For many people, joint problems are a serious issue. Those affected by joint problems ranges from the highly athletic professional sports players to the lesser active elders with osteoarthritis. Though there are several options to deal with sore and injured joints, the use of supplements seem to be on the rise. One of the most successful supplements used today for joint support and repair is glucosamine sulfate. Not only can glucosamine sulfate prevent injuries to ones joints, it can also relieve current joint problems.

Glucosamine sulfate is used to combat osteoarthritis, a condition that effects the joints and its surroundings. For a better understanding to how glucosamine works, this paper will include what glucosamine sulfate is, how is works, and what it works on (osteoarthritis). Also included is an in-depth look at osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease (DJD), which is the most common type of arthritis, affecting over 16 million people in the United States today (1).

Arthritis refers to inflammation or swelling of the joints. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is also known as degenerative joint disease because it is char

their use should be discouraged and their classification as a first choice conservative treatment should be abolished. A truly effective and conservative approach to the treatment of osteoarthritis should include chiropractic manipulation, essential nutrient supplementation, exogenous administration of glucosamine sulfate and rehabilitative stretches and exercises to maintain joint function" (7).

An important component of a healthy joint is articular cartilage, which is designed to reduce the friction of bones rubbing together by holding in fluids used for lubrication. It is a spongy material that releases fluids under pressure and soaks up fluids when the pressure is released. For example, when you take a step, liquid is squeezed out of the cartilage in your knee as you bring your foot down (like pressing on a wet sponge), and then is soaked up when you pick up your foot to take another step. Osteoarthritis begins with a loss of water in the cartilage, causing it to weaken and crack. The cartilage degrades, forming grooves that eventually expose the bone. With this lack of cartilage, bones rub together, causing a lot of pain and swelling.

"given the detrimental effects of NSAIDs on joints and other organs,

When glucosamine supplementation is used opposed to the typical use of NSAIDs for treatment of osteoarthritis, health risks are decreased and the effectiveness of the treatment increases. Dating back from the early 1980's, a number of double-blind studies demonstrate that oral glucosamine decreases pain and improves mobility in people with osteoarthritis, without side effects (6). A major reason for using glucosamine can be seen the following sentence,

Glucosamine sulfate is an ideal supplement used to treat osteoarthritis. There are many sound experiments to back the quality and effectiveness of glucosamine sulfate, thus making it a safe choice for joint sufferers. Not only does glucosamine rid the patient of pain and swelling of the affected joints, it also works at the source of the problem, which is joint degradation. Unlike NSAIDs, which can cause negative side effects, glucosam

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