Creatine Hurt My Joints

MyAchingKnees.com received this comment from Anonymous, our previous post Link between Creatine and Chronic Joint Pain?:........"I have absolutely concluded that cycling creatine for 4-6 weeks for me has caused terrible knee pain, when i cycle off creatine my knees feel great, then when im back on it starts to hurt again, so for me ill get off of it for good this time and yes yes yes I drink plenty of water."

I used to take Creatine as well as alot of other "supplements of the week, month or year". I experienced pain in my elbows and knees and concluded that it was the Creatine. I stopped the Creatine and the pain went away. One of my close friends works out like a fiend and takes a lot of different supplements.....NOS, Amino Acids, all sorts of protein drinks and powders, herbal energy products, etc. We finally came to the point in our decades long experiment with our bodies, exercise and supplements that what a person really needs is an daily advanced dose of quality nutrients in order to give our bodies the nutrients it's needs for an functioning immune systems and restorative process.

Sure there are other products that can help as well,...we call them optimizers,...like the pharmaceutical grade Glucosamine which I attribute to my knee and back pain going away. I also take an alike quality Saw Palmetto product and I have seen by PSA level go from 3.9 to 0.8

Anyway, beware of the latest fad in supplements....and these are mostly targeted towards athletes, like body builders, who spend a great deal of time , effort and oney on building muscles. I just don't think they do a person much good unless that person gets the required daily nutrient's in their proper amounts to have a healthy functioning body.


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Eating Habits That Gain Fat and Hurt Joints

From the Men's Health Article "20 Habits That Make You Fat" By David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding. I post this article because the majority of people that talk to me about the pain in their knees or other joints are overweight, with that excess weight bearing heavily on their knee pain; they have poor eating habits; and most certainly not getting the nutrients their body needs for immune and restorative functions. Maybe someone will read this article and see their own bad habits within and elect to change. Remember the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different outcome.

Here are the 20 habits you can replace right now, compliments of the Eat This, Not That! No-Diet Diet.

FAT HABIT #1: Eating "low-fat"
It sounds crazy, but I want you to stop buying foods marketed as low-fat or fat-free. Typically, they save you only a few calories and, in doing so, they replace harmless fats with low-performing carbohydrates that digest quickly—causing a sugar rush and, immediately afterward, rebound
hunger. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that meals that limited carbohydrates to 43 percent were more filling and had a milder effect on blood sugar than meals with 55 percent carbohydrates. That means you’ll store less body fat and be less likely to eat more later.

FAT HABIT #2: Not seeking nutrition advice
Good news here: By reading this, you’re already forming habits that can help you shed pounds. When Canadian researchers sent diet and exercise advice to more than 1,000 people, they found that the recipients began eating smarter and working more physical activity into their daily routines. Not surprisingly, the habits of the non-recipients didn’t budge. Follow me on Twitter for the fat-melting weight loss tips I come across every day as the editor-in-chief of Men’s Health magazine—and lose your belly without ever dieting again.

FAT HABIT #3: Sleeping too little or too much
According to Wake Forest researchers, dieters who sleep five hours or less put on 2½ times more belly fat, while those who sleep more than eight hours pack on only slightly less than that. Shoot for an average of six to seven hours of sleep per night—the optimal amount for weight control.

FAT HABIT #4: Eating free restaurant foods
Breadsticks, biscuits, and chips and salsa may be complimentary at some restaurants, but that doesn’t mean you won’t pay for them. Every time you eat one of Olive Garden's free breadsticks or Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits, you're adding an additional 150 calories to your meal. Eat three over the course of dinner and that's 450 calories. That's also roughly the number of calories you can expect for every basket of tortilla chips you get at your local Mexican restaurant. What's worse, none of these
calories comes paired with any redeeming nutritional value. Consider them junk food on steroids.

