arthritis Archives - Page 2 of 10

Knee pain

Posted on October 30, 2014

Gentle Reader,

My knee complains. Knee pain from the old injury is caused by arthritis. In the forest searching for chanterelles, my companions and I climb steeply to the plateau, second growth northwest forest of red cedar, western hemlock, Douglas fir, alder and vine maple. The understory is mossy in places, the green blanket providing the perfect platform for the golden mushroom; in other places, it is thick with salal, sword fern and Oregon grape. Chanterelles hide there, too. This hunting ground is well known to local pothunters, the name we give people who hunt mushrooms for food, delicious sautéed-in-butter food. We did not have hope for finding many.

Glorious! On a super steep incline, there they were, pockets of gold, enough for all three of us. On the way down, my knee—the left one—complained bitterly. I traveled without my hiking sticks. They get in the way when hunting mushrooms. A couple times, I feared the knee pain would cause my leg to fail me completely.

In 1992, I avoided a long trek to get back to my car by climbing a chain link fence and jumping to the ground on the opposite side. My left leg suffered nerve damage when I herniated a disc—L5—in 1989, so it did not give or bounce when I landed. I heard the pop and knew I was in trouble. I managed to walk to my car, drove home, had a hearty snack and headed for the emergency room of the University hospital. Fast forward to the consultation after 3 months of non-weight bearing healing:

Mrs. Bell; Expect arthritis, probably severe, within the next couple of years and we’ll see you here for a knee replacement ten years from now.

That was twenty-two years ago. I have managed the arthritis with exercise and supplements and, until now, have had only a few twinges of knee pain and the sensation of the knee giving way very occasionally.

What to do? I have increased the stair climbing exercises, but not straight up and down. I suspect that the knee pain is the result of neglecting the best exercise for

Do the grape vine step up and down stairs to strengthen the knees

knees that I know about: the grape vine step up and down the stairs. I wish I had a video to show you. Point your shoulder to the top of the stairs. Facing the bottom step sideways, begin climbing by putting the outside foot upon the next step behind the inside foot; lift with the upper foot; step up with the inside food; swing the outside foot in front of the inside foot in front and lift the body; repeat. The second 20 steps face the top with the opposite side of the body. I repeated this five times today and will do 200 steps up and down several more times this week. I can tell the difference right away.

Why does this work? Women have broad hips and a wide pelvis. Most of us women have slightly knocked knees as the result of the wide pelvis. The strain on the kneecap, muscles and tendons above and below the knee is great. When you strengthen the sides of the knee, this strain is mitigated. I learned this from a guy I met climbing the monster staircase from Blaine St. to Lakeview on Capitol Hill—300 risers. He was on the stairs going up with the grape vine step to increase his balance so he would be able to navigate backpacking in the high mountains with a heavy pack without as much danger of falling. I was training to climb Mt. Shasta, a 14,000 ft peak in northern California and immediately adopted his training method. I am back at it.

The confirmation of this training method came from an article in Seattle Women, “Training Like a Girl,” featuring Dr. Stan Herring, sports medicine doctor who works with University of Washington athletes and, was my doctor after my herniated disc incident. Dr. Herring stresses that “female athletes will obtain strength gains and aeroic gains in the same proportion as male athletes, if you train them appropriately.”

One major issue female athletes [all women who are active] face is their increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. “Females should spend more time with upper body strengthening and they should certainly spend more time with lower body conditioning for core and lower extremity strength, balance and motor control because it does have a direct effect on the ACL” says Dr. Herring. Let me share the information about the ACL which I found helped me understand why we women have more trouble with our knees.

The ACL is one of a pair of ligaments in the center of the knee joint that stabilizes the knee from front to back during normal and athletic activities. Increased estrogen production during puberty causes the pelvis to widen, which can cause the knees to turn inward. These hormonal and anatomical facts lead to female athletes sustaining noncontact ACL injuries between two and 10 times more often than male athletes. To avoid this risk, build up the secondary muscles that support the hips, knees and ankles. The stair climbing sideways with the grapevine step helps this. The author

walk sideways with band around your legs above the knee

described strengthening the knees by tying an elastic band around you thighs or ankles—your feet are about 4 inches apart when you are setting this up—and then walking around the house in a squat position, moving sideways and another set moving forward. This strengthens both knees and legs. Do about 40 to 60 steps sideways in one direction and then reverse, leading with the opposite foot for 40 to 60 steps. Maintain the squat position throughout.

Above all, when confronted with joint pain, do not sit down and avoid using those joints. Find something you can still do. Joints have low blood flow. They need movement to stay functional. Of course, if you have a major inflammation, you need to reduce that with medication, ice and rest, but test yourself for the best way to get movement back into that joint. When I was non-weight bearing for so many weeks, I sat on the floor and lifted the affected leg, traced the alphabet with my foot, isometrically tensed and relaxed the muscles up and down the leg, did side lifts with the affected leg. When the cast came off, I walked without a limp. The muscles had not atrophied. I know people whose knee replacement surgery or other foot and leg surgeries have not healed well. More movement to stimulate blood flood would surly help healing.

I am going to avoid knee surgery as long as I possibly can. Using sticks to climb and descend helps relieve pressure on the knees. I’ll keep you posted. Let me and my readers know what your techniques are to lessen knee pain and keep moving.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving.

Betsy

206 933 1889

Arthritis, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

Keep Moving

Posted on September 25, 2014

Hello, Gentle Reader,

In end every post with “be well, do well and Keep Moving.” But I spend most of my day at the computer, sitting for hours. What’s to be done? You probably don’t move all day at your work, either. I was talking with my hair stylist, suggesting a trip for her family to La Push and Second Beach, and her first question was “How long does it take to get there?” Riding in the car for anything over an hour is too much sitting for her. She moves all day long. So does my renter, a finish carpenter working long hours on high end construction sites. The last thing he wants to do at the end of the day is an exercise program. He is constantly in motion on his job.

We are all different in our daily routine. If we want to make a change to our weight, or our stamina, or the comfort in our joints, we need to change it up. Movement that is different from the routine is the movement that makes a difference in your health quotient. Keep Moving means different things for different life styles.

Here’s my routine:

6:00 or so Up, stumble into the kitchen to draw and heat a 16 ounce glass of water and squeeze half a lemon in it. This wakes up my stomach and helps digestion.

6:30 after a relaxed complete bowel movement (chewing the warm lemon water helps this), I lie down with the Back2Life machine, which gently lifts the pelvis in a passive Feldenkrais type movement.

6:45 a 10 minute yoga routine which includes Cat-Cow movements (see a past post for pictures), Downdog and calf stretches.

7:15 Meditation and early morning writing.

7:40 Breakfast and reading

8:40 approximately, in the office at the computer.

10:15 break for tea and while the kettle boils, visit the chickens to feed them and collect eggs.

More sitting.

What I do is plot the walking I will do each day. Today I walk a mile to the Uptown Velvet Foam coffee emporium where I will write for a couple hours. The walk takes me down a steep hill, up another very steep hill and getting home it is the reverse.

How about you? Can you fit a walk in that includes stairs? One of the recommended ways to avoid osteoporosis is to climb 200 steps everyday, carrying 10 lbs of weight.

Move to Improve

What are we talking about here?

