Glucosamine for Arthritis Arthritis and Glucosamine
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Is Glucosamine Really The Answer to Arthritis?
Last review: 08/12/10  JR Rogers
Want to learn how to ease your osteoarthritis? Read this report in its entirety.

In this report you will learn:


  • Tips to ease your osteoarthritis pain and slow the progression of the disease
  • The latest research regarding Glucosamine Sulfate & Glucosamine HCL
  • Three reasons why many glucosamine products are not as effective as they could be
  • Why some forms of glucosamine are much better than others
  • About additional complementary ingredients that work synergistically with glucosamine to provide pain relief

Dear Friend,
If you are among the millions who suffer from osteoarthritis, we do not have to tell you about pain. Nagging, persistent and at times unbearable pain is a way of life for you. For most of you, the search for relief from this grinding pain is a chore in and of itself.

My name is J.R. Rogers and this is the story of how I beat one of the most dramatic pain problems imaginable. You see, in 1993, I sustained a very serious traumatic injury to my spine. The pain was so bad, in fact, my upper spine was crushing the cord and I could not even walk in a straight line. The spinal fluid was not getting through the cord and my vertebrae was deteriorating rapidly. Now using what I have learned, I have been able to help thousands of people fully ease or significantly reduce their pain problems.

While exact numbers differ widely, according to USA Today, there are 70 million Americans who suffer from osteoarthritis. Whether your pain is in your knees, neck, hands, shoulders or any other joint, there have been some important advances made in treating these conditions. I'm going to discuss these advances with you and explain in detail how this information can help you take control of your osteoarthritis.


What the Medical Community has to Say
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis and its typical targets are your hands, hips, knees, feet and spine. Sometimes, it will attack your knuckles, wrists, elbows and shoulders. I should mention that these are not the only areas of your body subject to attack however. Depending on whether one counts nothing but moving joints, there are between 100 and 300 joints in the human body and many of them are subject to osteoarthritis. When OA attacks, it causes a degeneration of the cartilage and fluids that protect against the bone structures in your body.

For those of you who live with this debilitating disease, you are all too familiar with what the doctors have to say. Some will tell you to take one of those "over-the-counter" remedies; you know…products like aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen (called NSAID's, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). In fact, some $8 billion dollars a year is spent on these kinds of products in this country every year. Unfortunately, when it comes to using them to fight the pain of osteoarthritis, they can do you more harm than good.

Although you will obtain some temporary pain relief using them, there is also evidence that indicates that they will also cause a progression of osteoarthritis. Not only do they not stop joint degeneration, they are also associated with stomach ulcers and liver damage.

In the more serious cases of OA, doctors will take more extreme steps by ordering dangerous steroid injections or prescribing COX-2 inhibitors (pills like Celebrex and Vioxx that block the Cox-2 enzyme.) While you might get some temporary pain relief, you are clearly more prone to dangerous side effects like heart attacks and strokes and, they will do nothing to help you with the core of the problem. After all, what you are really seeking is two-fold. First and foremost, you want your pain to end. Secondly, you want to address the medical problem itself and end (or reverse) the progression of your OA.

The Big Announcement that set America on its Ear
There are many that are already aware of a compound that numerous medical studies have shown benefit those who suffer from osteoarthritis. It has been widely used in Europe and Asia for the past two decades and in the U.S. for about five years now. This compound is glucosamine.

On January 21, 2001 MSNBC (a major cable news group in the U.S.) reported on the findings published in The Lancet medical journal regarding a medical study confirming the beneficial use of glucosamine by those inflicted with osteoarthritis. This study was significant because it not only confirmed that glucosamine reduced the symptoms of osteoarthritis it also showed that taking glucosamine reduced loss of joint cartilage thereby slowing the progression of osteoarthritis. The scientists noted the the sooner one began taking a cartilage-responsive substance like glucosamine, the better in reducing loss of cartilage and retarding the progress of oseoarthritis. Everyone began searching for the "perfect" glucosamine product and there was no shortage of choices. (Just because I was aware of the European research certainly didn't mean the rest of the country was.)

Glucosamine is an over-the-counter dietary supplement that has gained a lot of attention since about 1999. It is completely safe, as it is a natural, non-toxic compound, and mounting evidence suggests glucosamine not only stops the pain, but it also rebuilds cartilage, improves the structure of joints and can reverse the progression of osteoarthritis.

Many American companies 'hit the market' with a glucosamine product that (they) claimed was the solution for which you had been looking. After all, it's the American way. If a product is in demand, everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon. Unfortunately, most of you were quick to learn that glucosamine was no "magic bullet." For most, you experienced exactly what I had already been through. These glucosamine products didn't fully diminish your pain or in some cases did not work at all. (Does this sound at all familiar?)

