 the true arthritis wonder cure  glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are two natural substances that are found in normal joint tissue and have produced tremendous results in reducing the pain and discomfort caused by arthritis these two substances are the foundation for the natural arthritis program recommended by jason theodosakis md ms mph in his best selling book the arthritis cure according to dr theodosakis glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate when taken in supplemental form have been shown to reverse damage in joint cartilage are extensively used and studied throughout the world and are proven effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis since 1959 what kinds of treatments are available for arthritis most conventional physicians today treat arthritis with drugs designed to minimize inflammation and attempt to control or manage pain a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug nsaid will most likely be prescribed available overthecounter drugs include ibuprofen motrin naprosyn clinoril and others although these nsaids are affective in managing the effects of arthritis they do not come without considerable risks and or side effects of their own they are rapidly becoming a concern in the medical and health communities studies show that nsaids deteriorate the lining of the gastrointestinal tract according to the national institute of health consistent use of nsaids over prolonged time periods increase the incidence of hospitalization for stomach ulcers by six and a half times the most serious problem from taking nsaids is their degenerating effect on cartilage nsaids actually prevent the growth of collagen in the joints when researchers added aspirin to normal and osteoarthritic cartilage cultures from animals and humans they found that the synthesis of proteoglycans the water absorbing cells in cartilage slows down significantly the doses used in labdish cultures equaled the usual doses taken by arthritic sufferers for pain this means that aspirin when taken internally prevents cartilage from repairing itself and speeds up the progression of osteoarthritis in similar experiments with animal cultures other nsaids inhibited cartilage synthesis in an ironic twist of medical fate the only nsaid that stimulates proteoglycans is benoxaprofen now banned for causing liver and kidney damage related deaths further potential damage caused by the use of nsaids is nausea vomiting diarrhea abdominal pain constipation memory loss inability to concentrate and allergic reactions what is a pain sufferer to do a growing number of very exciting studies pouring forth from research centers and hospitals in europe and asia have forced health practitioners to look at specific nutrients that many feel can reverse arthritis these nutrients have been shown in studies to provide the raw materials for cartilage regeneration the names of these three nutritional supplements are glucosamine chondroitin sulfate and gelatin glucosamine glusosamine is made of glucose the sugar that the body burns for fuel and an amino acid called glutamine glucosamine is an important part of the mucopolysachiarides which provide structure to the bone cartilage skin nails hair and other body tissues it is a major building block of the water loving proteoglycans one of the substances that cartilage needs in order to thrive without these waterattracting molecules in place there is cartilage damage with cartilage losing its ability to absorb shock it becomes more susceptible to cracking fissuring and possibly wearing through completely glucosamine is an allnatural source that helps relieve arthritis symptoms and reconstruct cartilage health by forming the proteoglycans that healthy cartilage must have chondroitin sulfate the second nutrient that works synergistically with glucosamine to enhance cartilage health and bring further relief of pain is chondroitin sulfate also called the water magnet or liquid magnet this supplement draws in precious depleted fluid while protecting existing cartilage from premature breakdown this function is crucial because the more fluid that flows into cartilage the more shock absorbent it will become like a dehydrated sponge that you pour water over the cartilage becomes more cushioned gelatin gelatin is a source of collagen one of the functions of collagen is to assist the body in the regeneration healthy collagen fibers studies in europe now show that gelatin provides building blocks of cartilage effectively providing nutritional support required for cartilage regeneration cartilage is largely made of collagen fibers the entire structure flexibility and strength of cartilage is due to collagen fibers the absence of collagen fibers to hold cartilage in place as buffers would result in bones grinding against each other a study published in therapiewoche by adam et al 1991 using randomized doubleblinded crossover trial of 52 patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis found that gelatin supplements improved symptoms related to joint pain compared to a placebo another study in 1994 by beuker and rosenfeld using a randomized blinded placebocontrolled trial of 92 geriatric patients found that gelatin appears to have a significantly positive affect on joint health by reducing the sensation of pain and enhancing mobility compared to a placebo  getting comfort  