Everybody knows we need to be physically active. But if we have arthritis and hurt much of the time, wouldn’t it be better just to find a comfortable position, take our medication and not invite more pain. Movement makes you hurt, right?

Not necessarily. In fact the opposite is true. Trust me. Get up and move. Movement can have specific benefits for people with rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease (RMDs). Those joints that hurt with every step and every bend, will actually hurt more and more WITHOUT moving them. To keep the motion you have, you must move. Moving also improves circulation and will help keep other degenerative diseases at bay.

So what can I do? The most appropriate form of activity will depend on a number of factors including the type of RMD you have. Which joints are affected and how bad is the joint damage? Articles like this always tell you it is important to consult your doctor or physiotherapist about the type of exercise you need therapeutically, as well as the type of activities you enjoy doing to keep you healthy. One friend who was just one step from a wheel chair because of her arthritis, did not like any activity. Her chiropractor told her she just had to find an activity she loved. She stumbled on a scull, a single racing shell. She fell in love with the water and rowing. Got off all her medication. Began taking a prescribed regimen of food supplements from Shaklee Corp and went on to win world championships in her age group.

Find something you love to do and begin, slowly with guidance. Don’t stop.

Let’s see what physical activity is. Physical activity is any form of daily activity that involves movement, rather than sitting or lying still. This could include playing with children, doing housework, walking the dog, gardening etc. Being physically active can release stiffness and lift your mood. I find that the playing, housework, gardening activities often lead to more stiffness while some form of regulated, prescribed exercise reverses or controls those negative results from just any daily physical activity. In other words, exercise can make the fun stuff easier.

The term exercise describes planned, structured and repetitive movements that are performed frequently, at a given intensity and for a set duration of time. Exercise can be therapeutic, such as in rehabilitation, or taken as an enjoyable way of improving or maintaining:

§ muscular strength and endurance

§ flexibility and joint mobility

§ motor functions including coordination and balance

§ aerobic capacity and increased energy expenditure, which can help with weight control

§ bone mineralisation contributing to the prevention of osteoporosis

§ mood and self-esteem leading to increased positive attitude

Level of exercise

You have to decide what you can handle. One person may have an easy time doing water aerobics while another will have to begin slowly and increase intensity. For example, walking, cycling or swimming at a gentle pace (low intensity), might have an aerobic effect (increase your heart rate and breathing) for some people, while others would need to exercise at a moderate to high intensity to experience the same effect. How old are you? How is your general state of health? How advanced is your disease? How regularly have you been exercising? Are you carrying too much weight? Begin at a level of exercise that works for you.

Starting out

Always begin gently and build up slowly over time. It is better to do little and often than to try and overdo things and to push yourself too hard when you start exercising. So many people begin with fervor and peter out after the third day or so. I believe that dietary changes need to accompany a new exercise program to support your recovery. Here is an article about foods and supplements that help.

If you do need to stop exercising for any reason, always start again gently and build up slowly. When you reach your desired level of function, you will need to keep up regular activities to maintain this level.

How much exercise

When you repeat activities regularly your body will adapt over time and you will find you can do more with less effort. You may need to change up your program to continue improvement. People hit a plateau and get frustrated because they are not improving beyond a certain point. Make little alterations in your routine and your muscles will respond. It’s the surprise factor in training.

Really. Regular exercise slows, or may even prevent loss of function due to disease progression.

Ideally, do stretching/flexibility exercises every day, muscle strengthening and endurance exercises two to three times a week and some form of aerobic exercise for 20 minutes three times a week. Mix it up.

The key is to find things you enjoy doing so that being active is something you look forward to and becomes part of your daily life.

Did you know?

The word ‘fit’ comes from:

Frequency – how regularly you exercise

Intensity – how hard you exercise

Time – how long you exercise

Now the word fitness is used to describe health and the ability to meet the demands of a physical task.

What are we talking about when we say exercise?

Aerobic / cardiovascular – Exercise that raises the heart rate and breathing, e.g. walking, cycling, swimming, dancing etc. at a moderate or high intensity

Balance – The ability to control the body’s position when either stationary or moving

Endurance – How long you are able to exercise at low, medium or high intensity

Flexibility – The ability of muscles to stretch. Stretching muscles helps to keep them supple and relieves stiffness

High impact – Exercises where the body weight impacts forcefully against a surface, for example running or jumping

Low impact – Exercises where there is minimal impact through the joints and pelvic floor or where the body is supported whilst exercising, e.g riding a bicycle or swimming

Mobility – The ability of joints to move through a range of motion

Posture – Good body alignment

Strength – The extent to which muscles can exert force by contracting against resistance (e.g. free or fixed weights, bands, moving in water etc)

Weight bearing joints – Joints that support the weight of your body against gravity when you are upright, i.e. your spine, hips, knees, feet and ankles

Weight bearing exercises – Exercises where your body is working or moving against gravity, for example walking (swimming is non-weight bearing because the water supports your body weight) Weight bearing exercises also help maintain bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis

I went to the Arthritis Foundation. Their website has excellent articles about taking control. This posting borrows from their pages.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving, Betsy

Betsy Bell’s Health4u

206 933 1889

Betsy@hihohealth.com

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

low back pain

Posted on September 11, 2014

Gentle Reader,

Yicks! Low back pain. Leg numbness. JR, my twenty something trainer, moved me up to a new set of exercises last week. I’m not the only ancient mariner at the Xgym by a long shot, but the way they schedule us in half hour slots for a 25 minute hands-on workout, I don’t have the opportunity to see how the other over-70 year olds are doing. What I do know is the numbness in my right leg showed up on Sunday morning while I was navigating between the choir corner and my chair in the Ensemble (a little pick up band that plays the family service at our Episcopal Cathedral here in Seattle.) And my lower back was killing me.

When you have low back pain because of a workout, do you quit? No. You modify the workout to avoid low back pain.

On Monday, I talked to PJ, the owner and creator of Xgym, who is also a physical therapist. He knew right away what to do to modify my program and to help me avoid low back pain between the twice a week sessions. Squats free standing on uneven surfaces using ski poles to support stability strained by back too much.

Picture ski poles and squats on an uneven surface like this pillow

He changed this quad exercise to leg raises on one of the machine, hands forward so the lower back is relatively uninvolved.

lean forward drapping your arms over the top cushions to reduce back strain. — lean forward draping your arms over the top cushions to reduce back strain.

This round of exercises to strengthen the shoulders and lats meant lifting weights while standing, arms outstretched on either side, ratcheting up two, down one, up two, down one seven times and then back down.

Turn around with the back against the upright frame to prevent low back strain

This action aggravated the lower back. PJ changed the move so I stand against a flat surface stabilizing my back and shoulders while I do the same straight arm lifting.

I tell you this because it illustrates the importance of hands-on training when your body has areas of weakness from previous injuries, arthritis, or some other cause. Friends I have talked to about my Xgym workouts shy away because they are afraid of hurting themselves. “I can’t take all that jumping around,” they tell me. There is no jumping around. “X” doesn’t mean extreme, insane, sweat pouring activity. In fact, there is almost no stress on joints at all. These exercises are designed to bring each of five muscle groups to complete fatigue through slow, controlled movements.