FAT HABIT #5: Drinking soda—even diet!
The average American guzzles nearly a full gallon of soda every week. Why is that so bad? Because a 2005 study found that drinking one to two sodas per day increases your chances of being overweight or obese by nearly 33 percent. And diet soda is no better. When researchers in San Antonio tracked a group of elderly subjects for nearly a decade, they found that compared to nondrinkers, those who drank two or more diet sodas a day watched their waistlines increase five times faster. The researchers theorize that the artificial sweeteners trigger appetite cues, causing you to unconsciously eat more at subsequent meals.

MyAchingKnees comment: How many times have you seen a really obsese person, eat a meal with a diet soda? Maybe it is true that artificial sweeteners trigger hunger cues, but more dangerous is the checmiasl and side effects from some sweeteners such as Aspartame. If you don't know about the dangers of Aspartame, then you should.

FAT HABIT #6: Skipping meals
In a 2011 national survey from the Calorie Control Council, 17 percent of Americans admitted to skipping meals to lose weight. The problem is, skipping meals actually increases your odds of obesity, especially when it comes to breakfast. A study from the American Journal of Epidemiology
found that people who cut out the morning meal were 4.5 times more likely to be obese. Why? Skipping meals slows your metabolism and boosts your hunger. That puts your body in prime fat-storage mode and increases your odds of overeating at the next meal.

FAT HABIT #7: Eating too quickly
If your body has one major flaw, this is it: It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s had enough. A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that slow eaters took in 66 fewer calories per meal, but compared to their fast-eating peers, they felt like they had eaten more. What’s 66 calories, you ask? If you can do that at every meal, you’ll lose more than 20 pounds a year!

FAT HABIT #8: Watching too much TV
A University of Vermont study found that overweight participants who reduced their TV time by just 50 percent burned an additional 119 calories a day on average. That’s an automatic 12-pound annual loss! Maximize those results by multitasking while you watch—even light household tasks will
further bump up your caloric burn. Plus, if your hands are occupied with dishes or laundry, you’ll be less likely to mindlessly snack—the other main occupational hazard associated with tube time.

FAT HABIT #9: Ordering the combo meal
A study in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing shows that compared to ordering a la carte, you pick up a hundred or more extra calories by opting for the “combo” or “value meal." Why? Because when you order items bundled together, you're likely to buy more food than you want. You're better off ordering your food piecemeal. That way you won't be influenced by pricing schemes designed to hustle a few more cents out of your pocket.

FAT HABIT #10: Facing the buffet
Cornell researchers found that when eating at a buffet-style restaurant, obese diners were 15 percent more likely to choose seats with a clear view of the food. Your move: Choose a seat that places your back toward the spread. It will help you avoid fixating on the food.

FAT HABIT #11: Eating off larger plates
One study found that when given an option, a whopping 98.6 percent of obese individuals opt for larger plates. Translation: More food, more calories, and more body fat. Keep your portions in check by choosing smaller serving dishes. If need be, you can always go back for seconds.

FAT HABIT #12: Putting serving dishes on the table
Resist setting out foods buffet- or family-style, and opt instead to serve them from the kitchen. A study in the journal Obesity found that when food is served from the dinner table, people consume 35 percent more over the course of the meal. When an additional helping requires leaving the table,
people hesitate to go back for more.

FAT HABIT #13: Choosing white bread
A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when obese subjects incorporated whole grains into their diets, they lost more abdominal fat over the course of 12 weeks. There are likely multiple factors at play, but the most notable is this: Whole grain foods pack in more fiber and an overall stronger nutritional package than their refined-grain counterparts.

FAT HABIT #14: Taking big bites
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who took large bites of food consumed 52 percent more calories in one sitting than those who took small bites and chewed longer. By cutting food into smaller pieces, you can increase satiety and enjoy your food more thoroughly. A good general rule? The smaller your bites, the thinner your waistline.

FAT HABIT #15: Not drinking enough water
Adequate water intake is essential for all your body’s functions, and the more you drink, the better your chances of staying thin. In one University of Utah study, dieting participants who were instructed to drink two cups of water before each meal lost 30 percent more weight than their thirsty
peers. And you can magnify the effect by adding ice. German researchers found that six cups of cold water a day could prompt a metabolic boost that incinerates 50 daily calories. That’s enough to shed five pounds a year!

