Osteoarthritis and the Ideal Treatment Essay -- Medicine Health Papers

Osteoarthritis and the Ideal Treatment Osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, is a form of arthritis characterized by the breakdown of cartilage within joints. Cartilage serves to ply cushion at the ends of bone up, and when the cushion is not sufficient, as in degenerative arthritis, the bones rub together. As a result, degenerative joint disease sufferers are constantly plagued by stiff, swollen, and inflamed joints (http//www.arthritis.org/answers/diseasecenter/oa.asp). It is a relatively common condition, with an estimated 20 million American sufferers, most of whom are elderly (http//webmd.lycos.com/content/article/1668.50297). Traditional sermons accept Tylenol, aspirin, or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but the long-term negative effect of these drugs combined with the fact that they offer only short-term relief has lead doctors and scientists to search for better sermon options. While nutritional supplements as a form of alte rnative medicine have been slow to gain acceptance by American physicians (Schenck, 2000), glucosamine has surfaced as a consistently effective treatment method for osteoarthritis, and when used in conjunction with chondroitin, the relief this treatment chopine can provide for sufferers of this debilitating condition is long-awaited and much-welcomed. What is glucosamine?How does it work?How effective is the treatment?How does the glucosamine treatment compare to traditional methods of treatment?What evidence is offered in embolden of these claims?Whats the downside?Scientific Analysis of DataConclusionBibliography What is glucosamine? Glucosamine is a essential sugar produced by the body and found in some foods (http//webmd.l... ...lysis. daybook of the American Medical Association, 283 (11), 1469-75. McCarty, M.F. (1994). The neglect of glucosamine as a treatment for osteoarthritis A personal perspective. Medical Hypotheses, 42, 323-327. Pipitone, V.R. (1991). Chondropro tection with chondroitin sulfate. Drugs Exp Clin Res, 17, 3-7. Schenck, R.C. Jr. (2000). New approaches to the treatment of osteoarthritis oral glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. Instructional Course Lectures, 49, 491-494. Tapadinhas, M.J., Rivera, I.C., & Bignamini, A.A. (1982). Oral glucosamine sulfate in the circumspection of arthrosis Report on a multi-centre open investigation in Portugal. Pharmatherapeutica, 3, 157-168. Towheed, T.E., & Anastassiades, T.P. (2000). Glucosamine and chondroitin for treating symptoms of osteoarthritis evidence is widely touted but incomplete. JAMA, 283(11), 1483-1484.