It's Been My Experience #1

Background.

Several years ago I slipped on November's ice. My arms went straight out and I soon knew I had severely stressed my shoulder bits 'n pieces. The discomfort subsided somewhat over several days but just never went away.

Over the next few months I realized I had damaged something in both shoulders that would probably require 'rotator cuff' repair some day. The pain slowly got worse and my arms were losing their ability to fully extend up and around.

The Tip.

A close friend told of her experience with joint pain. She had found that a combination of over-the-counter products had eliminated her arthritic-like pain.

The stuff was called Glucosamine / Chondroitin (GC) and in a single tablet available everywhere. She said to always buy the tablets that included ‘MSM’. The other tablet that she took was something called 'Bromelain'. All three work in combination, each performing slightly different functions.

My Research.

I studied GC on WebMD and found that it is the critical, naturally occurring, material that cushions the bones in a joint. It's supposed to always be there, but diminishes with age. The tablets are used to relieve joint pain of osteoarthritis.

Wikipedia has an excellent overview of Bromelain. It is very interesting reading. The therapeutic value of Bromelain is a somewhat recent discovery. It comes from the stem of the pineapple plant and was found in 1957 to block the inflammatory process.

I found GC at Wal-Mart and Bromelain at GNC, both dirt-cheap. My friend said double up on the dose until you see some relief then cut it in half.

Results.

After about 10 days, it dawned on me that the pain was diminished and the range-of-motion was greater. After two weeks I cut back to one tablet each of these per day. The improvement in discomfort level and increase of mobility continued so that after several months I had to admit that all discomfort was gone and I had full range-of-motion of both arms. Now I ask: "What Rotator Cuff Surgery"?

Further Study.

Over a period of time I found both products on the Internet from reliable sources and at still lower prices.
( www.swansonvitamins.com Get their catalogue.) And ~~~

A Curious Note.

Carmen's lab retriever, 'Trax', had to have the balls removed from both hip joints. He was severely crippled and in constant agony. The pain medication for this dog was not cheap, but he needed it.

Further study of veterinarian services on the Internet listed several pain relievers for animals with joint pain. The listed ingredients almost always included Glucosamine / Chondroitin!

Trax is now on GC, seems to have no discomfort, and runs & romps like a dog with no joint problems. He's not on Bromelain, but he'll stay on a one-a-day regimen of GC. (Trax is also on Benadryl for allergies but that seems to be a common, well known medication for animals with annoyance to something in the grass.)

These materials are amazing stuff, dirt cheap, and work.

Your Webmaster welcomes your experiences. Whether it's been of a medical nature or a tip on how to do something around the house, it's welcome.

Your contribution can be anonymous, or you can create a pseudo name, or claim credit for yourself. As you see fit.

Thanks in advance.

fgcook@kawcityok,.net