The second corrective advice PJ gave was to suggest daily warm up exercises including “cat-cow” and opposite leg and arm extensions from the neutral “cat-cow” stance. Good old Pilates exercises I have forgotten about. He explained that when the back is stressed, it seizes up, guarding against further pain. Doing the “cat-cow” reassures the lower back that it is safe to move. Relax. Relax and go with the flow. This movement gets the blood flowing freely in the area, supported by the breath.

People go to the gym for all kinds of reasons: body-building, endurance, losing weight or at least making that extra piece of bacon inconsequential—calories in, calories out. I am there for one express purpose: preventing osteoporosis. The slow-burning activated muscles pull on the attached bone and the bone reacts by taking on more density.

Did you know that medical anthropologists have determined that the people with the strongest bones in the history of human kind were the slave-class women in ancient Egypt, as compared to women from the ranks of Egypt’s elite? High ranking women were extremely inactive physically. Same ethnic stock, different life styles. Different bone density and strength.

PJ Glassey’s Xgym has not cloned itself across the US. He has only two locations in the greater Seattle area, Harbor Dr. in West Seattle and downtown Kirkland on the eastside. I hope more trainers with extensive physical therapy knowledge develop this low stress, high intensity approach. Those of us working to avoid the deterioration of joints that comes with aging and keep a high level of fitness and strength need this type of training. You can read about his methods and the science behind them in his book Cracking Your Calorie Code. I do not agree with PJ on the topic of supplementation. The kind of diet his consumes may be adequate for many if you never miss a day eating the way he recommends. As careful as I am about my food intake, there are days I cannot get all the nutrients I need from food. I am just not home to prepare those fresh vegetables three meals a day. Some bodies need more nutrients to build optimal health than they can get from good food alone. Read his book and decide for yourself. He has so many good pointers and if don’t live in Seattle, it’s the next best thing.

Not all supplements are equal. They must be sourced from organic, non-genetically modified plants and they must be processed so no contaminants or impurities taint a single tablet. I trust the Shaklee scientists because my body lets me know how well they are absorbed. If I couldn’t believe my body, I can believe the double-blind clinical trials with real people using these products in independent tests. If you feel your body is not getting everything it needs from food alone and you are already taking supplements, I invite you to change brands for a minimum of three months to see if the Shaklee effect happens to you. It takes three months for the blood to be all new. That length of time would be a fair trial.

By all means, keep moving. The breath carries the blood to the muscles and joints. Moving means breathing deeply, from the bottom of the belly. This action alone will do more for your health than any other single thing.

Your comments are welcome and if this post rings true for you, pass it along to a friend. Sign up to receive this weekly health blog automatically.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving,

Betsy

206 933 1889

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

Eggplant bad for arthritis?

Posted on August 28, 2014

Gentle Reader,

Is eggplant bad for arthritis? Those of us who suffer the pain of arthritis, especially osteoarthritis, have the uneasy belief that night shade plants including eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers make the pain worse. This article came across my desk thanks to Kate McCoy, LMT and friend. I was delighted to see how many great benefits there are to eating eggplant AND most importantly, that there have been no studies to substantiate that eggplant is bad for arthritis. Please read on and discover how great this vegetable is and add it to your diet.

Of course, I always recommend that each individual test out their own body’s reaction to the night shade plants. Perhaps you are the exception and avoiding them is in fact just the right strategy for helping alleviate your arthritis pain.

Eggplant

Long prized for its deeply purple, glossy beauty as well as its unique taste and texture, eggplants are now available in markets throughout the year, but they are at their very best from August through October when they are in season.

Eggplants belong to the nightshade family of vegetables, which also includes tomatoes, sweet peppers and potatoes. They grow in a manner much like tomatoes, hanging from the vines of a plant that grows several feet in height. While the different varieties do range slightly in taste and texture, one can generally describe the eggplant as having a pleasantly bitter taste and spongy texture.

Eggplant, cubed, cooked
1.00 cup
(99.00 grams)

Calories: 35
GI: low

NutrientDRI/DV

fiber 9.8%

vitamin B 16.6%

copper 6.6%

manganese 5.5%

vitamin B6 5.2%

vitamin B3 3.6%

potassium 3.4%

folate 3.4%

vitamin K 3.1%

This chart graphically details the % of daily value (DV) that a serving of Eggplant provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our (Whole Foods) Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Eggplant can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Eggplant, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.

Health Benefits

In addition to featuring a host of vitamins and minerals, eggplant also contains important phytonutrients, many which have antioxidant activity. Phytonutrients contained in eggplant include phenolic compounds, such caffeic and chlorogenic acid, and flavonoids, such asnasunin.

Brain Food

Research on eggplant has focused on an anthocyanin phytonutrient found in eggplant skin called nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage. In animal studies, nasunin has been found to protect the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes. Cell membranes are almost entirely composed of lipids and are responsible for protecting the cell from free radicals, letting nutrients in and wastes out, and receiving instructions from messenger molecules that tell the cell which activities it should perform.

Rich in Phenolic Antioxidant Compounds

Researchers at the US Agricultural Service in Beltsville, Maryland, have found that eggplants are rich sources of phenolic compounds that function as antioxidants. Plants form such compounds to protect themselves against oxidative stress from exposure to the elements, as well as from infection by bacteria and fungi.

The good news concerning eggplant is that the predominant phenolic compound found in all varieties tested is chlorogenic acid, which is one of the most potent free radical scavengers found in plant tissues. Benefits attributed to chlorogenic acid include antimutagenic (anti-cancer), antimicrobial, anti-LDL (bad cholesterol) and antiviral activities.

ARS researchers studied seven eggplant cultivars grown commercially in the U.S. and a diverse collection of exotic and wild eggplants from other counties. In addition to chlorogenic acid, they found 13 other phenolic acids present at significantly varying levels in the commercial cultivars, although chlorogenic acid was the predominant phenolic compound in all of them. Black Magic—a commercial eggplant cultivar representative of U.S. market types—was found to have nearly three times the amount of antioxidant phenolics as the other eggplant cultivars that were studied. In addition to their nutritive potential, the phenolic acids in eggplant are responsible for some eggplants’ bitter taste and the browing that results when their flesh is cut. An enzyme called polyphenol oxidase triggers a phenolic reaction that produces brown pigments. Scientists have begun work on developing eggplant cultivars with an optimal balance of phenolics to ensure both optimal nutritional value and pleasing taste.

Cardiovascular Health and Free Radical Protection

When laboratory animals with high cholesterol were given eggplant juice, their blood cholesterol, the cholesterol in their artery walls and the cholesterol in their aortas (the aorta is the artery that returns blood from the heart back into circulation into the body) was significantly reduced, while the walls of their blood vessels relaxed, improving blood flow. These positive effects were likely due not only to nasunin but also to several other terpene phytonutrients in eggplant.

Nasunin is not only a potent free-radical scavenger, but is also an iron chelator. Although iron is an essential nutrient and is necessary for oxygen transport, normal immune function and collagen synthesis, too much iron is not a good thing. Excess iron increases free radical production and is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and cancer. Menstruating women, who lose iron every month in their menstrual flow, are unlikely to be at risk, but in postmenopausal women and men, iron, which is not easily excreted, can accumulate. By chelating iron, nasunin lessens free radical formation with numerous beneficial results, including protecting blood cholesterol (which is also a type of lipid or fat) from peroxidation; preventing cellular damage that can promote cancer; and lessening free radical damage in joints, which is a primary factor in rheumatoid arthritis.

