Joint Health (Part 2): Must-Have Supplements
By Dr. Molly Casey
There are 360 joints in the human body. If you’re looking for optimal health and wellness, it’s imperative to learn about, and engage with, activities that promote the best possible joint function. You can read the foundations of joint function and health here in last week’s article. This week is all about the go-to primary supplements that everyone’s kitchen cabinet should have.
Joint Support
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and it’s found in the skin, connective tissues, bones, tendons and the gut, along with other areas of the body. Natural collagen production slows as we age, and with poor diet, nicotine use and overall health. Being that collagen is a foundational component of various structures that make up a joint and the fact that production decreases, it’s a great supplement to add into your regular diet in order to increase joint health.
So how do you supplement collagen into your diet? If you’re super motivated and love cooking, bone broth made from organic, high-quality meats is a great source of collagen supplementation. Proper preparation of high quality bone broth for the purpose of supplementing your diet takes time and knowledge. Click here to read how to properly prepare a great bone broth!
If making bone broth is too much of a commitment to get daily collagen into your diet, you can also do so through high quality collagen powder. The powder can be put into your daily hot beverage. It’s odorless and tasteless, and an easy way to supplement your joints. You can read more about collagen and its benefits in this article and/or purchase a high quality product right here. While it certainly doesn’t need to be this brand, I know it’s high-quality and clean.
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are naturally occurring substances in the connective tissue of joints. These substances are also found in the actual cartilage that lie over the end of the bones within a joint as well as the cartilaginous discs that are sometimes present. As the body and joint age, these substances also decrease in production with poor diet, lack of proper hydration, quality food, and exercise.
When supplementing with these substances, you are promoting proper joint function and health by assuring the joints have the basic foundational components. This can be the difference between a great deal of suffering and true ability to maintain quality of life that is an important part of happiness for you. Healthier joints can withstand more, for longer periods of time. There are additional anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing side effects for some while supplementing. The mainstream approach for improving joint health and decreasing joint pain is 1,500 milligrams daily. It’s important to choose high quality, doctor-grade supplements rather than purchasing online from chain stores.
Anti-Inflammatory
Life happens and sometimes we need address inflammation whether it be chronic or acute. The inflammation is important in the healing process. It does need to be controlled. And sometimes, particularly after an injury, we need to go to supplementation to help modulate the process. I stick to natural anti-inflammatories as much as possible. Here are two go-to supplements that are in the kitchen cupboard.
Curcumin is a component of the spice turmeric and it is loaded with health benefits, one being as an anti-inflammatory. It’s jam-packed with antioxidants and this article explains that those antioxidants may be the reason many find great relief from osteoarthritis symptoms when taking curcumin. Curcumin’s absorption is increased when combined with other supportive natural ingredients; this product by Thorne is a great natural inflammatory and joint support all in one.
Paying attention to the health of your joints and consciously supplementing function will support you in your quality of life and activity level. Do you want to be more active? It would be wise to pay better attention to your joints. They’re easy to forget. Supplement naturally and enjoy the greatest health and function possible.
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