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Collagen & Joint Pain
Postman, Alan Percy aged 58, from Newcastle Upon Tyne, has been suffering for years from aches and pains in his back and shoulders.
He has tried many both traditional and alternative approaches in his quest to reduce and if possible eliminate the problem. Some with more success than others and over the years he has managed to keep himself fit and active.
One day while delivering mail to a natural health and beauty business, he spotted a short article and testimonial.
Alan decided to purchase a 3-month course of Collagen Capsules and within just one week was delighted to notice a significant improvement in his condition.
Now after a month he has managed to persuade his wife Marilyn, who was sceptical at first, also to take the capsules as he has suffered badly for years from aches & pains in her fingers and spondylitis.
The claim that Collagen can stimulate the growth of new cartilage in joints is borne out by recent medical studies which say that patients with arthritic or damaged joints showed improvement in mobility and painrelief when taking the supplement.
A laboratory study has also shown that collagen can stimulate the growth of new cartilage tissue Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body at about 33 per cent. It is present in bones, joints, muscle and other connective tissue
Scientists believe that in some people, particularly the elderly, its production slows down or stops. Supplements seem to perform the same role as natural collagen in keeping the tissue in joints healthy and supple .
Doctor Stefan Oesser of the Kiel University in Germany, published research which demonstrated that by adding collagen to cartilage tissue, it was possible to encourage extra cells to grow.
"This is the first time anyone has demonstrated that collagen has this effect on cartilage and backs up anectdotal evidence and patient trials," he says.
"We are still trying to unravel why collagen works this way. That might be difficult to establish because there isa series of complex interactions . But we have at last established that it happens"
Research two years ago by Roland Moskowitz, a professor of orthopedics at Case Western University in America, looked at 4oo patients with arthritic knees from U.S., Britain and Germany. Some got placebo while others were treated with collagen.
The latter group showed significant reduction in pain and improvement in joint mobility, with 93 per cent achieving positive results, some after only 2 weeks.
Dr Oesser a physiologist, says further research due to be published later this year will add the growing evidence that collagen is effective in damaged joints.
Meanwhile, Alan Percy is convinced that collagen tablets helped his arthritic type aches and pains in his back and his shoulders.
Alan said " I will continue taking them for the rest of my life" Chris Wilson, an orthopaedic consultant in Cardiff, says a number of supplements, including collagen, appear to work. " I have always had an open mind about alternative treatments, he says...
"If a patient says he has pain relief and movement after taking collagen, I am perfectly prepared to believe it works. "With arthritic pain, I don't think mainstream medicine has all the answers, and I would encourage patients to try treatments such as collagen.
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