February 1, 2010

Worked my butt off this past weekend, cleaning the house for an anticipated visit by my father-in-law’s wife’s brother and his wife, from Italy. Seems the guy is reported to be allergic to cats. Heh. That would make ours the wrong house to visit, as a general rule (we’re down to 24 now, having just lost Misty, our oldest, on this past Christmas Eve Day).
 
But, as these nice folks have never been in the States before, in the interests of international diplomacy, we decided to go the extra mile and super clean the place to make it “safe” for an allergy sufferer.
 
But first, we had to trap the cats and confine them. Otherwise, you’re just spinning your wheels. Fortunately, like me and most of our friends, they’re “food sluts.” Nothing they wouldn’t do, no place they wouldn’t go, for a tasty meal. So, my wife and I cracked open a few cans of wet cat food and played “Pied Piper” with them.
 
It’s quite a sight to see them all following the aroma of the food, right into the bedrooms, where we locked them in for the day. Then, we could work in peace.
 
So, we finished the house and then set about making some food. One thing about Italians is that they know good food. So we pulled out all the stops.  Turned out pretty well, too. They seemed to like everything and had seconds….
 
Nice couple they were: Mario and Tina. Live near Naples (the real one, not the one in Florida), have four kids, the oldest of whom is now in his forties. And they speak no English. Fortunately, Anna, Charlie’s wife and Mario’s sister, is bilingual, so we had our own built-in interpreter. Very lovely people. And we had a good time.
 
During the meal, Mario mentioned to my father-in-law that his son was supposed to have surgery on his knee. Between Anna’s interpretations and sign lingo, I was made to understand that he was having arthroscopic surgery on his lateral mensicus, which according to an MRI scan, was torn. And, since he found out that I was an orthopaedic surgeon, he naturally wanted to know if I thought that surgery was necessary.
 
Pretty good question, really. I pointed out to him that if he had read my book on treating knee pain, DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html  he would know the answer. And a lot has to do with the nature of the tear, where in the meniscus it is, and how active he intends to be after surgery. And all that is assuming that the tear actually exists.
 
The MRI scan is a great tool for diagnosis. On the medial side of the joint (inner side), its accuracy is about 90-95%. But, because of the screwy anatomy of the lateral compartment of the knee joint, MRI findings of the lateral meniscus are only about 60% accurate. So, actual pathology has to confirmed at arthroscopy, before you can begin to decide on appropriate treatment.
 
Apparently, he got the injury playing football. Not our idea of football, as in the Superbowl, but European football, or soccer. The rapid twisting, cutting movements in that game result in lots of meniscal tears. And, despite his age, he’d like to continue playing, after the proposed procedure. That being the case, he SHOULD have the surgery. 
 
If he was a low demand user, ie., a couch potato, then the same injury need not be treated so aggressively. In fact, the pain could then be treated with a number of the non-surgical options that I recommend, from across the entire medical spectrum, including the best alternative treatments, in my newest healing program, HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY: http://www.drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html  
 
The exercises I show you, plus one, or several, of the other simple, easy to apply solutions for knee pain, including the anti- inflammatory properties of my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA,  http://www.favoriteformulas.com    an ultra pure, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, can often get rid of your knee pain fast and keep it gone, for good. Two capsules, twice a day, for a couple of months should do the trick, by reducing inflammation.
 
He felt very reassured that his son was making the right decision. And he was relieved that he had every reason to believe that his recovery would be fast and uneventful. Especially after I told him that I’d had such surgery myself and obviously, did well.
 
Then, it was time for them to make the run to the Orlando International Airport. Another of his sons was flying in to visit and they were going to pick him up. Naturally, they all want to go to Disney World.
 
So, having done our bit for U.S. international relations, and made two new friends, we all said “Ciao!” and bid them farewell. After a few well-earned moments of peace, for ourselves, the bride and I released the feline hordes, who descended on the kitchen, looking for more food!  There’s no end to it!
 
And, you know, that guy, Mario, never sneezed once! Guess we did a pretty good job. Well, that’s it for today, my friend. 
 
Remember that very soon, now, I will be asking you to sign up again, if you’d like to continue getting my daily emails and commentary, when I switch to a new server to improve email reliability and delivery. I know it’s a pain in the butt, but it’s necessary. 
 
On the other hand, if you’d like to bail, but were afraid of hurting my feelings, just don’t do anything and that will be done for you–you’ll just stop getting these daily ramblings and musings. To continue, you will have to take action, when the time comes.
 
Anyway, be well. Talk to you soon. 

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
 
Dr. Bill
 
“The Wellness warrior”         TM

P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html 
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html 
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION

Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved

January 27, 2010

Really reaching back through the dim mists of time for this one, today. We’ve been toying with the idea of getting another large flat screen TV for the bedroom wall. Originally thought about doing this for Christmas, as a gift to ourselves, but budget constraints and other expenses put the kibosh on that.
 
While considering this, with all the pre-Super Bowl sales going on, I had occasion to think of the many TV’s we have and those we’ve had in the past. Now, I don’t use the TV continually. I read quite a bit, too. But I tend to get most of my news from the TV, I enjoy the news analysis and opinion shows and I’m a sucker for a classic movie–hooks me right in.
 
(Have you ever noticed that even if you OWN the movie, on a DVD or tape, you just HAVE to see it, if it comes on TV? Or is that just me?)
 
Anyway, this all caused me to reflect on my very first TV, back in the 50’s. Now, I realize that you, like many others, may not have been alive then. And it may be difficult for you to imagine a world without a color TV somewhere in it. But the first TV’s were black and white. 
 
Ours was a big console, a real piece of wooden furniture, with this rounded greenish, cream colored screen, maybe 13 inches wide or so. It had rounded corners and a curved front and a few very basic controls. My Dad always tried to provide the best for his family, so we were the first on our block to get one, or so I recall.
 
I remember the day it arrived, in this gigantic cardboard box. It was quite the event. My mother, me and I think, one of my friends(though I don’t remember who) were there for the unwrapping. The delivery guys lifted the big wooden console out and placed it against the wall in our living room. This was in the semi-attached house on 88th Street in Brooklyn, between 3rd and 4th Avenues, so the neighbors were all agog at this development, on display.
 
