Is Glucosamine a hoax?

First off, Active Again is not glucosamine.

Glucosamine is a sugar protein molecule, as the name implies- glucos (sugar) amine (protein), whereas Active Again is made using natural oils.

Based on clinical trial results, we strongly believe that Active Again is far more effective.

Please see the British Medical Journal meta-analysis of glucosamine and chondroitin clinical trials below, that show they are no better than placebo.

These results make us question:

If glucosamine and chondroitin are no better than placebo, then why are they so popular?

The answer? MARKETING, MARKETING and more MARKETING.

We continually hear or read that many joint health products “Contain Clinically Proven Ingredients”. These are very misleading words. First, it often means that the actual product was never even tested. Some of the ingredients may have been tested, however not the finished product itself. Second, the words “clinically proven” in this case are also often misleading. Most would assume the advertisers mean the product was proven effective. In reality, in the case of glucosamine and or chondroitin, the truth is that they were proven safe, not proven effective.

Published and or presented Active Again oil clinical trials have demonstrated outstanding results. Clinical trial results were published in leading peer-reviewed medical journals, such as The Journal of Rheumatology, The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and The Journal of Periodontology.

READ STUDY – Effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee: network meta-analysis (British Medical Journal)

Is CBD/THC a Hoax?

Does CBD even work topically for pain, or orally for joint health?

My experience tells me the answer is mostly no and perhaps in some cases it may help a bit. Allow me to explain. I used to write marijuana prescriptions years ago for patients in chronic pain. In fact our name Hope Science came from a new patient that I described on the About Us page who was suffering chronic unrelenting pain and came in for a marijuana prescription. Despite having had three back surgeries over 20 years, in front of his daughter, the patient said his pain was so bad, for so long, he wished he could end his life; however, he was simply too scared to do so. I had the patient apply Active Again pain cream, which is made from cetylated oils and is not CBD or THC, while I took notes on his condition. Ten minutes later I noticed that the patient’s eyes were much brighter, and asked him what was happening? He said that for the first time in years he was feeling relief. He was no longer talking suicide and I could see the “HOPE” had returned to his patient. Hence our name Hope Science. For years this patient had been using marijuana and he said it helped a little by taking the edge off, however he was still talking suicide.

My feeling is that stress or anxiety about one’s condition can increase the pain they experience. A diagnosis of cancer is a good example of this. I’ve seen marijuana calm some cancer patients and the pain they experience is sometimes less. However I question if pain without stress or anxiety will respond as well to CBD or THC? The FDA did approve Epidiolex (cannabidiol) [CBD] oral solution for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Clearly there is a neurological effect from THC or CBD. Otherwise the FDA would not have approved it for epilepsy and of course why would some people smoke marijuana, if it had no effect on their mood? However when used specifically for pain, the benefits do not appear to be nearly as obvious. Please see the meta-analysis of 16 studies with 1750 patients that was performed by the very highly regarded Cochrane organization, which operates in over 130 countries. Cochrane is truly independent, as they accept no commercial or conflicted funding.

Cochrane’s bottom line: There is a lack of good evidence that any cannabis-derived product works for any chronic neuropathic pain.

READ STUDY – Cannabis Products for Adults with Chronic Neuropathic Pain (Cochrane)

~Dr. Kim Vanderlinden, Founder of Hope Science

Why then is CBD so popular? … Marketing, Marketing and more Marketing!

CBD has been touted for so many conditions and is generating massive amounts of sales and so more and more marketing of CBD is occuring. In the area of pain creams and joint health products, this marketing has resulted in a great deal of confusion, as all too often marketers present us with misleading statements. A common marketing phase we often read or see is “Contains Clinically Proven Ingredients”. This sounds convincing, however the unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of these combination products have not been tested clinically. Misleading marketing messages can be seen with several glucosamine and THC/CBD products. For example, in the case of CBD pain creams, menthol is often an ingredient and is often the ingredient that has in fact been shown to be effective and not the CBD. Unfortunately you may be paying a premium price for a cream, whose effect is simply due to menthol. Another “line” often used is that a company’s product was developed by an experienced doctor or medical professional. This sounds good, however it does not mean the product actually works, and in essence is just another marketing phrase. The reality is that some forms of therapy are very difficult to validate or prove. For example, how can researchers use placebo trials to prove that acupuncture or chiropractic work? Most patients know if a physician has inserted a needle or if they were adjusted, which makes the use of placebo treatments in these clinical trials difficult at best, if not impossible. However when it comes to joint health supplements or pain creams, the reality is that conducting trials in which a patient receives a placebo is in fact not that hard. Still, few companies conduct clinical trials.

READ STUDY – Cannabis Products for Adults with Chronic Neuropathic Pain (Cochrane)

How can I tell if a CBD product has beenshown to work?

The easiest and most effective way to find out if a specific product has been clinically tested (not just in the lab) is simply to ask for the published research. If a company or their sales rep cannot produce research on their specific product, be leery. In the case of Active Again pain cream, we have had clinical trials published in top peer-reviewed medical journals such as the Journal of Rheumatology.

What about Pets and CBD?

Our pets love us unconditionally, and they rely on us to protect them and make informed decisions about their health. Lets not let them down, and whenever possible make informed decisions about their wellbeing. There are a multitude of pet CBD products for joint health, however have they been shown to work? Conducting joint health clinical trials for pets is challenging, as dogs or cats cannot tell us if their joints feel better or not. Thus we often rely on human clinical trials to estimate if it will help our furry friends. Both glucosamine and CBD/THC meta-analysis of human clinical trials for joint health have shown limited or no benefit. The obvious question then becomes: Unless a company has published clinical results with either people or pets, why even consider CBD for our pets?

READ STUDY – Cannabis Products for Adults with Chronic Neuropathic Pain (Cochrane)