Get the Most of Your Joint Supplements

So what is the deal with supplements? Are glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate really any good? What about MSM? The answer is yes and no.

Let's get an understanding of the process first. I'll use MSM as an example (mostly becasue it is short and easy to type). MSM is a comound particle. In order to get where it needs to be and be effective it must be carried there. Guess what carries it? You got it- WATER.

So the first challenge is taking a good supplement but not getting enough water. The supplement would then appear to be ineffective. Hence, many people say they have tried MSM but it didn't work.

Try taking your joint supplements with at least 12 ounces of water. (More info- see my post about drinking enough water). Be done with chronic dehydration and you will see a difference in pain anyway.

Next, you have to understand something about a joint or a disc. THEY HAVE NO BLOOD FLOW. That's right- they are avascular. The only way they get rid of waste and bring in fresh nutrition is through movement.

And not just any movement- it must be specific to the joint involved. It fascilitates 2 processes- imbibition and osmosis. Imbibition is to simply take in fluid. Osmosis is the movement of water due to concentration gradients.

So the moral of the story is- water and movement or your joint supplements are useless!