A knee/joint supplement that works

[Phil Thien]

So I have had occasional trouble with my knees. One problem has been soreness in one or both (one more than the other). The other problem has been kneeling which can result in problems straightening my knee when I stand.

And I've tried a bunch of different knee supplements. I don't notice any improvement with them, typically. But I figure maybe they're preventing further decline.

But there is one supplement, MegaRed Joint Care, that is different. I first tried it about a year ago, and noticed an improvement. Less soreness, for sure. I got them at Costco and I just don't go there that often, so when I ran out I switched to something else I found on sale somewhere.

But the soreness gradually returned and about two or three months ago I was at Costco and bought some more MegaRed Joint Care.

And within a week, the soreness improved again, quite dramatically.

So I thought I'd pass that on to anyone else with joint/knee problems, you might want to give them a try if nothing else has worked for you.

Costco has the best price, Amazon isn't bad. Walgreens is having a buy one get one free in my area now, so their price is in-line with Amazon on a price-per-pill level (Walgreen bottles are 30 count, Costco and Amazon are 60).

I thought I'd also mention a recent study summary on vitamin D and lower back pain:

https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/vitamin-d-news/study-finds-link-between-vitamin-d-deficiency-and-chronic-low-back-pain/

I'm in a contest with my mother, I think she is trying to outlive me. So I'm trying to lose weight and take care of myself best I can. She is determined, though.

If I'm lucky, she will win.

This is an Amazon link to the MegaRed:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Megared+Joint+Care+Softgels%2C+60+Count

[William Payer]

Thanks for the first hand information Phil. There are a lot of supplements out there making claims to be effective. It always helps to hear first hand experiences.

I had one knee replaced, and want to keep the other going for as long as possible.

[Phil Thien]

Thanks for the first hand information Phil. There are a lot of supplements out there making claims to be effective. It always helps to hear first hand experiences.

I had one knee replaced, and want to keep the other going for as long as possible.

Bad knees kinda run in my family. My dad had two sore knees (ALS got him before it turned into a big problems). Brother has had a couple of procedures. And mom had both knees replaced last year (she is almost 90, do you know how difficult it is to find a doctor that will replace knees on a 90-YO?).

So their experiences are guiding me, I'm trying to take better care of mine, to at least forestall replacements.

[bill kaminski]

I hear ya' Phil..my knees holler at me quite a lot. Went to the doc' and had a cortisone shot last Fri. , it does feel better..we'll see how it goes. Ever have one? Glad you found some relief. Might have to try the Mega-Red. Worth a punt eh'. Nice to hear first hand results. Also working on the weight..LOL bill

[Bert Kemp]

OK My neighbors swear by this.....wait for it......... Yellow Mustard:rolleyes: yep they tell me they take 2 table spoons of mustard each day and the swear it helps their joint pain. My knee's scream at me but think I'll leave that one alone. I find Ibuprofen helps me a lot 800mg twice aday helps a lot. I did get cortisone shots one time and that also helped a lot.

[Jim Matthews]

I find Ibuprofen helps me a lot 800mg twice aday helps a lot. I did get cortisone shots one time and that also helped a lot.

This seems a common complaint from those that jumped from perfectly good airplanes
in their impressionable youth. Ski racing and Ice Hockey did mine in.

Still too young an orthopedic overhaul, Naproxen for me.

You're right on the money, the fewer pounds you carry -
the less grind on the afflicted joints.

Had I known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.

[Shawn Pixley]

I got my right knee torn up 6 years ago playing soccer (I am still angry at the rube who did it). It started hurting again about six monts ago. And gives out sometimes. So after an X-ray, NMR, and physical therapy, I was refered to an orthopedist. Ligaments are fine. Meniscus seems fine. He thinks there may be spurs behind the patella. We are going to try a gel injected behind the kneecap. Fighting with the insurance is so much fun...

[Brian Tymchak]

OK My neighbors swear by this.....wait for it......... Yellow Mustard:rolleyes: yep they tell me they take 2 table spoons of mustard each day and the swear it helps their joint pain. My knee's scream at me but think I'll leave that one alone. I find Ibuprofen helps me a lot 800mg twice aday helps a lot. I did get cortisone shots one time and that also helped a lot.

I've read that mustard is a natural anti-inflammatory.

[Erik Loza]

I've had this type of conversation with both my GP and with my chiropractor, who does primarily sports rehab.

The GP told me that chondroitin/glucosamine (which I had been taking for years) may or may not really be of benefit in humans. According to him, animals for some reason seem to benefit more from it than people. I still take it, however.

