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Regrow Cartilage
Posted by
Luminosity
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in
Recommended,
Health
26 September 2013
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7,422 views
regrow cartilage
This is my supplement regimen to regrow cartilage and connective tissue at this time. It has helped me to go from a wheelchair to walking. I used to use innumerable herbal anti-inflammatory substances each day, now I often take none:
1) Swanson's Type II Collagen from Chicken Sternal Cartilage: five or six capsules dissolved in water for about half an hour or more with half a 250 mg. capsule of Swanson's ascorbyl palmitate (fat soluble vitamin C) and a dusting of B vitamins (I take them out of a Nature's Way capsule). If you can't get Swanson's, get the equivalent product from Neocell.* I take these on an empty stomach preferrably twenty or thirty minutes before a meal. I guess some people can skip the B vitamins. I take this twice a day, preferably before breakfast and lunch, on an empty stomach. You can make both doses at once in a three ounce disposable medicine cup and take half at a time.
If you can't find ascorbyl palmitate in a powder or capsule, use whatever vitamin C you prefer. It will maximize the effectiveness of the collagen. I took ascorbyl palmitate in a tablet but it was useless, for me. I'm not a fan of tablets for most vitamins personally. If you use an acidic form of vitamin C, you will eventually want take it in capsule form to save your teeth from the acids.
2) Source Naturals plain powdered MSM dissolved in water. If you can't get Source Naturals, try to get another brand who gets their raw materials from OptiMSM. They usually make a point of stating this. In the US, OptiMSM is the best and purest MSM source. The other two sources in the US contain irritating impurities. Source Naturals finely powders their MSM which makes it easier to dissolve. I take a high dose. It might be too much for some. I take two teaspoons at a time with half a 500 mg. capsule of Ester C with no bioflavonoids, American Health (?) brand, and I add a pinch of the B vitamins, which is optional. You can start with half a teaspoon of MSM at a time and increase until you feel bloated, gassy, or sluggish. Then cut it back. I take this on an empty stomach about forty to sixty minutes before a meal on an empty stomach. It is preferable to take this before breakfast and lunch. You can make both doses at once in a three ounce disposable medicine cup and take half at a time. If you take it at night, it may make it hard to sleep.
If you can't find Ester C without bioflavonoids in a capsule, you can try it with bioflavoniods. They make me gassy. If you can't find this, use whatever vitamin C you prefer. If it is acidic, you should eventually take it in a capsule or tablet form (capsule is better) to save your teeth from the acid.
3) Solaray Bamboo silica extract capsules. I take the contents of half a capsule dissolved in water with breakfast and lunch. If you can't get these, then there are Swanson's bamboo extract capsules, Cola de Caballo by Amazon Therapeutics, Jarrosil or BioSil. They are not interchangaeble. Personally I like the first one best. I like the first three better than the last two, which are made from sand. The first three are made from plants. DO NOT TAKE capsules of ground horsetail ferns. Silica containing plants need to be processed to make the silica accessible.
4) Source Naturals Vitamin D3 capsules 2000 i.u. taken with a meal containing fat or oil. I started out taking the whole capsules, but now I take the contents of half of one a day mixed in some water in a bottle cap, along with the silica.
The above are the most important supplements for rebuilding connective tissue for me right now. There are many other supplements that I take, and have taken. There are natural anti-inflammatories like Boswellin and sarsaparilla. I like the house brand of Boswellia at Vitacost. I like Source Naturals liquid sarsaparilla extract. It contains alcohol, and is cooked. Raw sarsaparilla tends to have a cold energy and is a powerful diuretic, which isn't what I want. There are herbal extracts preserved with glycerin if alcohol doesn't agree with you.
There are many different natural anti-inflammatories. Different ones help different people. There are Chinese herbs that bring down inflammation and reduce stagnation as well as encourage different connective tissues to heal. There are natural products you can use externally to bring down inflammation and reduce stagnation and restore harmony.
Some people get good results rebuilding connective tissue with gelatin/type I and III collagen. It is certainly cheaper and easier to deal with. Most knowledgable people who use gelatin prefer Great Lakes Brand. Most of them mail order it. Neocell's type I and III collagen contains sulfites. I would avoid it. Great Lakes is fresh and pure. It seems to be better than Knox. Personally when I use gelatin I don't digest it and it makes my skin break out but others have different experiences. I deal with digestive issues.
______________________________
*Hopefully the Neocell type II cartilage will be authentic. If you want to see more about how to tell if it is, Google for my post on how I believe that they counterfeited this a while back.
______________________________
2/14 I have added Tie Da Wan or Tie Ta Wan Five Photo's Brand ( a Chinese Herbal formula) twice a day to reduce stagnation and inflammation. It comes in a purple can. I open it, open the plastic ball inside, cut open the wax covering on the herbs with a sharp knife. I take the resultant brown ball of herbal matter, cut it up and put it in some brandy in a jar until it dissolves. This makes enough to take twice a day for about two weeks. I take this twice a day on an empty stomach for one or two weeks. If you want to use this externally as an anti inflammatory, get a cheap bottle of vodka, and dissolve the herbs in half a bottle and apply it externally.
