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The Truth about Horse Joint Supplements (Part 4)
0 reviewsDEVIL'S CLAW, BOSWELLIA, BROMELAIN, MSM and YUCCA "Guaranteed results in five days" (or sooner in some cases) was and still is a popular slogan t
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DEVIL'S CLAW, BOSWELLIA, BROMELAIN, MSM and YUCCA
"Guaranteed results in five days" (or sooner in some cases) was and still is a popular slogan that has been used frequently in so-called "joint supplements." One particular product achieved national distribution and widespread acclaim within a matter of months. Unfortunately, the secret behind the success of these products is not in the long term support of healthy joint function, which a well designed joint supplement can provide, but in the delivery of various painblocking agents that mask the pain prior to any improvement in the viscosity of the joint fluid or the improvement in shock absorption of the cartilage tissue. This phenomenon was particularly prevalent with liquid joint supplements – look at the labels of various liquid joint supplements and you will always see one or more of these ingredients on the analysis. It is important to differentiate MSM from this group as MSM has some excellent properties as a sulfur source and to help transporting nutrients thought the body. It is also very inexpensive and has been used extensively in joint supplements because at high
levels it also acts as a potent pain masking agent.
DEVIL'S CLAW, BOSWELLIA, BROMELAIN, MSM and YUCCA: THE GRAND MEADOWS POINT OF VIEW
At Grand Meadows we watched with dismay as thousands of horse-owners appeared to throw logic out of the window. Considering that foundations worldwide are spending billions of dollars on research to alleviate this problem, does it seem likely that a small equine supplement company would suddenly discover a solution that works in a matter of days?
We think not. Unfortunately many consumers are quick to jump at such "miracle cures," with even more unfortunate results. What we fear is that many horse-owners in seeking to quickly find instant/fast pain relief remedies the symptoms associated with joint problems have actually accelerated the damage to the articular cartilage surfaces by riding the horse(s), often in punishing disciplines, well before there has been any improvement in the function of the joint. If you have taken supplements in the past, you'll recall just how quickly you felt an appreciable difference – and if you are like most people we have posed thisquestion to you will quickly realize that these claims based on speed of results are entirely unrealistic.
All of the ingredients listed in the title of this section block pain in some way, and we continue to marvel at the willingness of consumers to buy into marketing hype. This is not to say that reducing pain is necessarily a bad thing – if you want to get through an important show, or if you have an older horse who simply needs help there is nothing wrong with the concept, but don't be fooled – there is a difference. What we do object strongly to is the long term feeding of products that are presented in the marketplace as joint support products, when largely their main function is simply to block pain without any attempt to explain their primary function. This is of particular concern with younger horses. As a company with a reputation for ethical behavior, we will never market a pain blocker as a long-term joint supplement. We may lose millions in sales, but we won't lose our integrity. There are exceptions to this rule where horses have extensive damage that a well designed joint supplement alone, free of pain blocking agents, and is not able to produce the results that we would like to see. In those circumstances it may well be necessary to provide products that are more "aggressive" and that contain some of these agents. Our products Grand HA Synergy and Mega Grand Flex are both designed to address these situations - but we would always prefer horse owners to try Grand Flex or Grand HA first – neither of which contains any pain masking agents. We include a tiny amount of Yucca in Grand Flex for its flavor enhancing benefits.
PERMA MUSSEL, SHARK CARTILAGE
Perma Mussel, Shark Cartilage and other cartilage extracts contain a mixture of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and can vary in purity and are poorly absorbed. Perma mussel which comes from the New Zealand green-lipped mussel is still available in some supplements; however the scientific data is pretty limited. Shark cartilage is the other ingredient that is widely touted as having an effect on both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. Shark cartilage briefly had a high degree of visibility after "60 Minutes" did a story cataloging potential benefits of shark cartilage in reducing tumor growth in cancer. There has been a very large jump from that evidence to include shark cartilage as a viable ingredient in joint
products, likely because of the presence of chondroitin sulfate found in shark cartilage.
PERMA MUSSEL, SHARK CARTILAGE: THE GRAND MEADOWS POINT OF VIEW
Grand Meadows researches and selects only the highest quality and effective ingredients for all their products. Because of the fact that we have not, as of yet, seen any clinical evidence that either perma mussel or shark cartilage have any meaningful connection to joint function, they are not an ingredient in any of our products. As well, the amount of glycosaminoglycans found in perma mussel is minute on an mg-for-mg basis compared to other sources of Glucosamine. One researcher explained the difference between these GAGs and Glucosamine is comparing crude ore (shark cartilage or perma mussel) and pure gold (glucosamine). Finally, we are not particularly comfortable with the ethics of harvesting an ingredient from a source that is not infinitely renewable.