I DO remember playing with the box, crawling around inside and playing hide and seek. I had no idea that I should have been interested in the screen. Had no idea what it was. Never saw one before. Didn’t take long to find out, though.
 
Although they came with rabbit ear antennae at that time, my father had sprung for a real antenna, for installation on the roof, to improve reception. It didn’t take long for me to see the potential. I had a number of favorite shows: Howdy Doody with Buffalo Bob(and Clarabell the clown, Flubbadub, Mr. Bluster, Indian Princess Summer-Fall-Winter-Spring, Chief Thunderthud and the rest of the gang), The Lone Ranger (stirring strains of the William Tell Overture, and the sonorous tones of the announcer: “Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear…the Lone Ranger rides again…”), Captain Midnight (sponsored by Ovaltine–I never DID like that stuff, but I loved the show), and perhaps my favorite, “Winky Dink and You.”
 
This last was an early educational show for kids. Winky Dink was what we’d call today a virtual character: he was this animated guy, with a big, five-pointed star for a head. Winky dink would give you hints about the object that was developing in front of you, as dots on the TV screen. 
 
You were supposed to apply a special orange plastic film to your TV screen, so you could draw on it and connect the dots, to make the picture. Very clever, interactive idea to educate kids and get them involved. Only, we didn’t have the special screen. So, seeing no real impediment to connecting the dots, I drew directly on the actual TV screen, with a grease crayon.
 
Mom nearly had a stroke! I remember her scrubbing that crayon off the family treasure. I was in bad odor for a while (though she never could stay mad at me for long). I also loved “Captain Video and his Video Rangers” (beloved of Ed Norton, on the Jackie Gleason classic, “The Honeymooners”), “Tom Corbett, Space Cadet” and many others. All in black and white, all primitive by today’s standards, but a whole world of imagination, right in our living room. 
 
It’s different today. Five year old kids are more facile with computer screens and iPhones than I am. Ah well. We are each a product of our respective Age, aren’t we? Today, many of us have a TV in every room, some so large that they rival the movie experience, images so crisp and defined in living color that they seem to include us in the action on the screen. That’s progress….
 
Yet, in many ways I was just as happy with my big cardboard box and my imagination, too innocent to know that the TV itself was the key to many worlds of wonder. It was a different world then (Alert! Sure sign of advancing age…).
 
Same thing with Medicine in that time. Mostly, it was GP’s, General Practicioners (Family Practicioners in today’s parlance). Specialists, like surgeons were relatively uncommon and the GP’s actually DID surgery, set bones, you name it. Primitive by today’s scientific standards, but warm and comforting, too.
 
In those days, many home remedies were used side-by-side with the latest advances in medical science. The Family doctor knew that many of these remedies worked, so they were an accepted adjunct to treatment. When Big Pharma became Big Pharma, however, all that changed. Like priests of sacred secrets, who do not wish to share their monopoly with the laity, many of today’s doctors view alternative, home remedies with contempt, citing the lack of double blind, controlled studies. Yet, many of these simple remedies WORK.
 
Take fish oil, for example. Literally thousands of well designed studies have shown that the omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil have tremendous potential for healing and for preventing heart attacks, lowering blood pressure, slowing (or even reversing) arterial plaque, lowering triglycerides and (with garlic) lowering cholesterol, and even combatting the pain of arthritis, on account of its potent  anti-inflammatory properties. All this, and virtually NO serious side effects (something you CAN’T say about many drugs, including Advil and Aleve).
 
Yet many conventional physicians STILL don’t fully recognize the healing potential of these natural remedies. Lucky for you, you have ME. And my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA http://www.favoriteformulas.com  Used with a healthy diet, sensible habits and daily exercise, like my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html  it can not only help you optimize your health, but help extend you life, as well. Regarding supplements, alternative and natural remedies, in many cases, it’s “Back To The Future,” using the best of them, in conjunction with the latest cutting edge medical technologies, to give you the best chance of being your very best.
 
Well, that’s it for today, my friend. If you haven’t done so, please go by and sign up for my Podcasts and Video Podcasts at iTunes or http://thewellnesswarrior.mypodcastworld.com   Til next time, be well.
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,
 
Dr. Bill
 
“The Wellness Warrior”           TM 
 
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html 
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html 
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
 
Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved

January 28, 2010

Just finished hearing President Obama’s first offical State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress, last night. Also listened to the Republican response by Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia, from the Virginia State House, in Richmond. And I just finished reading some comments about the speech, left by some of our fellow citizens on MSNBC. Truly incredible (and frightening, in that these imbeciles probably vote).
 
If you ever want to feel much smarter than you probably are, just read some of what passes for political commentary by the public: Long on passion, short on facts and sense. They were in fine fettle today, I can tell you that!
 
Well, if you’re expecting me to tear The One a new one, sorry. Not my job. Instead, I will share a few of my observations on specific points that stuck out in my mind, during the speech. Make of them what you will.
 
Overall, the tone of the speech was somewhat defiant, in the face of the very obvious public message delivered in the loss of Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat (held for over 40 years) to Scott Brown, a Republican who rode independent displeasure with the Administration’s policies, especially on Health Care, to a win in last week’s special election. It was also somewhat pedagogic–he was actually lecturing and several times, sounded like he was scolding.
 
That’s the thing about this guy–he sounds perfectly reasonable when he’s delivering a speech. But then you see how he executes what he says, or IF he does. And that does not often compute with the facts. 
 
First, there he goes again…blaming Bush. It’s been a year. He knew coming in that this was the situation. I will NOT defend Bush’s record on spending; it’s indefensible. However, I will observe that quadrupling the deficit is probably NOT the most fiscally sound move that Obama could make. But his constant whining about Bush causing all this is unseemly and as often as he’s used this ploy, it’s wearing mighty thin….
 
He is taking credit for such recovery signs as are currently evident and attributing this to his Stimulus Package (even though the bulk of the money has STILL not been spent). He says now that his number one priority is JOBS and proposed a new jobs bill. Yet, he intends to impose a tax on “Big Banks,” which will further inhibit lending by said banks, which, as a result, will also inhibit small businesses from hiring new workers. 
 