FAT HABIT #16: Having overweight friends
Research from the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that when a friend becomes obese, it ups your chance of obesity by 57 percent. This probably has to do with the social norms that you’re exposed to. Rather than ditch a friend who starts to put on a few extra pounds though, suggest healthy activities that you can do together, and avoid letting him or her dictate the meal (“Let’s split the cheesecake!”)

FAT HABIT #17: Eating too late
Your body can burn flab while you sleep, but only if it isn't too busy processing a full stomach. A new study in the journal Obesity looked at the sleeping and eating habits of 52 people over seven days, and it found that those who ate after 8 p.m. took in the most daily calories and had the highest BMIs.

FAT HABIT #18: Not using a scale
Looking at your body weight reinforces weight-loss goals and makes it difficult to cheat your diet. When University of Minnesota researchers observed dieters who weighed themselves daily, they discovered that the routine of stepping on a scale helped those people lose twice as much weight as those who weighed themselves less frequently. Avoid being thrown of by natural fluctuations in body weight by stepping onto the scale at the same time every day.

FAT HABIT #19: Drinking fruity beverages
Most restaurants and bars have ditched their fresh-fruit recipes in favor of viscous syrups made mostly from high fructose corn syrup and thickening agents. As a general rule, the more garnishes a drink has hanging from its rim, the worse it is for your waistline.

FAT HABIT #20: Eating when emotional
A study from the University of Alabama found that emotional eaters—those who admitted eating in response to emotional stress—were 13 times more likely to be overweight or obese. If you feel the urge to eat in response to stress, try chewing a piece of gum, chugging a glass of water, or taking a walk around the block. Create an automatic response that doesn't involve food and you'll prevent yourself from overloading on calories.

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9 Scariest Food Facts

Good article on Yahoo! and Men's Health by David Zinczenko with Matt published 27 July 2011. I imagine the vast majority of people do not know what is actually in the foods they consume. There's a scene in the 1973 movie Soylent Green where food shortages cause people to riot in the street, and the throng becomes so unruly that front-loading construction machines roll in and begin shoveling people up into big metal buckets. These people are hungry,....no, ravenous,.....for a food called soylent green. But here's the twist: They know that they love soylent green, but they have no clue what it's made from.

Sound familiar? It should. That's basically how we eat today. Pick up a random package in the supermarket and look at the ingredient list. Chances are you won't know half the ingredients. Take a look at the downright frightening facts Eat This, Not That! has uncovered. You may never look at food the same way.

1. Nutritious food costs 10 times more than junk food.
University of Washington researchers calculated the cost discrepancy between healthy food and junk foods and found that 2,000 calories of junk food rings up at a measly $3.52 a day. Yet for 2,000 calories of nutritious grub, the researchers plunked down $36. To add insult to fiscal injury, out of every dollar you spend on food, only 19 cents goes toward the stuff you eat. The other 81 cents goes toward
marketing, manufacturing, and packaging. Think about that the next time your grocery bill jumps into the triple digits.

2. Grocers don’t have to tell you where your produce comes from.
With meat, supermarkets must tell you the country of origin, but produce laws aren't as strict. Consider this: In a recent E. coli outbreak, German bean sprouts were implicated as the source of the bacteria, but that didn’t prevent thousands of people from being infected. Many of those people were Americans, and they were clueless as to where their sprouts came from.

3. Fruits and vegetables are losing their nutrients.
According to the USDA, the fruits and vegetables we eat today may contain significantly fewer nutrients than those our grandparents ate. Researchers looked at 43 produce items and discovered drops in protein (6 percent), calcium (16 percent), iron (15 percent), riboflavin (38 percent), and vitamin C (20 percent). The only way to counter this trend: Eat more of them.