Description

Eggplant, or aubergine as it is called in France, is a vegetable long prized for its beauty as well as its unique taste and texture. Eggplants belong to the plant family of Solanaceae, also commonly known as nightshades, and are kin to the tomato, bell pepper and potato. Eggplants grow in a manner much like tomatoes, hanging from the vines of a plant that grows several feet in height.

One of the most popular varieties of eggplant in North America looks like a pear-shaped egg, a characteristic from which its name is derived. The skin is glossy and deep purple in color, while the flesh is cream colored and spongy in consistency. Contained within the flesh are seeds arranged in a conical pattern.

In addition to this variety, eggplant is also available in a cornucopia of other colors including lavender, jade green, orange, and yellow-white, as well as in sizes and shapes that range from that of a small tomato to a large zucchini.

While the different varieties do vary slightly in taste and texture, one can generally describe the eggplant as having a pleasantly bitter taste and spongy texture. In many recipes, eggplant fulfills the role of being a complementary ingredient that balances the surrounding flavors of the other more pronounced ingredients.

History

The ancient ancestors of eggplant grew wild in India and were first cultivated in China in the 5th century B.C. Eggplant was introduced to Africa before the Middle Ages and then into Italy, the country with which it has long been associated, in the 14th century. It subsequently spread throughout Europe and the Middle East and, centuries later, was brought to the Western Hemisphere by European explorers. Today, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant.

Although it has a long and rich history, eggplant did not always hold the revered place in food culture that it does today, especially in European cuisines. As a result of the overly bitter taste of the early varieties, it seems that people also felt that it had a bitter disposition—eggplant held the undeserved and inauspicious reputation of being able to cause insanity, leprosy and cancer.

For centuries after its introduction into Europe, eggplant was used more as a decorative garden plant than as a food. Not until new varieties were developed in the 18th century, did eggplant lose its bitter taste and bitter reputation, and take its now esteemed place in the cuisines of many European countries, including Italy, Greece, Turkey and France.

How to Select and Store

Choose eggplants that are firm and heavy for their size. Their skin should be smooth and shiny, and their color, whether it be purple, white or green, should be vivid. They should be free of discoloration, scars, and bruises, which usually indicate that the flesh beneath has become damaged and possibly decayed.

The stem and cap, on either end of the eggplant, should be bright green in color. As you would with other fruits and vegetables, avoid purchasing eggplant that has been waxed. To test for the ripeness of an eggplant, gently press the skin with the pad of your thumb. If it springs back, the eggplant is ripe, while if an indentation remains, it is not.

Although they look hardy, eggplants are actually very perishable and care should be taken in their storage. Eggplants are sensitive to both heat and cold and should ideally be stored at around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). Do not cut eggplant before you store it as it perishes quickly once its skin has been punctured or its inner flesh exposed.

Place uncut and unwashed eggplant in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator crisper where it will keep for a few days. If it is too large for the crisper, do not try to force it in; this will damage the skin and cause the eggplant to spoil and decay. Instead, place it on a shelf within the refrigerator.

If you purchase eggplant that is wrapped in plastic film, remove it as soon as possible since it will inhibit the eggplant from breathing and degrade its freshness.

Tips for Preparing Eggplant

When cutting an eggplant, use a stainless steel knife as carbon steel will react with its phytonutrients and cause it to turn black. Wash the eggplant first and then cut off the ends.

Most eggplants can be eaten either with or without their skin. However, the larger ones and those that are white in color generally have tough skins that may not be palatable. To remove skin, you can peel it before cutting or if you are baking it, you can scoop out the flesh once it is cooked.

To tenderize the flesh’s texture and reduce some of its naturally occurring bitter taste, you can sweat the eggplant by salting it. After cutting the eggplant into the desired size and shape, sprinkle it with salt and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes. This process will pull out some of its water content and make it less permeable to absorbing any oil used in cooking. This salting step makes a big difference in the flavor of a grilled eggplant so take the time to do it. I put the 1/4 inch rounds on a cookie cooling rack suspended over the sink, then pat the beads of water off before brushing with olive oil for the oven, grill or frying pan.

Rinsing the eggplant after “sweating” will remove most of the salt. I pat dry with paper towels.

Eggplant can be baked, roasted in the oven, or steamed. If baking it whole, pierce the eggplant several times with a fork to make small holes for the steam to escape. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about 177 degrees Celsius) for 15 to 25 minutes, depending upon size. You can test for its readiness by gently inserting a knife or fork to see if it passes through easily.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas

For homemade babaganoush, purée roasted eggplant, garlic, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil.
Use it as a dip for vegetables or as a sandwich filling.
Mix cubed baked eggplant with grilled peppers, lentils, onions and garlic and top with balsamic vinaigrette.
Stuff miniature Japanese eggplants with a mixture of feta cheese, pine nuts and roasted peppers.
Add eggplant to your next Indian curry stir-fry.
Ratatouille my personal favorite after grilling. Make now with the abundance of zucchini and sweet onions. Serve cold with sour cream.

Cautions: Eggplant and Oxalates

Eggplant is among a small number of foods that contain measurable amounts of oxalates, naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and human beings. When oxalates become too concentrated in body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems. For this reason, individuals with already existing and untreated kidney or gallbladder problems may want to avoid eating eggplant. Laboratory studies have shown that oxalates may also interfere with absorption of calcium from the body. Yet, in every peer-reviewed research study we’ve seen, the ability of oxalates to lower calcium absorption is relatively small and definitely does not outweigh the ability of oxalate-containing foods to contribute calcium to the meal plan. If your digestive tract is healthy, and you do a good job of chewing and relaxing while you enjoy your meals, you will get significant benefits—including absorption of calcium—from calcium-rich foods plant foods that also contain oxalic acid. Ordinarily, a healthcare practitioner would not discourage a person focused on ensuring that they are meeting their calcium requirements from eating these nutrient-rich foods because of their oxalate content.

Eggplant Belongs to the Nightshade Family

Eggplant is one of the vegetables in the nightshade (Solanaceae) family, which includes bell pepper, tomatoes and potatoes. Anecdotal case histories link improvement in arthritis symptoms with removal of these foods; however, no case-controlled scientific studies confirm these observations. Eggplant an arthritis are not linked, scientifically.

Nutritional Profile Click here for super detailed info on eggplant.