But, on a positive note, he proposed eliminating capital gains taxes and tax credits for small businesses. He is still sticking by Cap and Trade legislation, even though that’s been proclaimed DOA and is deeply unpopular, based as it is on phony “climate change” assumptions.
 
On Energy, he called for new nuclear power plants, clean coal technology, biofuels, and…be still my beating heart…offshore drilling of new oil and gas reserves. Terrific. Only…does he mean it and can we believe him? That’s not cynicism. Based on past performance, that’s a reasonable question.
 
And, completely ignoring or willfully misreading the message sent by the election of Scott Brown, and the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, he STILL wants to pass some kind of Health Care Insurance Reform. He SAYS he thinks it’s because he hasn’t explained it enough to the American people. This, from a guy who spends more time on TV than in the Oval Office. Amazing.
 
News flash to the President: Sir, it is BECAUSE they understand it all too well that the public has rejected this monstrosity. And they don’t want it.
 
Again with the straw man argument that if you’re against this Health Care Reform plan, you’re FOR the status quo. Again with the litany of claims that you can keep your own doctor or plan (you can’t), that it will reduce costs (it can’t; it won’t), it will reduce the deficit by over one trillion over the next two decades (a mathematical impossibility) and a few true claims: it WILL cover pre- existing conditions, and prevent care from being denied when you’re sick. He never mentioned the QUALITY of care, or the possiblity of rationing, which is my biggest worry.
 
And then, the completely disingenuous claim that if anyone has a better idea, let him know. He wants to know. Please. There was virtually NO outreach to the minority party. They deliberately kept the Republicans out of the deliberations and shot down any of their more reasonable ideas, like: Buying insurance policies over state lines; Requiring coverage for pre-existing conditions; True tort reform; Medical Savings Accounts.
 
So, it’s not dead yet. Given that, my advice is that you protect yourself now, by getting in shape and staying that way. Lose weight. Watch your diet. Get started on my pharmaceutical grade fish oil  http://www.favoriteformulas.com  which will reduce your risks of heart attacks and strokes, lower blood pressure, reduce joint pain and inflammation and lower triglycerides and (with garlic)cholesterol.
 
Daily exercise is crucial and the closest thing we have to a true “Fountain of Youth.” I’d recommend my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD:  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html   together with a walking program, to help you control weight, reduce insulin resistance and boost immunity. It will also help to prevent or eliminate knee pain, if that’s an issue for you.
 
He then moved on and proposed a spending freeze, of all discretionary government spending (except for the military, Medicare, Medicaid) to begin in 2011 (after first raising the spending by 24% just this year, thereby locking those increases in place). And he reiterated his proposal for increased income taxes for citizens earning over $250,000.
 
And, as a sop to his left-wing base, he called for legislation to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy of Bill Clinton, to allow gays to serve openly in the military. All the problems we have and THIS is what he’s worried about. I feel safer now…
 
But my favorite moment was his ringing call to arms…eh…sanctions for Iran and North Korea and improved security against terrorists. The cameras then cut to Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, who sat there wide-eyed and looked like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. I’ll bet the mullahs are just $hitting themselves in fear….Oy!
 
He closed with an invocation of the American character: “In the end, it’s our ideals and our values that built America.” How I wish I could believe that HE believed that. But his every action belies that statement.
 
So, this speech was, in my opinion, redux, not reset. Many had predicted that he would press reset on his agenda, listen to the electorate and swing to the Center, like Bill Clinton did. But this guy is a true man of the left, not a pragmatic centrist like Clinton. He’s a true believer. So I don’t see him doing that. Instead, he’s doubling down. “I don’t quit,” he said. God help us all. 
 
The Republican response was the best in recent memory. The key points? We should restore the proper role of government and not increase taxes and litigation. Create energy jobs and lower energy prices. And, in a reference to the Christmas Crotch Bomber fiasco, we should use our dollars to defeat terrorists, not defend them. Pretty good stuff.

Well, November is coming…take solace in that. If Obama doesn’t get it now, maybe he’ll get it then. Til next time, my friend, be well.
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,
 
Dr. Bill
 
“The Wellness Warrior”              TM
 
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html 
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html 
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
 
Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved

January 26, 2010

I got an email from a friend of mine, about someone with a peculiar hip pain. Seems this guy had a sudden onset of a popping over the outer aspect of his hip, when he twisted. This was accompanied by pain down the back of his thigh. Naturally, he was concerned. So my friend asked me what I thought.
 
Well, y’know, there are always a number of conditions that can cause a similar pattern of symptoms. But it’s an old, but true saying popular in medical circles: “When you hear hoofbeats, don’t think of zebras.” Meaning, of course, that the most common cause is usually the answer.
 
In this case, the guy probably had an acute onset of ITB (iliotibial band) tendinitis. The ITB is a thick, wide fibrous band that runs down the side of the leg, like a wide tuxedo stripe, from the pelvis and the abductor muscles at the side of the hip, overlying that lump of bone that you probably call your “hip bone,” and I call the greater trochanter.
 
If this band was injured, or irritated, perhaps by a minor bump, now forgotten, that minor injury might have been sufficient to provoke the cell-mediated, delayed inflammation I spoke about yesterday. Then, the tissues can become swollen and thicker than normal, causing the band to impinge on the underlying lump of bone (which is all “trochanter” really means). Any twisting or torsional movement would then cause the band to snap or pop over the trochanter, like plucking a banjo string.
 
The resultant pain would follow the path of the anatomy, down the side of the leg. Not uncommonly, its back edge is the most tender, hence the pain “down the back of the leg.” This can sometimes mimic sciatica, though that is usually NOT accompanied by sound effects, nor is it provoked by twisting motions at the hip. And true sciatica is often a severe, burning pain, often accompanied by numbness, or muscular weakness, or even reduced or absent reflexes in the distribution of specific nerve root(s). From the description, this man had something quite diffferent.
 
