climate

[maude]

Since the last 2 years of living in w.France i.e s.e Vendee,we have both started to suffer from arthritis and joint aches.Is this just advancing years-we are just 60,or is it the moist climate.We notice that this must be one of  the highest sales areas of absorbers,and refills plus also the sales of anti moississure treatments are astronomic.We did used to live in the Eastern side of the U.K. Pennines,where the climate was drier.Anyone else having the same problems?Would be interesting to know!Many thanks-Maude.

 

[Val_2]

Well its no different here in Brittany either.Plenty of damp weather,damp old houses which seem to attract so many british buyers and tons of products for drying out properties. Everyone complains of rheumatics and arthritis and it is a general known fact that Bretons are very down in the dumps and gloomy from November to March.

[Patf]

We are further south than you, about the same age and have similar problems. Other things can play a part in producing aches and pains in muscles and joints. I don't know about you but we have been doing much more physical work since we moved here, what with gardening and house renovations, lifting and carrying etc. After 60 years it takes that much longer for the frame to regain it's elasticity. Also a change of drinking water can effect the joints. Cod liver oil is supposed to be good for such problems. Pat.

[Jon 1]

Try glucosamine.  It is now recognised by the medical profession to be just as effective as ibuprofen but without the side effects.  Confirmed in the Lancet.  It is in fact supposed to be beneficial for the GI system, and helps with IBS.

You need to take 1500 mgs daily, and may not notice any improvement for about 3 months.  The reason being that it has to improve the joint tissue. 

Males of mature age should avoid chondroitin.  So take only the glucosamine.

[Catalpa]

My parents take glucosamine + chondroitin and have done for several years. What's the background to the recommendation for men to avoid chondroitin?

[0BRIAN WOODHEADI,m here in franceddMMyyyy0Falseen-USI,m here in franceTrue]

It,s well known that the northern part continental europe is cold than the UK due to the gulf stream having a warming infulence on the UK weather,if your old bones ache try going back to UK in the winter wearing the same clothes and the see if there is a difference,for us there is we live next to the med on the south coast of france and when with go back UK occasionally we CAN tell the difference.

[Iceni]

Latest US research I saw showed that glucosamine makes no real difference to pain or improvement. Another interesting fact I got was that the UK does more hip replacements than the rest of Europe combined. I got this from a prosthetic hip salesman so how true this is I don't know but he said that per head of population the UK was the biggest hip replacer in the world.

I am in all sorts of trouble at the moment as I have come off my painkillers (as most Cox 2 type drugs seem also to increase the risk of heart attack to unaceptable levels) and am trying to cope with Ibuprofen and paracetamol and codeine. Off to the quack in the new year.

The worst months for joint pain are actually supposed to be summer months in the UK so perhaps moving to a hot dry climate could have other problems.  Activity is the best way to cope with joint pain and the more you can do the better the prognosis for years to come. I sit at the PC all day and the more I sit the more I ache. Can't wait for the barn to be finished so I can get out some exercise equipment for the winter - no problem in the summer, I just garden when it is not too hot.

[Russethouse]

I did a quick search on glucosamine ( I was interested because my mother takes it) and came up with fairly good results, with the proviso that you may have to take it for 3 months before you notice a difference. I think its worth a try. (My mother certainly finds it helpful)

[Iceni]

This was the research I was posting about http://arthritis.about.com/od/glucosamine/a/glucosamineoa.htm

I found this as I was trying to find out about it's effects on blood sugar and blood pressure - it seems that it can have quite an effect on them and this rules it out for me. I have taken it in the past but with no real results and it is very costly so I shall not take it any more. Think it is about time I went back on the codliver oil, it also does not agree with me but only upsets my stomach.

The real shame is that Celebrex had shown some good results for improvement of arthritis of the knee and coming off it is proving just how much it had helped. With heart problems in my immediate family it is a risk that I cannot continue to take.

[Russethouse]

Thanks Di, I followed a link on that page to this ;

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Is it a beneficial arthritis treatment?

Since the book "The Arthritis Cure" was sold in bookstores across the country in 1997, physicians, pharmacists, and arthritis sufferers have frequently been asked their opinion of glucosamine as a treatment for arthritis. The word "cure" in the title of the book raised the hopes of many who suffer with the disease.

