by Michael T. Murray, N.D.
In a double-blind clinical trial, 118 patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis were treated three times daily with either 500 milligrams of glucosamine, 500 milligrams of MSM, a combination of both, or an inactive placebo. After 12 weeks of treatment, the average pain score had fallen from 1.74 to 0.65 in the glucosamine-only group; 1.53 to 0.74 in the MSM-only group, and 1.7 to 0.36 in the combination group. The researchers also found that the combination treatment had a faster effect on pain and inflammation compared to glucosamine alone.
