Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Glucosamine and Chondroitin

    Heard about glucosamine and chondroitin recently and of course lots of places on the net say how wonderful they are but anyone here actually tried them? Any noticeable (positive or negative) effects? Do they both need to be taken together?

    Wondering if they would help my crunching knees.. I'm sure the neighbours can hear me walking up the stairs to my apartment every night..

  • #2
    I like to use glucosamine every now and then, typically after a fairly leg heavy training session. Sometimes after a hard training sesh, my knees can sometimes get abit stiff and sore especially if I have been resting for a while afterwards or if its particularly cold. Ive noticed that when my knees are like this and I take a glucosamine tablet, I stop noticing any stiffness or soreness after about an hour or so. I also regularly take Omega3 tablets, theyre meant to be good for the brain and also act as an anti-inflammatory which I think helps my joints a little.

    Comment


    • #3
      About those. I remember hearing from several sources which i cant validate beyond their existance in my memory that glucosimine and chondroitin taken toghether work for about half the people that take them, and are relatively useless for the other 50%. But they tend to cause foul gas as well regardless of whether or not they improve your connective tissue health.

      While these can be useful, they are isolated chemicals. Although a bit tougher to consume (if your a martial artist you should be able to tough this up) you might benefit more from the broad spectrum of chemicals obtained by consuming animal connective tissue. For example, get a bunch of free range chicken drumsticks (you dont want to be eating sick caged birds, you want the active running around birds, therefore worth paying extra for free range) and boil em into stock for an hour or 2. by this point the meat and the connective tissue at the joint, that looks like a knuckle, will be falling off the bone. Save the connective tissue and the meat, discard the bone. Make soup with the stock, meat and connective tissue, and when you eat the soup, chew the connective tissue up too. Salt and pepper helps. Its a lil bit of work to chew it up, but not bad if its been boiled for a few hours. In addition you have the aqueous extract (from boiling) of both the bones and connective tissue in the broth, which you drink as well.

      Oh, and though it requires some work, this chicken knuckle soup is going to be much cheaper than capsulated joint supplements, especially in the long run.

      That's my two cents, I apologize for the tangent.
      Show me a man who has forgotten words, so that I can have a word with him.

      Comment


      • #4
        Two very excellent issues that have been brought up here. The fish oil one deserves its own thread.

        As far as chondroitin goes, I'll have to agree with Dao. It's been readily accepted medical theory that human cartilage does not really repair itself; torn cartilaginous structures for example in the knee are best surgically removed. Repair, if any, takes a long time due to the limited blood supply in the joints.

        I never really accepted that personally, based upon my own experience with my own rather very abused knees. I've found over the years that when I aggravate my chondromalacia, with time, and cushioned shoe support, things eventually get better over a few months. For a guy who spend almost his entire life in operating rooms, I'm fairly against doing operations.

        One thing that I've noticed during my journeys to China, is the apparent lack of osteoarthritis in the elderly. Now, one reason might be the relative lack of body weight as compared to us fat Americans (body weight being a serious factor in the development of osteoarthritis). The other, one which I thought of almost ten years ago, is the horrible Chinese diet. It's how they eat chickens.

        In the US, we take hormone fed chickens and strip the lovely breast meat off of the bone for consumption. In China, they take these absolutlely titless scrawny chickens, cook them relatively whole, and chop them up. The Chinese eat what little meat is on the bones, then chew on the bones, sucking out the marrow, and chewing off the cartliage from the ends of the joints. They eat everything, including some of the bone itself. Disgusting I thought. Initially...

        Then I started to wonder if they're eating of the cartilage direct from the chickens, was causing a replenishment of worn and lost cartilaginous tissue. Ten years ago this concept entered my mind, and to this day, I still entertain it. And, believe it.

        As for our over the counter Chondroitin/glucosamine stuff, I've heard mixed reviews as to its efficacy. Hard to tell, we might not be taking enough of it, studies might not be following it long enough, or peoples ideas as to how well they're getting are too subjective. I don't think it's been studied well, and enough. Time will tell.

        But for now, Dao's suggestion of chewing on chicken is golden. Better yet, protect those joints: stop running on pavement, wear good cushioned soled shoes, and keep your weight within limits.
        Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

        "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

        (more comments in my User Profile)
        russbo.com


        Comment


        • #5
          I'm trying fish oil capsules as well although I'm not too sure how much is needed to have any effect. From what I've read online a simple tin of sardines is just as good if not better.. not really any cheaper though but then again capsules don't make much of a meal.

          As for chicken.. how often do they typically eat it in china?