4. Calorie counts on nutrition labels aren’t accurate.
Researchers at Tufts University recently analyzed 269 food items from 42 national sit-down and fast-food restaurant chains, and they found that nearly 20 percent of samples contained 100 or more calories than reported by the restaurants. Think about it like this: If every meal you eat has 100 more calories than you need, you’ll gain more than 30 pounds this year. Same thing on food grade labels,....there is no enforcement of what the manufacturer's report or advertise.

5. Chicken today contains 266 percent more fat than it did 40 years ago.
What’s more, today’s chicken also has 33 percent less protein, according to a study from the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition at London Metropolitan University. The problem is modern farming practices. Cramped environments and unnatural diets produce birds that have the same weight problems as the humans who eat them.

6. Milk contains hormones that may cause cancer.
In 1970, a typical dairy cow could produce about 10,000 pounds of milk per year. Today, that same cow produces roughly 20,000 pounds. So did cows change? Nope. It’s their feed that’s different. Today’s cows are routinely fed a hormone called recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rBST. Studies have linked rBST to a multitude of cancers, including those of the prostate, breast, and colon. Milk from rBST-treated cows is ubiquitous in America’s supermarkets, but fortunately some of the biggest players are getting wise. Stores like Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, and Kroger now carry only rBST-free dairy.

7. Conventional supermarket peaches can be coated with as many as nine different
pesticides.
Because peaches are prone to bruising, blemishing, and insect takeover, they’re routinely soaked in chemicals in the weeks before being shipped off to the supermarket. That’s why the Environmental Working Group rates peaches among the dirtiest conventional fruits in America. Also on that list: apples, celery, strawberries, and spinach. As a general rule, unless the produce has a thick,
impermeable skin, assume it’s soaked in pesticides. Now wash it with water and mild soap before you eat it.

8. You’re probably eating trans fat without knowing it.
Slack FDA regulations allow food processors to claim zero trans fats even if the food contains 0.49 grams. To be clear, that’s 0.49 grams per serving. That means by the time you finish, say, an entire bag of Cheetos, you might be ingesting nearly 5 grams of trans fat. Sure, the bag says “0 GRAMS TRANS FAT” right on the front, but if you look at the ingredient statement, you’ll see partially hydrogenated oil, the primary source of trans fat.

9. The number of daily calories available to each American has increased by 500 over the past 40 years. USDA data shows that the food industry supplies 2,700 calories to every man, woman, and child in America. In 1970, that number was 2,200. That increase translates into 52 extra pounds of fat per person, per year.

MyAchingKnees.com comment: Nine reasons while you should taking the highest quality nutritional supplement you can find. Nine reasons while you, the consumer, need to be responsible to educate yourself and take charge of your health.

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Vitamin D, all around nutrient.

If you have filled out the form to the right to learn about products I take you will have already received an information paper on Vitamin D, which is not only a very remarkable nutrient, but one whose importance is often overlooked.

I found an article on Doctor Mercola's site, about the importance of Vitamin D and among the claims he makes is that Vitamin D can boost your all around health, as it is not just a vitamin, but rather the only known substrate for a potent, pleiotropic (meaning it produces multiple effects), repair and maintenance seco-steroid hormone that serves multiple gene-regulatory functions in your body. There are only 30,000 genes in your body and vitamin D has been shown to influence about 3,000 of them. Receptors that respond to the vitamin have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones. And researchers keep finding health benefits from vitamin D in virtually every area they look.

Can vitamin D fight colds and the flu? Yes! Help prevent obesity? It sure can. Tackle depression, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis? Yes, yes and yes! It is estimated that 25 to 50 percent of any health care budget could be saved with adequate vitamin D serum levels.

How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?

The best way to optimize your vitamin D is through safe sun exposure, or alternatively using a safe tanning bed. It is frequently possible to generate about 20,000 units of vitamin D by exposing your skin to the sun.