"Guaranteed results in five days" (or sooner in some cases) was and still is a popular slogan that has been used frequently in so-called "joint supplements." One particular product achieved national distribution and widespread acclaim within a matter of months. Unfortunately, the secret behind the success of these products is not in the long term support of healthy joint function, which a well designed joint supplement can provide, but in the delivery of various painblocking agents that mask the pain prior to any improvement in the viscosity of the joint fluid or the improvement in shock absorption of the cartilage tissue. This phenomenon was particularly prevalent with liquid joint supplements – look at the labels of various liquid joint supplements and you will always see one or more of these ingredients on the analysis. It is important to differentiate MSM from this group as MSM has some excellent properties as a sulfur source and to help transporting nutrients thought the body. It is also very inexpensive and has been used extensively in joint supplements because at high
levels it also acts as a potent pain masking agent.
DEVIL'S CLAW, BOSWELLIA, BROMELAIN, MSM and YUCCA: THE GRAND MEADOWS POINT OF VIEW
At Grand Meadows we watched with dismay as thousands of horse-owners appeared to throw logic out of the window. Considering that foundations worldwide are spending billions of dollars on research to alleviate this problem, does it seem likely that a small equine supplement company would suddenly discover a solution that works in a matter of days?
We think not. Unfortunately many consumers are quick to jump at such "miracle cures," with even more unfortunate results. What we fear is that many horse-owners in seeking to quickly find instant/fast pain relief remedies the symptoms associated with joint problems have actually accelerated the damage to the articular cartilage surfaces by riding the horse(s), often in punishing disciplines, well before there has been any improvement in the function of the joint. If you have taken supplements in the past, you'll recall just how quickly you felt an appreciable difference – and if you are like most people we have posed thisquestion to you will quickly realize that these claims based on speed of results are entirely unrealistic.
All of the ingredients listed in the title of this section block pain in some way, and we continue to marvel at the willingness of consumers to buy into marketing hype. This is not to say that reducing pain is necessarily a bad thing – if you want to get through an important show, or if you have an older horse who simply needs help there is nothing wrong with the concept, but don't be fooled – there is a difference. What we do object strongly to is the long term feeding of products that are presented in the marketplace as joint support products, when largely their main function is simply to block pain without any attempt to explain their primary function. This is of particular concern with younger horses. As a company with a reputation for ethical behavior, we will never market a pain blocker as a long-term joint supplement. We may lose millions in sales, but we won't lose our integrity. There are exceptions to this rule where horses have extensive damage that a well designed joint supplement alone, free of pain blocking agents, and is not able to produce the results that we would like to see. In those circumstances it may well be necessary to provide products that are more "aggressive" and that contain some of these agents. Our products Grand HA Synergy and Mega Grand Flex are both designed to address these situations - but we would always prefer horse owners to try Grand Flex or Grand HA first – neither of which contains any pain masking agents. We include a tiny amount of Yucca in Grand Flex for its flavor enhancing benefits.
PERMA MUSSEL, SHARK CARTILAGE
Perma Mussel, Shark Cartilage and other cartilage extracts contain a mixture of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and can vary in purity and are poorly absorbed. Perma mussel which comes from the New Zealand green-lipped mussel is still available in some supplements; however the scientific data is pretty limited. Shark cartilage is the other ingredient that is widely touted as having an effect on both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. Shark cartilage briefly had a high degree of visibility after "60 Minutes" did a story cataloging potential benefits of shark cartilage in reducing tumor growth in cancer. There has been a very large jump from that evidence to include shark cartilage as a viable ingredient in joint
products, likely because of the presence of chondroitin sulfate found in shark cartilage.
PERMA MUSSEL, SHARK CARTILAGE: THE GRAND MEADOWS POINT OF VIEW
Grand Meadows researches and selects only the highest quality and effective ingredients for all their products. Because of the fact that we have not, as of yet, seen any clinical evidence that either perma mussel or shark cartilage have any meaningful connection to joint function, they are not an ingredient in any of our products. As well, the amount of glycosaminoglycans found in perma mussel is minute on an mg-for-mg basis compared to other sources of Glucosamine. One researcher explained the difference between these GAGs and Glucosamine is comparing crude ore (shark cartilage or perma mussel) and pure gold (glucosamine). Finally, we are not particularly comfortable with the ethics of harvesting an ingredient from a source that is not infinitely renewable.
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