ORIGINS OF MY NINE-STEP PROGRAM
When I was studying glucosamine and chondroitin back in the early 1990s to treat my own osteoarthritis and that of my family and patients, I realized that simply performing another study and having it sit in the journals in the library would do little to change the medical establishment's view of treating osteoarthritis by just covering up the symptoms with pain relievers.
So, I developed the nine step treatment program that became The Arthritis Cure. One of the major reasons I wrote the book, was to force the supplements into the limelight and create a public demand for more information.
The positive results of the 41 studies conducted so far has caused arthritis researchers no choice but to take these supplements seriously.
Even though this was clearly the first program that could alter the course of the disease, and not just cover up the symptoms, my first choice in naming the book was not The Arthritis Cure but rather The Arthritis Solution. After some serious negotiations, The Arthritis Cure was chosen by the publisher and the decision, although controversial, ended up in a multi-million selling book in 13 languages and also ended up advancing the important messages contained in the book.
Just having a successful book however doesn't put an end to the story, my main goal was to alter the way that we treated arthritis in United States. I took an oath as a physician to "do no harm."
I couldn't just stand by and watch as tens of thousands of people died needlessly trying to get pain relief for osteoarthritis, a disease which in and of itself is not deadly. After raising awareness for people to utilize glucosamine and chondroitin as part of a program to treat their arthritis, I knew that I had two other major steps to accomplish to complete my goal.
TWO MAJOR STEPS
Step one was to try and steer people to utilizing good-quality products. Manypeople were unknowingly stuck taking poorly manufactured supplements that skimped on the active ingredients. My research, and others, showed that over 80% of the available products were deficient in one way or another. I continue to fight this battle - more on this later. Suffice it to say that there are glucosamine and chondroitin containing products available that are manufactured to the same standards as over-the-counter drugs - thus eliminating concerns about quality.
Step two to achieve my goal was to help increase the research on various aspects of my treatment program, especially the use of the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin. However, before a treatment program is excepted, it doesn't just take one or two good studies, really the research requires several facets: laboratory experiments, animal experiments, human clinical trials on dosing, safety, effectiveness, and finally cost effectiveness.
Thus performing a large-scale, independently funded (such as through the NIH) clinical trial in the United States was paramount.
Interactions and History < > Purpose and Results