______________________________________
Question from ReachMyPotential: How important do you find the silica component to be for connective tissue? I have Type II Collagen on the way in the mail, am using a source of OptiMSM, take Ester C, and supplement frequently with 2500IU D3. Maybe I should round off my cartilage/joints/tendons stack with the bamboo silica, too.
Aside from general aches and pains (and muscle recovery) becoming more difficult with age, my biggest problem has been a Grade 2 tear in both of my rectus femoris muscles (the long skinny one on top of your quads that connects to your hips) that happened 10 years ago. Even with physical therapy, massage, ultra-sound, stretching, etc., it never fully healed and tends to get reinjured easily when I sprint or put those muscles under full load/stress. I've been looking into something called Active Release Technique that seems promising, but I'm also looking into other ways to promote healing and eliminate existing scar tissue. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears.
Answer from Luminosity: You're really smart. Did you say you're only 26? Silica is very important for me. I'm 51 and have had a number of connective/tissue/orthopedic/dental issues. It would be good to take to keep those tissues healthy. I'd even consider ordering the Cola de Caballo to swish around in your teeth to remineralize them after drinking or eating something acidic, as a healthy diet tends to contain more acid your teeth may be able to deal with, over time. When possible, I'd swish water around in your mouth, or rinse out your mouth with water after consuming acids, and then, maybe take some Cola de Caballo, which is liquid, and mix it half and half with water, like in a bottle cap and swish it around on your teeth to remineralize them. There is also a toothpaste with Novamins, by Dr. Collins, that remineralizes teeth. Swanson has it. Check it out. I realize this isn't what you asked, it is just what I wished I had known at your age.
Anyway, I don't know much about muscles. Don't know if silica is important there. It nourishes teeth, bones, cartilage, skin, hair and nails. Keep your teeth nourished.
Running can be hard on a body. Maybe look into other forms of exercise. Look at my thread on Chinese medicine. They have many herbal formulas for rebuilding various body parts and healing injuries. Your best bet is to get good practitioner who can prescribe the right one and maybe do acupuncture. Look into taking MSM the way I recommend. Look into Hot Yoga.
ReachMyPotential: I've also heard that bamboo helps with cartilage growth. What about Aloe Vera?
Luminosity: My silica supplement is made of Bamboo. Aloe Vera does help. I've taken that too. Avoid the peels and the area just under them as it contains a harsh laxative.
1) Swanson's Type II Collagen from Chicken Sternal Cartilage: five or six capsules dissolved in water for about half an hour or more with half a 250 mg. capsule of Swanson's ascorbyl palmitate (fat soluble vitamin C) and a dusting of B vitamins (I take them out of a Nature's Way capsule). If you can't get Swanson's, get the equivalent product from Neocell.* I take these on an empty stomach preferrably twenty or thirty minutes before a meal. I guess some people can skip the B vitamins. I take this twice a day, preferably before breakfast and lunch, on an empty stomach. You can make both doses at once in a three ounce disposable medicine cup and take half at a time.
If you can't find ascorbyl palmitate in a powder or capsule, use whatever vitamin C you prefer. It will maximize the effectiveness of the collagen. I took ascorbyl palmitate in a tablet but it was useless, for me. I'm not a fan of tablets for most vitamins personally. If you use an acidic form of vitamin C, you will eventually want take it in capsule form to save your teeth from the acids.
2) Source Naturals plain powdered MSM dissolved in water. If you can't get Source Naturals, try to get another brand who gets their raw materials from OptiMSM. They usually make a point of stating this. In the US, OptiMSM is the best and purest MSM source. The other two sources in the US contain irritating impurities. Source Naturals finely powders their MSM which makes it easier to dissolve. I take a high dose. It might be too much for some. I take two teaspoons at a time with half a 500 mg. capsule of Ester C with no bioflavonoids, American Health (?) brand, and I add a pinch of the B vitamins, which is optional. You can start with half a teaspoon of MSM at a time and increase until you feel bloated, gassy, or sluggish. Then cut it back. I take this on an empty stomach about forty to sixty minutes before a meal on an empty stomach. It is preferable to take this before breakfast and lunch. You can make both doses at once in a three ounce disposable medicine cup and take half at a time. If you take it at night, it may make it hard to sleep.
If you can't find Ester C without bioflavonoids in a capsule, you can try it with bioflavoniods. They make me gassy. If you can't find this, use whatever vitamin C you prefer. If it is acidic, you should eventually take it in a capsule or tablet form (capsule is better) to save your teeth from the acid.
