Glucosamine and Condroitin for Arthritis?

So the story goes that we have an elderly dog who suffered dreadfully from arthritic back legs, mostly in the winter. It was so bad that she really struggled to get herself out of bed, and her back legs moved together in one motion most of the time. Sometimes the poor thing was so sore, she would pick up one back leg and hop around on the other.

Our vet suggested we try glucosamine for dogs. After a few weeks, we were amazed at the progress! We now call this dear old dog "The amazing reverse aging dog" also known as "Benjamin Button"! You'd hardly know she suffers from arthritis at all and she now frequently accompanies us on long walks again too.

So we decided to look into this supplement to see if it would soothe our own aching joints. It turns out that while glucosamine often works incredibly well in dogs, it only works in about 50% of humans. Go figure. However, if you are suffering chronic joint pain, it's a fairly harmless supplement in terms of side effects and you have a 50/50 shot of it being useful!

You should look for a supplement that is certified as safe by the Consumer Lab - they are really good at sniffing out the stuff that isn't as labeled or is just flat dangerous. For example, they recently discovered that Whole Foods is selling a product that is heavily contaminated with lead!

Also, you should take the supplement for 2-3 months. If you see no improvement, you should cease taking the supplement as this would indicate you are in the unlucky 50% for whom this supplement provides no use.

Let me know what your experience has been with this supplement! I hope you have the same experience with it as our dear old dog!