主题：【推荐】关节炎患者的福音----氨基葡萄糖盐酸盐 -- 吴健

我那朋友去看的专科医生曾对他说这种药从前没什么人信，后来柳叶刀杂志作了个实验，两组关节炎患者一组给的安慰剂，另一组给的氨基葡萄糖盐酸盐。三年后吃安慰剂的那组病情有所恶化，而另一组经检查发现病情没有恶化甚至有所改善，关节软骨有生长。

我自己前两年关节炎发作得厉害的时候晚上翻身都困难，下楼梯时膝盖关节也痛得要命。去中医扎针和用艾条灸过，当时就不痛了但管不了很久。吃了这个药后现在偶而会痛，但疼痛度大概只有原来的十分之一。一段时间忘记吃药就又会开始痛，继续吃就又好了。我想不起来是否有其他的情况帮助了症状的改善，饮食和生活习惯还是老样子。所以我让我妈我姐夫都去吃这个，他们两人吃了第二天就说有效果，应该没有这么快见效的，我想一定是心理作用。我也有朋友吃了没有效果的，可能这个药效是因人而异。关节炎这病不好治，几十块钱买一瓶能吃三个月，它跟饭一起吃就没有副作用，三个月吃不好那就没办法了。

刚才古狗了一把，Lancet在1999年还登了一篇Editorial说氨基葡萄糖盐酸盐是Hype，下面这篇文章里的实验是2001年做的。

http://www.easysource.com/synflex/syn_ce11.htm

One of the most prominent glucosamine studies was released in by the Lancet Medical Journal in Lourdes, Belgium.

This is a summary of the glucosamine trial in the Lancet

Lancet 2001; 357: 251-56

Background: Treatment of osteoarthritis is usually limited to short-term symptom control. We assessed the effects of the specific drug glucosamine sulphate on the long-term progression of osteoarthritis joint structure changes and symptoms.

Methods: We did a randomised, double-blind placebo controlled trial, in which 212 patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly assigned 1500 mg sulphate oral glucosamine or placebo once daily for 3 years. Weightbearing, anteroposterior radiographs of each knee in full extension were taken at enrolment and after 1 and 3 years. Mean joint-space width of the medial compartment of the tibiofemoral joint was assessed by digital image analysis, whereas minimum joint-space width--ie, at the narrowest point--was measured by visual inspection with a magnifying lens. Symptoms were scored by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index.

Findings: The 106 patients on placebo had a progressive joint-space narrowing, with a mean joint-space loss after 3 years of -0?31 mm (95% CI -0?48 to -0?13). There was no significant joint-space loss in the 106 patients on glucosamine sulphate: -0?06 mm (-0?22 to 0?09). Similar results were reported with minimum joint-space narrowing. As assessed by WOMAC scores, symptoms worsened slightly in patients on placebo compared with the improvement observed after treatment with glucosamine sulphate. There were no differences in safety or reasons for early withdrawal between the treatment and placebo groups.

Interpretation: The long-term combined structure-modifying and symptom-modifying effects of gluosamine sulphate suggest that it could be a disease modifying agent in osteoarthritis.

In plain language..

212 patients suffering from Osteoarthritis were divided into two groups.One group was given 1500mg of Glucosamine daily for three years. The other group was given a placebo daily for three years.

The group given the 1500mg of Glucosamine showed little or no deterioration in their joints, whilst the other group on the placebo showed the expected deterioration of an Osteoarthritis sufferer.

Those on the Glucosamine Sulphate showed improvement in re-growth of Cartilage, whilst those on the placebo showed a marked wasting of cartilage.

The important thing to note with this study is that the patients received 1500mg of Glucosamine daily, which is the dose that we have always recommended.

Two capsules of our Glucosamine Sulphate taken daily gives the recommended dose of 1500mg Glucosamine and 500mg of Sulphate. We have proved over and over again that doctors and pharmacists who recommend and prescribe 1500mg of our Glucosamine Sulphate see results in their patients after six weeks, whereas a lesser dose hardly shows any results at all.

That is why Doctors, Pharmacists, Health Practitioners, Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Nutritionists keep recommending and prescribing 1500mg Glucosamine daily to their patients. You can buy other Glucosamine Sulphate but will it work?

It would appear that in nearly all cases where Glucosamine Sulphate has not worked it has been through under-dosing.