I'll See in a Month or Two

I have bursitis in my hips and they have been aching, stiff, and sore for a long time (as in several years). I have been to two different orthopedic doctors, gotten cortisone shots three or four times, done physical therapy four different times, I do exercises at home, and figured out how to manage the pain on a daily basis (ibuprofen and Diclofenac gel). It's not ideal, but lots of people have chronic conditions, and there really isn't anything else to do. My current orthopod has said that hip replacements won't help, but he can manage the acute pain with cortisone shots and he will refer me to the chronic pain clinic if/when I feel like I need it.

A little while ago I saw an ad for Osteo Bi-Flex and wondered if it really did anything. I've read several studies on the efficacy and the results are honestly all over the map. It has helped in some studies (often patients with knee pain) but shown little to no effect in other studies. So I decided that I needed to order some and try it for myself. I have 60 capsules so I will take one a day and see if there is any difference in a couple months. I don't take any other supplements or vitamins, but decided that a multi-vitamin couldn't hurt. It was hard to find one that didn't have 300% of some vitamins because that's just too much, but this one is a bit more realistic. 

I'll admit that I'm a bit skeptical, but I also did some reading about the placebo effect. Dr. Ted J. Kaptchuk, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Harvard-wide Program in Placebo Studies and the Therapeutic Encounter (PiPS) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, has been studying placebos for more than 20 years. He says, "People can still get a placebo response, even though they know they are on a placebo. You don’t need deception or concealment for many conditions to get a significant and meaningful placebo effect, especially in conditions that are defined by self-observation symptoms like pain." 

That sounds promising to me and I'm giving it a try.