Eggplant, cubed, cooked 1.00 cup 99.00 gramsCalories: 35 GI: low
Nutrient	Amount	DRI/DV (%)	Nutrient Density	World’s Healthiest Foods Rating
fiber	2.47 g	9.9	5.1	very good
vitamin B1	0.08 mg	6.7	3.5	very good
copper	0.06 mg	6.7	3.5	very good
manganese	0.11 mg	5.5	2.9	good
vitamin B6	0.09 mg	5.3	2.8	good
vitamin B3	0.59 mg	3.7	1.9	good
potassium	121.77 mg	3.5	1.8	good
folate	13.86 mcg	3.5	1.8	good
vitamin K	2.87 mcg	3.2	1.7	good

World’s Healthiest Foods Rating	Rule
excellent	DRI/DV>=75% OR Density>=7.6 AND DRI/DV>=10%
very good	DRI/DV>=50% OR Density>=3.4 AND DRI/DV>=5%
good	DRI/DV>=25% OR Density>=1.5 AND DRI/DV>=2.5%

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Eggplant

References

Bliss RM, Elstein D. Scientists get under eggplant’s skin. ARS Magazine, 2004 January; 52 (1): http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jan04/skin0104.htm. 2004.
Ensminger AH, Ensminger, ME, Kondale JE, Robson JRK. Foods & Nutriton Encyclopedia. Pegus Press, Clovis, California. 1983.
Ensminger AH, Esminger M. K. J. e. al. Food for Health: A Nutrition Encyclopedia. Clovis, California: Pegus Press; 1986. 1986. PMID:15210.
Fortin, Francois, Editorial Director. The Visual Foods Encyclopedia. Macmillan, New York. 1996.
Jorge PA, Neyra LC, Osaki RM, et al. Effect of eggplant on plasma lipid levels, lipidic peroxidation and reversion of endothelial dysfunction in experimental hypercholesterolemia. Arq Bras Cardiol. 1998 Feb;70(2):87-91. 1998.
Kimura Y, Araki Y, Takenaka A, Igarashi K. Protective effects of dietary nasunin on paraquat-induced oxidative stress in rats. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 1999 May;63(5):799-804. 1999.
Noda Y, Kneyuki T, Igarashi K, et al. Antioxidant activity of nasunin, an anthocyanin in eggplant peels. Toxicology 2000 Aug 7;148(2-3):119-23. 2000.
Whitaker BD, Stommel JR. Distribution of Hydroxycinnamic Acid Conjugates in Fruit of Commercial Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) Cultivars. J Agric Food Chem 2003 May 21;51(11):3448-54. 2003.
Whitaker BD, Stommel JR. Distribution of hydroxycinnamic acid conjugates in fruit of commercial eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) cultivars. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 May 21; 51(11): 3448-54. 2003.
Wood, Rebecca. The Whole Foods Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Prentice-Hall Press; 1988. 1988. PMID:15220.

For education only, consult a healthcare practitioner for any health problems.

Email me your experiences with eggplant and your health. Is eggplant bad for arthritis in your experience? Let’s share.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving,

Betsy

betsy@hihohealth.com

203 933 1889

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

OTC pain meds

Posted on July 24, 2014

Gentle Reader,

The aftermath of my bike crash calls into question two of my closely held beliefs: OTC pain meds are bad for you; keep moving, no matter what. I was on the dunes path at Long Beach, WA with twelve Finneys of all ages. Nothing like a little crowd around the beginning of the last section of trail to get a person off kilter and into the sand. My recovery seemed fine while at the beach because I was icing and taking a lot of Shaklee Pain Relief Complex and doing nothing. (My granddaughter reminds me that I split some wood with a heavy ax.) The pain worsened, keeping me awake at night. Coughing hurt unbearably. I went to my doctor. Dr. Pepin knows I am not a willing patient. He is working hard to play the role of a team member in my health care. He makes a special effort to honor my preference for natural healing practices—acupuncture, massage, individual training and supplements. He sent me for an x-ray.

When I got home, My Chart contained the message that I had broken the 9^th rib on the left side, but only a hairline fracture. In his notes, he suggested more icing and anti-inflammatories. I decided to take Aleve. I took another one 8 hours later. I took a third 8 hours after that. I iced off and on for the next 36 hours. Everything improved. The depression in the muscles beneath the broken lower back rib normalized. The muscles on the opposite side calmed down to normal. I slept soundly, happy that pain did not disturb me. It seemed like a miracle.

What is so bad about NSAIDS? What do they do? Why have I resisted taking them so consistently?

It turns out when taken for a brief time (2 – 10 days), anti-inflammatories calm down injured muscles allowing healing to take place. The danger with these drugs appears when taken habitually over a long period of time to manage chronic pain. The NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) intercept 2 enzymes called Cox 1 and Cox 2 that are involved with inflammation. Inhibiting Cox 1 has the side effect of damaging the stomach lining, causing bleeding. Advil, Motrin and Aleve are the most popular of these non-specific anti-inflammatories and regularly cause damage to the stomach lining when taken over a long period of time.

The risks from taking NSAIDS, besides internal bleeding, are most severe for people who have heart conditions. People with stomach problems should avoid them. For healthy people with no blood pressure or other heart issues, taking NSAIDS for a few days to bring down inflammation carries low risk and brings much relief.

I am satisfied that taking NSAIDS for a few days to help the immediate problem is a good thing for my body and does not put me at risk.

Now let me think out loud about my other closely held belief: Keep Moving under any and all circumstances. This week I have not hiked, gone to yoga practice, worked out with my trainer or done much of anything. I did walk around Green Lake, a 3 miles meander on the flat, and twice I walked to the West Seattle Junction, down and up a hill, repeated in the opposite direction, about 2 miles total. Moving, yes; pain free, pretty much. At least pain free around the injured area. But after a dozen steps, chronic pain kicked in: hips, knees and lower back. I found myself questioning the value of moving, especially since moving causes pain.

It turns out that Not moving is lethal.

Bone Loss

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, our bones require applied stress for them to grow. Bone stress sends a signal to the body to build bone density. If you don’t stress your bones by exercising, you can suffer from low bone density, which can turn into a case of osteoporosis. Also, if you never exercise and stretch your joints, your arthritic joints will stiffen over time and their adjoining tissues will weaken, causing more arthritis.

Muscle Loss

Your bones need stress exerted on them to grow, and so do your muscles. A muscle’s fibers need to tear for it to rebuild itself larger and stronger. So as you may already know from experience, if you don’t use your muscles, you “lose” them.

Increased Risk of Disease

Muscle loss caused by inactivity makes your metabolism slow down. Your metabolism is the rate at which your body converts food and drink into usable energy. If you have a slow metabolism, your body ends up storing a lot of the food and drink energy instead of using it to get your body moving. This storage leads to weight gain and puts you at a higher risk for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, depression and anxiety, according to Harvard School of Public Health.

Weaker Immune System

According to MayoClinic.com, without regular aerobic exercise, your immune system weakens. This makes it harder for your body to fight viruses such as the flu and the common cold. So if you never exercise, you’re likely to find yourself getting sick more often.

Keep Moving will remain my closely held belief. Since the pain I experience when I move is chronic, caused by arthritis, I will continue to use Shaklee’s Pain Relief Complex. Its herbal formula is a pain path inhibitor (Cox 2 and 5 Lox) but does not interfere with Cox 1. Therefore there is no risk to the stomach or to the heart.

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving,

I promise I will. Join me.

Betsy

Comments? I love to hear them.

Thanks to Lindsay Haskell of AZ who blogs about health, fitness, culture and fashion.

Arthritis, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

bike crash

Posted on July 21, 2014

Gentle Reader,

I did not write last week. I had to let the effects of a bike crash at the beach take hold before I let you in on it. I was off at the beach with the Finneys, my stepfamily, who turned out in big numbers to enjoy Long Beach, WA’s wave action, drift wood, secluded and roomy campsites. It was wonderful to be with all of them, including a great-grandson, age 11, who I have not had a chance to get to know before this. He lives with his mother, my late husband, Chuck Finney’s oldest granddaughter and her husband. They are a Navy family, stationed in Japan. At age eleven, they decided he was old enough to come to the US for the summer. What a delightful young man! All 15 of us took off on our bikes last Wednesday afternoon for a glorious ride along the tarmac bike trail through the dunes.

