite an amount of training. When dogs hit middle age in doggie years, or 4 or 5 years of our time, it is recommended that dogs take Omega 3 and Glucosamine, to improve the quality of their lives. Nice and straight forward.
One particular evening, after a busy day in work, I arrived home with the usual sore knees: a side effect of standing all day. This got me thinking about Glucosamine. It was something I had read and studied a lot, and recommended it based on what I had read. It was time to practice what I am always preaching, and I decided to try it out myself. I bought a bottle of our brand and embarked on my journey – literally ‘taking one for the team.’
I adhered to the dose of three tablets per day, and waited patiently to see the results. The effects may take up to three months to see. Glucosamine is derived from shellfish and is a part of the connective tissues i.e. cartilage, tendons and ligaments. By building up the connective tissue with Glucosamine the joint becomes stronger. The wear and tear on the joint is slowed down and as a result, pain and discomfort is reduced. No wonder you have to take them for three months! It takes that long for the damage to repair.
Another product that is combined with Glucosamine is a product called Chondronitin. We have a Conefrey’s supplement which combines the two.
The dose of the combined supplement is taken in the same way: three per day, just with food. Chondroitin is in cartilage, and acts as a shock absorber in most joints. Scientific studies back up the use of combining the two. Most people believe that it’s for people with osteoarthritis in their knees, but I recommend it to younger people too, particularly those who play a lot of sport. It can only help and I believe it helps the joints to recover quicker after matches.
There are a number of other products available specifically for joints, and joint pain. I will cover those in another blog. Glucosamine is an excellent complimentary product to anti-inflammatory tablets, and/or painkillers. While they may take some weeks to show a beneficial effect, they may lead to a decrease in anti-inflammatory medicines as the symptoms improve. Based on my own experience, they are well worth taking. If you have any questions, or have any experience in taking these, please feel free to comment.
