Glucosamine Cream

Although there are many glucosamine creams aggressively hawked in the market, the rule of thumb to remember is that any cream-based or topical products that use glucosamine alone should be passed by in favor of liquid glucosamine, especially if the product does not contain other pain relievers such as camphor or menthol. Studies done on glucosamine creams are very limited and the results have not been encouraging to date. Putting glucosamine alone in a cream form helps to sell the product by leveraging off the known effectiveness of glucosamine you swallow, but large scale, peer reviewed evidence supporting the absorption and pharmacokinesis of topical glucosamiine or chondroitin without other agents is extremely limited if it even exists. Most studies done on glucosamine were done on ingested forms, which makes sense. One does not rub vitamin c on your skin to get your daily dose. In order to get a 1,500 dose of glucosamine into your body, the glucosamine must be injected or swallowed. No studies are available that show that 1,500 mg of glucosamine rubbed on the skin will result in 1,500 mg of glucosamine in the blood stream.

Many topical glucosamine products list glucosamine or chondroitin as "inactive" ingredients. Some experts contend that if at all you manage to get any relief from glucosamine creams, it will be because of the other ingredients in the cream and not the glucosamine. The glucosamine simply is not absorbed into the bloodstream as readily as if you drank liquid glucosamine.

Many topical analgesics (commonly creams, rubs or roll on products) use counterirritants such as menthol, methyl salicylate, and camphor, which temporarily "mask" the sensation of pain by causing the skin to feel hot or cold. A number of other topical analgesics contain no active ingredients whatsoever. Many tout additives like emu oil, eucalyptus oil, lanolin, and glucosamine (or MSM) in cream form. Generally speaking, the topical analgesics such as menthol or camphor are the active ingredients in such preparations.

Currently, an ongoing study at the National Institutes of Health is assessing the full value of these supplements. In several years doctors may know for certain if they can really help. Abramson says most physicians accept them, at least as an adjunct treatment. Most doctors atleast know of the benefits of glucosamine for joint health, and many of the more progressive ones will activly encourage their patients to atleast try glucosamine for themselves. This study focuses on the ingested forms, which show great promise.

You will find many vendors hawking generic run-of-the-mill glucosamine. Many offer you just the simple "no frills" glucosamine and some also try and sell you on the potassium or sodium (KCl or NaCl) chloride salts in the final composition, which means nothing more than paying up to 30% of the bottle to be filled with cheap salt. Find a reasonably priced (about a dollar a day) supplier with a track record and more than just a few ingredients. Get as many synergistic ingredients as you can for a reasonable price (no more than a dollar to a dollar fifty a day) and look for a high quality liquid glucosamine product.

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A review of the leading commercial products available today. Each product is evaluated by type, method of delivery, quality, any additional ingredients and price.