The First Time I Heard About Glucosamine
Ever since i was in my twenties, I’ve experienced problems with my knees. It probably started when I was selling shoes as a teenager into my early twenties. That constant bending down to measure foot size, retrieving the box from the stockroom, bending down again to help the customer on with their choice of footwear, rinse and repeat all day long, six day a week. Eventually, I ended up having knee surgery for a torn ligament.
Fast forward years later after years of physical work… serving food and beverage in bars, restaurants and hotels, performing live music, schlepping lots of equipment up stairs, downstairs, over sand, rocks and grassy knolls. It takes it’s toll on ones knees. My guitar playing had begun to take its toll on the joints in my fingers.
One day, my girlfriend at the time told me I should try Glucosamine. Except it wasn’t for me, it was for my dog.
Max was a Golden Retriever I owned at the time. He was getting up in years and chasing the ball or jumping into and out of the car was beginning to become difficult for him. The vet wanted to prescribe Rimadyl, a controversial drug that some blamed for the death of their pets because it was reputed to be extremely hard on the liver. My girlfriend suggested Glucosamine because it was a natural supplement with little to no side effects.
Meanwhile, I had been experiencing pain in my knees at the bar I was working in at the time. After working an 8 hour shift, I had to restock the bar, hauling cases of beer and booze from the storage room out to the area behind the bar where the beer cooler and shelves were located. Once again, I found myself kneeling and standing repetedly, to get the side-work done. There was a floor safe in the office and when I bent down to put the money away, my knee would lock, and it would be very painful trying to stand up again.
So at my girlfriend’s suggestion, my beloved Max and I both started a regimen of daily Glucosamine supplements at the same time.
How Long Does it Take For Glucosamine To Work?
After about a week, I hadn’t noticed any difference. I told my girl that the supplements were just a joke. A placebo. If it was working for all these people that were raving about it, I wasn’t one of them. She told me to keep taking it. It takes a couple weeks for the body to respond to some supplements. I had previously had great results with other supplements for different things, such as ginseng and vitamins, so I agreed to continue to take daily doses of Glucosamine and see if a little more time would yield any result.
Do Glucosamine Supplements Really Work?
Sure enough, about a week after that conversation, I was putting the money away at the end of a long, strenuous night. When I went to stand up, I didn’t notice the usual pain. And what’s more, I had immediately noticed that I didn’t notice any pain. Over time, I continued to monitor the pain in my knees. or lack thereof, and sure enough, the pain and swelling had subsided significantly. I decided to stop taking the Glucosamine, and sure enough, the pain began to return within a week or two. So, I went back on it and continue to take it to this day.
As for Max, I got Glucosamine for dogs. He began to show improvement as well. After about a month, he began to act almost as playful and energetic as he was as a puppy. So if you have an older dog who needs a little help with the old joints, look into glucosamine supplements for your pooch, too.
Liquid or Tablet?
I’ve tried several brands of Glucosamine, and for me, it’s really simple. There is only one brand that I find outshines them all and they make both tablet and liquid versions. I personally prefer the liquid. Hands down! It tastes great, it’s potent and goes down easily.
What is the Best Brand of Glucosemine?
There are several pretty reputable products, all do the job pretty well. But like I said, for me, there is one that stands out above the others. Drum roll please……………………………..
Wellesse Joint Movement Glucosamine With Chondroitin & Msm GreatItems 2Pack (33.8 fl oz )
Where Can I Find A Good Glucosamine Supplement?
You can find good glucosamine and other joint pain relief products wherever vitamins and supplements are sold. For your convenience, there is a link to Wellesse and other products for joint pain provided on this page.
If you have any comments or stories about how glucosamine helped with your joint pain, please share in the comment section. Thanks!
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I liked your segment on autism.I have an adult son with aspergers a highly functional form of autism along with the underlying deficits of ADHD and OCD .I also was told i have a mild case.I also have adult ADHD which can be difficult.I never knew what was wrong groing up so i just tried harder.My mother didnt want to label me.I thought you had great information.I do know alot about this subject.I think you did a gret job thanks.
Hi Kimberly,
I do appreciate your compliment about my post on autism and I would really appreciate if you would leave a comment on that page and go into more detail about your personal experiences as a mother of a child with Asbergers or about your own struggles with being on the autism spectrum.
However… I was hoping to get more comments about Glucosamin and joint pain in this page’s comment section. Have you ever taken any supplements for joint pain or arthritis?
I find glucosamine to be very helpful, even with or without chondroitin and MSM. I also had a knee surgery (left knee) in 2008. Sometimes when I do strenuous work, I feel the knee aching and then I start taking glucosamine for 2-3 weeks period. I cannot afford to take it constantly. Plus, I don’t know if there should be an off period of taking glucosamine. I hope it is safe for continuous use?
I can fully relate. In the beginning, I couldn’t even tell if it was working, Later, when I realized it was working very well, I stayed on it. Eventually, I decided to see what would happen if I stopped taking it. The pain returned in about a month, so I started taking it again. But this time around, the Glucosamin worked much faster. These days, I don’t seem to need it as much, so I’m now taking it intermittently as the pain comes and goes, but I can now go for very long periods being completely pain free,
I also have knee problems but I think the cause in my case is the constant effort I put into my job. Am a laborer and I lift heavy objects from the ground on a daily basis.
I was told that these glucosamine supplements will make me well but I’m afraid. I haven’t taken supplements ever in my life, and I’m worried they might not work or even get me a worse condition than I already have.
What can you advise me to do?
I’m not a doctor, so my advice should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, Glucosamine is a supplement with no known serious side effects to my knowledge. Unlike pharmaceutucals, glucosamine is not a quick fix cure that is hard on your liver. I had my doubts when I first startrd taking it. All I can tell you is I’m glad I did. It’s gentle and it works.