With store shelves and mail-order catalogs crammed with choices, the task of finding a product that works has only become more difficult. Television commercials flood your living room every day with glucosamine ads. Direct mail pieces arrive in your mailbox bearing some celebrity's face and they are all insisting the product they are endorsing is the one you are looking for. But what really makes one glucosamine product better than another? What should you look for? Next, I will look at exactly how glucosamine works and then come back to these important questions.

The Science
That article in The Lancet medical journal came about as a result of studies conducted in Lourdes, Belgium. The Lancet medical journal is one of the pre-eminent medical journals in the world. Consequently, at last, the American public and the medical community became more widely aware of the objective evidence that glucosamine is beneficial to osteoarthritis sufferers. As the press said:


"Previous studies had indicated that glucosamine could dull the pain of arthritis, but experts say the latest study shows for the first time that it could improve the structure of the joints."
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS-London


"Improve the structure of the joints." Now that is very important language. This study not only concluded that pain could be managed, but as well the damage from osteoarthritis could be retarded and possibly reversed. That's pretty remarkable stuff, but is it real?

Let's go Back to My Story
In 1996, the doctors finally got around to operating on my spine. What they had to do is remove leg bone to rebuild my upper spine. (Think about a stiff rod or piece of wood inside your neck and upper back.) Even after surgery, however, I was left with constant pain; had limited mobility in my neck; and was left to rely on narcotic painkillers just to get by. If you are suffering from osteoarthritis pain, I have walked in your shoes.

Fortunately, I'm not a "quitter." I was determined to learn everything I could about osteoarthritis, joint pain and any possible means to restore my body to its formerly healthy state. (Of course, I did not have a clue as to how I was going to do this.) One thing I did know. The doctors had made it clear to me that my condition would only get worse, even though they had operated in time to keep me out of a wheelchair. I knew then that if I were going to have any chance at all, it would be up to me to find the way.

A Doctor with Vision
Fortunately, the pain management specialist who was treating me was from Europe and unlike most doctors, was willing to listen. When I approached him with what I was learning about glucosamine, (it was now 1997) he didn't "shrug it off." Instead, he was impressed with the information I was finding and encouraged me to "give it a try."

What Exactly Does the Compound Do
(This may be a little technical so just do your best to try to gain a little understanding here.)

Glucosamine is a "chondroprotective agent", which relieves the symptoms of OA without any side effects while at the same time slowing the progression of the disease. And what is a "chondroprotective agent?"

Glucosamine (and chondroitin) are produced naturally within your body. However, it is not produced in sufficient quantities once you have developed osteoarthritis. That is the reason that we must rely on "synthetic" products to replenish our systems.

What has happened to your body when you have osteoarthritis is that the cartilage (that acts as a "cushion" between bones) has deteriorated. Healthy (articular) cartilage is what we need to make movement and motion of our joints pain free (In other words, it allows bones to move across one another providing an ultra-smooth, slippery surface to do so). Scientific studies show that glucosamine appears to slow, halt or reverse joint deterioration by stimulating the production or biosynthesis in joints of the substances needed to create, regenerate or strengthen joint cartilage. Joint cartilage concentrates glucosamine more than any other structural tissue does in your body so glucosamine is uniquely well-suited to help repair joint cartilage.

The Choices
Most of the products I was able to buy back then were in either pill or capsule form. Believe me, I was trying just about every one I could afford. Unfortunately, I didn't seem to be making any real progress. My pain hadn't changed and of course, I had no way of knowing what changes, if any, were going on inside of my body.

If the research was correct, glucosamine should have been taking care of my pain and reversing my osteoarthritis damage. You could not have proved it by using me as an example. It was now late in 1998 and I didn't seem to be getting anywhere. I had to ask myself some tough questions.

Was all that research a waste of time? Or, was my case just so bad that glucosamine was just not going to help? Somehow, I convinced myself that I was on the right track but there was something missing from the equation.

Why Your Previous Glucosamine Products May Not Have Been Fully Effective (or worked at all)
Scientific research indicates that products like vitamins and nutritional supplements are more absorbable and bioavailable in liquid form than in pill form. That research confirmed my own experience as my use of liquid glucosamine provided me relief from osteoarthritis pain and it did so quickly. In my opinion, based upon my experience, liquid glucosamine offers quite a few benefits over powdered pills or capsules. Here's a comparison:
Topical Analgesics
Pills/Capsules/Powder
Liquid Glucosamine
Apply Topical Cream
X
 
Swallow Pill
 
X
Ingest Liquid
 
 
X
Quickest Absorption
 
 
X
Fullest Absorption
 
 
X
Fastest Pain Relief
 
 
X
Lasting Pain Relief
X
X
Longest Lasting Pain Relief
 
 
X

Based on my personal experience, I can verify that these differences are real. High impact, fast-acting pain relief, and solid, long-lasting effect. If you are currently taking glucosamine in any form other than liquid you are losing out on half of its effect. Later on, I recommend a liquid glucosamine product that gave me great results so keep reading!

