Tag: arthritis pain

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

My Hands Don’t hurt

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Gentle Reader,

Today I sat with a group of women doing writing practice.  One lovely person a few years younger than I read aloud when it was her turn and shared her wistful memories of back packing.  Having all she needed in the world for simple shelter, nourishing and simple food, everything necessary in her pack was her idea of the best possible situation.

I feel this way, too, and eagerly asked her afterwards if she is still back packing.  She said, no, her husband was leaving soon but she would have to stay behind.  She had no energy and was taking many medications for various problems.  Still walking along the beach most every day, she takes solace in that pleasure, but has mourned her loss of this most freeing experience, setting off for a wilderness place with all her necessities in her pack.

This story came across my desk last week.  As I heard my new friend’s story of medications and energy loss, I wondered if this could be her story, too.

Hands No Longer Hurt

“As you know, Shaklee vitamins  and Liver DTX have put my hepatitis C into remission. After adding the soy protein I now have energy and the doctor says my liver is again soft and no longer swollen.

The new news is that I finished up the Cal/Mag and now have been using the OsteoMatrix for about a week. My hands no longer hurt! It was becoming a daily heartache to endure this additional pain. I have hope that my hip pain will also stop as it has already been reduced.

Years ago I was on 4 different interferon programs, 8 – 10 months each, and the medicine had me bedridden without any medical benefits and plenty of side effects. Today I am a new person! I thank God for you and Shaklee.” Fran Shaughnessy

I was recently sitting with another woman who is riddled with arthritis and has had most of her joints operated on.  She has had gold shots and takes morphine for pain. Of course, her doctors are monitoring her liver and they claim she is tolerating the 8 – 10 prescriptions she is taking.  She is also taking many different vitamins and other supplements.  She has decided to turn to Shaklee to see if the products from the #1 Natural Nutrition Company will make a difference.  I can’t tell you yet how this is going as she only began yesterday. She will continue taking all prescription meds and specific supplements.  Together we will monitor how she feels and let her doctors decided through blood tests whether her arthritis symptoms, fibromyalgia and other conditions are improving enough over time to reduce any of the medications.

I have recommended Liver DTX, Optiflora, Fiber Plan and Herb Lax, all signature Shaklee products designed to help the digestive system function optimally, eliminate toxins and repair the bruised and over worked lower intestine and liver so that the medications will actually serve the body as the doctor hopes.  She will also use Vitalizer and Energizing Soy Protein to help boost her overall health.

Now, dear reader, go to your pill drawer and take count of the prescriptions and over the counter drugs, the vitamins and other supplements you have either been prescribed or are taking because you think they might help.  May I suggest that by simply changing brands to Shaklee for the vitamins alone, you might improve your situation dramatically?

Do you know how the various pills interact? Are you flying solo making your choices, or are you consulting with a nutritionist/Naturopath/Physician about all the many things you take (or the few things). Here is an excellent web site that will help sort this out.  Then come back and spread the word.

Do you have a friend or family member who might benefit from thinking about their medications and supplements from a new point of view? If so, pass this post along to someone you know and care about.

And finally, like my BetsyBells Health4u Face book page.  Friend me at www.facebook.com/betsyjbell.

Fondly, Betsy

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving

BetsyBell’s Health4u

www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com

206 933 1889  1 888 283 2077

betsy@hihohealth.com

 

 

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

Knee Pain: an early warning sign of Osteoarthritis

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Gentle Reader,

This is just in from the Johns Hopkins:

Knee Pain: An Early
Warning Sign of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting an estimated 27 million people in the United States. By age 40, approximately 90 percent of us have at least some signs of osteoarthritis that can be seen on X-rays of the weight-bearing joints (the hips and knees, for example), but symptoms of pain and stiffness usually don’t start until later in life. 

Now, researchers from Canada report that knee pain may be an early warning sign of osteoarthritis (OA). Their study was published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research(Volume 62, page 1691).

The researchers obtained X-ray and MRI scans of 255 people with knee pain who were 40 to 79 years old. Pre-radiographic osteoarthritis (signs of cartilage damage seen on MRI but not yet evident on X-ray) was identified in 49 percent, and radiographic osteoarthritis (signs of cartilage damage on X-ray) was identified in 38 percent. Only 13 percent had a normal X-ray and MRI.

Factors linked to a higher chance of having radiographic osteoarthritis or pre-radiographic osteoarthritis included abnormal gait (nearly 11 times higher risk), older age (nearly three times higher risk for each 10-year increase), playing sports regularly after age 20 (35 percent higher risk for each 10 years), knee swelling and difficulty fully stretching the knee joint.

The bottom line: If you have knee pain, don’t ignore it. Early identification of osteoarthritis can lead to early treatment and relief. 

