Question:
Osteoarthritis in my thumb, it hurts and pain in my finger. It’s visible on the x-ray. I see glucosamine on your website. But is it the right medication? Perhaps in combination with fish oil.
Answer:
I assume it’s about osteoarthritis in the joint that connect the thumb with the hand. Unfortunately this joint doesn’t respond as well to glucosamine and chondroitin, the most obvious treatment. That’s what we were told by the Sint Maartenskliniek in Nijmegen that treats many people with this so called carpometacarpal osteoarthritis. But we also speak somewhat from personal experience.
My father also has osteoarthritis in this joint. Glucosamine and chondroitin did not seem to work. After addition of ASU Forte the joint was less sensitive. Applying pressure on the joint space was no longer painful. Later he started using Arthro-5 in combination with ASU Forte (the ASU is then double, but it does provide extra ginger root extract and cat’s claw extract). At that moment he still was in pain I think when applying pressure (work around the house).
When I spoke with him about it later he told me that he discovered that his thumb joint wasn’t bothering him anymore. He realized this when he overloaded his thumb by sawing off a branch with the saw upside down. The handle of the saw pushed very hard on the thumb and started to flare up. Only then he noticed that he hadn’t felt the pain in a while.
Now we have a few other customers with carpometacarpal osteoarthritis who had success with ASU Forte. So there’s definitely a chance of success with a product that contains ASU (like ASU Forte, or the more expensive but more successful Arthro-5), but unfortunately we can’t guarantee a positive effect. Also we can’t say how long it will take before you’ll notice improvements.
Fish oil is always good (because of the broad effects on health, especially the cardiovascular system), but it will likely have little added value for osteoarthritis in the thumb.
Question:
I have hip and knee wear. Does chondroitin help with cartilage growth?
Answer:
As far as we know, chondroitin (and glucosamine) do not assist with cartilage growth. In any case, it’s not proven by scientific research. What has been proven is that both products can inhibit the degradation or wear of the cartilage (a.k.a. osteoarthritis) significantly. On average, the cartilage wears by a factor of 4 to 5 less.
There has been a study (STOPP-study), where 500 people were followed for two years. One half took chondroitin and the other half took a bogus product.
In the latter group, the joint space was measured with x-rays: it was 0.28 mm smaller. In the group that took chondroitin it was 0.07 mm, so four times less wear. A similar research result has been achieved with glucosamine (factor of 5 less wear). However, these are averages: of course the results vary per person.
So chondroitin and glucosamine can play an important role in the inhibition of osteoarthritis. Glucosamine also has a pain relieving effect, in case of painful joints due to osteoarthritis. In that case glucosamine can be recommended (may be in combination with chondroitin). With only preventive care, if there isn’t any pain yet, chondroitin is more favorable.
Question:
My son is 11 years old. Is it true that fish oil helps with learning difficulties?
Answer:
It’s indeed suggested often that children become calmer from fish oil and can also study better. I do not know whether this has been confirmed with well-designed scientific research. However, it can not hurt to try it.
The fatty acids in fish are essential for the proper functioning of the human body and not everyone gets enough of it. If your son does not eat fatty fish then a fish oil capsule is a good alternative. A good dose is one capsule per day.
Question:
I chose Arthro-5 because I have pain in my right knee for a few months when I squat. It looks like Arthro-5 works, because I’m able to do it a bit better again.
Yet, the MRI that was taken last Tuesday showed that one or multiple small cracks are present in the medial meniscus. Now my question is: can Arthro-5 with continued use ensure that no further wear will take place in my knee, so that a surgical operation might not be necessary.
I don’t feel any pain, and I do pretty intense 55 and over fitness, and yoga once a week. Furthermore,
I walk a considerable distance with my dog every day. So it’s not due to a lack of exercise.
Answer:
There is no research that shows that joint relief supplements can repair a cartilage structure such as the meniscus. There are indications that the ‘normal’ cartilage layer above and below the meniscus may recover to some degree, and that there’s reduced pain.
People with meniscus damage will suffer from wear of the joint cartilage (above and below the meniscus) after multiple years. The substances in Arthro-5 can slow or stop that process.
Lots of exercise is important for the exchange of nutrients between the joint and the surrounding tissues. Movement ‘feeds’ the joint. It is important to avoid peak loads. Therefore it’s important to carry out the exercise appropriately with fitness. Especially with knee and meniscus exercises, such as leg extension / leg stretching (my preference goes to leg muscle exercises, where the knee and hip work at a time such as ‘standing squats’. In such exercises the knee is also more stable, because also the muscles at the rear of the leg are activated).
Question:
I’m looking for osteoarthritis glucosamine in a large jar of loose powder, not capsules, for my horse. She needs 10 grams per day. Could you advise me?
Answer:
We don’t have glucosamine available in powder form, only capsules (which are easy to open so the loose powder can be used that way).
A dosage of 10 grams per day of glucosamine is not recommended though. The dosage for a horse suffering from osteoarthritis weighing 400 to 500 kg is about 5 grams.
Question:
It’s has been determined that my mother suffers from wear in her joints in her fingers by means of an x-ray done in the hospital (she’s 60). Now I wonder if she can start using glucosamine in order to counteract it, or is Arthro-5 more effective in this case, or a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin?
Answer:
Glucosamine and chondroitin are substances that have been tested for their effect in osteoarthritis. In many cases, the pain and stiffness in the joint will decrease. Also, the thinning of the articular cartilage is inhibited, or may even completely come to a halt.
Glucosamine and chondroitin are less effective in the fingers than the knees for instance. However, improvements occur in many cases.
