glucosamine and chondroitin are nutritional supplements that are being studied for their effectiveness in treating arthritis. jason theodosakis md assistant clinical professor at the university of arizona college of medicine says that "first-line therapies" for the treatment of arthritis should always be improving biomechanics injury prevention weight control and low-impact exercise. "but there is also enough scientific evidence -- 42 human clinical trials to date -- to recommend the use of glucosamine and chondroitin " says theodosakis also the author of the arthritis cure. "it seems that researchers are having a difficult time confirming the beneficial effects of [glucosamine and chondroitin] " says robert hoffman do chief of rheumatology at the university of miami miller school of medicine. "the good news is the supplements seem to be safe [at the standard dosage] but it's not clear that they're beneficial. i don't feel compelled to highly recommend them. but if patients don't mind taking another pill -- and paying for a pill that may or may not help them -- it seems quite reasonable. and really there isn't anything else that helps slow the progression of osteoarthritis. "
are supplements helpful for arthritis?