B0ST0N -- A new supplement drink claims to reduce joint pain, without the need for pills. As NewsCenter 5's Liz Brunner reported Thursday, some doctors doubt it works.

Meridith Hernandez, 28, suffers from joint pain caused by years of dancing.

Drink Supplement Claims To Relieve Arthritis Pain

"It's sort of a dull ache. A consistent dull ache," said Hernandez.

To ease the pain, Hernandez started drinking Elations one month ago. It's a new daily joint supplement marketed toward baby boomers to reduce joint pain.

"I actually refer to it as my old lady drink," Hernandez said.

Elations contains glucosamine and Chondrointin. The supplements are often sold together in pill form to relief arthritis pain. Elations claims the drink is more absorbable than pills. But Dr. David Hunter, of New England Baptist Hospital, doubts it works at all.

"The best scientific evidence would suggest that this has a placebo effect, but it's not better than taking a sugar pill," Hunter said.

Hunter is leading the research on osteoarthritis at New England Baptist Hospital. He tells his patients buying drinks or pills with glucosamine and chondrointin won't hurt them, but it's a waste of money.

"These people could be spending their money on other things that potentially could be beneficial to their arthritis such as a gym membership so they could lose weight and strengthen some of muscles around the joints," Hunter said.

Dr. Phuli Cohan, of Newton, has a holistic approach to treating patients. Cohan stands behind studies claiming chondrointin and glucosamine are effective, but questions supplements like Elations.

"What's not so good is these drinks contain artificial sweeteners, preservatives and food dyes. Patients react to these things and can get more joint pain," she said.

Hernandez has noticed a small improvement since she began taking Elations, but she is going to check with a doctor about other options to relieve her pain.