This long weekend, it’s Memorial Day, the official start of the Summer Season. Between the barbeques, hot dogs, burgers and buckets of beer, try to remember the fallen heroes, to whom this day is dedicated.

Freedom isn’t free. And it’s all too easily squandered, by those who take it for granted, don’t really appreciate it, or who prefer the illusion of security to the intrinsic risks of liberty. One has only to look at the last 16 months to see this truth, playing out before our eyes.

But even that choice has been bought and paid for by the blood of our fallen veterans. They paid the price. All we need do is remember them and honor their sacrifice.

So while you’re having fun in the sun and enjoying yourself, spare but a moment, and maybe a prayer, for those who gave all, so you and your family could enjoy a life of freedom.

Speaking of hot dogs and hamburgers, my friend, the security guard at the gatehouse of our community, looked worried today. I asked him what was up and he told me he had just had some lab tests at the V.A. (Veteran’s Administration Hospital). Seems his cholesterol was 240! And his LDL (“bad” cholesterol) was 119.

While he doesn’t have any symptoms, as yet, those numbers are NOT good. Total cholesterol levels over 200 are not recommended and his are now in the moderately high range. Likewise, LDL levels should ideally be under 100, to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Though cholesterol is not the whole story, it still plays a role in heart disease, the number one cause of death, worldwide.

His only saving grace is that he doesn’t have high blood pressure, nor is he overweight. In fact, to look at him, he appears to be slender, even slim and in great shape. But he worries a lot. About everything. And that extra stress is probably one source of his elevated cholesterol levels.

He worries about getting older. He worries about male pattern baldness (though his is barely perceptible, only a bit at his temples, and he is 49). He recently had a screening colonoscopy (it was fine). He had a PSA (Prostatic Specific Antigen) test, to rule out prostate cancer, which was also OK.

So why is he worried? Some people just worry. That’s how they are.

I pointed out to him that it’s just like getting a new car. When it’s fresh out of the showroom, it runs like a top and you don’t need to think about maintenance much.

But as the car gets a bit of mileage on it, periodic visits to the shop, to troubleshoot and prevent problems are just part of routine maintenance. The older the car, the more important the maintenance. Your body is just like that.

That seemed to comfort him quite a bit. As obvious as it seems, he had never thought of his body like a machine that needed maintenance.

I pointed out that the colonoscopy was OK, so he’s good for another 5 years, or so. And if they had found a precancerous polyp, or even a small cancer, this screening test allows the earliest possible treatment, with a 100% survival rate. You can’t do better than that.

By attending to these screening tests, he’s giving himself his best chance to live to a ripe old age, in the best of health.

As for his cholesterol, he now knows he has to make some changes. At his request, I gave him some recommendations, though I told him to check with his own doctor, first.

Most cholesterol is actually made in your own liver. But you can influence your cholesterol levels by addressing several factors: attitude, diet, exercise and supplements.

Attitude is important because stress elevates cholesterol (and in many instances, high blood pressure, too). Deep breathing, meditation, qi gong exercises and maintaining a calm demeanor can all help to reduce stress levels.

For diet, I recommend my own “Magic Bullet” Fat Loss Program

http://www.favoriteformulas.com/magicbulletfatloss   

In brief, this is a slow carb, high protein, moderate healthy fat diet that reduces appetite, burns fat, reduces insulin surges and promotes rapid and sustained fat loss. And weight loss is associated with lower levels of cholesterol, especially LDL.

Exercise is another critical part of fat loss and reduction of cholesterol levels. I recommend daily brisk walking, for 20-30 minutes a day. Then, add resistance exercises, like my newly expanded, fully updated PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD

http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html

The more muscle mass you build, the more energy (fat) you burn. Exercise also raises your BMR (basal metabolic rate), so you continue to burn fat, for many hours after the exercise, tends to lower insulin levels and lowers your hypothalamic set point.