However, if you do not have access to regular sun exposure on a large portion of your bare skin, a vitamin D3 supplement may be necessary. Based on the most recent research, the current recommendation for dosage is 35 IU’s of vitamin D per pound of body weight. So for a child weighing 40 pounds, the recommended average dose would be 1,400 IU’s daily, and for a 170-pound adult, the dose would be nearly 6,000 IU’s.

MyAchingKnees.com comment: I am currently taking between 2,800 IU to 4,800 IU daily. And loving it. Pushing 53 years old,...working inside, outside, in all weaher conditions and around various animals, I have not ben sick in over 6 years. Some of that has to be due to the nutrients I ensure my body gets.

However, it’s important to realize that vitamin D requirements are highly individual, as your vitamin D status is dependent on numerous factors, such as the color of your skin, your location, and how much sunshine you’re exposed to on a regular basis. So, although these recommendations may put you closer to the ballpark of what most people likely need, it is simply impossible to make a blanket recommendation that will cover everyone’s needs.

The only way to determine the correct dose is to get your blood tested since there are so many variables that influence your vitamin D status. In fact, your vitamin D level should never be below 32 ng/ml, and any levels below 20 ng/ml are considered serious deficiency states, increasing your risk of as many as 16 different cancers and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, just to name a few.

Be sure to click on the Doctor Mercola link and read the entire article.

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James' Achy Feet

Plantar Fascitis is what comes to mind as I received an e-mail from James: Every morning when I wake up and get out of bed my heels of my feet are very sore. My left heel more so than the right. As the day goes on the pain gets more manageable. The pain is worse the day after I run. Will nutritional supplements help me. James.

MyAchingKnees.com response: James, in short, nutritional supplements most likely won't help with the pain if you have plantar fascitis. A very good indicator of this are the symptoms you have described. It is possible that cartilage is involved and therefore can be helped by high quality nutritional supplements including Glucosamine, but more likely the pin point pain in your heel and pain from walking, especially in the early morning, are indicative of plantar fascitis.

I suggest seeing a Physician, maybe a Sports Podiatrist, who specializes in feet. Common treatments include rest, ice, stretching, orthotics (shoe inserts) and above all rest.

High quality (pharmaceutical grade) Nutritional Supplements and Optimizers (primarily Glucosamine and Omega 3 Fatty Acids) will ensure that your provide your body with required and essential nutrients for your general health and ability to combat degenerative disease such as joint pain, but, the plantar fasci covering your heel is not a joint. So I fear nutritional supplements will not take away your heel pain, but can certainly help you provide nutrients for optimal health.

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Cancer Treatments - New Discoveries Reported

Nutritional treatments for cancer is interestingly to me as it deals with the benefits of using a nutritional approach to or with cancer treatments. While I don't believe all that I read, I do read claims and studies such as this to be informed and make up my own mind. I hope other people are open minded but at least a little skeptical when they read claims and studies. However there is no mistaking that a nutritional approach to diseases, and that includes cancer, can benefit many patients. I have read a report, which I'm trying to find now, that relates to how well certain types of cancer patients react to a high quality, high daily dose of grape seed extract. Do you own research; Take charge of your own health; and, Be an informed consumer.

This is of a particular interest to me as I have recently lost two close friends, both in their early 50's to cancer. Both their Cancer Doctor's told them NOT to take nutritional supplements as there is a possibility that these supplements would make the cancer cells harder to kill. There is no known research that even suggests this, but there is research that suggest high quality nutritional supplements will help protect normal cells during chemo but will not protect cancerous cells during the same treatment. Again, do your own research and make up your own mind.

I post this information, on the book and research describe below, not having an opinion of it's efficacy or validity, but do it none the less, in case readers are interested. The text below are not my words, but those of the report I was sent.

TPH BOOK: "Cancer: The Cure is in the Food"

Available by calling 1-877-817-9829 or order online at ThePowerMall.com

Francis Hart (Col.Joe) has written an amazing book based on thousands of hours of research, experiments, and applied practice using integrative medicine. Within this book you will be introduced to a dietary procedure for the treatment of disease and the freedom to choose.

