Supplements

One popular supplement, glucosamine-chondroitin, has been shown in several clinical trials to be both safe and modestly beneficial. Both glucosamine and chondroitin are thought to help cartilage form and/or to prevent it from breaking down. There are lots of preparations on the market, however, and one lab analysis found that not all of them contain as much of these substances as they claim. Chondroitin was the ingredient most likely to come up short. It's best to purchase a recognized brand from a reputable store.

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Methyl sulfonylmethane (MSM) is another supplement that people use to ease the pain of OA. It is an odorless and tasteless natural sulfur compound that is supposed to fight inflammation. MSM has not been through as much careful scientific testing as have glucosamine and chondroitin, however, so there are more doubts about its effectiveness.

Patients using supplements should inform their primary care physician, because some of these supplements have ingredients that might interact badly with standard drugs or have other undesirable effects.