Does Glucosamine have a Placebo Effect?
Other wise known as “sugar
pills,” placebo drugs are used to test the effectiveness of drugs
against an inactive standard. By testing a known substance against an
inactive agent (a placebo), one groups starts to feel better (and the
designers can later verify with statistics which group was on the
placebo and which wasn’t on the placebo) while the placebo group
does not. Glucosamine has long been known for its powerful effects, both
clinically and anecdotally. Generally speaking, the only placebo effect
you will get from glucosamine is from manufacturers who do not give you
high-quality glucosamine, and do not give you the amount actually
specified on the label.
In clinical trials, even the doctors who
are administering the actual medicine and the dummy placebo, while
making sure that proper dosages are being administered, do not know
which is which, yielding more accurate, unbiased test results.
Glucosamine has endured many double-blind placebo tests, and in all
clinical trials to date (over 20 years of trials), it has always been
better than placebo. The evidence from these clinical studies and from
many different doctors states that glucosamine absolutely has no placebo
effect.
Glucosamine works and continues to work for people
because it gives the body what it needs to do its job repairing your
joints. It’s most effective with osteoarthritis, and in
capsule-form, it can take as long as a month to really start feeling
relief. Only liquid glucosamine provides you with maximum absorption and
complete relief. Some people report increased joint mobility and range
of motion in addition to the pain relief effects that are commonly
associated with glucosamine. More evidence against the placebo effect
lies in the evidence that glucosamine continues working after you have
stopped taking it. Many clinical trials reflect this fact, suggesting
that glucosamine is rebuilding cartilage rather than merely masking pain
like the detrimental NSAIDs.
Another concrete example of
glucosamine’s effectiveness is long history of use in animals.
Animals do not know if they are taking a placebo or a real product -
they will only respond to what actually produces results…results
you simply would not see in a placebo. Dogs that jump up stairs that
were nearly lame before and cats who would no longer want to be picked
up or move around because of their hip dysplasia are classic examples of
glucosamine success. Some of the first animal uses of glucosamine were
thoroughbred horses (that can cost millions of dollars each). There most
certainly were results for them as well. The use of glucosamine in
horses and the incredible results that were obtained made people wonder
if in fact they could use it for their own arthritic joints. They were
right, and glucosamine – still not in the limelight or commonly
known about due to its short track-record and classification as a
nutraceutical – was quickly gaining notoriety and
support.
Fast forward to today. There are many vendors of your
generic run-of-the-mill glucosamine. Many offer you just the simple "no
frills" Glucosamine, and some also try and sell you on the potassium or
sodium (KCl or NaCl) chloride salts, which means nothing more than
paying up to 30% of the bottle to be filled with cheap salt. Our
suggestion is to find a reasonably priced (about a dollar a day)
supplier with a track-record and more than just a few ingredients. Get
as many ingredients as you can for a reasonable price (no more than a
dollar fifty a day). Just think, if a supplier trying to prey off what
you don’t know about glucosamine and is selling a cream-based
glucosamine (which cannot be absorbed through the skin) or the
glucosamine salts (which give you 30% less glucosamine), would you trust
them to put the appropriate dosages into their product in the first
place?
As long as you are actually taking liquid glucosamine, you
can rest assured its working because it’s actually boosting the
natural processes at work all of the time, rebuilding your cartilage and
lubricating your joints. Unless of course, a "no-name"
manufacturer is selling you a placebo of their own. Flexicose is one of
the highest quality and most effective liquid glucosamine products
available today.
If you are looking for a glucosamine supplement
for arthritis or joint pain, I personally recommend Flexicose for all of
your joint pain and arthritis related problems. It is truly the best
formula available on the market today for humans, athletes and even
pets! I highly suggest you learn more about it.
Flexicose, the
liquid joint complex, is a combination of 14 synergistic ingredients
that includes pharmaceutical quality glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM,
omega 3, manganese and niacinamide. Unlike most glucosamine formulas,
Flexicose includes a proprietary 7-ingredient Flexibility Complex™
in every serving. In addition, Flexicose is a liquid, which means much
higher absorption and bioavailability than any tablet or capsule. Try
getting any of those benefits from any other high-quality or
“no-name” glucosamine supplement. The makers of Flexicose,
DTC Health, Inc., are so sure you can’t, they even offer you a
full 60-day return policy if you are unsatisfied. Lastly, Flexicose is
affordable, around 90 cents a day…less than a morning cup of
coffee! Even shipping is free! To learn more about Flexicose now, visit
their website by clicking here: www.Flexicose.com