Arthro-5 contains glucosamine and chondroitin. It also contains 3 other ingredients that are found to be active in osteoarthritis. Our experience is that Arthro-5 clearly more effective than glucosamine in combination with chondroitin. Unfortunately it is also a lot more expensive to use.
The ingredients glucosamine, chondroitin and ASU are medically known as symptomatic slow-acting drugs for osteoarthritis. In other words, these substances act slowly in reducing the symptoms of osteoarthritis. It often takes about 3 months until the effect can be clearly noticed.
In some cases we’ve even seen regrowth of the cartilage (not with finger osteoarthritis. Such re-growth has been established over a period of about two years.
Question:
What do you recommend for rheumatism?
Answer:
Rheumatism is a broad concept. It entails more than 100 different kinds of diseases. If you are referring to rheumatoid arthritis (joint inflammation), one of the most common of those 100 disorders, than most of our products won’t do much for you. Arthro-5, glucosamine, chondroitin and ASU Forte are intended for the treatment of osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease).
Possible only Arthro-5 may offer a small chance of success due to the broad composition. However, there’s no concrete evidence.
There is more support for a beneficial effect of Omega-3. In high doses, think of about 6 to 8 capsules per day, this could have a positive effect on arthritis. But we recommend to consult your doctor when taking such high dosages.
Question:
I’ve just ordered a jar of Natural Multi. I stand behind the product and its composition, but my wife breastfeeds, can she also take this multivitamin or do you advise against this?
Answer:
I am very hesitant when it comes to the use of supplements in the period of pregnancy and lactation. With horror I see multivitamins for pregnant and lactating woman that are full of synthetics. Our Natural Multi has only natural substances, but I still remain hesitant when it come to the pregnancy period and lactation.
Preferably a woman who’s pregnant or breastfeeds only eats wholesome food that contains a lot of nutrition: dairy, (organ) meat, eggs, fish, root vegetables, vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Iodized salt is added to bread. Iodine is very important during pregnancy.
In reality, most people almost never eat such wholefoods. The chance of a deficiency of one or more nutrients is very possible.
Pregnant women are now advised several supplements. It’s estimated that a woman daily needs: 225 micro grams of iodine, 200 milligrams of DHA (fish oil), 400 micro grams of vitamin D, 400 micro grams of folic acid and about 400 milligrams of choline. During breast-feeding supplementation with folic acid is no longer necessary, but it may still be advantageous to supplement the other nutrients. Choline preferably necessary from the food.
Our multivitamin provides iodine (150 micrograms), vitamin D (1000 micrograms) and a reasonable amount of folic acid (100 micrograms). For supplementing these substances our multivitamin may be used during breastfeeding.
For choline, liver and yolk are the best foods. It is better not to use it in supplement form. An egg yolk contains about 100 mg of choline. Chicken liver contains about 300 mg per 100 grams.
A fatty fish can be eaten to obtain the fatty acid DHA. Unlike an oily fish, however, a fish oil supplement contains no heavy metal contamination such as PCBs and dioxins. A good fish oil supplement is our Marinoil fish oil. I have especially selected this fish oil supplement following the pregnancy of my wife. I had little faith in the fish oil supplements that were on the market at that time.
Question:
My cartilage is partly worn. Do you have a product that you can recommend me? And would I be able to play soccer again? Even if it’s 25 minutes per game?
Answer:
Our supplements are intended for use in osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is also known as cartilage wear. The degree to which the symptoms diminish vary per supplement and per person. Some people don’t notice any improvements while others are symptom free. Most people notice a partial reduction of the symptoms.
Usually you will notice of the supplements are effective within 3 months. Pain and stiffness will reduce, and the load capacity will improve.
Whether you’ll be able to kick a ball again, I’m not sure. However, we have quite a few customers who were able to pick up all kinds of activities again. This usually involves walking, stair climbing and cycling. Soccer is an activity whereby there’s a high peak load on the cartilage and there’s less of a chance that you’ll be able to do it again. Still, I would give it a shot.
It’s best to try Arthro-5, this is our strongest supplement. Combine the use of Arthro-5 with a lot of exercise with low intensity. By walking a lot, or cycling. After you’ve used Arthro-5 for two months you can slowly but surely begin to increase the load (for instance to start jogging a bit).
If after putting the load on your joints you feel pain then the intensity level has been too high. Rest your joints again and take a step back using it.
Question:
Of course I want to get rid off pain in my joints like everybody else. However, I don’t have osteoarthritis but probably an oestrogen deficiency due to menopause which is quite noticeable recently and manifests itself by joint pain (I am 55 years).
Joint pain is what I want to get rid off. I lost the strength in my fingers/hands. I’m not quite sure what’s best for me. Arthro -5, glucosamine, chondroitin or something else perhaps.
Answer:
Our supplements are especially designed for people who suffer from osteoarthritis. In the case of an estrogen deficiency, they are basically not effective.
However, it is a fact that a lot of people have a poorer quality of the cartilage which will not be identified yet as being osteoarthritis. Some don’t even suffer from any joint pain. An estrogen deficiency may be something that could cause the actual noticeable symptoms. Supplementation with a dietary supplement can provide a better functioning of the joints causing the symptoms to reduce
I think that you will experience already a possible improvement with glucosamine. If this doesn’t work then it’s best to give Arthro-5 a try. This is a very powerful supplement that gives you the best chance of success.
The active ingredients in these supplements are known as ‘symptomatic slow acting’ in the science books. This means that the effect is noticeable only after a longer period of time. Generally it can be said that within three months you can determine whether the supplement works against pain, stiffness and load capacity.
