Creatine has another Victim

Lyle left a question on the post "Link between Creatine and Chronic Joint Pain?": "Did you notice any improvement since going off creatine? I'm taking Beast Creature creatine and my shoulders have started to hurt so bad it wakes me up at night. I will stop taking it today and I hope I'll get some relief. I did however see positive results in power but I can't take this pain and no sleep. Also noticed joint pains."

By the time you read this Lyle, your joint pain should be gone. I quit taking Creatine years. Again it was years ago, but as I remember it took a week or so to get the Creatine flushed out of my body. It's kind of interesting, but the gimmick supplements are cyclic. They hit the market, gain popularity, fall out of favor, then return to bother a whole new generation of users.

Creatine has some properties to neutralize or otherwise combat build up of lactic acid (waste product) produced from muscle fatigue and weight lifters report that they get a better "pump" using Creatine,.....but at what expense? your joints? No thanks.

If not Creatine, then what? Everyone should be a high quality daily multi-mineral, multi-vitamin supplement because you just cannot get the nutrients you need from today's food supply. And if they have joint pain, the two main optimizers for joint pain relief are Glucosamine and Vitamin C, given no structural damage requiring surgery. I also think the Curcumin can help the efficacy of the Glucosamine and Vitamin C. After four plus decade abusing my body and joints, I attribute the almost total extinction of my knee and back pain to pharmaceutical grade supplements including Glucosamine, Vitamin C and a deritive of Curcumin.

An quality Omega 3 Fatty Acid supplement can also help by reducing the oxidative stress from having a imbalance of Omega 6's to Omega 3's from which often non-specific joint pain is thought to be an effect from.

If you are lifting weights, especially heavy weight, you may want to replace all the exercises that turn your palms away from you, e.g... traditional bench presses and over head presses, and instead try replacement exercises that rotate the palms in, towards each other. This should reduce some of the stress on your shoulder joint.



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Preventing Illness and Disease with Vitamin C

A good article, from tvgreenmedinfo.com educating us on the importance of Vitamin C as told by Dr Linus Pauling who work is still alive at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University where they do Micronutrient Research for Optimum Health. I take a daily dose of 2,125 mg of Vitamin C. I take Vitamin C at this amount to help with connective tissue health at my joints and for general anti-oxidant protection from free radical damage.

I like the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI) as they know that a quality nutritional supplement is key to optimal health. In fact LPI recommends "Avoid gimmicky marketing and high-priced supplements; buy U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) grade supplements when possible. A “USP Verified” mark on the label ensures quality, purity, and potency of the supplement."

Linus Pauling discusses the vital importance of vitamin C in human health and disease, and why scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) is the most prevalent health problem of our time, underlying even heart disease as the #1 killer in the developed world.

Linus Carl Pauling (February 28, 1901 – August 19, 1994) was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century. Pauling was one of the founders of the fields of quantum chemistry and molecular biology.

For his scientific work, Pauling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954. In 1962, for his peace activism, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This makes him the only person to be awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes. He is one of only four individuals to have won more than one Nobel Prize (the others being Marie Curie, John Bardeen, and Frederick Sanger). Pauling is one of only two people to be awarded Nobel Prizes in different fields (Chemistry and Peace), the other being Marie Curie (Chemistry and Physics).




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Healthy Drinks

I found this article on FitnessMagazine.com concerning healthy drinks. Go read the original article here.

The article starts off by stating "Say So Long to Soda", which is great advice as soda pop, diet or otherwise, especially with the artificial sweetener Aspartame, is a terrible product to consume.

Fitness Magazine offer's the tip to drink plain water or sparkling water with lemon instead of soda. However most people want some type of actual flavor rather than drinking something that tastes like you emptied it out of a clothes iron. So Fitness Magazine also offers these recommendations:

Green Tea

The Benefit: Helps reduce risk of osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, and cavities. Green tea contains a rich concentration of flavonoids and polyphenols, natural antioxidants that may protect cells from carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) and inhibit tumor growth by helping to neutralize free radicals in the body. The tea's antioxidants may also guard against heart disease by relaxing blood vessels, inhibiting the formation of blood clots that trigger heart attacks and strokes. Green tea also contains fluoride, which strengthens teeth; the flavonoids may build up bones as well, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and tooth decay. Calories: 0

Mint Tea

The Benefit: Eases cramps and helps ward off indigestion. "Mint is an antispasmodic, so it can relax muscles, which combats stiffness and aches," says Susan Lark, MD, author of The Chemistry of Success (Bay Books, 1999). It also aids in digestion by promoting the movement of food through the digestive tract. Calories: 0

One Percent Reduced-Fat Milk

The Benefit: Curbs cravings and helps protect against osteoporosis. Because it has the components of a healthy meal -- carbohydrates, protein, and a little fat -- you absorb it slowly and stay full longer, says Molly Pelzer, RD, a nutrition educator in Tipton, Iowa. It also stabilizes blood sugar, so you're less susceptible to cravings. Milk is the ideal source of calcium, because it contains vitamin D, which is needed for maximum calcium absorption. It may also help your body stop storing fat. In a recent study, women who consumed three to four servings of low-fat dairy foods (milk being one) lost nearly twice as much weight as those who took in lower amounts. "The calcium causes your body's cells to burn the fat instead of holding on to it," says Pelzer. "This makes it easier to reach and maintain your goal
weight." Calories: 120 for 8 ounces.

