Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Dear Terry, “Recently I picked up a product for improving the flexibility of the joints at my pharmacy. The product is called “I-Flex.” So far it hasn’t been of any help, but I just started on it a few weeks ago. I also saw the Women’s World article on a pain formula that contains curcumin, boswellia, DLPA and nattokinase and I’m wondering if you think it’s better than I-Flex. I get your Terry Talks Nutrition newsletter and really love it and found that a lot of the information you share has helped my family.” — Janice C., Tulsa OK

A. Dear Janice, Thank you for your kind words. I am glad that my newsletter is helpful for both you and your family. As for your question, I-Flex contains rose hip powder which has had several clinical studies supporting its use for the joints. It is quite good, but it seems that for many people it takes 4-8 weeks for it to become effective. I know the product very well and have worked with the rose hip powder extensively. However, when I began to learn more about an extremely effective extract of turmeric called curcumin, I began to recommend curcumin over rose hip powder for joint problems. Curcumin has a very effective and healthy pain relieving benefit, as well as quickly reducing inflammation in the body. I always recommend a special curcumin with unique absorption (up to 10 times better than plain curcumin), blended with boswellia, DLPA and nattokinase. My readers tell me they have never found anything better than this formula, even some of my readers that had previously used the rose hip powder. With the special curcumin pain formula, you will only need 1 to 3 capsules daily. The science on I-Flex used the rose hip powder at a very high level dosage. If you want to use I-Flex and receive the benefits that match the scientific studies, you would have to use 5 grams (5,000 mg) of rose hip powder daily – that means ten capsules of I-Flex daily! Less than 10 capsules would not match the scientific studies. I hope this helps you with your joint issues.

Best wishes for good health, Terry