          Comment


          • #6
            If it came down to having to choose between a tin of sardines and some fish oil tablets...id have to go with the tablets. But maybe thats because I cant stand the taste of sardines or anchovies or other such salty fish. Then again I guess you end up tasting something very similar anyway when you do take the fish oil tablets. Most of the time after Ive ingested one, a couple hours later when I burp I can taste the fish oily goodness

            Comment


            • #7
              i cure my knee problems by strengthening my thighs.

              try 50-100 bodyweight squats depending on your level of strength. for me 100 will have me sore for a good 3 days, after that do some dynamic tension exercises like holding a horse stance for 5-10 minutes depending on your level. Then switching to a bow stance alternating the left and right legs as you get tired.

              i feel that having strong thigh muscles will help to support the knee joints from wear and hyper extension.

              but i could be wrong... just my 2 cents. i know doc will kill me for saying this.
              "Life is a run. In attack we run, in defense we run. When you can no longer run, time to die" - Shichiroji "Seven samurai"

              Comment


              • #8
                I n order to strengthen any joint, you must strengthen the muscles on both sides of that joint. IN order to relax any joint you must relax all the muscles on both sides of that joint.

                Splinter, I'll accept your post based on the above theory. But eating connective tissue will help supplement that excercise in repairing the knee, not just stabilizing the joint through muscular training.

                Also avocado's are a great source of fat that tastes better than sardines.
                Show me a man who has forgotten words, so that I can have a word with him.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Well, I've discussed the whole knee thing in another thread, if I remember correclty. And you're right, I should smack ya for the squat suggestions, lol. Squats are only good if they're done correctly; but even if done correctly, they do put a lot of stress on the knee joint, especially when it is not in the best position to bear weight (flexed). But one of the best ways to help a joint repair, is to strengthen the muscles that control it; in the case of the knee, the hamstrings and the quads. Using weight machines that work out these muscle groups (not the Smith with weighted squats...) is one of the better ways of doing this. Swimming, as I always mention, is another excellent way to heal what ails you jointwise.
                  Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

                  "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

                  (more comments in my User Profile)
                  russbo.com


                  Comment


                  • #10
                    A word of caution regarding squats. I was doing high repetition bodyweight squats (you may have seen them referred to as hindu squats). I worked my way to 500
                    straight. I did this for about a year and a half. I would do the 500 squats 3 to 4
                    times a week. Toward the end of this year and a half I started to experience serious pain in my knees (especially the right knee). I wound up with a bakers cyst in my right knee, which eventually burst and was quite a painful experience. I can't say the squats caused the cyst but they certainly did not help. I stopped the high rep bodyweight squats once I healed. That was about 3 years ago and have had no pain or problems since. I still squat, but at most do 50 at a clip and my knees never extend past my toes. For resistance when squating I use cables from Lifeline USA or Kettlebells. I have friends who swear by doing high rep squats for conditioning and so far they have had no problems. I just would not recommend it.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      its totally unneccesary to do 500 hindu squats since the law of diminishing comes in between 1 and 2 hundred. plus you were probably doing them wrong with bad posture and balance.
                      "Life is a run. In attack we run, in defense we run. When you can no longer run, time to die" - Shichiroji "Seven samurai"

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Posture during these squats can aggravate things, but I doubt that was his problem. Doing 500 of them was one of the issues. As I've said before, the knee is not meant to support a lot of weight when it is flexed. That's just not the way it was designed. When you put a lot of stress on a bent knee, you get bad things, like Baker's cysts, chondromalacia, and torn menisci.

                        Use the machines, or walk. Doing weighted squats is just not in the best interests of your joints.
                        Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

                        "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

                        (more comments in my User Profile)
                        russbo.com


                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I don't know the specifics on the knee, but I will say this:

                          If you're going to squat, get the most bang for your buck. Forget the 500 hindus and hit the pistols. Still, I am a fan of freeweight barbell squats. Just don't forget to take care of your hamstrings. I suggest stiff legged deads.
                          Becoming what I've dreamed about.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            WTH is a "stiff legged dead"?

                            See a bunch of them in Patong.
                            Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

                            "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

                            (more comments in my User Profile)
                            russbo.com


                            Comment


                            • #15
                              doc,

                              im just curious.

                              What is your opinion on dynamic tension excercises like holding a horse stance for an hour or so? i mean, the knees are bent, but when done correctly, the lions share of the work is going into the thighs. does this fall into the same category as weighted squats?
                              "Life is a run. In attack we run, in defense we run. When you can no longer run, time to die" - Shichiroji "Seven samurai"

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X