Product: ALCiS pain relief cream, $20 for a two-ounce tube at drugstores.
Key ingredients: Ten percent trolamine salicylate, a topical analgesic.
The pitch: Soothes muscle and joint pain associated with overexertion, arthritis, backache, sprains, strains and bruises.
How it works: Claims tiny bubbles called liposomes encapsulate the active ingredient and deliver it directly below the skin.
Pros: Triathlete magazine reported testers experienced mild to moderate relief after using ALCiS daily.
Cons: A study in a 1982 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association found that topically applied 10 percent trolamine salicylate cream did not relieve the pain of osteoarthritis of the knee any more than did a placebo. People who have had an allergic reaction to aspirin, trolamine or salicylate, or who take a prescription blood thinner, should not use this.
Bottom Line: Less expensive alternatives, such as Aspercreme, have the same active ingredient.
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