Duh!  This is a no brainer, isn’t it?  My question to you and to them, what are we supposed to do about it?  We have the early warning signs. Now what?

In these blog posts, I have explored various modalities of care and presented strategies for alleviating pain and slowing down the onset of severe osteoarthritis.  If you are a new reader, I suggest you explore back posts for suggestions.

The bottom line is two fold:

1.  Get to your ideal weight and stay there.  Even 15 pounds off your current weight (if you are over weight) will make a difference in your joints.

2.  Keep moving.  Find something to do that is pleasurable and that you will look forward to each day and DO IT.  Do NOT, under any and all circumstances, stop moving.

I have a great friend who was in a wheel chair with her osteoarthritis and on multiple medications to manage the pain.  A friend persuaded her to seek the counsel of a chiropractor who specializes in blood work and supplementation (primarily by Shaklee).  He analyzes the blood and makes recommendations about diet and supplements.  The most important advice to Luanne was find something to do that she loved.  She didn’t like walking, hiking, dancing, skiing, roller blading, mountain climbing.  Nothing pleased her.  Nothing made her want it more than the pain she had to endure to try out the activity.

One day she was walking near a dock where people were stepping in to sculls, single and double.  She was invited to take a turn and fell in love with sitting in the slim, fast boat down low in the water.  As she became more proficient, she got off her medications and ate the better diet along with the prescribed supplements.  She became pain free.  Luanne went on to win national championships in single scull racing.  Today she is slim, beautiful and healthy.

Find the movement of your choice.  Maybe it’s turning on the TV or radio to your favorite jazz or Latin music station.  There’s someplace in your house where you can dance to your favorite music.  Maybe you’d enjoy a little trampoline.  It takes up a tiny space and is reputed to help increase bone density.  Whatever it is, Go for it.

The doctor’s name is Dr. Richard Brouse.  I send him my blood for diagnosis and suggestions for diet and supplements.  Having his analysis and prescription for supplements makes my vitamin purchases tax deductible.  (I am not giving tax advice.  I am not qualified to do so.  This is just what I do and have done for 25 years.) It is expensive but worth it.  After all, you are going to pay for your health one way or another.  Why not pay now and avoid the steep costs looming ahead of you, not to mention the loss of work and play time.

Dr. Brouse will suggest food supplements by Shaklee. In another post, I recommend the ones that are most effective at restoring your body to good health and alleviating arthritis pain.  (You can browse the Product Guide here.)

When you take your knee pain to the doctor, they will most likely tell you to expect arthritis in the near future and predict knee replacement therapy down the road.  I had these predictions in 1989.  I have no knee pain and have never had knee replacement.  I take a lot of supplements.  People who watch me swallow a handful of them, think I’m nuts.  All I can say is that I love being able to hike to Mt. Rainier pain free, to be able to dance the salsa, and run fast across the street, to scramble down the bank at Shark’s Reef on Lopez Island, to last physically in the art museum longer than my brain can take all that stimulation.

I wish the same for you.

Now, tell me in the comment section, what your thoughts are about your early warning signs, if you have any.  And by all means let us all know what supplements you have found that help.  Did you sign up to get the notification of the next posting?

Fondly, Betsy

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving

BetsyBell’s Health4u

www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com

206 933 1889  1 888 283 2077

betsy@hihohealth.com

 

 

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

But I don’t know how to cook greens!

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I keep advising you to eat lots of Swiss chard, collard greens, kale, mustard greens and you say, but I don’t like greens.  Greens are one of the best foods for arthritic joints and arthritis in general.  They provide minerals and help with inflammation. It is possible to cook them so they are delicious.

Dark green leafy vegetables are, calorie for calorie, probably the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.  All of these nutrients help with reducing pain, especially joint pain.

Perhaps the star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. A cup of most cooked greens provides at least nine times the minimum recommended intake of Vitamin K, and even a couple of cups of dark salad greens usually provide the minimum all on their own. Recent research has provided evidence that this vitamin may be even more important than we once thought (the current minimum may not be optimal), and many people do not get enough of it.

Our ancestors ate a grocery bag full of green leaves every day.  We won’t do that, but I can tell you that I buy a bunch of any of these greens from my health food grocery store and eat the whole bunch in one sitting, or divide it in two meals if I have other vegetables on the menu.  Once you develop a taste for greens, you’ll want them 5 days a week.

Here’s a quick and easy way to prepare a delicious one dish meal with collards.

