Replied by Art (Tustin, California USA) on 04/03/2012

The supplements that I mentioned in my previous reply to you have been very effective and I recently have been able to discontinue the 300mgs of hyaluronic acid per day... at least for now.

I used ___ brand double strength caps at 100 mgs per capsule spread throughout the day on an empty stomach if possible, but as I mentioned, I am not currently taking it to see if I still need it.

Ted's topical remedy of 50% castor oil and 50% dmso gives very good relief relatively quickly and I suspect it would be helpful for more people than some of the other remedies, but I did experiment on a small one square inch area of my inner forearm first to see if I might be hypersensitive or allergic to it the first time I tried it. I started applying it to my affected joints the next day. I think the borax is also very helpful, but takes time to realize the benefit compared to Ted's topical remedy which shows positive effects much sooner.... possibly within a day to 2 weeks.

I guess that the borax and topical remedy go after potential pathogens which may be affecting the joints while the glucosamine multi supplement I take and the hyaluronic acid, that I used to take, help repair joint damage or make the joints more comfortable and less inflamed.

When I was taking the glucosamine multi alone, it seemd to keep things in check for years, but ultimately I think joint damge was occuring at a faster pace than the glucosamine multi could keep up with and that's when I started adding the other things.

Right now I am doing very well and am active again.

My neighbor who is 73 is using about the same supplements I am taking except she is still taking the hyaluronic acid and ____ (curcumin/lecithin blend) and is doing very well with it all. Last November she was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and arthritis in her spine and in just a matter of about a month and a half went from very active with no apparent arthritic symptoms to not being able to do her daily exercises, clean her house, do her yard work or take her walks. She is now able to do all of those things again. She also is able to edge and mow her front and back yard again as well as pull all of the weeds so she too also feels the combination is very effective. Her doctors weren't able to do much for her arthritis other than prescribe nsaids which were only partially effective and of course can come with serious side effects when taken long term at pharmacological doses that are often required to help alleviate pain. They also had told her that she would have to make some lifestyle changes and might not be able to do all the things that she was used to doing. She's doing all those things and more now!

Good luck! Art

Replied by Liz (Boston, Massachusetts) on 04/04/2012

Like you, I've had some success with HLA (400mgs/day) but that success was increased when I used the following combination:

-Two 100mg capsules of HLA in the morning. (I use HydraPlenish, purchased at The Vitamin Shoppe store, but you could also buy it online if there isn't a Vitamin Shoppe near you.)

-One cup of sugar-free Concord grape juice with liquid pectin.

-Another two 100mg caps of HLA before bed.

-Massage knees w/ castor oil before bed.

All of the above has helped my hip/knee pain tremendously.

The grape juice/pectin 'recipe' is as follows:

-64 oz. of real Concord grape juice

-One pouch of liquid Certo Premium Fruit Pectin

I pre-mix and the container holds enough to last all week.

Hope it works as well for you as it did for me - fingers crossed! :)