Few people, including doctors, are aware of its critical medical importance. As a result of scientific testing, it has been reported that oxalic acid is a normal chemical in mammals, including humans. The author has discovered oxalic acid as a natural, God-given chemotherapy. This book details the necessity of OXALIC ACID in the body's blood stream. What enhances it - - - and what blocks it!

Chapters include:

The Hart Dietary Procedure Plan - Oxalic Acid Definitions and Purpose - Avoid the Blockers - Electric Magnetic Fields - Supplementation - Precautions - Applications - Cancer Diets for Adults, Adolescents, Children, Dogs and Cats - Other Specific Health Challenges - Recipes
......and much, much more!

Other book of interest: Oxalic Acids in Biology and Medicine by A. Hodgkinson

More information at Col Joe's website:

http://www.coljoe.com



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Tylenol Overdoses - Doses Cut to Prevent Overdoses

Tylenol doses cut to prevent overdoses

This came out on a AP wire, but little good did it do me as I have stopped taking Tylenol almost 2 years ago. Also, will never touch Motrin again and thankful for it. Those of you who do however, take Tylenol, read this and see if you want to continue Russian Roulette.

Johnson & Johnson is cutting the max daily dose of Extra Strength Tylenol in order to lower the risk of accidental overdose from it's active ingredient acetaminophen, which is one of the top causes of liver failure. But not just Tylenol, other common pain meds people take for chronic joint and particularly knee pain are Percocet, Vicodin, and even some non pain meds like NyQuil and some Sudafed products.

The Associated Press article, says in part:

Starting sometime this fall, labels on Extra Strength Tylenol packages will now list the maximum daily dose as six pills, or a total of 3,000 milligrams, down from eight pills a day, or 4,000 milligrams.

Beginning next year, McNeil will also reduce the maximum daily dose for its Regular Strength Tylenol and other adult pain relievers containing acetaminophen, the most widely used pain killer in the country.

But people taking multiple medicines at once don't always realize how much acetaminophen they are ingesting, partly because prescription drug labels often list it under the abbreviation "APAP."

Two years ago, a panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration called for sweeping restrictions to prevent accidental fatal overdoses of acetaminophen.

Then in January, the FDA said it would cap the amount of acetaminophen in Vicodin, Percocet and other prescription pain killers at 325 milligrams per capsule — just under half the 700 milligram maximum of some products on the market then. The agency also said it was working with pharmacies and other medical groups to develop standard labeling for acetaminophen.

Excessive use of acetaminophen can cause liver damage. In the U.S., it's blamed for about 200 fatal overdoses and sends 56,000 people to the emergency room each year.

Extra Strength Tylenol is manufactured at a J&J factory in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, where production has been decreased for months because the FDA, concerned about manufacturing and quality problems, is requiring additional reviews and approvals before medicines can be shipped. J&J said shipments of Extra Strength Tylenol should ramp up in the latter part of this year and throughout next year.

Las Piedras is one of three factories implicated in most of the 25 Johnson & Johnson recalls since September 2009, involving tens of millions of bottles of Tylenol and other nonprescription drugs made by McNeil. Several prescription drugs, hip implants and contact lenses made by other J&J subsidiaries also have been recalled.

The recalls, for quality problems ranging from metal shavings and improper levels of active ingredients in some medicines to packaging with a nauseating odor, resulted in a consent decree between McNeil and the FDA this spring.

As a result, Las Piedras and a second factory, in Lancaster, Pa., are under additional scrutiny. The third factory, in Fort Washington, Pa., made children's medicines such as liquid Tylenol. It has been closed since April 2010 and is being gutted and completely rebuilt.


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Addiction Claims Another Star

Last week America learned of another, by drugs, of a music star. Amy Winehouse a very talented singer/songwriter joined Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin as giving their lives to their addiction to narcotics.

I wonder just how many average Americans, some of whom cannot begin to carry a tune or write song, are suffering with addiction to prescription pain killers...none more so than people with chronic knee, back and other joint pain, sometimes so debilitating some people seemingly can't go on.

