Question: I have arthritis in my knees and a friend suggested I try glucosamine. What do you think?

Dr. Hibberd's answer:

Glucosamine may be helpful to some with osteoarthritis, medical studies suggest. But the evidence is spotty at best. There’s no harm in giving it a try to see if it helps.

Osteoarthritis of the knees is usually associated with inflammation in an intact knee joint, so milder conservative management is the general rule.

There is little downside to glucosamine’s use. You can also try anti-inflammatories, joint injections, or Tylenol (500 milligrams, four times a day) to control pain.

Be sure to evaluate its effectiveness after a three-week trial, and check with your doctor, too.