1. put the skillet on the stove with 2 tbls olive oil

2. slice half an onion into the oil (use a spatter lid)

3. slice a lean sausage into the oil (this is unnecessary if you have a meat/fish item for the meal.) I like to use sausage because it makes it a one dish.  I buy lean organic chicken, lamb or turkey sausage and have them in the freezer for just such an occasion.  No need to defrost.  Just slice with your strongest knife and put in the skillet with the onions.

4.  take 3 large collard leaves and pull the green away from the stems.

5. slice a zucchini or summer squash into ½ inch rounds (if you have them)

6. Place green and zucchini on top of onions, and sausage, add a sprinkle of salt, put a tight fitting lid on and turn the burner down to medium low for 5 minutes.

7. serve. 

Before you rush to the store, take a minute to tell us what your favorite way of preparing and eating greens is.  Go ahead, help us out.  We want less arthritis pain, fewer medications and greater mobility, so share you’re “greens” story.

You say you will never get enough of this stuff to help your aching body?  Then click right over to the Shaklee shopping page and browse for Alfalfa tablets, Carotomax, Flavomax, Omega Guard, B Complex, Vita – C.  The foundation product is Vitalizer which contains all these nutritents. For people who don’t have time to cook and want to eat like our ancestors.

Fondly, Betsy

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving

BetsyBell’s Health4u

www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com

206 933 1889  1 888 283 2077

betsy@hihohealth.com

Be Well health tips, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

Eat to eliminate inflammation

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Eat to Defeat Inflammation

Gentle Reader,

At a picnic last night there was a lot of talk about pomegranate for lowering pain and inflammation in joints affected by arthritis.  I have posted about this before, and wanted to bring this post to you from the health sciences department of Shaklee.  The Shaklee corporation scientists and medical staff work to develop products that get into the blood stream and deliver results.  They engage leaders in the medical world to help focus their research and often join in a research project.  They have developed several products that help with inflammation which you can explore on my Shaklee shopping site on Joint Health.  I’ll also give you this link to the anti-oxidants which we try to get from our healthy diets, but might not get enough to do the job.  Posted by  on Jul 17, 2012 in Natural Nutrition

Eat to Defeat Inflammation

The first nutrition course I ever took in college changed my life. I was absolutely fascinated to learn what vitamins and minerals were and how important they are for good health. It was also about that time I finally understood what Hippocrates meant when he said, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Today, that saying is even more important as nutrition science has come a long way since I took that first nutrition course.  Just think about inflammation, your body’s natural protective response to illness or injury. In fact, a little inflammation under normal circumstances can be a good thing. When you cut yourself, you want your immune system to respond quickly by sending white blood cells to your wound to fight off infection. But a low-grade persistent state of chronic inflammation is not a good thing. In this circumstance, white blood cells inappropriately move into tissues and cause destruction. In fact, chronic inflammation has been linked to a whole host of health conditions from type 2 diabetes and arthritis to heart disease, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Thanks to the anti-inflammatory effects of certain foods, a healthful diet can help you fight off inflammation, (Regular exercise, not smoking, and losing weight are powerful tools, too.) Start by eating less of the “bad stuff”— fast food burgers, French fries, and sodas, as well as sweets such as cookies, cakes, and pies. These highly processed foods loaded with fat, sugar, and salt promote inflammation, while eating more of the “good stuff”—yes, more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts—inhibits and protects against inflammation. Here are some of my favorite anti-inflammatory foods:

Fish and walnuts. Salmon and tuna are great sources of inflammation-fighting omega-3 fatty acids, as are walnuts. These foods help offset the pro-inflammatory effects of omega-6 fatty acids, which are pervasive in our diet. Omega-6 fats are found in eggs, corn, soy, and safflower oils.

Olive oil. Studies suggest consuming a Mediterranean-style diet—a diet high in plant foods and olive oil—helps decrease joint tenderness in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Red wine and dark chocolate. Resveratrol, a phytonutrient found in red wine, has been shown to inhibit inflammation, while the consumption of dark chocolate, something I do almost daily, has been linked to lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation in the body.

Turmeric. Spice up your life. Turmeric, also known as curry, is a traditional spice of Indian cuisine. In a recent pilot study, supplemental turmeric helped reduce joint tenderness and swelling in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

Tart cherries. It’s cherry season and according to the latest research, tart cherries may have the highest anti-inflammatory content of any food. In a recent study, women with osteoarthritis who drank tart cherry juice twice a day for several weeks experienced a significant reduction in important markers of inflammation.

Eating to fight inflammation could be one of the best things you do for yourself. For your next meal, how about some salmon curry and a glass of red wine, followed by some tart cherries covered in dark chocolate for dessert?    Sounds good, doesn’t it?  That’s is for now.  Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving.  Betsy   206-933-1889  www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com

Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

How to have good posture

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July 18, 2012

Gentle Reader,

Posture makes a difference when it comes to managing arthritic pain.