It's much, much easier to get a Physician to write a script and for that person to become reliant on pain killers than it is for a person to wean themselves off of these complicated drugs. This is the silent addiction. The 800 mg Motrins, the Tylenol - Codeine tabs, the Percocets, Oxycontin, and far harsher others.

I think that in this society we have woven, people just procrastinate and rationalize everything. And no more dangerous is this, is it for people on pain killers or addicted to illegal narcotics. Some rationalize "Okay, when it starts becoming a problem, I'll get off it." Take pain killers for that joint pain or that back ache every day and you little by little degrade your body.

Others may think they need that pill each day in order to get through the day keeping their pain away...."I need these pills so I can walk without pain",..... Maybe so. But also is it so, that there is much people can do to try and eliminate their dependency upon these daily pain killers. It starts with changing the culture and reducing the "quick cure" on pain killers. It starts exploring all manner of alternative therapies - some of which have been in effective use a lot longer than prescription pain killers,...and it with starts with living a healthy life style.

I write about this because I have lost a close family member to suicide which was directly influenced by 13 prescription medications that person was on. I know many others who take daily pain killers,...some for neck pain,...some from residual pain from broken bones. I don't have the answers. And maybe I'm just fortunate not to have pain anymore. Just be careful on what you take. I know many people who think nothing of popping a few Tylenol or Motrin,......common sense, case examples, and now Tylenol decreasing the daily maximum dose all should lead you to reconsider how you use these products.



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Fire Your Doctor

No, I'm not suggesting you fire your Doctor,...just know when to. And before that, remember that you are in charge of your health, not your Doctor. This is a good article from Yahoo! Health, entitled "When to Fire Your Doctor"

9 Signs You Should Fire Your Doctor

Staying with a doctor you're not happy with is as harmful as staying in a relationship you know is bad because it's easier than making a change. But parting ways may be the healthiest move. Here are nine signs that it's time to fire your doctor. (For simplicity, the references below are to male doctors, but men don't have a monopoly on unacceptable behavior.)

1. You don't mesh. You and your doctor don't need to see eye to eye on everything, but it's helpful if you work well together. If you want a partnership, for example, a doctor who spouts commands is not the best fit. If you value warmth, you may not be able to build an effective relationship with a physician who seems formal or distant. "Some patients like doctors who are very direct and blunt," says Washington, D.C. based family physician Kenny Lin, who blogs for U.S. News. "And some patients can't stand that type of doctor because they think he or she isn't empathetic enough or doesn't provide enough options." When there's a mismatch, neither person is at fault—but it could be grounds for termination.

2. He doesn't respect your time. Do you routinely wait an hour to see your physician only to feel like he's speed-doctoring through the visit? You should never feel like you're being rushed. If your doctor doesn't take the time to answer your questions or address your concerns, there's a problem. The medical community is becoming increasingly sensitive to patients' precious time. When they're late for an appointment, some habitually tardy doctors have even begun compensating patients with money or gifts. If your doctor's chronic lateness makes you grind your teeth, why stay with him? Hint: If you're evaluating a prospective physician, investigate his timeliness beforehand.

3. He keeps you in the dark. A doctor should be open and thorough about why he recommends a certain treatment or orders a specific test, and he should share all results with you. "If a doctor doesn't explain himself, or at least not to your satisfaction, at that point a doctor is bad," Lin says. "I know doctors who have drawn blood or run a bunch of tests without telling patients why they're doing them
and what they mean." It's also important that a doctor uses terms you understand, rather than complicated medical jargon; otherwise, explanations are meaningless. Your health is too important to feel confused or uninformed.

4. He doesn't listen. Does your doctor hear you out without interrupting? "It all comes down to communication and whether you feel like you're asking questions and they're not being answered," says Carolyn Clancy, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. She recalls visiting a doctor for a second opinion on whether she should go through with a procedure recommended by her dentist. "He made a big leap—that I didn't want to have it done because I was afraid of the pain and kept reassuring me that it was virtually pain-free. That's not what I was asking. After three rounds, I concluded that we weren't going to get to a productive place, and I didn't go back."

