Treating Arthritis With a Good Arthritis Supplement

by rogercarr

A good arthritis supplement can help alleviate the painful and debilitating symptoms of arthritis. Arthritis is a condition that commonly affects the joints and muscles. The most common symptoms of arthritis are stiff and painful muscles and joints.

What Happens When You Have Arthritis?

An individual suffering from arthritis will generally suffer from aching and swollen joints. This is the most common area affected by arthritis. The tissue in and around the joints becomes inflamed. The inflammation then causes production of copious amounts of joint fluid, which in turn causes swelling. Most of the time, the swollen areas will be very red and tender to the touch.

Using An Arthritis Supplement

Of all the arthritis supplements available today, the two most commonly used are glucosamine and chondroitin. Glucosamine and chondroitin are actually part of the raw materials the body requires to build cartilage. Cartilage is the soft bone that lines parts of the joints, and is one of the tissues that arthritis attacks. Scientific studies have shown that introducing glucosamine and chondroitin into the body stimulates it to produce more cartilage. This helps to reverse the damage done by arthritis.

Some studies also show that glucosamine and chondroitin help to relieve the pain caused by arthritis. Other studies, however, have failed to show any pain-relieving effects from consuming glucosamine and chondroitin. It appears that results from using such a supplement differ from one person to the next. If you suffer from arthritis, then there is no harm in trying such supplements. If, after three months, you do not feel any positive effects, then you should discontinue it.

Methyl sulfonylmethane (MSM) is another supplement that is gaining in popularity. It is not as well established as glucosamine and chondroitin, however. There have been fewer scientific studies done regarding the effects and efficacy of MSM supplements. You should therefore be very careful about using such supplements.

Side Effects of Arthritis Supplements

While most people encounter no side effects from glucosamine and chondroitin, a small percentage do. These side effects include nausea, flatulence, diarrhoea, constipation, and heartburn. If you experience any of these side effects when you start taking any kind of arthritis supplement, you should stop immediately.

Some Things To Take Note Of

If you also suffer from diabetes, then you should be very careful when taking any type of arthritis supplement. This is because the supplements also raise your blood sugar levels. People suffering from diabetes must control their blood sugar levels carefully. If you think that your body cannot handle so much extra sugar, then you should not take arthritis supplements.

Also, if you have to take anticoagulant medication, then you should not take any supplement. The effects of mixing these two drugs may have a harmful effect on your body.

All in all, a good supplement can be of great help to you in fending off the symptoms of arthritis. Those people for whom these supplements work find that they are able to function better because of them. When you go shopping for a good arthritis supplement, make sure you buy them from a reputable company. There is no federal regulatory body, thus quality control is entirely left up to the company producing the supplements. With a reputable company, you can rest assured that their products will work as advertised.