There have been many reports recently that have stated that the supplements glucosamine-chondroitin, widely used as a treatment for osteoarthritis, are not as effective as they claim to be. These sentiments are based on a wide range of studies that are created specifically to discredit the use of this product.
This is far from the truth, especially among people who can swear for the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin in reducing the pain that is often associated with osteoarthritis. People who experienced moderate and severe pain because of this condition have generally seen improvements when it came to the use of the supplements. Research that sides with the supplement also shows that scientific evidence proves the effectiveness of the product.
Studies show that the supplement was almost as effective as the more expensive prescription medications.
Are these studies conducted by the pharmaceutical companies to discredit their competitor? There is a lot at stake as these drug companies spend millions to get their drugs on the market for use. If supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin can do the same thing as these expensive drugs, the companies would lose.
One particular study that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine claimed that the prescription medication Celebrex was able to relieve mild knee pain associated with osteoarthritis. The study also went on to show that glucosamine-chondroitin was not effective. This may possibly be true for people who suffered from mild pain, but what the study failed to mention that the glucosamine supplement was very effective at treating people who have moderate to serious pain.
So even though mild pain was not affected, the people who were in serious pain saw the benefit.