On your marks, get set, GO!
Joint health is immensely important, no matter what your age, and nutritional supplements frequently offer the best results for joint pain
Whether it’s the Paphos marathon, running across Limassol by starlight or just time to get back on the golf course, you need to protect your joints from damage and stress. And, as I was reminded recently while watching local schoolkids pounding along the Yeroskipou backroads, it’s never too early to offset damage done by hard training on hard surfaces.
An excellent general purpose supplement for active people and young athletes is SportFlex, formulated by Seven Seas to include omega 3 fish oils (for lubrication), ginger (a herbal anti-inflammatory) and glucosamine and chondroitin, shell-fish derived nutrients that are core to joint health and cartilage regeneration. Added to this, SportFlex has essential minerals zinc and selenium to ensure healthy immune systems: a great idea if you’re training in all weathers.
Both chondroitin and glucosamine, in its various stabilised forms, have been well researched for control of active pain in the joints, most predominantly in cases of osteo-arthritis. Both, in the correct dosage, are reported to be more effective than over the counter painkillers like Ibuprofen and neither causes gastric irritation. Recommended dosage for pain management are 1,500 mg of glucosamine and 1,200 mg of chondroitin daily. You’ll find these levels in all the joint supplements formulated by Olympic athlete David Wilkie for Health Perception. I mistakenly wrote this brand was available in Cyprus last month, because I’d found a pack of Allimax in a local pharmacy, but an irate phonecall told me otherwise! So, go online to www.nutriglowexclusive.com – in your nearest internet caf? if necessary – to get these high quality supplements, including a gel you can apply, delivered mail-order. It takes only a week if the product is in stock and it’s often far cheaper.
Methylsulfonylmethane – usually abbreviated to MSM – has tested positive where studies on mice with arthritis concluded that it’s effective in limiting joint deterioration. A naturally-occurring, organic sulphur-containing compound, MSM is frequently added to supplements like Higher Nature’s Joint Complex (from selected pharmacies); in this the MSM content is the recommended dose (500mg per day) but the glucosamine level is low although anti-inflammatory herbs are included.
Anti-inflammatory herbs? The best are bromelain, papain and rosemary, all of which, with spices ginger and turmeric, can be found in InflaEez. This supplement, as its name suggests, was formulated to reduce inflammation in tendons, ligaments and muscles, as well as reducing pain associated with arthritis and gout (visit www.oliveleaf.co.uk for more information and order on line, or by phone from Tigon UK: 0044 116 235 5020.)
Top of the range for constant pain management is Baywood Solutions Super Joints, which contains all the elements mentioned here in the correct amounts. It tends to be stocked by health professionals and George, my excellent physiotherapist in Paphos, recommends it for the sports injuries in which he specialises. Call El Sporta on 96 303927 for a stockist near you.
Finally, joint pain can and does respond well to magnet therapy. Conventional pundits may call it ‘quackery’, but there’s research from Harvard University in the form of a blind clinical trial which found that the beneficial effects for osteo-arthritis patients wearing a magnetic wrap around an affected joint kicked in after as little as four hours. I myself use the technology regularly for sports injuries and wound healing. Over the counter sales of static magnets – as worn in wristbands, insoles, belts, pet collars and jewellery – exceed £600 million sterling which makes it clear that, for many people and pets, it does work. There are many suppliers in Cyprus: e-mail me for stockists on [email protected] or call 99 170406.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Does my son have to give up sport?
My teenage son has just been diagnosed as having Osgood-Schlatter disease. The doctor says to leave it alone and he will grow out of it. What’s your opinion?
Mrs CD Nicosia
O-SD is a form of osteochondrosis, a disease of the growth centre at the end of the long bones. It’s most common in boys of between 10 and 15 and is associated with rapid growth and competitive sports that overstress the knee joint. The patella tendon, which attaches the kneecap to the tibia, may also be partially torn from the bone; it’s exceedingly painful and sometimes disabling. Symptoms may also include a bony lump below the kneecap, that’s especially painful when pressed.
In most cases the symptoms disappear without treatment when a child’s growth is completed but active sports must be limited for the duration; occasionally complete immobilisation is recommended, but only in chronic cases is surgical intervention required. The chances are that your son will grow out of it, but in the meantime ice down the knee after exercise and try some supplements.
There is some scientific and anecdotal evidence that selenium (50mcg three times per day) and vitamin E (400iu per day) are effective after as little as six weeks supplementation. I always recommend Yasoo brand of the latter (available in Cyprus pharmacies) as it contains the whole Vitamin E complex with its nutrients from natural sources, not synthetic. Selenium is found in seafood and brazil nuts, but supplements are readily available in pharmacies.
Nikki’s column appears every four weeks. Please address your questions to [email protected] PO Box 21144, Nicosia. Tel: 22818585