MyAchingKnees Comment: I buy whole milk and cut it to a 1:1 ratio with cold tap water. Tastes good and makes my bucks go a greater distance. Also use this same mix for my low-glycemic meal replacement drinks every morning.

Soy Milk

The Benefit: Lowers risk of heart disease. Soy milk contains soluble fiber and soy protein, which lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and triglycerides, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. If you're drinking it instead of cow's milk, buy soy milk fortified with calcium and vitamins A and D. One caveat: Soy contains phytoestrogens, which may be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. Talk to
your doctor about drinking soy milk if you have a family history of the disease or have had it yourself. Calories: 81 for 8 ounces.

MyAchingKnees Comment: Sure, drink Soy milk if you can stand the taste. I'd rather drink warm ketchup juice.

Hot Chocolate

The Benefit: Improves mood and may help protect against heart disease. Chocolate increases the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is responsible for regulating mood. (Low levels of serotonin have been associated with depression.) Cocoa is also rich in polyphenols, plant-derived antioxidants that may protect cells against oxidative damage that can lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels, possibly putting you at higher risk for a heart attack. Calories: 195 for 8 ounces homemade cocoa; 115 for a powdered mix.

MyAchingKnees Comment: My choice over Hot Chocolate? Black Coffee.

Low-Sodium Tomato Juice

The Benefit: May protect against numerous cancers. Processed tomato products are the richest source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been associated with a reduced risk of lung and stomach cancer, as well as pancreatic, colorectal, esophageal, oral, breast, and cervical cancers. Lycopene also appears to protect the lungs and heart against oxidative damage, helping to ward off cardiovascular disease. Calories: 31 for 6 ounces.

Cranberry Juice

The Benefit: Helps prevent gum disease. Research suggests that the same antibacterial properties present in cranberry juice that fight off urinary tract infections may also protect against periodontal disease. Experts theorize that a component of the juice called nondialysable material (NDM) inhibits bacteria from sticking to the gums. Many nutritionists are wary of fruit juices because of their sugar content, so limit your intake to no more than one glass (6 to 8 ounces) daily. "Make sure the label says 100 percent juice, not 'juice drink' or 'cocktail,'" suggests Heidi Reichenberger, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. You can find this type of juice in health-food stores and some supermarkets. Calories: 140 for 8 ounces.

Orange Juice

The Benefit: May ward off cataracts, cancers, and birth defects and boost immunity. An excellent source of vitamin C, orange juice is also a potent antioxidant that may protect against a variety of diseases including cataracts (a clouding of the eye's lens that can lead to blindness) and lung cancer. Vitamin C may prevent oxidative damage that can cause cells to become cancerous, and it improves immune-cell functioning, enabling your body to fight off infections more efficiently. And it's a good source of folate, which protects against neural-tube defects in fetuses. To get the extra benefit of bone protection, try some calcium-fortified orange juice. Calories: 115 for 8 ounces.

MyAchingKnees Comment: Make sure you buy the "not from concentrate". I drink the brand called "Simply Orange" and in fact I use all their juice products - "not from concentrate". Vitamin C is also a nutrient thought to be significant for joint health, particularly connective tissue health. Vitamin C is one of the ingredients in the Glucosamine based product I take.

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Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation

Vitamin D is now thought to be much more necessary, in advanced doses, not only for optimum health and as protection against degenerative disease, but for joint health as well. Even though I attribute my pain free knees to pharmaceutical grade Glucosamine and Omega 3 Fatty Acids, I have also added a pharmaceutical grade Calcium and Vitamin D supplement as well. Click here to find out more about these products.

From Doctor Ray Strand, www.raystrand.com

A four year clinical was done that involved nearly 1200 women. This is the kind of study physicians love and always talk about when it comes to pharmaceutical trials. However, very few of them realize that there are these kinds of studies regarding the health benefits of taking supplements. Subjects were assigned to take 1400 mg of calcium alone, or 1400 mg of calcium plus 1100 IU of vitamin D, or a placebo. After only 4 years, the risk of developing any type of cancer was 60% lower in the vitamin D group. If you excluded the cancers diagnosed in the first year because these cancers were most likely already present before the study, there was a 77% reduction in all types of cancer in the vitamin D group.

The researchers pointed out that vitamin D has an effect on at least 200 human genes and is critical in the normal functioning of our immune system and cell division. When there is less than an optimal level of vitamin D, the regulatory process involving cell proliferation and differentiation becomes defective. This can lead to abnormal cell division and thus cancer growth. However, if individuals simply supplement their diet with 1100 IU of vitamin D, they can significantly decrease their risk of all cancers.