The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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  • Recent Comments

    Glucosamine and chondroitin for osteoarthritis knee pain

    The Arthritis Foundation characterized the Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT) as “a landmark study that helps define the role of glucosamine/chondroitin in the treatment of knee OA.”

    More than 1500 patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to daily treatment with glucosamine 1500 mg, chondroitin sulfate 1200 mg, glucosamine plus chondroitin sulfate, celecoxib (Celebrex) 200 mg, or placebo for 24 weeks. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) could be taken if the patients needed more pain relief.

    According to the researchers, “The results suggest that the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate may be effective in the subgroup of patients with moderate-to-severe knee pain.” There was no benefit in patients with mild knee pain.

    Others dispute the results, but there is no doubt that glucosamine and chondroitin are popular nutritional supplements.

    If you take them or are considering it, the Arthritis Foundation has FAQs here, and ConsumerLab posted a summary of their content analysis of products here, including products for pets.

    7/28/06 10:41 JR

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