After riding for about 8 miles, we came to the main road connecting Long Beach’s shops with the beach. As everyone began the onward 3 miles, congestion developed. I waited my turn and then powered up the narrow paving, skirting around the post in the center of the entrance. The front tire slipped into the sand and down I went, grazing the post with my back ribs, catching the ground with my right knee and left elbow. The bike crash was in slow motion, so slow, in fact that my step son-in-law was asking “are you alright?” before I hit the ground. It took a minute to find breath and respond. I was not all right. Nothing was broken. That’s a good thing. But the back ribs hurt something awful, as did the knee.

On the Bell side of the family, five people–adults and children–commute by bike to work or school. All of them have been in at least one bike crash, some requiring surgery and stitches. At one time in the distant past, I commuted to a job from Montlake to the middle of downtown Seattle and back. I biked to the University for another job, rain or shine. Luckily, I only had one bike crash when another bike and I collided coming around a corner. The bike was totalled, but I was fine. I was young then. I’ll be 77 in a couple weeks. I would be safer on a bike if I road more regularly. In spite of not riding often these days, the dune ride was glorious: wind in the hair, the smell of low tide beyond the waving grasses, shore birds soaring over head. After the crash, I was more disappointed than hurt, or so I thought.

Here’s what I did to get moving again. I lay on a picnic table and relaxed as best I could. I rolled my elevated knees from side to side. I stretched my arms up and out and breathed as deeply as I could. I took a couple Pain Relief Complex. When everyone came back, I got down from the table. Walking was possible. A good sign. Someone else put the bike in the truck. At the ice cream store, Cynthia, my step-daughter who is a nurse (always good to have one in the family), got ice from the soft drink machine and found a plastic bag so I could begin icing the two most painful spots, back ribs and muscles plus the right knee.

The minute we got to the campground, I fixed a 180 protein shake. This soy powder has extra leucine. Leucine is an amino acid that helps knit, heal and keep muscle intact. The latter is important if you are using the 180 smoothies for weight loss. A dieter wants to lose fat, not muscle. I also filled two zip lock bags with ice and began icing in earnest. Someone had a camp chair that tipped feet-up which was a great help to the knee.

My dear stepson, Steven, gave me his bed in his camper for the night so I didn’t have to get up from the air mattress on the ground, a very painful operation. More Pain Relief Complex and the frequent application of Shaklee’s Joint and Muscle Pain Cream helped the healing process. By morning, I could walk the beach, slowly, taking care not to choose a path which required stepping over logs. I didn’t try pushing the bike-peddle. I could tell by climbing the steps into the trailer that my knee couldn’t take that. I also took extra vitamin C, and the anti-inflammatory supplements GLA, fish oil (Omega Guard), and lecithin. I am not 100% as I write this report, but I was able to hang out three loads of laundry this morning.

I have been reminded through this ordeal of Kay Ferguson who is now in her 90s. She was putting items in a small moving van and fell off the tailgate onto the ground. Looking quickly to see if anyone saw her fall, she picked herself up, went in the house and drank a smoothie of Physique (similar formula to 180), the Workout Recovery Drink Shaklee developed for the Yale swim team years and years ago. The team wanted help to recover more quickly from their workouts and asked Shaklee to come up with a formula. Physique has been used by athletes in extreme situations –and regular ones—to heal torn muscles after a workout so they could get up and do it all again the next day. She fared as I did. Yes, there were bruises, but no broken bones and no long lasting muscle soreness.

Kay Ferguson, 88 yrs old, June 2008. Picking raspberries.

Kay has been my hero since I first met Shaklee products. A friend introduced her to Alfalfa to help with her terribly debilitating arthritis, but not until she learned to take 15 – 20 a day did those little green tablets bring her relief. She was headed for the wheel chair in her late 50s. Here is a picture of Kay among her raspberries.

I saw my doctor today, just to make sure there is nothing further I need to do to heal the rib cage, knee and elbow. I do believe the best antidote to injury is to keep moving as much as possible. There are a few more adventures to be had this summer including a couple of big hikes and a trip to Long Beach, CA for the Shaklee annual conference in mid August.

The week camping with the family resulted in a major stomach upset. Delicious blue berry pancakes for breakfast, pizza night at a local hang out, corn bread baked in a camp oven are all foreign to my regular diet. I ended up constipated, bloated and uncomfortable. For me, it does not pay to leave my vegetable-heavy, no refined carbohydrate diet even for 5 days. Perhaps you do well, or at least, OK, when taking liberties on vacation. I do not.

Will I go again next year? You betcha. The planning email is circulating. Will I make sure I have available the food that makes me happy and comfortable? You betcha. I will take my bike along and pay more attention. These family gatherings are precious and fleeting as the children go to college, get jobs and marry. The same configuration across the generations will not repeat; the delightful campfire conversations will.

May your summer be filled with good conversations, a campfire or two, walks and rides with family and friends. May you stay upright and injury free. No bike crash!

By all means, Be well, Do well and Keep Moving.

Betsy

206 933 1889

www.EmpoweredGrandma.net

betsy@hihohealth.com

http://www.grandmabetsybell.com/shop-shaklee-products/

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

Anti-aging

Posted on June 13, 2014

Gentle Reader,

So much determines well-being: good friends, love and happiness, nourishing food, a sense of spiritual fulfillment, a personal sense of purpose and meaning, deep restorative rest are at the top of the list. When these ingredients are present over a person’s life, they seem to have an anti-aging effect. Scientists and explorers have searched the world over for ways to slow down aging. The story behind Shaklee’s Anti-aging product, Vivix, is one story of this search.

The Vivix Story

My thanks to Dr. Steven Chaney for this story.

In 2006, Harvard scientist Dr. David Sinclair published research in the highly respected journal Nature that shocked the scientific world. His published research findings showed that a simple molecule found in red wine could switch on our anti-aging gene (Sirt 1) and slow the aging process — on purpose.

This does not mean, of course, that we can live forever. But it does mean that science now has an answer for how we age, and what we can do to slow it down.

Of course, researchers had long understood that severe calorie restriction could slow the aging process, but there was little hope that we could find a way to get the same result without subjecting ourselves to a starvation diet.

You may have seen Dr. Sinclair on 60 Minutes, 20/20 with Barbara Walters, or on PBS with Charlie Rose. You may have learned about this remarkable breakthrough in leading magazines and major newspapers from around the world. It’s big news.

Here’s the story…

To put this discovery into context, let’s turn the clock back to 1991.

Famed French alcohol researcher, Dr. Serge Renault, in a segment on 60 Minutes, (The French Paradox) reported that people in France (on a diet loaded with sugars, fats, creams, and more creams) had 42% less heart disease, and live longer than we do in the U.S.

How could that be?

It’s no secret—the French drink lots and lots of red wine, and Dr. Renault had come to believe that something in red wine fights the negative effect of fatty foods… but he wasn’t sure. Some theorized it was the alcohol. Others were sure it was the antioxidant power of red wine. They were all partially right—but they were missing the most miraculous molecule of all.

Good News Travels Slowly

Years have gone by but we now have irrefutable scientific proof that a simple molecule found in red wine has almost magical healing and anti-aging powers.