How Glucosamine Works

Glucosamine is found in high concentrations in the joints. It has been theorized that glucosamine stimulates the formation of cartilage that is essential for joint repair. In animal models, oral glucosamine sulfate has a beneficial effect on inflammation, mechanical arthritis, and immunological-reactive arthritis, though much less so than indomethacin and other such drugs.

Glucosamine is sometimes used in combination with chondroitin sulfate as a treatment for arthritis.

Chondroitin sulfate is also found in cartilage. Chondroitin sulfate reportedly maintains the viscosity in joints, stimulates cartilage repair mechanisms, and inhibits enzymes that break down cartilage.

A Dietary Supplement

Glucosamine is sold in the United States as a dietary supplement. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act passed in 1994 by Congress allows the marketing of a product claimed to affect the structure or function of the body as a "dietary supplement" without the approval of any government agency. The labeling must include a disclaimer that the product has not been evaluated by the FDA and the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. Glucosamine is available in pharmacies and health food stores as the sulfate, hydrochloride, n-acetyl, or chlorhydrate salt.

Clinical Studies

Short term controlled studies have reported glucosamine as effective in relieving pain in patients with osteoarthritis and for increasing their range of motion. A four-week double-blind trial of 252 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee found oral glucosamine sulfate 500 mg. three times a day more effective than placebo in relieving symptoms.

Another four-week double-blind trial of 200 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee revealed 500 mg. of glucosamine sulfate as effective in relieving symptoms as ibuprofen 400 mg. three times a day, after the second week.

In a double-blind eight week study of 40 patients with osteoarthritis, glucosamine sulfate 500 mg. three times a day orally was as effective as ibuprofen 400 mg. three times a day in relieving pain after the first two weeks. In all reports glucosamine was generally well tolerated with the incidence of gastrointestinal upset no higher than placebo.

The studies, though yielding desirable results were not considered well-designed studies. Well-designed studies must be conducted using sufficient numbers of patients over sufficient periods of time, at least one year, by experienced investigators, using objective measures and statistical techniques that can determine if improvement is the direct result of the treatment. The existing studies met few of the criteria and were conducted on far too few patients. Also, no research has indicated whether greater relief occurs when glucosamine and chondroitin are used in combination.

Conclusion

The consensus is that glucosamine and chondroitin supplements might lessen pain in 30 to 50 percent of patients with osteoarthritis. Many doctors now believe it is worth trying these supplements for osteoarthritis. They appear to be safe, but doctors are warning patients that the quality and effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin varies because of the non-regulation. If you want to try them, buy high quality products from a reputable source.

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So I guess its still worth a try, though difficult to quantify whether or not an individual would be any worse without it. My mother felt in helped her, but my husband (who has type 2 diabetes) sticks to cod liver oil.

[Jon 1]

[quote]My parents take glucosamine + chondroitin and have done for several years. What's the background to the recommendation for men to avoid chondroitin?[/quote]

Re your query concerning chondroitin, please click onthe following url's.  There are numerous others.

http://www.prostateforum.com/info-chondroitin.htm 

 

http://www.malecare.com/new_page_26.htm

 

 

Please also click the following url for research based article on glucosamine;

 

http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/20/02/10.html

 

Jon

 

 

[Catalpa]

thanks, Jon. I'll do some reading and advise my father accordingly.

Carole

[maxsan]

I seem to have got my wires crossed (or my eyes) and there is no expiry date on my card. Thank you all for your kind help anyway and I am sure that what you have posted will be of help to all those new people signing on to this forum.  Aqnd it will help me in renewing it.

[Iceni]

I have hip, knee and wrist problems. The leg pains are the ones that keep me awake at night. I have bought a simple under sheet warming mat (very low electricity use and only gets to 'warm' on setting No 1). I use this mat when I am getting pain and it keeps me pain free during the night and I also do not wake up with locked knees which are excruciating. This is a small mat and sits under the sheet from roughtly my waist to my feet.

I would rather use this method than the tablets, but I do have to take some of those during the day. I went for a 3 mile walk today on the main road out of our hamlet and then back up the other way in a circle - saw no other vehicles at all. It will cause me pain tonight and tomorrow but the important thing is to keep moving and not get too disabled by the pain.