I enjoyed the February issue of AJN; the journal always features excellent articles. I was particularly excited by "Glucosamine and Osteoarthritis" because several of my patients are interested in this complementary treatment.

But I must take issue with the authors' conclusion that this or any other product "should be made available to everyone, irrespective of purchasing power." Nurses are being led down the path of socialized medicine with such seemingly innocuous suggestions. What the authors are suggesting can only be accomplished by coercing supplement manufacturers to provide their product free of charge or by asking taxpayers to pick up the tab.

We nurses can advance our careers and incomes by supporting the rights of all producers of goods and services to sell the products they've worked hard to create.