I hear ya, Skip!  That weather reached us here in northern Michigan today.  I
swear for a while there we thought it would start snowing - it was *almost*
cold enough.  We walked up to a reception this afternoon (only a block and a
half away) and I was trying to use my large husband as a wind break.  No
luck, the wind was swirling too much and got me whartever side of him I was
on!

Anyway, it's been a rough day, with my hands really hurting.  Aside from my
clergy spouse duties, I've done nothing today but watch TV and do my
finger/thumb/wrist ROM exercises.  sigh...........

Keep in mind that the bad days aren't your only future - there'll be good
days as well and the medicos may be able to keep the bad days at a minimum.

I hear you there  Skip,

We are in sunny Calif. But the degrees have dropped and it sure is letting
me know about it. I should have just been happy in the 90's and shut up. ;-)

Hi ya Skip,
I can sympathise with you whole-heartedly, my poor old body started to
feel the cold and damp especially my neck and left shoulder which I
injured several years ago in an accident, I subsiquentley was diagnosed
having arthritis in them and also in my knee, but I discovered liquid
Glucosamine and after several years of controversy the National
Institutes of Health have recognised the effectvness of it. Hears the
statement.
Glucosamine New hope for thousands of Arthritis Sufferers

Initial Results of National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funded Study
Reveal Glucosamine and Chondroitin Effective in Treating Moderate to
Severe Osteoarthritis.
Findings Bring New Hope for Millions of Americans Suffering from
Arthritis
For 21 million Americans hobbled by osteoarthritis, new science
confirms nutritional supplements glucosamine and chondroitin are the
right combination for effective knee pain relief(1). The
Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT), funded by
NIH, rigorously evaluated the efficacy and safety of glucosamine and
chondroitin in 1,258 people, concluding in its abstract that the
"combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate is effective in
treating moderate to severe knee pain due to osteoarthritis."

GAIT lead researcher Daniel O. Clegg, M.D., Professor of Medicine and
Chief of Rheumatology at the University of Utah, will present findings
from the full study on November 14, 2005 at the American College of
Rheumatology's Scientific Meeting in San Diego, California.
"GAIT brings good news to adults suffering from the wear and tear of
cartilage degeneration, particularly those who cannot tolerate the side
effects of taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)," said
C. Thomas Vangsness, Jr., MD, Professor Orthopaedic Surgery, Keck
School of Medicine, University of Southern California. "For years
glucosamine and chondroitin have been well recognized alternative
solutions to pharmaceutical options in treating osteoarthritis patients
in Europe, Asia and Russia. In fact, preliminary results reported in
the GAIT abstract indicated glucosamine and chondroitin were found to
be more effective than Celebrex® in treating moderate to severe knee
pain. Clearly, the GAIT abstract suggests glucosamine and chondroitin
together may be a good non-surgical pain relief choice for arthritis
patients," added Dr. Vangsness.

Funded by NIH, the $14 million GAIT study is the largest placebo
controlled, double blind, clinical trial ever conducted to test the
effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin. All 1,258 patients who
completed the study were over the age of 40 with knee pain and randomly
assigned placebo; glucosamine 1500 mg; chondroitin 1200mg;
glucosamine/chondroitin at above mentioned doses; or celecoxib
(Celebrex) 200 mg daily for 6 months. The abstract published each
treatment group's response rate to pain. Of note, the group taking the
glucosamine/chondroitin combination experienced greater relief for the
treatment of moderate to severe knee pain than the Celebrex group.

GAIT was designed to test the safety and efficacy of glucosamine and
chondroitin alone and in combination in reducing knee pain associated
with osteoarthritis. The study's abstract concluded that when taken
together, "glucosamine and chondroitin is effective in treating
moderate to severe knee pain due to OA [osteoarthritis]."
Naturally occurring in the body, glucosamine stimulates the production
of cartilage, the connective tissue which cushions joints. Chondroitin
is also naturally occurring in the body and like glucosamine stimulates
the production of cartilage. Previous research indicates glucosamine is
just as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in
reducing osteoarthritis pain and has fewer gastrointestinal side
effects than NSAIDs.

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans (nearly 70 million) live with some form of
arthritis, costing the United States $82.5 billion a year in healthcare
costs related to treating the illness.(2) For arthritis knee pain
sufferers who find relief in taking glucosamine and chondroitin, they
will also find the supplements to be great values. Widely used in
Europe for years to treat osteoarthritis, glucosamine and chondroitin
are safe and effective nutritional supplements, as proven by the GAIT
abstract.

As an Arthritis sufferer I am pleased that Glucosamine is getting the
recognition it deserves,
for more information on how glucosamine helped me and how it can help
you go to http://www.beatyourarthritis.