5. The office staff is unprofessional. The receptionists are the link between you and the doctor. If they blow you off—or neglect to give your message to the physician, say about side effects of a new medication—your health could be at risk. Even if you like your doctor, a bad office staff could signal it's time to look elsewhere.

6. You don't feel comfortable with him, or wonder about his competence. Doctors need to know intimate details you may not even share with friends or family members. If you're unable to disclose such facts, you and your doctor may not be the right match. A sense of unease about his decisions and recommendations, even if you can't say exactly why, is also a perfectly legitimate reason for cutting the cord, says Don Powell, president of the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, a nonprofit that promotes healthy behavior through wellness programs and publications. Beware of sloppy medical mistakes, too: If your doctor prescribes a medication to which you're allergic, and you know that information is in your history, a separation may be in order.

7. He doesn't coordinate with other doctors. Your primary care physician should be the quarterback of your healthcare team, managing each step of the medical process. That means keeping track of specialists' reports and instructions and talking with you about their recommendations. If he's slacking, an important piece of your care could slip through the cracks.

8. He's unreachable. A good doctor is available for follow-up questions and concerns. Patient advocate Trisha Torrey, author of You Bet Your Life! The 10 Mistakes Every Patient Makes, recalls the time her husband developed severe tooth pain on a weekend. His dentist's voicemail included a cell phone number and a promise of a quick response, but he never heard back. An emergency clinic visit and root canal later, he told his dentist she was fired. A growing number of doctors are making themselves available to patients via E-mail, text message, and Skype, and at the very least, you need to know that in an emergency, you won't be left hanging.

9. He's rude or condescending. Time to part ways. Same goes if he trivializes your concerns as though they're not valid. One of the clearest signs you should move on is if he walks out of the room while you're still talking, says Clancy. That's what happened when her sister met with a surgeon to determine if her daughter should go through with a procedure. "When my sister finished asking her question, the doctor was gone," Clancy recalls. "She called me afterward and I told her, 'You have to find someone else. You'll regret it if you don't.'"

MyAchingKnees comment,...and another thing, remember that most Doctors don't know a thing about the benefits of Nutrition and high quality Nutritional Supplements. A friend of mine's pregnant wife was told by her Doctor, when asked about supplements and pre-natal vitamins, just to go buy some Centrum at the Drug Store. Centrum, a well know name in daily supplements received a score of 5.2, no, not 52, but 5 point 2 out of 100 in the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. Yeah, I'm gonna but that!


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Don't Accept Your Pain!

I recently read a short article in the USA today about joint pain and other pain from degenerative diseases. Imagine my shock when part of the article talked about Accepting Your Pain.

The article when on to say, words to the effect, that is doesn’t mean accepting the fact that you will live our the rest of your life in pain, but to just change the way you think about the pain. Don’t resist the pain,…learn to live with it and you’ll function much better as acceptance is about moving forward and focusing on the positives and you will be thankful for it.

Really?. I have a different viewpoint. Rather than accept your pain,...DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Of course you need to be positive. You can’t walk around being Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh where life has dealt you a crap sandwich and you walk around with the “old poor you” perspective. Take responsibility for your health and the pain. Research treatments and effectiveness. Partner with your medical care providers. Ask questions. Do not discount anything other than conventional medical treatments. Do not rely solely on pain medications. In fact, be very, very careful on pain medications as they can mask the symptoms and have life changing side effects.


DO start to build your health.

· Eat better first of all by eliminating the bad foods;

· Start the highest quality nutritional supplements you can find since the simple fact is that you cannot get all the nutrients you need from foods alone – where do you think the “degenerative” process comes from?...maybe it comes from lack of nutrients for your body to effectively fight off degenerative disease;

· Do whatever physical exercise you can do, given your condition and pain;

· Reduce your exposure to toxins.

Don’t be Eeyore, anymore.

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