Until about the beginning of the new century, glucosamine was available in two forms. These were topical analgesics and pill/capsule form.
Glucosamine based topical analgesics, in testing, has been shown to temporarily reduce pain in the direct area where applied as it penetrates the skin, but there is no real lasting effect.
Glucosamine capsules on the other hand, are better suited to reducing the pain over a long period of time and slowing the progression of osteoarthritis joint deterioration. Using pills, however, one is still not realizing the full potential of glucosamine. This is for two reasons.
...There are several reasons for this.
First, many pills in the marketplace contain a great deal of fillers, binders, coatings, and disintegrants that do not provide any help with your problem and some may actually interfere with the absorption and bioavailability of the active ingredients of the product that you are trying to have your body absorb. If a company can sell you fillers and binders instead of more expensive active ingredients, they can pad their profits while reducing the benefits to you of using the product.
Second, the way that pills are made may affect how well your body can absorb the active ingredients in them. Many pills are greatly compressed when made causing your body more difficulty in breaking them down so that the useful, active ingredients can be absorbed and become bioavailable.
Third, some makers of glucosamine products do not actually provide in their products what they claim to be providing. In other words, the percentages of active ingredients actually in the product are less than what is advertised. The reliable Consumer Labs examined 49 glucosamine and chondroitin products in 2003, and found that some did not contain what they advertised as containing. (The biggest problems occurred with the products claiming to have chondroitin.) Syn-flex was one of the 49 examined and Consumer Labs stated that it contained its advertised ingredients and approved the product. Other scientific authorities have noted this same problem with some nutraceuticals -- there are unethical sellers and makers who promise one thing in their products and deliver far less.
Fourth, the quality of the glucosamine used can have an impact on its efficacy. This will be a difficult factor for you to consider because there are no federal standards in place for the purity of nutritional supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin. You will have to do the best you can to analyze the information available about each product, then purchase one and try it. If it does not produce the benefits you expected, you should try another product and keep trying until you find a product that works for you.
Why Your Previous Glucosamine Products May Not Have Worked
Research has shown that many nutraceuticals and vitamins are absorbed more quickly and in higher percentages when taken in liquid form rather than in a pill form. Consequently, taking liquid glucosamine rather than glucosamine in pills or capsules could increase the benefits received and reduce the time it takes for results to be noticed.
Visit the Arthritis Resource Center for more information on the latest arthritis treatments, studies, research, and breakthroughs.
If you have arthritis, we highly recommend trying Syn-flex®. Syn-flex® is a fast-acting, high-quality osteoarthritis formula for humans and pets. Learn more about Syn-flex® here.
J.R. Rogers is the founder and President of Activex America, Inc. makers of Liquid Glucosamine Formula Syn-flex®
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