The Health Strategy for prevention and early detection.
Maximize Your Personal Program of exercise, diet, and nutritional supplementation.
- Understanding Your Lab Results
- Download (Free)
Adobe Reader - Glossary of Terms
View Glossary - Additional Info
Resources, etc. - Frequently Asked Questions
Joint Health
Your Blood Work Indicators
In your personal lab results the primary tests that may relate to Joint Health include you're Calcium, Serum and Alkaline Phosphatase, S levels. Remember that joint pain can be caused by many types of injuries or conditions and your blood work is only a part of the picture in understanding inflammation and joint pain.
Remember to review your results and the tools available on our website to understand them.
Core Food Groups
Choose foods that don't cause abrupt spikes in blood sugar (called low-glycemic foods), lean proteins (animal fats contribute to inflammation), and healthy fats. Drink plenty of water and get lots of fiber from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Use extra virgin olive oil for cooking. Eliminate or dramatically reduce your use of margarine, shortening, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Supplements that may improve Joint Health
Supplements that contain one or more of the following ingredients may improve Joint Health. See references below.
- Bromelain
- Collangen II
- MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane)
- Calcium
- Glucosamine
- Vitamin D
- Cetyl myristoleate
- Iron
- Chondroitin
- Magnesium
Dietary supplements may not be risk-free under certain circumstances. If you are pregnant, nursing a baby, or have a chronic medical condition, such as, diabetes, hypertension or heart disease, be sure to consult your doctor or pharmacist before purchasing or taking any supplement.
References
Bromelain. MedLine Plus. Copyright© 2007 Natural Standard (www.naturalstandard.com). All Rights Reserved.
Hesslink R Jr, Armstrong D 3rd, Nagendran MV, Sreevatsan S, Barathur R. J Rheumatol. 2002 Aug;29(8):1708-12.
Hunter KW, Gault RA, Stehouwer JS, Tam-Chang SW. Department of Microbiology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, 89557, Reno, NV, USA. Pharmacol Res. 2003 Jan;47(1):43-7.
Mayo Clinic. Calcium Supplements — Effective or Not? Friday, May 19, 2006. http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2006-rst/3415.html
National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine. NCCAM Publication No. D310 May 2002.Updated April 2007
National Institutes of Health. NIH Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT)
National Osteoporosis Foundation. Vitamin D and Bone Health. 1232 22nd Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 2008. http://www.nof.org/prevention/vitaminD.htm
UCSF Medical Center. Osteoporosis (Calcium Intake). May 8, 2007
Usha PR, Naidu MU. Randomised, Double-Blind, Parallel, Placebo-Controlled Study of Oral Glucosamine, Methylsulfonylmethane and their Combination in Osteoarthritis. Clin Drug Investig. 2004;24(6):353-63.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise. Iron Deficiency Anemia. May 07, 2007, Healthwise, Incorporated.