How do you know what's best?
With all of the hype surrounding glucosamine, almost every major pharmaceutical company and vitamin manufacturer (among others) has come out with a product. This rush to market is not something that is in your best interests. There are far too many products out there that seem to have appeared only with profits in mind. In a perfect world, companies should be more interested in producing products that are formulated to help you end your suffering.

It is a fair bet to say that you have already been disappointed about glucosamine products you have tried. After all, if glucosamine is the answer, then you were expecting your pain to end immediately.

The Phone Call that Changed my Life
In late 1999, I received a phone call from an old friend of mine. He knew of my search for a product that would make life with my spinal injuries more bearable. He proceeded to tell me about a liquid glucosamine that his brother had been using to treat arthritis in horses. In fact, he told me that many of his brother's friends were using this product for thoroughbred horses and and what really got my attention was that they were using it themselves. . This is where the story got really interesting.

He said the owners were giving two ounces of the product to their horses every day and then "taking a swig themselves." That really got my attention since we were talking about a glucosamine in liquid form. "Do you mean to tell me that the owners are treating their arthritis with this product?" He laughed and replied, "You bet they are and they feel terrific. No joint pain at all." Of course, my heart skipped a beat. I asked him to send me a "jug" of this product.

To make a long story short, this stuff was incredible. Within ten days, I could move my neck just as if it had never been injured and equally important, I had no pain. I knew I had found a glucosamine solution that belonged in the hands of everyone who suffers from osteoarthritis.

The Makeup of Articular Cartilage
Most of the cartilage we are discussing contains between 65% and 80% water. The remainder is comprised of collagen and proteoglycans. The collagen portion of cartilage is what gives it elastic-like properties and provides the "shock absorber" qualities that you need for pain-free movement. Of equal importance, the collagen is what holds proteoglycans in place. Now, let's try to make some sense out of this.

Proteoglycans are nothing more than molecules composed of sugar and proteins. What they do inside your cartilage matrix is "wrap" themselves in and around the collagen fibers. So what happens then? The proteoglycans add stretching capability and they act to capture water. Remember, we already said that 65% to 80% of your cartilage is made up of water. It is this squeezing "in and out" activity as your joints are in motion that is facilitated by these proteoglycans. There is just one final ingredient we need to add to the mix.

The principal producer of both collagen and proteoglycans are chondrocytes. So long as everything is working correctly, you are going to have healthy and vibrant articular cartilage. There is however, one down side here. Chondrocytes also produce enzymes that act to "destroy" the older, worn out collagen and proteoglycans. Unfortunately, one negative effect can be the overproduction of enzymes that are destroying collagen and proteoglycans. Another way of putting it is that your body is "working against itself."

When Things go Wrong
Once this essential part of normal joint functioning goes bad, it's a straight downhill run. Of course, that's why you are reading this material right now. You are in pain and you are looking for answers. That pain that's driving you crazy is caused by cartilage that is developing ragged edges and bone that is overgrown. It is "pockmarked" and abrasive. As the problem increases, the lining of your joints are becoming inflamed. (The Synovium).

The synovium is the area where nerves and nerve endings are bundled. The inescapable fact is that it's going to send out pain messages. As part of your body's defense mechanism, the synovium is fighting to produce more synovial fluid. It is this fluid that provides your cartilage with its "slippery" qualities. Unfortunately, your synovium goes into "overdrive" and the result is that too much fluid is produced. In turn, this builds up in the joint space and when this happens, things are getting out of control.

The Next Question Was "How Would This Product Work for Others?"
As I said, I got incredible results using this product. My pain was gone and mobility in my neck was nearly normal. For me, this was a major breakthrough. The question that I had to ask myself was whether or not it would work as well for others.

I contacted a woman I had recently met who had been complaining about how badly osteoarthritis was interfering with her life. She was in pretty tough shape. I sent her a "sample" of this liquid glucosamine to try. These are her words...directly quoted:


"Less than three days after taking liquid glucosamine the severe pain in my knees was gone. I'm now able to walk at the mall, go up and down ladders and after playing with my grandchildren, I am able to get up from the floor without any help. I no longer have to live in pain."


