Apparently for my mom, the cure for her osteoarthritis pain is old age. She’s 87 and swears she doesn’t have any pain anymore. Her toes are bent nearly at right angles, and her fingers are bent up, too. She used to take several different prescription meds for it, the same ones I took whose names I can’t remember right now, but now she doesn’t even take Tylenol. I asked the doctor how this was possible, and he said sensation of pain diminishes as you age, so yea! if I can hold out 30 more years…
I can’t take NSAIDS due to my gastric bypass. I take as much Tylenol as I’m allowed, but it only takes the edge off. I get cortisone shots every few months, and they take the edge off, too, and make things at least bearable for a short while. But the shots in my knees do nothing for the pain in my insteps. I feel decrepit and cranky.
Interesting, because in veterinary medicine, we do have literature to support that one particular formulation does indeed inhibit inflammatory mediators such as TNF-alpha and PGE-2 production in chondrocytes, in both dogs and cats. This formulation includes avocado/soybean unsaponifiables along with chondroitin and glucosamine. I suppose one could argue it is the ASU doing the work. In any case, the human version of Dasuquin (the veterinary formulation) is Cosamin ASU. It seems the ASU is the important part, based on your prior observations.
Additional supplements that do indeed seem to help, both in my arthritic patients and in myself (I have pretty severe osteoarthritis of the CMC joints, as well as spinal DJD) include high dose omega-3 fatty acids (specifically from fish oil, not flax), and Boswellia extract (seems to work via the LOX pathway).