And this particular condition (ITB Tendinitis) can be double trouble, as well. Wherever the pain starts, it can also cause pain at its other end, where it crosses the outer aspect of the knee joint, to insert on the small bump of bone at the outer, upper tibia (shin bone), called Gerde’s Tubercle. 
 
So it’s not uncommon to see hip AND knee pain from this entity. That’s the probem with a long structure that crosses two joints–it can cause pain anywhere along its entire length and at both ends, as well.  

So, what to do?
 
Fortunately, the same measures are effective whatever part of the ITB is inflamed. So treatments intended for the knee ARE effective for symptoms from the hip and vice versa. Here are a few helpful things you can do for relief:
 
First, you need to avoid any activities that aggravate the structure and cause the popping. 
 
Second, relieve stress and tension on the band, by using a cane in the hand opposite the affected side. 
 
Third, rest with your hips apart (abducted). A good way to do this is to put a couple of pillows between your knees. 
 
If you must sit, do so on a pillow, or gel pad, as the greater trochanters roll backwards when you sit and if you sit on a hard chair, that can actually cause pain and just make things worse. 
 
If symptoms have just started, ice the tender area a few times a day. 
 
After the first 48 hours, switch to moist heat. 
 
Reduce inflammation short term, by using Advil or Aleve. BUT, you must take these NSAID drugs with food, to protect your stomach from side effects, which include gastritis, reflux, ulcers and bleeding. 
 
Long term, I’d recommend a high quality pharmaceutical grade fish oil, like my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA, http://www.favoriteformulas.com   which lacks any significant side effects, but has potent, proven anti-inflammatory properties. Once the “fire” is out, you can then begin gentle stretching and strengthening exercises for the ITB, like those I teach in my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM, available here at:  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exrrcise_eliminate.html
 
As with any tendon problem, healing is slow, because the iliotibioal band is mainly fibrous tissue, which has a very poor blood supply. So slow and steady progress, without repetitive aggravation of symptoms, is the way to go. I’ve had this particular condition myself, so I know these measures work. You just need patience and “tincture of time.” Til next time, my friend, be well.  Talk to you soon.
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
 
Dr. Bill
 
“The Wellness Warrior”        TM
 
(Be sure to sign up for my Podcasts at iTunes, or http://thewellnesswarrior.mypodcastworld.com)
 
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html 
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
 
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html 
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
 
Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved

January 25, 2010

Over the weekend, I got an email from a subscriber who complained of a very common problem. So, I thought I’d pass it along, as you may well have, or have had, this same problem yourself.
 
He wrote that he had developed a pop or snapping sensation inside his knee, which had cause him to start having pain, when bending or straightening the joint. He didn’t recall any specific injury to the knee.
 
That’s not at all uncommon, you know. Many is the time that patients came to see me in the office with an obvious injury, yet they couldn’t remember any such trauma in the recent past. In these cases, what I surmised is that they had a minor injury, perhaps a bump into the corner of a piece of furniture, not bad enough to remember, so it didn’t register. 
 
But over a few days, the incident now forgotten, the body set up a “delayed” inflammation, mediated by a cellular response. From the standpoint of the patient, this pain seemed to come out of the blue. But there really WAS an injury–just not one they could recall.
 
I’ve had this happen, myself. It was only when I really made the effort to remember and retrace my steps that I finally recalled the minor bump, several days before, that was the cause of the pain. That’s more likely to happen, now that I’m back on my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA  http://www.favoriteformulas.com
 
The pharmaceutical grade fish oil has real anti-coagulant properties, among others, like preventing heart attacks and strokes, anti-inflammatory properties, and many others. While that’s usually a good thing, preventing abnormal clots and deep vein thrombosis, the price you pay is a greater tendency to bruise, which is simply bleeding under the skin.
 
Blood in the tissues is a common cause for delayed inflammation and resultant pain. In this case, this person likely had a bruise, which he no longer recalls, which then set up the inflammation, which then resulted in inflammation of the synovial membrane, that lines the knee. 
 
The synovium normally has a few small folds from birth. When these folds are swollen from inflammation, they enlarge into plicae(meaning “folds” in Latin). These plicae can then snap, or pop, as they are rubbed against the bony contours of the end of the femur, within the knee. In effect, they are plucked, like the strings of a guitar, when bending or extending the knee.
 
If the inflammation is chronic, lasting for an extended period of time, the synovial membrane may be replaced by thick, fibrous tissue, thereby becoming a stiff cord of scar. Once that happens, that plica is there for good. It can only be removed by surgery. 
 
Prior to that, however, the irritated and swollen fold in the membrane can be shrunk, by using one, or several, of the many            non-surgical treatments in my newest healing program, HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY http://www.drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
In the short term, ice applications, for the first 24-48 hours helps, because the cold constricts the blood vessels, thereby limiting the amount of bleeding and swelling in the injured tissues. After that, intermittent heat is more beneficial. 
 
How do you know when to switch?
 
See how it feels. If heat makes the knee hurt more, then it still needs ice. If, on the other hand it feels good, then heat is what’s needed. Like we used to say in the 60’s and 70’s: “If it feels good, do it.”
 
And, though this may seem like just common sense, you should NOT continue to snap the knee. Continually “plucking the string” will only prolong the ongoing inflammation, maintaining the swelling of the tissues and preventing resolution. To keep the knee still, you may need to place it in a knee immobilizer, which will hold it straight, while still allowing weight bearing.
 
If you follow these few tips and use the methods I outline in HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY, http://www.drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html  and you will get fast relief, shrink the plica and get rid of that irksome, snapping knee pain. Til next time, my friend, be well. Talk to you again, soon.
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
 
Dr. Bill
 
“The Wellness warrior”       TM
 
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html 
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html 
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
 
Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved

January 22, 2010

With all the ansgt leading up to the special election in Massachusetts and all the hoopla after Scott Brown’s amazing victory, this nearly slipped through the cracks. But I just couldn’t let it pass, without comment.
 
Last week, former Home Run King Mark McGwire finally admitted to using steroids during the 1998 season, when he broke Roger Marris’ home run record (#61) and went on to set a new record. He retired in 2001, with a lifetime 583 homers. 
 
Well…for most of us, this announcement wasn’t really news.
 