That's all I needed to hear. If she was getting relief this fast with her situation (which had been bad) then this product was every bit as powerful as I knew it was and she confirmed it. However, I still wanted to know if there was anything more that could be done to make this product even better.

The Magic of Adding Complementing Ingredients
My "education" in the use of glucosamine has never stopped. In fact, to this day I still spend whatever time I can exploring new avenues. All I knew at this point was that I had found a product that could handle major osteoarthritis pain problems and that it worked quickly to end pain. The only other issue was whether or not anything more could be done to improve it.

This is what we now know has made this original formula work so well. It not only contains a pharmaceutical-quality glucosamine, but as well it has other ingredients that work synergistically to improve the power of the product.

Bromelain was added because of its ability to clean away "debris" in the joints and because it aids in restoring proper fluid balance. It also helps to inhibit inflammatory compounds to reduce pain and swelling. Ascorbate (Manganese and ascorbic acid) was added to assist your body's ability to process the glucosamine. (A very important factor and one that is missing in nearly every glucosamine product on the market today.)

Yucca was added because of its long history in fighting arthritis and rheumatism. The yucca root is rich in saponins that act like a natural cortisone in reducing pain, swelling and joint stiffness in arthritis sufferers.

The Omega 3 fatty acids, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docasahexaenoic acid), are constituents of fish oils that act as anti-inflammatory agents. Usually, these products are sold separately in health food stores as salmon, walnut oil, or some other oil. Omega 6 fatty acids, lineolic acid, comes from various vegetable oils (such as corn, canola, safflower, sunflower). The body converts lineolic acid into GLA(gamma-lineolic acid) which can help reduce joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

Each of the vitamins here also plays an important role in regaining healthy joints. Vitamin A (Beta carotene) is essential for growth and repair of body tissues and it aids in bone formation. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) produces a mobilization of your body's self-defense mechanisms, which assists your immune system to overcome pathological consequences. And finally, Vitamin E (Tocopheral) is an antioxidant, which acts to protect red blood cells and unsaturated fatty acids from oxidation damage. It also assists your body in maintaining healthy membrane tissue.

In summing this up, it is not simply the use of a pharmaceutical-quality glucosamine that makes a difference. It is the use of this high-grade glucosamine combined with other synergistic ingredients that makes Syn-flex so powerful.

What A Relief!
As Syn-flex was getting to a final form, I continued to provide samples to people in the community. And, the results continued to amaze me. Everyone loved this product and the results they were getting in handling their joint pain were astounding.

I Wanted More Feedback
As I said, I continued to pass out samples. My old friend Lou told me that he had been able to dance for the first time in years. (Lou was very excited about this). And, he was not the only one.

I was starting to ask each person individually about their experience with Syn-flex. After all, I wanted to know how they were doing and whether or not more could be done to improve on Syn-flex. Howard, Joan, Tina, Julia, Joyce, Iris and Kathy all told me the same thing that Lou had. This product was changing their lives. They were excited and I had this renewed sense that my conclusions about the power of Syn-flex had to be correct.

So What Have I Learned?
In putting an end to my own arthritis pain I have learned a great deal. I knew that my early excitement about glucosamine was well founded but that I had not yet found the right product and more importantly, that a liquid formula was the answer for everyone I had given it to. Let's take in a summary form:


  • Liquid glucosamine seems to be far more effective than pills or capsules
  • A pharmaceutical-quality glucosamine (98% pure) is far more efficient than lower grades
  • When this higher grade of liquid glucosamine is combined with other ingredients in the right combinations the synergistic effect is greater

Conclusion
It was a long road to recovery for me. A simple interest in glucosamine that began in 1996 had evolved into a serious search for the perfect product. And, Syn-flex is that perfect product. There is no doubt in my mind about that. Not only had I made a major recovery, everyone I knew was getting great results using it.

Given the overwhelming success of Syn-flex, I knew that my efforts to introduce it worldwide were about to begin. And that too has been a remarkably satisfying experience.

Syn-flex has become an industry leader in the world of liquid glucosamine supplements. It is used by the average arthritis sufferer; world-class athletes; and, by pet owners across the world. And to this day, the remarkable success of Syn-flex continues.

Syn-flex is an incredible product. I never cease to be amazed by the sheer volume of letters, emails and calls we get in our offices telling about how it has changed the lives of so many. (Including pets) It would be difficult to describe how proud it makes me and my staff to be able to make such a difference to so many. It is simply not something that can be put into words.

If you would like to learn more about Syn-flex click here.

I hope this report has been informative. If you have any questions or need any feedback feel free to contact me directly at jr@activexamerica.com.

To Your Arthritis Pain Relief Success,

J. R. Rogers


Last updated: 2/9/05