Posts Tagged ‘chondroitin sulphate’

The best way to prevent OA is to keep your joints supple through careful but almost continuous use. Movement is a key factor in promoting proper lubrication and nutrition of the cartilage. Low-impact exercises such as walking and swimming are ideal to keep joints supple and healthy.

If things start to go wrong, however, there are very few effective menopause treatment options available. Because cartilage does not have blood vessels, its healing is difficult, and once areas of torn cartilage develop it may be impossible to recover them. Several treatments have been proposed (including progesterone cream, already used for dealing with many menopause symptoms), but few, if any, have conclusive large-scale results. The food supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate have been found to be helpful, but it is important to be sure that the pain is caused by OA and not to stop taking any other drugs you may be on without discussing it with your doctor.

In some cases, it is possible to use surgery to replace cartilage, but the problem is where to take the cartilage from.

A variety of more aggressive surgical treatments are also available, such as joint fusion and joint replacement, but these should be reserved for the more advanced cases because they involve greater risks. Although individual needs should be discussed between the patient and the surgeon, it is usually accepted that joint replacements should be avoided before the age of 55 or 60 if possible.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate

These substances are found naturally in the body, and some studies have suggested that patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis and arthritis could prevent or delay the progression of the conditions by taking them. Both substances are available as dietary and nutritional supplements, but glucosamine is often extracted from animal tissue such as crab, lobster and shrimp shells and from cartilage such as shark cartilage. So it should not be taken by people with an allergy to shellfish.

The results of some medical trials have revealed that people on an increased intake of either supplement reported a reduction in pain similar to that obtained by people taking drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin. The U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) is currently conducting trials to assess the long-term benefits and problems that an increased intake of these substances may cause. Because they are sold as dietary supplements it is possible to obtain them without prescription, but their quality and purity are also uncontrolled. If you decide to take one of these you may be advised to look for more detailed information and discuss your plan with your doctor.