Judging from Mr. McGwire’s rather evasive answers to the Congressional Committee investigation of PED (Performance Enhancing Drugs), in professional baseball, it was pretty clear to all that he probably did use them. But he was looking to avoid self-incrimination before Congress. And, really, under those circumstances, how can you blame him?
 
In any case, his recent public confession has removed all doubt. His defenders point out that he hit plenty of home runs before he ever took PED’s. And McGwire himself said that he “had a gift” for hitting homers, and he always did. He also said that he only used the steroids and growth hormone shots to help him heal faster after injuries, which is actually a pretty good argument in his defense.
 
Detractors, however, consider this revelation grounds for keeping him out of the Hall of Fame, maybe forever. Mark says, with some justice, that he had plenty of muscle without the steroids. And that they do not add anything to the hand-eye coordination necessary to hitting home runs.
 
He’s right about that, too. I agree with his argument, but I suspect that, just maybe, he was looking for a little edge, too. I DO remember the big fuss about his use of creatine, at that time, a supplement that promotes muscle growth and strength (though not to the same extent as anabolic steroids and hGH).
 
Well, I’ll leave the moral quandry of the Hall of Fame to those much better qualified to address it (and those who care–which I really don’t). But this is as good an opportunity as I can recall to discuss WHY steroids are illegal in sports.
 
First, there’s the argument that it gives the athlete an unfair, “unnatural” advantage. Just to be contrary, I could point out that if everyone used them, it wouldn’t be an unfair advantage for anyone. But that facetious argument brings up the very real health consequences, which are dangerous.
 
First, you need to understand what we mean by “steroids.” This term, in this context, refers to artificial anabolic hormones that mimic the effects of testosterone, the male sex hormone. They can be administered orally, or by injection, and they DO stimulate rapid muscle growth, but they have also been associated with liver failure and tumors.
 
The other PED used by athletes is hGH, Human Growth Hormone. Normally secreted and released from our pituitary glands, this “master hormone” is known to enhance muscle growth and strength, speed up the healing of injuries, relieve joint pain (and is reputed to have anti-aging properties, that may increase life span, as well). When taken in excessive, non-physiological doses, the risk of cancer growth is enhanced.
 
For these reasons, anabolic steroids and hGH have been banned in sports and are also illegal, absent a legitimate medical use (such as the small boy who has insufficient hGH for normal growth).
 
And yet, because these hormones are markedly reduced as we age, restoring their benefits seems a reasonable goal, with the object of reversing the effects of aging. The idea is to return the blood levels of these hormones to those of our late teens or early twenties, by stimulating their natural release.
 
This is much different concept than injecting excessive, non-physiological amounts of the hormones. This is instead a stimulation of the body to produce and/or release more of its own, natural supplies. The theory is that by restoring youthful levels of endogenous (ie., your body’s own) growth hormone, you will restore your body to a more youthful state. Better strength, speed, flexibility, better skin tone, better sleep, enhanced immunity, and better intimacy are among the myriad benefits attributed to increased hGH blood levels.
 
One way to do this is to take a dose of the amino acid, arginine, which is known to cause release of your own stores of hGH. This is so predictable a response that it is used as a test for proper functioning of the pituitary gland.
 
But imagine if you could stimulate your own growth hormone release with just a cream, that you rub on your skin a few times a day. That would be pretty amazing, right?
 
Well, there IS such a cream. It’s called Trans-D Tropin  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/trans_d_tropin.html   and I take it myself, especially now that I need to heal rapidly, after my recent hernia repair. This is NOT growth hormone, itself. Instead, it’s a secret botanical analog of growth hormone RELEASING hormone–that means that it stimulates your body to release its OWN hGH.
 
It helps you restore your growth hormone levels to those you enjoyed as a young man, or woman. And because it’s natural, your levels are always within safe, physiological parameters, with NO increased risk of cancer, according to the doctor who formulated it(whom I know, personally).
 
If you exercise, whether it be with free weights, or the special healing exercises I teach in my popular and effective PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD   http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html   when you apply this cream to your forearms and rub it in, just before you exercise, you will supercharge your workouts and burn fat and build muscle faster than you believed possible. And you’ll feel better, too.
 
Naturally, I get some compensation for directing you to this great product. Why shouldn’t I? Lots of people would love me to endorse their products, but I have a professional reputation to uphold and my standards are pretty rigorous. That’s why I don’t recommend many products that aren’t my own. But I not only recommend this, I USE it, myself. That’s the best recommendation there is. So take my advice, try some Trans-D Tropin today:   http://www.drbillsclinic.com/trans_d_tropin.html
 
And for a super boost to your immune system, combine it with my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA http://www.favoriteformulas.com  an ultra pure, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, with an enteric coating to prevent fish burps, or fishy aftertaste. 
 
So, the new revelations of the “Gospel According to Mark,” notwithstanding, boosting your OWN growth hormone levels, safely and effectively, is one of the best things you can do for your health and longevity. Try it today and see for yourself. Til next time, my friend, be well. And have a great weekened. Talk to you soon.
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and optimal health,
 
Dr. Bill
 
“The Wellness Warrior”       TM
 
(And if you haven’t done so yet, go sign up for my FREE Podcasts at http://thewellnesswarrior.mypodcastworld.com/. I’d welcome your comments and suggestions.)
 
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html 
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html 
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
 
Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved

January 21, 2010

The other day, I got another email from one of my subscribers, who had an interesting, but not uncommon story. Seems he had knee pain located right on his inner (medial joint line). He saw his doctor, and was sent for an MRI.
 
Sure enough, he had a torn medial meniscus. He also had some degenerative changes (read that as “early arthritis”), not uncommon in a middle aged guy. His question for me was, do I REALLY need to have an arthroscopic surgery? 
 
He was understandably reluctant to go “under the knife,” and was hoping that I could give him some less aggressive treatments that would relieve his pain, but help him avoid surgery. He also didn’t understand why these structures simply didn’t heal.
 
So, I tried to explain. I used to have to do this a dozen times a week, in my practice–meniscal injuries were the second most common cause of knee pain that I saw, after kneecap problems. So here’s the short story.
 
