The Placebo Effect

It's amazing what a placebo can do.

I've been taking glucosamine for the past 4 years to treat a left knee worn out by years of competitive bowling. However, if it has worked, may be I would consider that the symptoms has not progressed (the knee clicks and hurts when I climb stairs - more so going down). During my last trip home to Singapore, my mother told me that the glucosamine sold in the US does not work. I did some Google research and found that glucosamine hydrochloride has never been shown to be any benefit at all. It is crystalline glucosamine sulphate that was shown in some clinical trials that helped.

However, crystalline glucosamine sulphate is patented by an Italian company. Even some "glucosamine sulphate" sold in the US are glucosamine hydrochloride with sulphate added.

I've been taking crystalling glucosamine sulphate for the past month, and my knee has stopped clicking, and hurts a lot less when walking up and down stairs. If all glucosamine is a placebo as oneobgyn says it is, it has worked wonderfully in treating my knees!!
 
I had an MRI in Singapore when it was first diagnosed about 20 years ago, and was told to stop bowling... or to put that particular stress on that joint. In the past 10 years, it doesn't hurt any more, and it doesn't hurt any less. Since I've been taking this particular glucosamine, it's hurting less. Still clicks over once in a while, but far, far less often.
 
That's how I first found out about it. There's a long flight of stairs going down to the bowling alley, and it used to hurt going bowling, and hurt less going home climbing up. When I went to the hospital in Singapore, the doctor told me that the meniscus is worn out and did an MRI to confirm.

When I told the doctor here in the US 6 years ago, he recommended that I start taking glucosamine. But no MRI was done.

[edit] actually, come to think of it, 20 years ago it wasn't an MRI. They x-rayed both knees and compared.
 
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"...and anything with a big-ass science machine can out-perform any of them."

"...a plain pill works worse than a branded one, a discounted pill works worse than a pricey one..."

"...and even a pill that's in a plain box does worse than one that's all shiny and ****."

Stop it. I'm about to pee my pants over here.

Tim
 
That's how I first found out about it. There's a long flight of stairs going down to the bowling alley, and it used to hurt going bowling, and hurt less going home climbing up. When I went to the hospital in Singapore, the doctor told me that the meniscus is worn out and did an MRI to confirm.

When I told the doctor here in the US 6 years ago, he recommended that I start taking glucosamine. But no MRI was done.

[edit] actually, come to think of it, 20 years ago it wasn't an MRI. They x-rayed both knees and compared.

I hate to be OT here Gary but sounds to me as if you have a torn meniscus and need arthroscopy
 
"Expectation Bias" is the placebo of the audiophile. Expensive, big 'n shiny, etc.etc.
 
I hate to be OT here Gary but sounds to me as if you have a torn meniscus and need arthroscopy

Yep. I've got those symptoms and that diagnosis. Of course I'm taking my usual approach to surgery (of which, at 62, I've had a vasectomy).

Doc: "I want to get an orthopedic guy to look at that."

Me: "Why"

Doc: "He might want to fix it."

Me: "Doc, when I'm in more pain than he's gonna cause me, I'll consider it."

I've had the same doctor for a few decades. He knows me well. But he just keeps trying.

Tim
 
I managed to make it to 56 without being operated on, but I couldn't make it past 57. After I completely ruptured my bicep tendon in my right arm, I had no choice but to have surgery. I still asked if they would do it with local anesthesia since I have never been put under before and wasn't looking forward to the first time, but no dice. I wish I had been able to stay awake during the operation because maybe I would have heard what went wrong.
 
Yep. I've got those symptoms and that diagnosis. Of course I'm taking my usual approach to surgery (of which, at 62, I've had a vasectomy).

Doc: "I want to get an orthopedic guy to look at that."

Me: "Why"

Doc: "He might want to fix it."

Me: "Doc, when I'm in more pain than he's gonna cause me, I'll consider it."

I've had the same doctor for a few decades. He knows me well. But he just keeps trying.

Tim

Haha! Me too. I'm 53, and not even a vasectomy.

The doctors here have proposed surgery twice in the 6 years I've been visiting doctors in the US. In the 46 years when I've been visiting doctors in Singapore, I've never been proposed surgery. One wanted to do it for frozen shoulder (well, not really surgery but putting me under GA and "exercising" the shoulder to "break up scar tissue") and recently because of a trigger thumb. Both have been resolved by going to China and getting massages.
 
Haha! Me too. I'm 53, and not even a vasectomy.

The doctors here have proposed surgery twice in the 6 years I've been visiting doctors in the US. In the 46 years when I've been visiting doctors in Singapore, I've never been proposed surgery. One wanted to do it for frozen shoulder (well, not really surgery but putting me under GA and "exercising" the shoulder to "break up scar tissue") and recently because of a trigger thumb. Both have been resolved by going to China and getting massages.

Speaking of China and massages, China has been publicly debating lately whether it should be legal for massage parlors to give "happy endings."
 
Speaking of China and massages, China has been publicly debating lately whether it should be legal for massage parlors to give "happy endings."

"Happy endings" are usually optional. It involves a release of energy, because a proper Chinese tuina massage can be rather painful, and you do need the release.
 
"Happy endings" are usually optional. It involves a release of energy, because a proper Chinese tuina massage can be rather painful, and you do need the release.

Gary-Are we talking about the same "happy ending?"
 

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