My chiro tells me that no matter what, the biggest enemy is weight and then, lack of muscular development that supports the various joints. I don't have knee problems but do have lower back problems and have made two observations. First, it sometimes comes and goes for factors I either don't understand or am not fully aware of. Because of this, I hesitate to "attribute" feeling better to a particular additive or supplement, especially since low level additives like that sometimes take months to cause any meaningful changes in your physiology. Second, targeted exercises or movements designed to strengthen the surrounding muscle groups have a MUCH more immediate positive effect for me. For example, if my lower back is feeling tired or sore, I do sets of streteches, then back raises at the gym and feel relief within days, if not hours.

No expert on any of this, just what works for me.

Erik

[Barry Richardson]

Thanks for the tip Phil, I've take Glucosamine/condroitin for years and believe it has some benefit, but if this works better, I'm all over it... As stated above though, dropping 20 lbs was the best thing I have ever done for my knees, back, and feet...

[Stephen Tashiro]

As if it were needed, a new disease that causes joint pain: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/chikungunya-move

[Ken Fitzgerald]

My physician says that studies have shown the Glucosamine/chondroitin works in about 30% of the population. His advice was to try it for 3 months. If it helps fine. If it doesn't help, discontinue it.

As much as we would like to believe that medicine and science are exact, they are, in fact, ever evolving.

There are have also been studies showing that too much vitamins, and minerals are dangerous. Don't go too much overboard!

[Phil Thien]

I've had this type of conversation with both my GP and with my chiropractor, who does primarily sports rehab.

The GP told me that chondroitin/glucosamine (which I had been taking for years) may or may not really be of benefit in humans. According to him, animals for some reason seem to benefit more from it than people. I still take it, however.

My chiro tells me that no matter what, the biggest enemy is weight and then, lack of muscular development that supports the various joints. I don't have knee problems but do have lower back problems and have made two observations. First, it sometimes comes and goes for factors I either don't understand or am not fully aware of. Because of this, I hesitate to "attribute" feeling better to a particular additive or supplement, especially since low level additives like that sometimes take months to cause any meaningful changes in your physiology. Second, targeted exercises or movements designed to strengthen the surrounding muscle groups have a MUCH more immediate positive effect for me. For example, if my lower back is feeling tired or sore, I do sets of streteches, then back raises at the gym and feel relief within days, if not hours.

No expert on any of this, just what works for me.

Erik

What you're describing is exactly what I experienced, for years. Pelvic lifts, stretching, walking 2-4 miles a day, it was all maintenance. Vitamin D was the fix for me.


Abstract
Low back pain is very disabling and dispiriting because of the physical impediment it causes and its psychological effects. Innumerable factors have been implicated in its etiology. In spite of improvements in diagnostic modalities, a considerable number of such cases fall in the ambiguous zone of unknown etiology or 'idiopathic.'Early diagnosis of low back pain will allow effective prevention and treatment to be offered. This study was conducted to assess the contribution of vitamin D levels and other biochemical factors to chronic low back pain in such cases. All patients attending the orthopedics OPD for low back pain in whom a precise anatomical cause could not be localized, were prospectively enrolled in this study. We measured serum levels of glucose, calcium, phosphorus, uric acid, rheumatoid factor, C reactive protein, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, albumin and 25 (OH) D concentrations in 200 cases and 200 control samples. The patients showed significantly lower vitamin D levels compared to controls with p value < 0.0001. The maximum number of low back pain patients were in the age group of 31-50 years (42 %).The average BMI was 23.27 ± 5.17 kg/sq m, 73 % of total patient population were females and 27 % were known case of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Calcium, alkaline phosphatase, was positively correlated with vitamin D and glucose showed a negative correlation with vitamin D in the patient population. The problem of low back pain provides a challenge to health care providers. The problem in developing countries is compounded by ignorance to report for early treatment and occupational compulsions in rural areas and sedentary lifestyle in urban youth. The authors strongly recommend early frequent screening for vitamin D along with glucose, protein, albumin, calcium, phosphorus, CRP as part of general health checkup for non-specific body pain, especially low back pain.

[Phil Thien]

My physician says that studies have shown the Glucosamine/chondroitin works in about 30% of the population. His advice was to try it for 3 months. If it helps fine. If it doesn't help, discontinue it.

As much as we would like to believe that medicine and science are exact, they are, in fact, ever evolving.

There are have also been studies showing that too much vitamins, and minerals are dangerous. Don't go too much overboard!

Absolutely, undeniably true.

And I guess my point in bringing up vitamin D over and over isn't that people should run out and take it.

But if they feel like they have symptoms related to low vitamin D, they should consult their physician, and get tested. They should read-up on the research and ask a lot of questions (of their physician). You can order a test from the Vitamin D Council ($50), but I think it would be better to have the conversation with a doctor.

