Specialized fibrous connective tissue that forms the skeleton of an embryo and much of the skeleton in an infant. As the child grows, the cartilage becomes bone. In adults, cartilage is present in and around joints and makes up the primary skeletal structure in some parts of the body, such as the ears and the tip of the nose.

	Arthritis Related Topic "...Osteoarthritis, the most common form, is characterized by a gradual loss of cartilage and often an overgrowth of bone at the joints..." Bindweed As A Treatment "...The proteoglycan mixture (PGM) found in bindweed has tested 100 times more effective at preventing new blood vessel growth than shark cartilage by weight..." Bone Cancer The Condition "...Most bone cancers are called sarcomas, cancers that develop predominantly from bone, cartilage, muscle, fibrous tissue, fatty tissue, or nerve tissue..." Cervical Arthritis The Condition "...The vertebrae in the neck, known anatomically as the cervical vertebrae, begin to degenerate, accompanied by degeneration in the flexible disks of shock-absorbing cartilage that fit between them..." Collagen Related Topic "The primary protein within white fibers of connective tissue and the organic substance found in tendons, ligaments, cartilage, skin, teeth and bone..." Costochronditis The Condition "...Costochondritis is the inflammation of the cartilage where the ribs attach to the breastbone (sternum)..." Recommendation Conventional Drug Use "Cortisone shots are one way of reducing the inflammation of costochondritis but repeated injections are not recommended as they are said to weaken the cartilage after extended periods of use..." Glucosamine Related Topic "A compound manufactured from glucose used in building cartilage..." Glucosamine / Chondroitin Sulfate As A Treatment "Glucosamine is a key compound of the substance that makes up connective tissue such as cartilage..." Gout / Hyperuricemia The Condition "...Tophi (small nodules consisting of uric acid and inflammatory tissues) may be seen on the ear cartilage and along tendons..." Heberden's Nodes Relationship to Osteoarthritis "...Over time, the cartilage that serves as a cushion between the bones may completely wear away, causing the bones to rub against each other..." L-Lysine As A Treatment "...It is necessary for proper growth and helps form collagen which comprises bone cartilage and connective tissues..." L-Proline As A Treatment "...Anti-aging properties; heals cartilage, strengthens joints and tendons; improves elasticity of and strengthens the heart muscle..." Manganese As A Treatment "...Manganese is also required for proper bone and cartilage formation and some reports have shown that women with osteoporosis tend to have low blood manganese levels..." Osteoarthritis The Condition "...It is a chronic disease in which the cartilage breaks down..." Related Topic "A condition involving degeneration of cartilage and supporting joint tissue, which results in pain, swelling and reduced mobility, as the cartilage wears away and allows bone to rub against bone..." Relationship to Manganese Requirement "Bone cartilage can’t grow or repair itself adequately without manganese - an essential part of glucosamine, which is in turn a major joint building block..." Recommendation Glucosamine / Chondroitin Sulfate "...both placebo and standard arthritis drugs (including Ibuprofen), showed that glucosamine outperformed both in reducing long-term pain, joint tenderness and swelling, accelerating recovery, reversing cartilage damage, and helping to restore joint function, range of motion, and walking speed..." Recommendation Vitamin E "...Later studies have shown that vitamin E has an ability to inhibit the enzymatic breakdown of cartilage as well as to stimulate cartilage synthesis..." Recommendation Boron "...It is obvious that in osteo arthritis the cartilage is worn out; if it is because it lacks the necessary energy for cell division, that would explain the action of boron..." Recommendation Prolotherapy "Prolotherapy is the best and often only treatment when ligaments are weakened and cartilage damaged..." Osteochondritis Related Topic "Inflammation of a bone and its cartilage..." Ovarian Cysts The Condition "...Examples include ... Dermoid cyst - which consists of a growth filled with various types of tissue such as fatty material, hair, teeth, bits of bone and cartilage..." Poor Bone Health The Condition "...There are a multitude of ways to support the health of joints and bones, deterring the onset of serious deterioration of both bone and cartilage..." Post-Polio Syndrome The Condition "...Some, after medical evaluation, are found to have arthritis, tendonitis and cartilage damage, all of which can occur in the aging process but which are more common when movement and weight-bearing have been altered by the effects of weakened muscles..." Psoriatic Arthritis The Condition "...However, this treatment can only be used rarely, since corticosteroids can weaken the cartilage and remove the minerals from (and therefore weaken) the bone, resulting in further joint weakness..." Rheumatoid Arthritis The Condition "...Cartilage covers and cushions the ends of the two bones..." Recommendation MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane) "...In an animal study on rheumatoid arthritis-like joint degeneration, MSM was effective in reducing joint inflammation, and completely prevented the breakdown of cartilage..." Recommendation Boron "...It does alleviate and seems to cure arthritis either by acting against whatever organism may cause rheumatoid diseases and/or as a membrane catalyst that permits repair of damaged cartilage and collagen..." S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) As A Treatment "...In a trial involving 22,000 patients, SAMe was as effective as NSAID's such as ibuprofen, and Nalfon but, unlike these, instead of speeding the breakdown of cartilage, it helps to restore this and indeed may be preventative in the development of degenerative arthritis that most of us will get as we become older..." Silicon Related Topic "...Silicon containing substances are found in all cartilage and in the material binding cells together..." Trachea Related Topic "The cartilage tube that brings air from the larynx to the two bronchi that enter the lungs..." Vitamin A Requirement The Condition "...Vitamin A is essential for innumerable biological functions - night and color vision, wound healing, bone and tooth formation, healthy skin, normal growth, reproductive and adrenal function, cartilage development, mucous membranes/secretions and lactation..." Vitamin D Requirement The Condition "...Bone growth occurs through the creation of new cartilage, a soft substance at the ends of bones..."

Last updated: May 10, 2007