Get to the Root of your Joint Pain: Making Joint Health Products Work for You

Joint pain is a tough condition to battle and if you are in this boat, you are certainly not alone. As a Nutritionist, I often encounter patients with joint pain who feel like they have exhausted their treatment options. Many of them have tried the common drugs such as NSAIDs and natural remedies such as glucosamine, but have been turned off because of potential side effects or lack of effectiveness. So, the same question keeps arising; are there any safe and effective joint pain remedies? While the answer is not clear cut, here are a few guidelines to help you get the most out of your joint health products.

To better understand why your products may not be working, we need to look at the root of your joint pain. Take the popular joint health product, glucosamine. Glucosamine targets joint pain by aiding in cartilage formation and protecting against cartilage deterioration. A healthy body manufactures glucosamine on its own. But if your joints are already inflamed, your cartilage may be degrading faster than the glucosamine can replace it – making glucosamine ineffective against joint pain. However, this doesn’t mean that glucosamine does not work on your joints... so what does it mean?

Essentially, your body is telling you that you need to calm the underlying inflammation first. There are many products that reduce inflammation; however it is important to differentiate between products with a long list of side effects and natural safer alternatives. Many people only consider anti-inflammatory drugs such as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), which includes ibuprofen and aspirin. Although these products are effective in reducing symptoms, they also are associated with serious side effects with regular use including stomach ulcers and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Natural anti-inflammatory substances represent safer alternatives to traditional NSAIDs. As a Nutritionist, I always recommend the first place to start is by eating a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. These foods provide essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fats with anti-inflammatory properties. Limiting or eliminating inflammatory foods such as fast food, snack foods and fatty cuts of meat will also help to reduce inflammation in your joints.

Beyond eating a balanced diet, there are also natural, safe anti-inflammatory products available. One example is SierraSil®, a patented mineral complex clinically proven to reduce joint pain and inflammation without side effects. SierraSil® supplies
essential minerals that facilitates the body’s natural healing process and helps to remove inflammatory toxins due to its unique chemical structure. This provides fast acting results that reduce underlying inflammation, and can help prime your joints to be more receptive to cartilage builders like glucosamine. However once the inflammation is calmed, many people experience significant relief of joint pain with SierraSil® alone without additional help from cartilage builders.

In summary, the best defence against joint pain is providing your body with natural anti-inflammatory substances through a healthy diet and high-quality supplementation. Everyone is different, so experiment and find a combination that works for you.