My doctor said that X-rays of my knee show that the cartilage is gone in my knee joint. Now that I’ve been taking glucosamine and chondroitin, my pain is better, and I feel I can do more during the day. Could the benefits I feel be coming from these supplements?

If no other treatments are being done at the same time, you are most likely getting results from the supplements. The benefits you report are similar to what others are saying, and there’s evidence that these supplements can help with osteoarthritis of the knee. However, since they are relatively new, there hasn’t been a lot of research done on them yet. Also, most of the studies that have been done tested them over a short time period, about four to six weeks. Some of the methods used to test them give exaggerated estimates of how beneficial these supplements really are. And because manufacturers have sponsored most of the scientific studies on these products, it’s possible that some of the reported benefits might be inflated. There is enough evidence, however, to show that these supplements are safe, offer some benefits, and certainly have a role in treating knee osteoarthritis.