If If you suffer from arthritis you know all about the pain, stiffness, inflammation and damage to joint cartilage this debilitating disease can cause. Arthritis can result in weak joints, instability and horrible deformities which can really interfere with your life. Apart from the pain and suffering Arthritis can hamper daily activities like walking, driving a car and even preparing food.

Joint problems occur most frequently in people in their 50s, 60s and 70s and mainly affect their weight bearing joints (hips, knees, spine, feet) and hands. So if you want to combat Arthritis it really makes sense to maintain healthy joints, especially as you age.

How Do I Maintain Healthy Joints?
Joint cartilage, the natural connective substance that cushions your joints, acts as a shock absorber between the bones that form the joint. This cartilage is worn away through overuse or injury. However, as we age, or as a result of injury to the cartilage or joint tissue, your ability to provide essential natural substances can decline, so supplementation may become an important option.

What Essential Nutrients Do I Need?
Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfates are natural components of cartilage, ligaments and tendons and help to ensure joint cartilage is replaced. Your body uses these compounds to help rebuild and replace the cartilage in every joint. Chondroitin acts as a ‘fluid magnet’, drawing fluid and nutrients into the cartilage and works together with Glucosamine to help restore joint tissues.

Taken regularly over time, Glucosamine and Chondroitin help rebuild and restore the cartilage tissue destroyed by normal wear and tear, as a result of aging.

Another important nutrient is MSM. MSM is an essential mineral found in nerve and connective tissue and is needed every day for healthy joints and cartilage. MSM allows the cartilage covering the ends of your bones to pass smoothly over each other. It also helps maintain healthy joints and assists joint lubrication through its presence in the synovial fluid that surrounds the joint.

What Else Helps Joint Mobility?
Other nutritional co-factors, including Vitamin C, Citrus Bioflavonoids, Manganese, Zinc and Copper, are important for joint mobility. Their powerful antioxidant activity helps to protect the joints against harmful damage and inflammation created by free radicals damage and at the same time assists the formation of healthy cartilage and joint tissue.

Additionally, special herbal ingredients such as Curcumin can also benefit joint health. Research has focused on Curcumin’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, heart and liver-protective effects, however there has also been some encouraging studies supporting the use of Curcumin in arthritis.

Which Glucosamine Should I Buy?
When you’re shopping for Glucosamine it is difficult to compare the different types based on price alone. The cheapest Glucosamine may only contain a small quantity of active ingredients. A cheaper version may also end up costing you more money as you may need to take two or three tablets to match a Glucosamine supplement containing a higher level of Glucosamine.

In many cases you will benefit from taking a complete Arthritis solution that contains more than one active ingredient. Healthy Life stores carry a huge range of Glucosamine supplements across many brands. Ask our qualified staff and they will be able to tailor a recommendation that is best suited to you. And of course the best Arthritis solution for you…naturally!