When Dr. Sinclair published his research, FORTUNE called it, “Perhaps the greatest discovery since antibiotics.” He had successfully isolated the gene that slows aging… Sirtuin.

The Breakthrough

Dr. Sinclair and his team at Harvard Medical School, tested more than 20,000 natural molecules one by one before he accidentally discovered what he calls the closet thing to a miracle molecule you can find. To his dismay, the molecule that switches on the longevity gene is called resveratrol.

Using resveratrol, Dr. Sinclair found that he could extend the life of yeastat will. This amazing news drew only mild applause from research scientist. After all, this was yeast.

Moving up to higher life-forms, he fed resveratrol to fruit flies. Bingo! It worked again. The applause grew louder and the research more intense.

Other scientists working to prove Dr. Sinclair’s findings has the same success with fish. Extending their life 70%.

Scientists are a tough lot to impress. Even with all this success, they wouldn’t get too worked up unless he succeeded in extending the life of mice.

That’s because mice have essentially the same gene that you and I have. As Dr. Sinclair explained to Charlie Rose—”We are essentially upright mice.”

Finally, the mice studies begin

And in what can only be described as a modern day miracle— mice on a high fat diet plus resveratrol—not only lived up to 30% longer—they turned into mini-olympians.

They never gained weight, and they doubled endurance. They could run twice as far as mice that were not given resveratrol—and here’s the best part… not one of them developed any of the diseases of aging. No heart disease, no cancer, no diabetes, and no strokes.

Resveratrol—the gold rush begins…

Dr. Sinclair had become the first person in history to successfully extend life on purpose. He was instantly, in scientific circles at least, an international celebrity.

His published research proving the merits of resveratrol in life extension has triggered an avalanche of scientific study around the world.

Billions of dollars are being invest by in private labs, universities, and public health agencies like the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Aging, and the United States Department of Agriculture.

It’s safe to say that resveratrol and related polyphenols have become the most widely researched natural molecules in the history of man.

Resveratrol is being shown to have a positive impact on a surprisingly large number of health issues that affect how long and how well we live. But don’t take my word for it…

See the proof for yourself. To discover the miraculous life-saving secrets of resveratrol with just the click of a mouse, (pardon the pun) go to the U.S. Government web site, PubMed.

There you will find at least 2,636 scientific papers referencing resveratrol from the greatest scientific minds of our time.

The Payoff

Because resveratrol has been proven in labs around the world to slow aging—it is a marketers dream. Within weeks after Dr. Sinclair appeared on 20/20, you could find literally hundreds of me-too resveratrol products in health food stores, and on the internet.

If you’re taking any of these products, you may be wasting your money. Even worse, the anti-aging benefits you were hoping for may not be there. Why?

Because research shows these products contain little if any resveratrol, and many even contained sis-resveratrol—a lesser form of resveratrol proven to have no health benefit at all. In other words, most are little more than marketing scams.

Who can you trust?

Shaklee Corporation has been America’s number one natural nutrition company and a true champion of pure, natural supplements for over half a century.

If it was possible to create a natural resveratrol supplement capable of getting the results Dr. Sinclair was having in his lab—Shaklee was the one company that could pull it off.

Chief scientist, Dr. Carsten Smidt took a close look at Dr. Sinclair’s research. He and his team took a look at all of the leading, so-called resveratrol products on the market and decided—you deserve better.

With the green light and a blank check from our CEO, Roger Barnett, Dr. Smidt assembled a team of more than 30 brilliant scientists with the singular goal of bringing to market, the most potent anti-aging product ever created.

Shaklee science advances Dr. Sinclair’s research

In the early stages, Dr. Smidt and his team worked with Dr. Sinclair’s team from Harvard. As the research moved forward, Dr. Smidt became convinced they could actually advance Dr. Sinclair’s science and create a product even more powerful than resveratrol.

After more almost three years of research—millions invested—and collaboration with the University of Georgia—Shaklee science has even succeeded in creating the first ever totally natural tonic that works at the cellular level to block the mechanisms of aging. It’s called Vivix Cellular Anti-aging Tonic.

My own interest in Vivix concerns the arthritis in my joints. It seems to be helping slow down the advancement of arthritis symptoms and may even have contributed to the reversal of some spinal stenosis. My hope for you is that this information makes enough sense to you to inspire you to give Vivix a try for 3 to 6 months. Perhaps you will have similar results.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving,

Betsy

To follow my hike in England along Lady Anne’s Way, tune in to www.EmpoweredGrandma.net.

Arthritis, Be Well health tips

resveratrol for joints

Posted on June 6, 2014

Gentle Reader,

There is so much I could share about this past weekend at my alma mater, Bryn Mawr College, just outside Philadelphia on the MainLine. In keeping with the goal of this blog, I will single out arthritic joint issues and focus on possible remedies for joint pain.

Twenty-nine of my classmates came to celebrate our 55th reunion. Everyone looked great: not too many wrinkles, lovely hair, sparkling eyes. But when it came time to walk up a few stairs, joints fail and pain ensues. The cart is called to drive people where they need to go. I’m wondering if the anti-aging product I’ve been taking for ten years has helped my joints so the same is not true for me.

Have you heard about Resveratrol? It is the anti-oxidant found in red wine. Shaklee started working on producing a pure tonic that combines the resveratrol and polyphenols found in the muscadine grade about ten years ago. I have been taking my daily dose of this delicious liquid called Vivix since they made it available for sale.

There is no question that my body, like my class mates, suffers from the aging deterioration of cells that is normal for a 77 year old. It appears we do not all age in the same way or at the same rate. I have had severe osteo arthritis and spinal stenosis for years, probably brought about by factors such as stress, poor diet, and environmental toxins. I’ve worked hard on the diet part, but you cannot always eat perfectly, now can you. These factors can weaken cells’ natural defenses, lower cell energy, damage DNA, and decrease cell performance. All of these can contribute to cellular aging.

Clinical Studies show Vivix® ingredients positively impact four key mechanisms of aging at the cellular level.

Shaklee scientists conducted a study to see if Vivix could defend against cell damage.

Cell Defense

Blunts Biological Stress
A clinical study published in The Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that key ingredients in Vivix blocked a key marker of biological stress response after the consumption of a high-fat fast food breakfast totaling 930 calories.

The results were exciting, while the study had nothing to do with joints, it showed that Vivix protected cells from damage. My joints were damaged long before Vivix came along. Perhaps protection is less important than repair. Let’s see what happened with repair.

Cell Repair

DNA Protection & Repair
Laboratory studies show that key Vivix ingredients help protect against DNA damage, supporting DNA replication for healthy cell function.

Shown in laboratory studies, Vivix protects and repairs DNA, which is assaulted millions of times every day. These assaults can damage the cell’s DNA, creating a “typo” that may compromise cell function and longevity.

A recent visit with my sports medicine doctor revealed a smaller than average spinal passageway for the cord to pass through. Like my father before me, my spinal cord has little wiggle room. That is the result of inherited DNA. The data suggest that DNA can be repaired by resveratrol. I am convinced that my joint health has improved instead of worsened over the last ten years. The recent MRI indicated improvement.

Could it be that resveratrol reduces joint pain? This is certainly my experience.

To learn more about Vivix and the ingredients, studies and results, click here.