In each knee, there are two crescent shaped fibrocartilage structures that guide and cushion the knee in motion. They help to spread out the stresses of weightbearing over a larger surface area, kind of the way snowshoes work to keep you from sinking into a snow bank.
 
I have a great illustration of this principle in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN http://www.drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html  which I drew myself. (I used to work for the comics as an artist, back in the 70’s.) 
 
Here’s the thing he didn’t understand, though, that makes all the difference: These structures are mostly avascular. That means that they mostly lack a blood supply. There is virtually no circulation within these cartilage cushions, at least in the inner 2/3 to 3/4. There IS a marginal circulation at the periphery, where the medial (but NOT the lateral) meniscus attaches to the fibrous capsule of the knee joint.
 
If a tear occurs within this so-called “red zone,” it does have the potential to heal. But only 10% of tears occur there. The remainder occur in the avascular part, and therefore CANNOT heal (at least not without fairly sophisticated surgical help), because nothing heals without blood. 
 
This anatomical fact governs the behavior of meniscal tears AND determines what constitutes effective treatment.
 
Given that he has a positive MRI, he probably SHOULD have an arthroscopic examination. If pathology is confirmed at surgery, it can be fixed on the spot. This is a prime example of what I like to call a NECESSARY surgery. And, it’s a simple, outpatient procedure, with a fairly rapid recovery. I know. I’ve not only done thousands of them, but I’ve had the surgery myself, too.
 
Had he presented with the same pain pattern, but NOT had an MRI, I probably would have urged him to try the non-surgical treatments I teach in my healing program, HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY, which you can get here:
 http://www.drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
 
With methods from across the entire medical spectrum, including many effective alternative treatments, it can provide relief of pain and help you avoid surgery, in many cases. 
 
In this way, if pain is relieved, you’ve avoided an UNNECESSARY surgery. If not, you’ve “burned no bridges” and can still get an MRI and if that is positive, arthroscopy, if needed. But it gives your knee a chance to heal itself.
 
Except in case of a completely locked knee, which is a surgical emergency, it can buy you time, perhaps heal you, and you lose nothing. 
 
For other causes of knee pain, like chondromalacia patellae, or arthritis of the knee, it may be definitive treatment. I teach you how to relieve pain fast, but also how to stay pain-free for the long term, with special, modified exercises and the anti-inflammatory properties of my pharmaceutical grade fish oil, DR. BILL’S POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA:   http://www.favoriteformulas.com 
an ultra pure, highly concentrated omega 3 formulation, with a special enteric coating that prevents virtually all the fishy aftertaste and fish burps that plague other, lesser brands. 
 
But in this man’s case, he already had a demonstrated, through and through tear in the avascular zone. The probablity of healing was poor to none. And further delay would accomplish nothing good, but might result in degenerative damage to the articular cartilage, which is permanent damage. This must be avoided. 
 
THAT’S why I recommended that he proceed with surgery. And now, you can understand the thought processes that led me to that conclusion, too.
 
In the end, judgment has to be based on the anatomical and pathological facts. And that’s another good reason to get your doctor involved early in the course of your knee problem. Til next time, my friend, be well.
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and optimal health,
 
Dr. Bill
 
“The Wellness Warrior”        TM
 
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html 
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html 
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
 
Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved

January 20, 2010

 It was the impossible dream. Or at least the highly improbable dream. Yet, in a seismic shift in the political landscape that figuratively dwarfed the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that decimated Haiti, Republican Scott Brown won the special election, in bluer than blue state, Massachusetts, for the United States Senate Seat, formerly held for over 40 years by the late Liberal Lion, Ted Kennedy. 
 
His appeal was to independent voters, who are quite properly alarmed by this Administration’s hard leftist, fascist-socialist, statist policies. Mind you, I’m not calling anyone names. But, if it looks like a duck and quacks…
 
The unthinkable has happened. And a message has been delivered to Washington: “Hey! Cut the leftist, statist crap! This is America, not the Soviet Union!”
 
The only question is…will anyone listen to the People? This crowd has proven to be arrogant, high-handed and tone deaf and over- played their hand, as I knew they would.
 
Now, I really do try to restrain myself. This isn’t a poltical website and you don’t want to hear me raving about my own political views. You have your own. I get that. But when it comes to health care, I owe it to you to tell you what I know and how what the pols are up to will affect you. So, please indulge me.
 
Senator-elect Brown has broken the fillibuster proof super majority of 60 votes that allowed the Democratic Leadership to pass their version of the Bill, against the clearly expressed will of the majority of the American People, who are now against this bill and how it has been crafted.  Mr. Brown has promised to be the 41st vote AGAINST the monstrous Health Care Bill. 
 
This is all good news. Let me explain why.
 
The Health Care Bill has never been about people’s health care. That is simply a vehicle to the real goal. It is all about expanding the role and size of government and its intrusion and control over every aspect of your life. And as the Party of Big Government, this move was designed to keep Democrats in power, in perpetuity.
 
This is painfully obvious to anyone who looks objectively at its proposed provisions. Now, you may think this is a worthy goal. I don’t. 

Nor do I want Republicans in charge, in perpetuity. My attitude is, these guys work for US. They are the public SERVANTS, not our masters. If anyone in office is not doing the People’s Will, I say, throw ‘em out! 
 
I submit to you that if a system (ie. a representative republic) has worked for over two and a half centuries, and resulted in a standard of living, wealth and power, unrivaled in human history, it is the height of arrogance to assume that YOU know better and can remake it better than those geniuses of the Enlightenment, who were our Founding Fathers. Especially when the majority of the People want no part of it. This is still a center-right country.
 
How do I know that the Health Care Bill isn’t what its name suggests? Because, as one who has really been in health care for decades, I KNOW what is needed. There is NOTHING wrong with our health care system. It simply costs too much. And some people need insurance coverage, who don’t have it, now.
 
Please don’t bore me with that canard that the government should guarantee health care for all. One, that’s already the law, everywhere in the USA. Anyone who shows up at an ER GETS treated, insurance or not. Two, that’s really not the government’s job(at least according to the Constitution).
 