Finally, the right supplements help, as well. My ultra pure, highly concentrated, enteric coated, pharmaceutical grade fish oil,  POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA

http://www.favoriteformulas.com

provides all the essential omega-3 fatty acids you need, lowers triglyceride levels and, when taken with garlic extract, like my Cholesterol Crushing Formula it becomes a net cholesterol lowering agent, as well.

http://www.favoriteformulas.com/crushyourcholesterol

Finally, to really drop those LDL levels and simultaneously RAISE the good HDL levels, you can’t do better than my NIACIN EXTENDED RELEASE FORMULA

http://www.favoriteformulas.com/niacin

If my friend applies all this advice, he can’t fail to lower his cholesterol to optimal levels, improve his health and likely extend his life. Now, whether he does it, or not, is another story.

But if he’s wise, he’ll take the warning of his abnormal lab tests and make some changes… before it’s too late.

Well, that’s it for another week, my friend. Have a great, peaceful, happy Memorial Day weekend, with friends and family, and enjoy yourself. And spare that minute to remember those whose sacrifice made it possible. Be well. Talk to you again, next week.

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

“The Wellness Warrior”         TM

It’s getting progressively hotter here in Central Florida. The temperatures are now in the upper 80′s and lower 90′s daily. The only difference between now and deep summer is that we haven’t been hit yet with full humidity or the upper 90′s. But they’re on their way.

So, it’s time to plan a trip back to the Northern Command in Southampton. Far less humid than Florida, even though it’s actually like being on a giant ship in the Atlantic, there’s always a nice breeze off the water.

To prepare, I have to get our cat sitter to take care of my feline brood, while the bride and I are out of town. Turns out she is having a lot of knee pain and, as she knows my background, she asked me what she should do.

Very nice lady, though quite a bit on the heavy side. And she works very hard, taking care of large dogs and horses, as well as our cat brigade. So she’s on her feet a lot. My first recommendation was that she lose some weight.

I’ve mentioned many times before (but it can’t be overstated) that for every pound of body weight that you lose, you reduce the joint reaction force (the actual stress across the weight bearing joints) of the hips and knees by 3-4 pounds.

And that’s just for walking. If you climb stairs, that goes up to 7 pounds and if you attempt to run, it’s ten pounds (plus significant acceleration of any degenerative changes of the articular cartilage).

And then, there are the metabolic benefits of fat loss. She’s likely a type 2 diabetic (or at least insulin resistant), so that comes with a full raft of potential problems and complications, like high blood pressure, heart disease, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, elevated levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and aggravation of any inflammatory conditions. All these risks and overt problems can be reversed by significant weight loss.

But of course, if it were easy, everyone would be blade thin, or at least not overweight, much less clinically obese.

Thing is, as we age, our metabolic rates drop significantly. Less energy is burned up, so fat tends to accumulate, helped along by high levels of insulin, repetitively provoked by poor dietary choices.

Now, I don’t impose my opinions on anyone, unless I’m asked. None of my business what she eats, or how she lives…unless she asks me for my advice. Then, I tell the truth (as diplomatically as possible) and tell her what I would have her do.

First, she needs to drink a lot of water. A good rule of thumb is to drink in ounces half your weight in pounds. So if someone was, say, 200 lbs., they should drink at least 100 oz. of water.

Hydration helps weight loss in a number of ways. First, it keeps your tissues and fluids at optimal levels. It makes you feel full, sooner, when you drink before you eat. And it keeps you regular, by preventing constipation.

Next, I advised a slow carb, high protein diet, with plenty of fiber in the form of veggies and some fruit. This is exactly the kind of program that I describe in my Special Report on Fat Loss, which you can get here:

http://www.favoriteformulas.com/magicbulletfatloss

Slow carbs refer to complex carbohydrates, which are more difficult and take longer for the body to digest. Therefore, they don’t stimulate high spikes of insulin, but rather a slow, steady, lower level of secretion, which helps prevent fat deposition.

