Growing up, US Clinicals’ founder, Mike, always felt grateful and indebted towards his mother for the many sacrifices she made in order to raise him and his three siblings. She worked tirelessly at a physically laborious job for many years in order to make ends meet and give her children the best that she could. Unfortunately, she had sacrificed her own health and well-being in the process too.
Around her forties, Mike’s mother began to experience joint stiffness and swelling in her knees, especially after an extended period of walking or standing. Mistaking these symptoms for rheumatism, she put off seeing a doctor for years until Mike finally convinced her to get a medical check-up. At 50, the doctor diagnosed Mike’s mother with osteoarthritis in both of her knees.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes the cartilage (i.e. smooth connective tissue covering bones to prevent them from rubbing against one another) in between joints to gradually break down over time. The deterioration of cartilage causes a loss of synovial fluid (i.e. thick fluid lubricating the space between one bone cartilage and another) and leaves bones unprotected and vulnerable to friction. The result? Discomfort, swelling and mobility difficulties.
Osteoarthritis is usually brought on by the aging process, old injuries and/or - in the case of Mike’s mother - excessive physical strain. As the condition is irreversible and incurable, healthcare providers focus on managing the symptoms to slow its progression.
Over the next 10 years, Mike urged his mother to limit her physical activity and wear knee braces for extra support but her osteoarthritis continued to worsen. At 60, she was having difficulty performing ordinary tasks at home such as climbing stairs and lifting objects. Even getting up and sitting down proved challenging so she remained seated most of the time.
A follow-up check-up revealed that the cartilage in her knees had completely worn out, causing bone to rub against bone. Small pieces of bone had also chipped off and were floating around in her joints, causing her great discomfort. Doctors recommended surgery (to remove the chipped pieces from her joints) and Sodium Hyaluronate injections but cautioned that her condition might continue to deteriorate due to the progressive nature of osteoarthritis.
Post-surgery, her osteoarthritis symptoms persisted and Mike’s mother was scheduled for routine injections. Mike felt helpless and wondered if there was another way to relieve her discomfort?
Drawing on his nutritional research background, Mike consulted nutritionists, scientists and doctors for advice. He also extensively combed through scientific publications and the latest academic research papers in a bid to better understand the field of joint care science.
Glucosamine – arguably the most well-known and widely-consumed joint care supplement / ingredient – was not without its shortcomings. It is often shellfish-sourced, allergenic and can cause constipation after long-term consumption.
Mike sought a better alternative and came across Collagen Type II. Discovered by American researchers, Collagen Type II was extracted from chicken sternum and has been clinically proven to support healthy joint function. It was also proven to be 2 times more effective than glucosamine.
For the next two years, Mike’s product development team worked closely with American researchers to formulate a joint care supplement with Collagen Type II as a principal ingredient. Scientifically-tested ingredients such as Boswellia Serrata (a plant/herb that has been clinically proven to improve mobility) and plant-based Glucosamine (to increase absorption and decrease risk of allergies) were also included to help lubricate, relieve and repair joints.
Mike named the finished product “StrongJoint” and presented it to his mother – hoping that she would be able to find greater relief from her osteoarthritis symptoms, strengthen her joints and improve her overall quality of life.
After taking “StrongJoint” for a week, a small miracle happened - Mike’s mother was able to stretch out her joints a bit more than usual! Encouraged by this result, she continued with the supplement and began to regain some strength in her knees, enabling her to squat and climb stairs once again with ease.
Over the next five years, with the help of “StrongJoint”, her mobility, daily functions and quality of life continued to improve. She grew strong enough to climb a 3099metre-high mountain (ten times as tall as the Effiel Tower) in the middle of winter, fulfilling her lifelong mountaineering dream and astounding everyone in the process.
To help customers struggling from similar joint issues, Mike launched “StrongJoint” in 2014, under ‘US Clinicals’ – a functional health supplement brand that stands for clinically-tested ingredients and formulae with collaborative research and manufacturing efforts between Singapore and the United States.
For 5 consecutive years since then, ‘StrongJoint’ has won the Unity Popular Choice Award for ‘Best Joint Supplement’. US Clinicals has also won the Unity Popular Choice Award for ‘Leading Brand in Health Supplements’ for 4 consecutive years (since 2015) and recently clinched a Singapore Prestige Brand Award under the ‘Established Brand’ category in 2019.
Mike credits the above to Hi-Beau’s unique ‘family first’ philosophy. He said: “Our health products are always developed to cater to the needs of our loved ones first before they are shared with our customers. This way, we provide an element of personal guarantee to our customers and their loved ones that our products are trustworthy, safe and effective.”