If you’re taking glucosamine for your joint pain, you’re really only halfway there.

The latest research shows you need the anti-inflammatory power of fish oil to complete the picture – because together, these two supplements are far more effective at reducing and even eliminating joint pain.

In a controlled trial, researchers found that adding fish oil to the equation gave much better relief to osteoarthritis patients than the glucosamine alone. The combined power of the two supplements also worked better at easing morning stiffness and relieving pain in the knees and hips.

The study, which was published in the journal Advances in Therapy, was funded by a British supplement maker – but there’s nothing fishy about this one. In fact, it’s easy to understand why this works so well: The fish oil is easing the inflammation linked to the pain, as the glucosamine works to help rebuild lost cartilage.

Many times, glucosamine is sold with chondroitin – but early research has linked chondroitin to prostate cancer, and most people don’t need it anyway to get real relief. But adding fish oil to the mix gives your body something too many of us miss out on: essential omega-3 fatty acids.

While the study looked at osteoarthritis pain, fish oil can help with nearly any inflammation-related pain. It’s also great for the brain, eyes, heart and overall health

If, like the patients in this study, you’re looking for some relief from osteoarthritis, also make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D – low levels of the sunshine vitamin have been linked to increased pain. Smoking has also been known to worsen the problem – so there’s one more reason to call it quits.

And as I wrote just a few weeks ago, a recent study found slow Chinese tai-chi exercises have also shown to help provide osteoarthritis relief.

Finally, many people don’t realize how big a role food allergies can play in joint pain. Consider an elimination diet – cutting out certain foods and seeing if it makes a difference over time. The most common culprits when it comes to arthritis are nightshade vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and many kinds of peppers.

Work with an experienced doctor who can also run some allergy tests as you try the elimination approach.

These allergies may not be responsible for every case of joint pain and arthritis, but they’re behind enough of them that you should look into it, especially if you find your pain won’t go away – or gets worse – no matter what you do.

The alternative is a lifetime’s supply of painkillers and other meds that can damage your body in other ways as they mask the symptoms of your pain.

You’ve heard of costume jewelry… phony gems made of tin and glass. But you might not be aware of a far more sinister kind of costume – one used dress up unhealthy food.

Today more than ever, shoppers are aware of the most essential vitamins and nutrients, and are actively looking for ways to get them – especially from food.

A new survey finds that shoppers are seeking out foods with omega-3 fatty acids, high fiber, extra calcium, whole grains, antioxidants and probiotics.

But the big food manufacturers already know this… and, as always, they’re a step ahead. They’ve been busy adding these nutrients to otherwise unhealthy packaged foods and touting those additions on the label.

And that’s one costume you need to watch out for.

There’s a big difference between a buzzword on an eye- catching package and a real nutrient from a healthy source.

These devious disguises accomplish two things: First, they can make unhealthy foods seem like they’re good for you. And second, they can satisfy a consumer’s desire to get nutrients from food.

After all, you’ve probably heard me and others talk about the importance of getting as many of your nutrients as you can from your diet. But it doesn’t really count if you’re eating foods that have been fortified with small amounts of a vitamin in some dingy factory.

So here’s what you should do: Limit your supermarket shopping to fresh foods that you can cook yourself. And remember, when it comes to veggies, raw or close to raw is better – you lose many nutrients when they’re cooked.

Choose a diverse selection of foods naturally abundant in the nutrients you need, as well as those you and your doctor feel might benefit you, and in most cases you’ll do fine.

But for those you can’t get naturally, or can’t get enough of, turn to a supplement – not a costume food. A supplement allows you to control the quality and amount of your nutrients, and you don’t have to chow down on unhealthy foods to get them.

Shop smart – and eat smarter.

There’s no denying it: Nothing’s better for baby than breastfeeding.

And if your baby enjoyed mother’s milk years ago, you may be enjoying a benefit right now: a lower risk for metabolic syndrome, a dangerous set of conditions that can lead to diabetes and heart disease.

You won’t get that from a bottle!

A study published in the journal Diabetes finds that women who did not suffer from gestational diabetes during pregnancy were able to lower their risk of metabolic syndrome by 39 percent by breastfeeding for one to five months, and by 56 percent by breastfeeding for longer than nine months.

Women who suffered from gestational diabetes lowered their risk by 44 percent when they breastfed for between one and five months, and by 86 percent when they breastfed for more than nine months.

Metabolic syndrome includes weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin resistance. With all those risk factors attacking at once, it’s no wonder that many of the people who suffer from it also end up battling obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

No one’s quite sure yet why this simple and perfectly natural act might make such a big difference… but it may have to do with blood-sugar levels during breastfeeding. Women who breastfeed have lower insulin levels.

They also tend to have higher levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol and less belly fat after pregnancy, which may also help reduce that risk for metabolic syndrome years down the road.

Breastfeeding can help mom in other ways, too. Research has shown that women who breastfeed have a lower risk for osteoporosis later in life. Breastfeeding may also help reduce the risk of uterine, ovarian and breast cancers. It may even help with postpartum weight loss.

In addition, many new mothers simply enjoy that special bond they feel when they’re feeding their baby.

And of course, moms and dads alike benefit when they don’t have to spend big dollars on formula.

All that, and we haven’t even touched on all the benefits breastfeeding has for the baby… research has shown the children who were breastfed tend to be smarter and healthier.

Breastfeeding has also been shown to improve skin and vision in babies, as well as promote stronger teeth and may even lower the risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease years later.

So if you breastfed your children, congratulations – your kids got a head start and you’re enjoying a lower risk for a terrible condition.

And if any of the women in your life are pregnant, be sure to share this great news with them.

Far too many women still take risky drugs during pregnancy – but don’t be so quick to point the finger at the moms-to- be.

Doctors, pharmacists and – of course – Big Pharma get most of the blame for this one.

Researchers studying five years of drug records for 109,344 pregnant women found that 56 percent of them filled at least one prescription during their pregnancy. Just over 6 percent of them – nearly 7,000 women – did so for at least one med known to pose a threat to the fetus.

Those include anxiety and psychiatric meds, drugs that treat severe acne, antibiotics and pills for heart disease.

No woman wants to harm her baby, of course. Many women probably take these meds completely unaware of the potential risk they’ll have on the unborn child.

In fact, men and women alike often take prescription drugs without thinking about them at all – which is a big part of the problem (and exactly how Big Pharma likes it).

When a woman gets pregnant, she undergoes a lot of changes at once – changes to her body, and changes to her lifestyle. It’s safe to say she’s got a lot to think about, and maybe her prescription meds – drugs that have been in the medicine cabinet for years – don’t come to mind at all, much less the impact they’ll have on the baby.

And in too many cases, her gynecologist may never be aware of or even ask about meds that another doctor prescribed before the pregnancy began.

So it’s incredibly easy for a pregnant woman to continue with the familiar parts of her daily routine… wake up, shower, get dressed, take pills, make coffee, go to work… all along unaware of the festering drug problem.

When you’re planning your pregnancy, or if you learn that you’re pregnant, you could simply go over the risks for each one of your meds and find alternative drugs when they’re available… but there’s something far better you could do for yourself and your child.

Work with your doctor on replacing each of your meds with non-drug alternatives. In many cases, you’ll find lifestyle changes, alternative treatments and simple nutrients that can work as good as or better than many common meds – especially if you’re taking drugs to control mood disorders, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and more.

If the dad-to-be is on some meds himself, have him join you – lifestyle changes are much easier to make if you do them together.

After all, the baby will change your life pretty dramatically anyway. As long as change is in the air, turn over a new leaf – and get rid of those meds.