3) Solaray Bamboo silica extract capsules. I take the contents of half a capsule dissolved in water with breakfast and lunch. If you can't get these, then there are Swanson's bamboo extract capsules, Cola de Caballo by Amazon Therapeutics, Jarrosil or BioSil. They are not interchangaeble. Personally I like the first one best. I like the first three better than the last two, which are made from sand. The first three are made from plants. DO NOT TAKE capsules of ground horsetail ferns. Silica containing plants need to be processed to make the silica accessible.
4) Source Naturals Vitamin D3 capsules 2000 i.u. taken with a meal containing fat or oil. I started out taking the whole capsules, but now I take the contents of half of one a day mixed in some water in a bottle cap, along with the silica.
The above are the most important supplements for rebuilding connective tissue for me right now. There are many other supplements that I take, and have taken. There are natural anti-inflammatories like Boswellin and sarsaparilla. I like the house brand of Boswellia at Vitacost. I like Source Naturals liquid sarsaparilla extract. It contains alcohol, and is cooked. Raw sarsaparilla tends to have a cold energy and is a powerful diuretic, which isn't what I want. There are herbal extracts preserved with glycerin if alcohol doesn't agree with you.
There are many different natural anti-inflammatories. Different ones help different people. There are Chinese herbs that bring down inflammation and reduce stagnation as well as encourage different connective tissues to heal. There are natural products you can use externally to bring down inflammation and reduce stagnation and restore harmony.
Some people get good results rebuilding connective tissue with gelatin/type I and III collagen. It is certainly cheaper and easier to deal with. Most knowledgable people who use gelatin prefer Great Lakes Brand. Most of them mail order it. Neocell's type I and III collagen contains sulfites. I would avoid it. Great Lakes is fresh and pure. It seems to be better than Knox. Personally when I use gelatin I don't digest it and it makes my skin break out but others have different experiences. I deal with digestive issues.
______________________________
*Hopefully the Neocell type II cartilage will be authentic. If you want to see more about how to tell if it is, Google for my post on how I believe that they counterfeited this a while back.
______________________________
2/14 I have added Tie Da Wan or Tie Ta Wan Five Photo's Brand ( a Chinese Herbal formula) twice a day to reduce stagnation and inflammation. It comes in a purple can. I open it, open the plastic ball inside, cut open the wax covering on the herbs with a sharp knife. I take the resultant brown ball of herbal matter, cut it up and put it in some brandy in a jar until it dissolves. This makes enough to take twice a day for about two weeks. I take this twice a day on an empty stomach for one or two weeks. If you want to use this externally as an anti inflammatory, get a cheap bottle of vodka, and dissolve the herbs in half a bottle and apply it externally.
______________________________________
Question from ReachMyPotential: How important do you find the silica component to be for connective tissue? I have Type II Collagen on the way in the mail, am using a source of OptiMSM, take Ester C, and supplement frequently with 2500IU D3. Maybe I should round off my cartilage/joints/tendons stack with the bamboo silica, too.
Aside from general aches and pains (and muscle recovery) becoming more difficult with age, my biggest problem has been a Grade 2 tear in both of my rectus femoris muscles (the long skinny one on top of your quads that connects to your hips) that happened 10 years ago. Even with physical therapy, massage, ultra-sound, stretching, etc., it never fully healed and tends to get reinjured easily when I sprint or put those muscles under full load/stress. I've been looking into something called Active Release Technique that seems promising, but I'm also looking into other ways to promote healing and eliminate existing scar tissue. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears.
Answer from Luminosity: You're really smart. Did you say you're only 26? Silica is very important for me. I'm 51 and have had a number of connective/tissue/orthopedic/dental issues. It would be good to take to keep those tissues healthy. I'd even consider ordering the Cola de Caballo to swish around in your teeth to remineralize them after drinking or eating something acidic, as a healthy diet tends to contain more acid your teeth may be able to deal with, over time. When possible, I'd swish water around in your mouth, or rinse out your mouth with water after consuming acids, and then, maybe take some Cola de Caballo, which is liquid, and mix it half and half with water, like in a bottle cap and swish it around on your teeth to remineralize them. There is also a toothpaste with Novamins, by Dr. Collins, that remineralizes teeth. Swanson has it. Check it out. I realize this isn't what you asked, it is just what I wished I had known at your age.
Anyway, I don't know much about muscles. Don't know if silica is important there. It nourishes teeth, bones, cartilage, skin, hair and nails. Keep your teeth nourished.
Running can be hard on a body. Maybe look into other forms of exercise. Look at my thread on Chinese medicine. They have many herbal formulas for rebuilding various body parts and healing injuries. Your best bet is to get good practitioner who can prescribe the right one and maybe do acupuncture. Look into taking MSM the way I recommend. Look into Hot Yoga.
ReachMyPotential: I've also heard that bamboo helps with cartilage growth. What about Aloe Vera?
Luminosity: My silica supplement is made of Bamboo. Aloe Vera does help. I've taken that too. Avoid the peels and the area just under them as it contains a harsh laxative.
