I can only recount my own experience. A few years ago I started to get significant pain in one foot whilst walking, which I treated with visits to the physio and gel packs, but which would come back very frequently. The ankle joint had become very susceptible to getting hurt and swelling. On a couple of occasions, I hurt it very badly and could barely walk for a few days or weeks. According to the specialist, my bones are slightly misaligned and cause stress on my ankle joints, which apparently is wearing away the cartilage and causing pain. In mid- to late October last year I started taking glucosamine and MSM on a daily basis (3 glucosamine, 1 MSM). After a short time I noticed a very significant improvement. I should say that, at around the same time, I also bought some trainers with an air pocket along the whole sole, since that kind of "suspension" helps me avoid sharp impacts on the ankle joints. The trainers are marvellous. They have undoubtedly helped. I also lost a little weight (dropping from 76kg to 70kg), but since I wasn't overweight to begin with I don't think it's very significant. The frequent pains have now practically disappeared. I no longer have to use gel packs and antiinflammatory cream on a daily basis (I hardly use them at all). The ankle joints have become much less susceptible to injury. I have only been to the physio once since October. The reason I think that the glucosamine & MSM have helped is that, even when indoors, when I'm not wearing the trainers, I notice a big difference. I can tolerate my feet and ankles being in positions (for example when seated) that previously would have caused pain. I also tried wearing more normal shoes for a while and found I could tolerate them without too much problem. I even tried some boot-like shoes that had previously caused my a lot of pain, and could walk with them for a week or more without any serious effects. It would be nice if the science were clearer on this, and if we knew why it seems to help some people, and not others, but in my case I'm prepared to say that it's helped, a lot. I think it's good to retain a healthy scepticism about all these things, but in my case I had very little to lose by trying it. For now, the results have been very convincing.

There is still no evidence that MSM does anything to help with arthritis. It is supposed to have an anti-inflammatory effect, but this has never been documented. It doesn't appear to cause any harm, but it also doesn't appear to do any good. Glucosamine and chondriotin are both substances that are required for healthy cartilage. The most effective forms are glucosamine HCL and chondroitin sulfate; they are most readily absorbed and used by the body. The most effective ratio is glucosamine HCL 500mg/chondroitin sulfate 400mg. The most common dose is 3-6 times that ratio in humans, starting with a higher dose during a 6-8 week loading period then decreasing to the lowest effective dose. If there is no improvement after 6-8 weeks, there is no use continuing to supplement. I use it and it helps with my knees, which I injured many years ago. I recommended it to my FIL and it didn't help him at all. It helped my husband, and I also give it to all of my dogs to prevent cartilage break-down (they are large breed dogs). In humans and animals, it seems to help about 50% of the time. I think it depends on how much cartilage-producing cells are still in the affected joints. Glucosamine and chondroitin appear to have a better effect when the cartilage damage isn't severe. Glucosamine and chondroitin are not pain releivers, but work by building up the cartilage in the joints. This helps protect the bones in the joints from rubbing against each other, which is the source of joint pain. One major problem with supplements in general is that there is no government regulation on them. Many brands have been tested and some have almost no glucosamine or chondroitin in them! Look for a symbol on the packaging that says USP, indicating the manufacturer follows guidelines from US Pharmocopeia, which is an industry self-regulatory board. The link below has more information on glucosamine/chondroitin. Here is a link that might be useful: Info on glucosamine and chondriotin

Glucosamine has been salvation for my DH and me. When taking auto trips or sitting at my desk at the office for house, I could hardly get out of the of the car or the chair. So several years ago we started taking glucosamine daily and now can drive from home to Atlanta (7.5 hours) with no stiffness at the end of the trip. Or I can sit at my desk at the office for hours and get up without looking like I'm 90 years old. The problem I have had, as mentioned above, is getting the right brand. Since I have had some ineffective brands before, I asked the vitamin store manager if she knew for sure that her brand was effective before I bought a jumbo bottle. She was agitated that I questioned it. Well, it was totally ineffective so I took it back after using 3/4 of the supply. The store was in another town so it wasn't convenient but I wanted to take it back because of the manager's attitude. Well they took the bottle and said okay. No refund, no explanation, no recommendations, no apologiesÂzilch. I have had the best and quickest relief from Flexium. The problem with this brand is it's very expensive. Here is a link that might be useful: Good Stuff

Here's more info from an article (link below). 'The study only found a link between vitamins and increased risk of death; it didn't prove that the supplements caused the deaths. The authors say the reasons behind their findings aren't clear..... To conduct the study, Mursu led a team who analyzed data from the Iowa Women's Health Study. The women in that study filled out 16-page questionnaires in 1986 about their diet, their use of vitamins and their general health. They recorded their of use of multivitamins, vitamins A, C, D and E as well as beta-carotene, B vitamins and minerals such as calcium, copper, magnesium, selenium and zinc. They were asked again about their supplement use in 1997 and 2004. The proportion of women who said they took one or more vitamin supplement soared during the study period, from 62.7 per cent in 1986 to 85.1 per cent in 2004. The researchers found that over the 19 years of follow-up, 41 per cent of multivitamin users died, compared to 40 per cent of non-users.' So basically, over 19 years, they were given a survey to take three times. The survey was self-reporting, which is not always the most reliable, as people tend to over or under estimate and report things about their compliance and general health...and there was only a 1% difference in mortality. I bet big pharmacuetical companies are jumping for joy about this study. Now we can all go to our doctors and get more pills for things that vitamins may have helped. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pro-vitamin (I rarely take them myself), but I'm pro-not believing everything you read. Here is a link that might be useful: Study about vitamins