I was surprised by a chapter in book I’m reading for business growth and development called The Other 90%, How to unlock your vast untapped potential for Leadership and Life, by Robert K. Cooper. The book contains four sections or Keystones: Trust, Energy, Farsightedness and Nerve.  The chapter in Keystone three, Farsightedness called “Face the World Straight On” talks about good posture being unlocked not forced. It reminded me of my own upbringing, common to many in my generation. We were told to “stand up straight” over and over again.  This meant tuck our buttocks under, jut our chin out, thrust our shoulders back and suck our stomachs in.  I perfected this to the extent that I could walk around all day with a marble clamped between my cheeks, the buttock muscles never relaxing even when I picked a dropped pencil off the floor.

Refuting that horrible regimen, Mr. Cooper describes Five Keys to Staying Upright with Energy and Ease:

Hold Your Head High  Your head weighs about 15 pounds.  If we imagine it is suspended from the top by a sky hook, we can easily let it rest on top of our neck and shoulders and forget about straining it forward.  Let the head lead the body in the next motion.

Align the Neck   The rectus capitus anterior muscle at the top of the spine will do the job if we give it some attention and practice.  It needs strengthening (a little head nodding will do it) to enliven this muscle to lift the head over the neck when working at the computer, talking on the phone, reading a book.

I’m going to invite you to read the rest of this chapter for yourself if you are so inclined. Here’s the link.

You never know where you will find excellent guidance for good posture which will certainly help alleviate arthritis pain and other joint pain.

These posts on managing arthritis without medicine or surgery (or after surgery) help you take control of your physical situation.  They certainly help me with mine.  Posture, exercise and diet alone are not enough, however.  Vitamin and herbal supplements add their nutritional and healing benefits.  I have used and trusted the Shaklee company’s products for 30 years.  Changing brands could make all the difference.  Click here to explore the Shaklee product guide, and here to make a purchase.

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving.

Betsy

 

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

Traumatic Injury: my story

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Traumatic injury: my story

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Hello, Gentle Reader,

In 1989, I lifted, or should I more accurately say, yanked a large drink box full of wine bottles out of the back seat of a two door Datsun.  I heard something go in my lower back.  I was angry about carrying these bottles up a long flight of stairs to the social hall of a large church.  My husband in his characteristic generosity offered to cook an elegant meal for a visiting prelate from the Russian Orthodox church inMoscow.  While I approved a grand reception for this honored guest and his entourage, I criticized my husband for trying to do this alone.  Plenty of people would love to cook with Don Bell.  My only task was delivering the drink.

I could feel the place in my back where the terrible sensation had come from.  I carried the box and several more like it upstairs anyway.

The next morning, I awoke early, still smoldering over the piles of potato skins on the kitchen counter and the olive oil slick floor, remnants of the single-handed cooking effort the night before.  Jack LaLanne was just beginning his exercise routine on TV.  I took my position on the large expanse of our hook-latched rug covering the living room floor.  I would work out my anger through exercise.  On all fours, he called out doggie leg lifts.  Snap.

Whatever happened lifting the box, leg lifts finished me off.  I rolled on the floor sobbing in pain.  All my previous judgments against people who complained of bad backs taunted me.  Pay back for lack of understanding and sympathy.   Those legions who suffered, did they suffer as I was now suffering?  Were they not the malingering lazy bums I judged them to be?  What was I going to do?

I could not stand or sit but remained on all fours.  I slowly in extreme pain pulled myself to the staircase and up to our bedroom where Don still lay sleeping.  Once I struggled into bed and lay on my back, I began to breathe more deeply.  I went into head honcho mode commanding my groggy husband to get my day planner and find the phone number of my massage therapist.  It was 7 a.m.

This amazing person came over two hours later.  Don had already gotten me a 24-inch bolster cushion so my legs were in a chair position while lying flat on my back.  This was the only pain free position I could find.  Mary worked on me for over an hour, calming the sympathetic spasms in my shoulders, neck, upper back and arms.  She persuaded me against my wishes to take a muscle relaxant.  She came back twelve hours later and repeated the treatment.

The next morning I was able to inch my way painfully down the stairs and into the car.  Ouch.  That move brought tears to my eyes.  Don drove me to my chiropractor who gently calmed the spinal column and relocated the offending L5 into its proper place.

I was 52 years old.  A skier, hiker, biker, dancer, runner, I valued physical fitness next to Godliness.  More than Godliness.  I was determined to overcome this glitch.  Little did I know what was in store for me as I set about healing from an L5 .

Tell me your story.  How did your back begin to hurt?  What makes you worry about ending up in a wheel chair?  How did arthritis begin and where has it taken you?