Do your knees and joints hurt the most when you’re really just trying to do the right thing and exercise to stay in shape? That’s not unusual. Over time, exercise and normal wear and tear break down the cartilage and connective tissues that make up our knees and joints, causing the pain that can keep you from being as active as you’d like.

It’s not unusual for people to respond to knee and joint pain by taking over-the-counter pain relievers like aspirin or ibuprofen. But those options take a toll on the stomach and liver. They reduce pain, but at a price. Besides, taking care of the pain is only half of the equation.

You really need nutrients that reduce the damaging inflammation, help build up the structure of the knees and other joints, and stop the source of the pain.

Fortunately, there is a combination of clinically-tested botanical ingredients that do just that. Research has found that they are just as effective as OTC (over-the-counter) and prescription drugs – without the harmful side effects.

First, let’s look at two anti-inflammatory herbal extracts: high-absorption curcumin and a specialized boswellia extract.

Curcumin from turmeric is an amazing ingredient. It reduces inflammation, fights oxidative stress, and is the subject of much research and attention in the press. The downside is, most standard curcumin extracts aren’t well absorbed.

However, this specialized, high-absorption curcumin is remarkable. It blends curcumin extract with turmeric essential oils to boost absorption and blood retention time up to 10 times that of standard 95% extracts. It also stays in the bloodstream at meaningful levels for up to 12 hours, so the benefits of curcumin stick with you much longer.¹

Boswellia, another time-tested botanical, is an important ingredient here, too. It is especially potent at reducing the joint pain, including arthritis, by inhibiting the inflammatory enzyme, 5-LOX. This clinically-studied boswellia is low in β-boswellic acid (which interferes with beneficial activity) and has higher levels of acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA) to really boost the effectiveness of the extract.

Together, curcumin and boswellia reduce the tissue-damaging inflammation that causes pain. When you use them, you’re not just “covering up” the pain signals your body sends out; you’re helping your body to heal. In fact, they were both featured in an osteoarthritis study that compared the two botanicals to a generic celecoxib (known under the brand name Celebrex®) for individuals with osteoarthritis.

In this study, one group received celecoxib, 100 mg, twice daily while the second group received a 500 mg blend of the high-absorption curcumin and the high-AKBA, low-beta boswellia extract twice daily.

When it came to relieving pain, 64% of those taking the herbal ingredients versus 29% in the drug group improved to such a high degree that they were able to move from having “moderate to severe arthritis” to “mild to moderate arthritis.”²

Two additional ingredients that will heal and preserve your knees and joints are vitamin D3 and fructoborate. Vitamin D3 keeps knee cartilage stronger, but it’s common for older individuals to have deficiencies. A recent study examined serum vitamin D levels in postmenopausal women. 53% percent of the women were deficient in vitamin D, and only 17% had sufficient blood levels of the nutrient. They reported joint pain and swelling, too. ^3,4

Fructoborate is a highly-absorbable form of boron that has been clinically shown to reduce joint pain in volunteers with severe osteoarthritis in just 8 weeks.⁵ It also helps the body absorb and use vitamin D3, and boosts levels of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), a hormone that supports the adrenal glands and keeps your energy levels and endurance in peak form.⁶

Staying active means more than relieving pain

It’s easy to think that pain relief is the only thing to consider. But these ingredients provide your knees and joints with nutrients that help them heal and thrive. If you suffer from knee and joint pain and want a safe and natural solution, this combination will help you get back to your active life.

About Terry Lemerond
Terry Lemerond is a natural health pioneer with over 40 years of experience. He has owned health food stores, founded dietary supplement companies, formulated over 400 products, and was the first to introduce glucosamine sulfate, IP-6, standardized Ginkgo biloba, and other award-winning products to the U.S. natural products market. Terry is a published author and appears on radio, television, and is a frequent guest speaker nationwide. This energy and zeal are simply part of Terry’s mission — as it has been since the beginning of his career—to improve the health of America.

References:

1. Antony B, Merina B, Iyer VS, Judy N, Lennertz K, Joyal S. A pilot cross-over study to evaluate human oral bioavailability of BCM-95 CG (Biocurcumax™) a novel bioenhanced preparation of curcumin. Ind J Pharm Sci. 2008:445-449.
2. Antony B, Kizhakedath R, Benny M, Kuruvilla BT. Clinical Evaluation of a herbal product (Rhulief™) in the management of knee osteoarthritis. Abstract 316. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2011;19(S1):S145-S146.
3. Heidari B. Association between serum vitamin D deficiency and knee osteoarthritis. Int Orthop. 2010 Dec 30
4. Chlebowski RT, Johnson KC, Lane D, Pettinger M, Kooperberg CL, Wactawski-Wende J, Rohan T, O’Sullivan MJ, Yasmeen S, Hiatt RA, Shikany JM, Vitolins M, Khandekar J, Hubbell FA. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D concentration, vitamin D intake and joint symptoms in postmenopausal women. Maturitas. 2011 Jan;68(1):73-8.
5. Pilot clinical trial of fructoborate in vitamin D deficient human volunteers. Data unpublished.
6. Department of Orthopedic Medicine. University of Novi Sad. Serbia. Data unpublished.