Glucosamine and chondroitin may indeed help with moderate to severe pain, U.S. researchers report at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in San Diego.

Preliminary findings from their study indicated that the supplements "seem to be safe," and in a European study, glucosamine may actually work better than the painkilling ingredient in Tylenol.

Some evidence has also suggested that glucosamine, a natural substance found in bone, helps the body repair itself. Another natural substance, called chondroitin sulfate, has also been considered a possible arthritis reliever.

Over-the-counter and prescription painkillers can help relieve the pain of arthritis, but they don't always make it go away completely.

The study indicated that a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin might help patients with moderate or severe osteoarthritis. Those patients made up about 20 percent of participants in the study; the other 80 percent had milder forms of the disease.

In response to the research, the Arthritis Foundation says in a statement that it "believes that, based on the findings from this study and the supplements' safety and cost-effectiveness, the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin should be considered by patients and physicians as part of an overall treatment plan for painful knee OA. Further research is needed to determine exactly how glucosamine and chondroitin work, as well as the possible effectiveness of these supplements on limiting the progression of cartilage damage."

In the second study, also to be released at the American College of Rheumatology conference, European researchers were to report that glucosamine did a better job of treating pain from knee arthritis than acetaminophen. The study looked at 318 patients, mostly women, who took the supplement, acetaminophen or a placebo.

Researchers report they've uncovered an apparent link between the mineral selenium and arthritis in patients because selenium deficiency has been connected to arthritis. They estimated the levels of the mineral from 940 residents of Johnson County, a semi-rural region of North Carolina.  They found "The lower the selenium level, the more likely you were to have more severe arthritis. And you were more likely to have it in both knees instead of one," says Dr. Joanne M. Jordan, associate professor of medicine and orthopedics at the University of North Carolina.

Biotrex combines these essential ingredients in its Joint & Muscle Care+™ Arthritis formula.  "We use Glucosamine HCL, the chondroitin comes from Sea Cucumber and of course we include Selenium.  We don't stop there, Senior+ has 23 other ingredients (26 in all) which are carefully blended to help our customers feel better.  It's a very powerful blend." says Mr. Richards, president of Biotrex Vitamins. "Consumers write in and tell us how happy they are after using our product which of course makes us feel good too.  We love the positive feedback!"