Vivix is expensive. It may be worth it if you want to slow down aging at the cellular level. It certainly seems to help with joint pain and there are only side benefits from drinking a swig from the bottle every day. I would give the body 90 to 180 days before deciding Vivix has made no difference in your joint function. It is possible you will feel a positive difference much sooner. Your blood is all new in 90 days and the joints, because of lower blood flow, will take double that to show results.

There are other resveratrol products on the market, but none have the muscadine grape’s extra anti-oxidants which seems to enhance the punch provided by resveratrol. In addition, purity of product makes a difference and Shaklee scientists have been able to produce a 95% pure tonic. Less purity may result in loose bowels. Get some and see what your results are.

Good luck and keep moving, as moving is always the best single antidote to painful joints.

Be well, Do well and Keep moving,

Betsy

206 406 5940

Resources

Alternative pain relief

Posted on May 28, 2014

Plants for Alternative Pain Relief

Boswellia serrata

Extracts of Boswellia serrata have been clinically studied for osteoarthritis and joint function, particularly for osteoarthritis of the knee. Positive effects of Boswellia in some chronic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, osteoarthritis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease have been reported. A Boswellia extract marketed under the name Wokvel has undergone human efficacy, comparative, pharmacokinetic studies. Some see Boswellia serrata as a promising alternative to NSAIDs, warranting further investigation in pharmacological studies and clinical trials. (from Wikipedia)

Boswellia is a tree found in India known for its gum resin which has many pharmacological uses, particularly as an anti-inflammatory. It’s also known as Indian frankincense, salai guggal, and boswellin. Its proper botanic name is boswellia serrata.

As a side note, the Biblical incense frankincense was probably an extract from the resin of the tree, boswellia sacra.

Boswellia has been used for thousands of years to treat many types of conditions. Recent research has determined many of the conditions were caused by inflammation.

Safflower flower

Safflower is a highly-branched annual thistle-like herb that grows to a height of 3 feet producing yellow or reddish flowers. Each branch will usually have several flower heads containing 15-20 seeds per head. The dried flowers of the plant and its seeds are used commercially.

Traditionally, safflowers were grown for their seeds and used for coloring foods and making red and yellow dyes. Its flowers can be used alone or in formulas. They can be prepared as dried powder, tinctures, or decoctions (extracts).

The oil from the seed has been used externally in therapeutic massage and as a natural alternative to mineral oil for use on babies. It’s also beneficial in applications for bruises, sprains and arthritis pain

Safflower is source of several flavonoids

More recently, the plant has been identified as the source of several flavonoids with strong antioxidant compounds.

Flavonoids are any of a group of oxygen-containing aromatic antioxidant compounds that includes many common pigments that help to lower inflammation as well as counteract the damaging effects of oxidation on body tissues.

The well-known antioxidant, guercetin, is one of the flavonoids found in safflower. Quercetin has many health benefits among which it can help reduce the inflammation that results from bursitis, gout, and arthritis.

Side effects

The safflower flower is often used in conjunction with herbs with no reported interactions. There are also no reported interactions of the extract or oil with standard pharmaceuticals.

Its use in dissolving clots, however, suggests that it should not be taken with blood-thinning treatments.

Safflower and boswellia combination effective for joint discomfort

Every day, many of us push ourselves to the limit both occupationally and recreationally. In the end, our bodies, and especially our joints, pay the price. Pain is the common symptom. It’s the body’s natural warning system and it deserves a natural response.

Safflower extract and boswellia extract are proven effective and safe for relief of arthritis pain, joint discomfort, and restricted knee flexion.

When combined in a natural product that contains a patent-pending blend of both extracts. it provides long-term relief within just a few weeks and is especially helpful for relieving chronic pain. Continued use of this natural product keeps pain away or markedly reduces pain daily. [thanks to Marty Saffell] Thanks to the anti-inflammatory plants Safflower and boswellia combination, so effective for joint discomfort

A web search for other herbs that are helpful with joint pain produced this anti-inflammatory triad:

Turmeric, ginger and bromelain work as effective anti-inflammatory agents. Each works to relieve pain, stiffness and swelling. In combination, they provide a powerhouse of natural medicine. The three substances are synergistic to one another, each boosting the other’s effectiveness… You can google products containing the three herbs together. I know of no clinical trials to substantiate these claims, nor can I vouch for standardization or purity of the herbs used.

Personally, I have been using the products Shaklee makes with Boswellia serrata and safflower flower extract for a number of years to manage my arthritis pain. I can recommend Pain Relief Complex without reservation. These Cox 2 and 5 Lox pain path inhibitors do no damage to the stomach, can be taken multiple times daily with no side effects whatsoever. It is a great relief to me to find an arthritis pain reliever that does not have any damaging side effects as I took a great deal of aspirin for years to try to kill the pain in my knees from early onset arthritis. I have no knee pain today. It is wonderful to have anti-inflammatory herbs to take.

Arthritis, Be Well health tips

Tai-chi for fibromyalgia

Posted on May 24, 2014

Gentle Reader

Tai-Chi for Fibromyalgia: Should You Try It?

If you have fibromyalgia and experience musculoskeletal pain, poor sleep quality and depression, you might try tai-chi — a martial art form combining meditation with slow, gentle, graceful movements. A small but important study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) suggests that tai chi may help relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia.

After 12 weeks, the tai-chi group had a greater reduction in pain and more improvement in mood, quality of life, sleep, confidence in their abilities and ability to exercise than the control group. People in the tai chi group were encouraged to continue their tai chi practice after the classes ended using an instructional DVD, and they were still feeling better 24 weeks after the study began. What’s more, no adverse effects were reported.

Bottom-line advice: Keep in mind that this is just one small study. Larger, longer studies are needed to confirm the results. Researchers still don’t fully understand the mechanism by which tai chi eases the symptoms of fibromyalgia or whether tai chi might help everyone with fibromyalgia. Still, if you’re seeking a form of exercise that may help improve your fibromyalgia symptoms, tai chi appears to be safe, and along with standard treatments such as medication, psychotherapy and education, it just may help you feel better.

Johns Hopkins Health Alerts 12.26.11

My own experience with Tai-chi was positive. For several years, I met weekly with others to practice. I do not suffer from fibromyalgia, but I was over stressed, experiencing severe menopause symptoms and having difficulty sleeping. Tia-Chi requires full concentration, slows down the heart rate and calms the nerves. For a person who has a hard time quieting the mind in sitting mediation, tai-chi is an excellent moving mediation. Perhaps it is the improvement of posture; perhaps the strengthening of the core that comes from controlled movement; perhaps it is the descipline of slowly moving through a series of poses. All of these produced results for me and many others I have known. You can reduce stress and even pain with tai-chi. Whether you have fibromayalgia or not, it is a wonderful way to reduce any pain that is exacerbated by stress and repetitive physical movements that cause stress on joints. Sitting for long periods bent over the computer is a good way to increase your arthritis and fibromayalgia pain. Tai chi could help.

If you have experience with tai-chi and fybromayalgia or other pain, arthritis or joint issues, please let us know your results.

Fondly,

Be Well, Do Well, Keep Moving

Betsy

Injured at 52. Diagnosed and sentenced to a wheel chair at 55. Hiking, skiing, dancing and walking at 77. Read my story.

206 933 1889 betsy@HiHoHealth.com www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com www.EmpoweredGrandma.net