You want to extend insurance coverage to every citizen? Great. You can buy everyone who wants one a policy for a few thousand a year. Do this for the 12 million, who actually need insurance. 12 million X 3000 equals 36 billion a year. NOT well over ONE TRILLION, which we don’t have and must borrow (from China, among others). And it’s NOT constitutional to mandate that citizens BUY anything, insurance policies included.
 
You want to cover indigent people with no money? Great. Offer doctors dollar for dollar tax credits and malpractice immunity (or at least caps on awards) for treating the poor.  Problem solved.
 
Want to save more money? How about Tort Reform? That’s a few hundred billion saved, every year, in unnecessary tests, and defensive medicine practices, not to mention saved court costs, etc. Of course, ambulance chasers would have to find honest work, but, hey, no plan is perfect.
 
How about enabling people to buy insurance across state lines? That competition would drive costs down and the greatly increased pool of patients would protect insurance companies, while still allowing them to insure those with pre-existing conditions.
 
What about the Medical Savings Plans? They are very popular with people who have them. And catastophic policies for real medical disasters are very inexpensive, especially when you’re young.
 
These are all real solutions, which I assure you would work. And anyone who has studied the problems knows that these would work. Yet NONE are in either the House or the Senate versions of the current Health Care Bill. 
 
Instead, you have a Bill so complex, so arcane, so convoluted, that each bill is over 2000 pages. That’s absurd. You have coverage and “savings” attained by 500 billion in Medicare CUTS, which will restrict access to care for the most vulnerable among us. You have a bill so terrific that Congress has voted to exempt itself from its provisions. If THAT doesn’t tell you all you need to know, I can’t help you–you’re beyond help.
 
But now, in the State of Lexington and Concord, the Scott heard ’round the world has delivered the message. 
 
Will they retreat and begin again, this time with bipartisanship, and the true interests of the American People and their health care at heart, or will they try some chicanery, to ram the current monstrosity through, “for our own good?” I guess we’ll see.
 
Meanwhile, be thankful we now have a fighting chance to stop this horror. We all want health insurance reform, not the status quo. Just not THIS “reform.” 
 
Still, if you’re smart, you’ll prepare for the very worst, by getting and staying in shape, losing the bad habits, losing extra fat, getting those lab tests and that physical exam you’ve been putting off, while you still can.
 
In this way, you can stay OUT of the system, and maintain your health, too. While you’re at it, get started on my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA  http://www.favoriteformulas.com  an ultra pure, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, with heart and brain healthy properties, which can lower your risk of sudden death, heart attacks and strokes, lower triglycerides and (with garlic) lower cholesterol, improve your mood, relieve inflammation and joint pain, improve your skin condition and reverse aging.
 
And exercise daily. My Pain-Free Program & DVD is a great set of knee pain exercises, which will not only help get you in shape, but will relieve your knee pain, as well.
 
Well, tomorrow is another day. But for today, I’m glad that Senator-Elect Brown won. And you should be, too. We’ll see if Washington learns anything…but I wouldn’t bet on it. Just remember. They work for YOU. Don’t hesitate to let them know it. Til next time, my friend, be well.
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and optimal health,
 
Dr. Bill
 
“The Wellness Warrior”      TM
 
(Sign up for my Podcasts at:  http://www.thewellnesswarrior.mypodcastworld.com )
 
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html 
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html 
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
 
Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved

January 19, 2010

Last week, while I was perusing my emails for Dr. Bill’s Clinic, I came across a request from one of my older subscribers. By older, I mean (quite naturally) older than ME. Ever notice how when anyone talk about “old guys,” they always mean older than THEM. Right?
 
Anyway, this man is, shall we say, in late middle age, has stayed in good shape and has been a runner for years. Problem is that he recently had a sudden onset of severe knee pain, after running to catch a bus, or something.
 
He was seen by an orthopaedist, who after examining him, decided that he may well have a torn meniscus. 
 
As you may know, there are two crescent shaped fibrocartilages, called menisci, which lie between the end of the femur (thigh bone) and the upper tibia (shin bone), inside the knee. 
 
They act as cushions and guides for motion of the joint, especially in twisting, or cutting movements. For more about these and other causes of painful knee pathology, please refer to my LITTLE GREEN BOOK:  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
 
Because these cartilage structures are invisible on standard x-rays, the doctor ordered an MRI scan of the offending knee. This scan is terrific, because it can show the structures and can predict if they are torn, with an accuracy of about 90-95%, on the medial (inside) compartment of the knee.
 
Sure enough, he had a torn medial meniscus. But he also had a surprise–he had almost completely bare bone exposed on the end of his femur, in the medial compartment. The guy was understandably shocked. How could he have such bad arthritis and not have felt it before this injury?
 
The answer is, this is not an uncommon picture. Sometimes, the articular cartilage becomes degenerative and gradually erodes away, exposing the bone. Though most people will feel this as significant pain, as it happens, a few will compensate (high pain threshhold, endorphins, etc.) and will feel nothing, at all. Until something happens, as did here, to DE-compensate his defenses against pain. THEN, he felt it.
 
Naturally, as a believer in natural healing, he was leery of knee surgery. And studies have demonstrated that arthroscopic surgery added nothing to just medicine, physical therapy and exercises, like those I teach in my newly updated and expanded PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD:  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
HOWEVER…in this case, I DID recommend that he go ahead with surgery. Here’s why.
 
This man is very active and wants to remain so. He has exposed bare bone and therefore, will need at least a partial knee replacement, perhaps a total knee replacement, when his symptoms warrant it. But then, he will NOT be able to run or do any exercises involving impact, which could damage, or loosen the artificial implants.
 
He also has a significant tear, easily fixed, in addition to his arthritis. It seems reasonable to conclude that if the tear were “fixed,” he might well “buy time” and return to his asymptomatic state, at least for a while.
 
The studies that recommended against knee surgery for arthritis were talking about a general “clean out,” or debridement, NOT addressing a specific torn meniscus, with very specific mechanical symptoms, directly attributed to that damaged structure. When dealing with arthritis and knee pain, it IS best to be conservative, in most cases, where there is diffuse disease and no specific mechanical symptoms, as seen here.
 
