A Pain in the Butt (Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements in General)

Name: lamorna

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Product:	Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements in General
Date:	23/10/03 (711 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free of pain, Beneficial side effects, Available

Disadvantages: Why doesn't the doctor mention them, None, None

It was a silly thing to do! Last autumn, whilst stripping the drooping leaves from my Yucca trees sitting either side of the rose arch in my garden, I yanked too hard and fell down three stone steps resulting in a nasty collision with the steps and my right knee. At first I was only concerned in cleaning the wound and soon forgot about the incident as the scab gradually disappeared. It was in early spring this year that alarm bells rang. My right knee flared up, became swollen and hurt me. Going up and down stairs was very painful. I was forced to make a very rare visit to my GP. He examined the knee and prescribed me non-steroidal anti inflammatory prescription drugs. I certainly wasn?t cheered by his comment that as somebody gets older a damaged joint such as this can set up a chain of events and trigger further inflammations in the joints. Deep joy!

However, I was relieved to take them as the swelling reduced and the pain diminished. Sadly, this only lasted for as long as I took the two-week course. Within a few days of completing the course all the painful symptoms returned with a vengeance. In all I had three repeat prescriptions but something else was happening. I had a severely upset stomach. What a choice! If I took the anti-inflammatory drugs my knee was better but I had to be within ?convenient? distance from the toilet. At least I could get there quickly. But I wasn?t happy with this. I Googled into some reliable medical websites asking for possible side effects from taking these drugs-and yes-there it was in black and white, up to 40% of those taking these drugs had side effects including, amongst many others, chronic diarrhoea. Resultantly I had to be prescribed Imodium to cure my stomach complaint and I obviously refused to take any more anti-inflammatory drugs, but although my guts gradually recovered, my knee was just as bad as before-and then I got an ache in my left buttock. Sitting, standing, walking, lying down, no matter which position
I was in my butt ached as well as my knee. My GP?s gloomy prediction seemed to be materialising. I did wonder if I had altered my posture to accommodate my painful knee and this could be causing my aching butt. No matter what the cause, I was now in more pain than ever.

I?m not a great follower of alternative medicines but compared with the disillusionment I naturally feel about prescriptive drugs I was driven to my local health food shop and asked the assistant what she recommended for inflamed and aching joints. She asked if I was allergic to shell fish and seafoods, if I was diabetic and added that the side effects were to be welcomed-glossy hair and stronger nails. These are side effects I can handle! I reluctantly handed over £20.00 for a jar of 120 capsules containing Methyl Sulphonyl Methane, Glucosamine Sulphate and Chondroitin Sulphate. I?d already handed over more than £30.00 in prescription charges for drugs that had only made me worse and hadn?t cured my originals complaint, so hopefully this was good money after bad? Nevertheless, before I took my first dosage I Googled again to read what the medical websites had to say about Glucosamine Sulphate and Chondroitin Sulphate.

All the information on these reputable medical sites pointed to an improvement in aching joints, whether caused by an injury or due to just getting older, when taking these supplements. Glucosamine, made from shrimp and crab shells, and Chondroitin, a major constituent of cartilage, lubricate the ?joint oil? that has dried up around the cartilage, as the body?s natural response to an injury is to become inflamed around the damaged joint as a protection when ?joint fluid? dries up, but this in turn causes more inflammation. So, after one week what is the result?

The suggested daily intake on the particular supplement I bought instructs Day 1: 1 Capsule. Day 2: 2 Capsules and so on until Day 5 and five capsules. Then to continue taking five capsules per day f
or ten days and then to take as appropriate to suit the individual (usually 2-3 capsules per day). Of course if the sufferer were to stop taking Glucosamine and Chondroitin then the symptoms would return but as there was no proof of any side effects then this is acceptable to me.

It?s only my fifth day of taking Glucosamine and Chondroitin and so far the respite from the ache in the butt and the pain in the knee (plus the swelling-on my knee and not my butt) is remarkable. I feel like skipping with relief at my total lack of discomfort, after all it was a year ago when I fell and hurt my knee. At the time my GP suggested physiotherapy and made me an appointment at my local hospital. I arrived for my appointment only to find it was an appointment to make another appointment with somebody who would assess my injury and then make me a further appointment for appropriate treatment. Please!

If my progress continues as it is and I have to take three capsules of Glucosamine and Chondroitin a day to maintain ?joint fluid? then the cost per day for the 120 capsules will be fifty pence. If you do suffer from joint pains, be it through an injury or just normal wear and tear, then these food supplements certainly seem to help in the healing of joint injuries and the degeneration of the connective tissues that comes with age. If you have a friendly local health food shop then pop in and ask them about Glucosamine and Chondroitin or if you prefer shopping online just paste the supplements into a search engine and see the offers as long as you believe they are a reputable online shopping site.

I am very optimistic about my newfound pain free energy, as one of the biggest giveaways about somebody?s age is the way they get out of a chair, creaking and groaning-or with a lightness of body and spirit.

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