I'm a big fan of doctors. I agree they don't always have the answers (who does?). But the ones I know are largely very smart cookies.,

[Phil Thien]

Thanks for the tip Phil, I've take Glucosamine/condroitin for years and believe it has some benefit, but if this works better, I'm all over it... As stated above though, dropping 20 lbs was the best thing I have ever done for my knees, back, and feet...

I need to lose more than 20.

Thing is, having knees that work better makes losing the weight a helluva lot easier.

If you try the MegaRed Joint Care (and I should mention there are other MegaRed products but I'm talking specifically about the Joint Care one), let us know how it works for you.

[Wade Lippman]

targeted exercises or movements designed to strengthen the surrounding muscle groups have a MUCH more immediate positive effect for me. For example, if my lower back is feeling tired or sore, I do sets of stretches, then back raises at the gym and feel relief within days, if not hours.

I do targeted exercises for my lower back, shoulders, and knees. Without them I have a lot of pain; with them I am okay.
Consider doing your lower back regime when you feel good and you might avoid feeling bad.

I used Megared for a few months until I ran out last week and changed to a fish oil that was a much bigger dose for less money. I couldn't find anything that said
Astaxanthin was effective for anything. Mine didn't have Hyaluronic Acid but it seems to only be useful when injected in the joint, rather than ingested.

Yeah, losing 20 pound would be wonderful, but I have found that requires staying on a diet forever; and I don't think that's going to happen.

[Phil Thien]

Mine didn't have Hyaluronic Acid but it seems to only be useful when injected in the joint, rather than ingested.

I've read that, too. But also found studies like this one:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3512263/

That indicate:

Thus, despite several limitations, the results of the present study have shown that the oral administration of HA may have beneficial therapeutic effects on patients with symptomatic knee OA and may be even more beneficial for relatively young patients. We consider that our results may well be of some help to both people suffering from knee OA and those who take care of them.

So I'm not sure what to think.

I do know the MegaRed joint care works for me in a positive way that none others have. It will be interesting to hear back from anyone here if they try it.

[Wade Lippman]

So I'm not sure what to think.

We are all different. I find that drinking tea first thing in the morning prepares me to go out on the ski slopes without having to worry about rushing back to the lodge. (enough said...) The internet has absolutely nothing on that particular benefit, but it works for me.

So if Megared helps you, then it helps you.

[Bert Kemp]

Isn't that the truth, Dr says I need to lose 50# so try walking each day , I says how the hell am I suppose to go walking if my knees hurt so bad DUH. Sw3imming is low impact but can you loose weight swimming?


I need to lose more than 20.

Thing is, having knees that work better makes losing the weight a helluva lot easier.

If you try the MegaRed Joint Care (and I should mention there are other MegaRed products but I'm talking specifically about the Joint Care one), let us know how it works for you.

[Erik Loza]

Isn't that the truth, Dr says I need to lose 50# so try walking each day , I says how the hell am I suppose to go walking if my knees hurt so bad DUH. Sw3imming is low impact but can you loose weight swimming?

You can get in great shape by swimming but access to a heated pool is sometimes challenging, depending on where you live. Yoga/pilates is another option. Thare are styles specifially for beginners and inflexible people (like myself, LOL). Have you considered indoor cycling, aka "spin classes"? Zero impact to any joints. I teach group cycling classes at a local gym and have one regular who lost close to 100lbs. by doing this, plus diet control.

The observation I have made about exercise and trying something new (myself included) is that the tendency is to expect too much, too soon, and then give up. Everyone wants the magic bullet that is going to make them fitter/leaner/stronger/less pain, overnight. I'm saying that this is necessarily the case for anyone in this thread but culture and media push that agenda: "Lose xxx-many pounds in a month", or "Take this pill and wak up a new person". Those things aren't going to happen.

People need to set realistic goals and then come up with the discipline to stay with them for 6 months, a year, 5 years, etc. For example, the classes I teach are 45 minutes in length and every new years, we see an influx of "resolution people" who I have never seen before and are new to the gym. Maybe 25% of those people will still be there by May. They are new, go full throttle, get really worn out and sore from hitting it so hard, then give up because they strayed so far out of their comfort zone. Personally, I would rather see someone come in and take 15 minutes of my class and still be there in 6 months than try to go 100% right out of the gate, which is probably a recipe for failure for anything in life. Anyhow, point being that IS an exercise or some form of PT for everybody, if they try hard enough, and that you don't do yourself any favors by expecting overnight miracles. Set realistic goals and be willing to put in the work. Just my 2-cents as always,

Erik