That’s why I wrote my newest healing program, HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY, which you can get here: http://www.drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
The many treatments from both conventional and alternative medicine are designed to help you avoid the UNNECESSARY procedure. but if the surgery IS necssary, as it was here, then it should be done.
 
Well, he DID have the arthroscopy, he did, in fact have the tear that the MRI predicted, and he DID do very well. He’s now glad he did it, as he has returned to his preoperative state of virtually no pain. And the procedure has bought him time, which he can continue to enjoy, until further progress of his disease makes a total knee unavoidable.
 
I love being right. 
 
And the only other recommendation I gave him that I would give you, too, is to get on my Powerhouse Omega Formula, an ultra pure, highly concentrated, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, with a special enteric coating that prevents any fishy aftertaste and the dreaded “fish burps.”
 
http://www.favoriteformulas.com  
 
Omega 3’s have potent, long term anti-inflammatory properties that help to control the pain of arthritis, a as well as many heart and brain healthy effects, as well.
 
I also advised him to consider giving up the running, in favor of power walking, or hill sprints, which avoid the damaging shocks to the weight bearing joints, seen with running. If he listens to me, these measures may buy him even more time….
 
Til next time, my friend, be well.
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
 
Dr. Bill
 
“The Wellness Warrior”    TM
 
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html 
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html 
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
 
Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved

January 18, 2010

Back in my high school days, one of my closest friends was a guy named Vic. He was a strange kid, no question. He was a good looking kid of Italian extraction, who had an effete, almost feminine quality, but was tough as nails, was definitely not gay, as he nailed anything with a pulse in skirts (had excellent taste too, as I recall), and carried a ten inch knife down the front of his pants, at all times. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be in a fight with someone and I never saw him lose. The guy could really handle himself. 
 
Yet, he also wrote the most beautiful, sensitive poetry. He DID however, threaten to kill me, if I ever told anyone that he wrote it. He also had a soft spot for pets and kept goldfish. Definitely a boy of complex nature. 
 
But as odd as he was, his father was a real piece of work. Reputed to have worked for the CIA (and I never did find out whether that was pure BS, or if it was true–which it well might have been), he was a big, broad shouldered, barrel-chested, handsome man of Italian lineage, with a massive, leonine head and a thick, but well-trimmed mane of long, wavy, jet black hair, barely touched by gray, though he was 53 at that time.
 
(Funny that we once all thought that anyone over 50 was OLD… time tends to change your perspective, doesn’t it?)
 
He was a apparently a very sophisticated man, who was usually very well dressed in business attire, and he had that urbane manner of the continental European, who was both wealthy and well travelled. All of Vic’s friends were very impressed by him, me included. 
 
He was always relaxed and friendly with us, but he had this underlying air of subtle menace about him, a sense that there was danger there, just below the surface. Vic had told me how his father could suddenly convert from an apparent wealthy cogniscenti to a savage fighter, in an instant, surprising a would-be opponent and putting him down for the count, before that poor bastard even knew he was in a fight.
 
Youthful hyperbole? Who knows? I never saw any of that. I only had Vic’s word for it. But he DID look very capable of it. And I only know that nobody would dare to screw around with him. He was accorded a rare and wary respect, by all of us.
 
I never did find out what happened to Vic’s mother, whether she had died, or if they’d been divorced, but Vic lived with his father in an apartment, a few blocks down from me, on 89th Street, a few doors up from Narrows Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. His dad kept company with a very handsome woman, also very well dressed and of some sophistication, who also had a very cosmopolitan air about her. 
 
I never did figure out exactly if she was his wife, or his girlfriend, but she apparently lived in another house or apartment, not with Vic and his Dad.
 
The truly impressive thing about Vic’s Dad, though, that I DID see, was his great physical strength. It was amazing, especially to my young eyes, at the time. And the moreso, because he WAS 53.
 
He would lie face down, flat on the floor, to eliminate all leverage, and pick up a solid iron 55 pound dumbbell with one hand, palm upward, and a straight arm. He would then curl it above and across his head, pivoting on his elbow, for multiple repetitions, with no discernable effort. Try that some time. It ain’t easy!
 
I remember bringing my then girlfriend, Linda, over with me to visit Vic, when his Dad was there. She was a line-girl for the Copa Cobana, a professional dancer with a really well-toned body and an aura of sheer animal magnetism, that I’ve rarely seen in anyone else. I introduced her to Vic’s Dad and she was really turned on by this “old” guy, at 53 yet! Unbelievable!
 
Whatever he had, I wish I could have bottled it. Woulda made a fortune. That’s for sure. Guy had it all: looks, self-posession, that aura of innate authority and that kind of forever strength, that age couldn’t wither. We all knew he worked out, to maintain it, but still…

I don’t know if he took supplements or not, but I’m betting he did. I’m confident that a guy like him, so obviously concerned with staying fit, virile and young, would be a big proponent of my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA  http://www.favoriteformulas.com  if, of course, it had existed back then.

I never did find out what happened to him, or if he still lives. Vic and I sort of lost touch after college, when I went off to medical school and, though I’ve tried to find him, so far, no luck.
 
But the other day, I was watching TV when a commercial came on, with the tag line, “Forever Strength.” And for some reason, out of nowhere, I flashed on my memories of Vic and Vic’s Dad. HA! If he were still around, I’d use HIM as a model, for my next fitness program. 
 
As it is, you’ll just have to make do with the fetching blonde personal trainer, who is the model for the knee pain exercises and stretches in my new and expanded PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD: http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
Well, wherever Vic’s Dad is, I wish him well. He was someone I admired and looked up to, in my formative years and a really good guy. Y’know, I STILL can’t do that trick of his with the dumbbell… and I never could. The power that guy must have had….
 
Well, that’s it for today. Look for my new Podcast show, “The Wellness Warrior” on mypodcastworld.com and on iTunes. First episode is about the many health benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids.  Til next time, my friend, be well. 
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,
 
Dr. Bill
 
“The Wellness Warrior”   TM
 
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html 
 
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
 http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html 
 
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
 
Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
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