March 5, 2011

015 Hyaluronic Acid - Oiling Your Joints [8 June 2009]

Customers with joint pain often joke that they’d like to have a grease nipple installed in their joints so they could give it a shot of grease now and then. Actually there is some truth to this idea.

Osteoarthritis is the wearing down of the cartilage in the joints. Certain common supplements – glucosamine, chondroitin and shark cartilage – help the body to rebuild this cartilage. These help with joint pain, sometimes dramatically, but often are not enough. Something else is missing.

That something is hyaluronic acid (HA), the main component of the synovial fluid that lubricates and cushions the joints. Without sufficient HA, the joint cartilage becomes dry and brittle – and painful!

So how can you “oil” your joints with HA? One way is expensive injections, but this is at best a temporary fix. Hyaluronic acid is available as a supplement in capsule form – more convenient but still a bit pricey. Fortunately with a bit of work there is a simple and cheaper option – bone broth. Take a chicken carcass or beef bone and simmer it in a pot overnight. Add a few eggshells which are also rich in HA. Then drink the broth daily to keep your synovial fluid “topped up”.

An added benefit of hyaluronic acid may be a healthier looking skin. HA fills the spaces between the collagen and elastin fibers of the skin, hydrating the skin. Will your wrinkles disappear from taking bone broth? I don’t know – try it and see. Then come in and tell me.

This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

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