The protein stimulates the hormone glucagon, which kills appetite and is the antagonist of insulin. Together with a moderate amount of the right kind of fat, this kind of diet is always effective.

Speaking of fats, you need to be sure that you get the essential fatty acids, those your body cannot manufacture. This is why I don’t like the typical low fat, high carb diets (besides the fact that they don’t work, long term). So to give you fats you need, I naturally recommend my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA,

http://www.favoriteformulas.com

an ultra pure, highly concentrated, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, a source of the long chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, that have many life-preserving, healthful benefits and natural, adverse side effect-free, anti-inflammatory properties, besides.

Finally, since she has knee pain, she would benefit on several levels from my newly expanded and fully updated PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD:  

http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html

Exercise of any kind is the other half of the fat loss equation. Diet reduces energy intake. Activity ramps up the metabolic rate, which increases energy usage and the combination depletes fat tissues, which are nothing more than stored excess energy.

But in addition to its metabolic benefits, this exercise program is strategic-that is, it is specifically designed and modified to alter the dynamics of the painful knee, by strengthening specific muscles, so as to prevent or relieve knee pain.

In capsule form, this is a plan that works. It’s how I managed to get rid of over 55 pounds of excess “flabbage”…and keep it off. But, as with all therapies and medical recommendations, you have to DO it, to get the benefits. It doesn’t just happen.

All real change requires effort.

Now, the ball is in my friend’s court, so to speak. Asked for my help, I’ve told her what to do. I’ve given her a few proven resources, to help her achieve her stated goal.

In short, I’ve done all I can. But will she do it? I guess time will tell. Til next time, my friend, be well. Talk to you again, soon.

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

“The Wellness Warrior”            TM

Last weekend, while at that seminar I attended in Clearwater, I had occasion to see a few of my friends in a semi-professional context. That is, they asked for my advice regarding various aches and pains and some general health problems, as I’m one of the few doctors in the group.

I mentioned a few of the cases earlier in the week: sciatica, knee pain and hip pain, among other lesser problems.

And I noticed something with my friends that I experienced many times while I was in active practice-and that is that people have a tendency to be very resistant to some of the advice given. When you’re giving medical advice gratis, this is a little bit annoying, but understandable. People often are resistant to some recommendations they find onerous.

But when I was in practice and the same thing occurred, it positively baffled me. I mean, they were paying me good money for my advice…and I was never cheap. Why in the world would you waste your hard earned dough to ignore educated advice that could make you better?

I confess I never understood that.

Whenever I am given a recommendation by my own physicians, whatever it is, I do it. I always have. Well, OK, it took me a while, a fractured spine and a pair of sore knees to finally get serious about losing weight…but, other than that….

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will tell you a secret: physicians are actually the worst possible patients to care for. 

They always second guess you, they think that natural laws don’t apply to them and if there is any potential complication, or possible disaster lurking around, out there, it will happen to a doctor, or a member of the doctor’s family. Guaranteed. We used to call that variously the VIP, or the MD curse.

So, being fully aware of that and believing that my best chance of survival is to be as close to a guy off the street as possible, I actually DO follow instructions, to the letter. I use all my intuition and all my contacts to find the best man for the job. Then, I let him (or her) do as he will and stay the Hell out of his way, while he does his job.

And I do what I’m told.

You’d be amazed how many patients, and friends of mine, have resisted that simple secret for better health and pain relief-just do what you’re told.

The use of a cane is a prime example.

When I was training in Boston, during my fellowship in joint reconstruction, the attitude of the patients was entirely different. You told some guy that he needed a cane, he asked you “How many?”

Now in New York, a whole different story. Lots of kvetching and whining and eye rolling. And when they returned to the office for follow-up, without the cane of course, they would always act mystified why they weren’t better, already.

“Where’s the cane?” I would ask.

“Oh, it’s in the car (or it’s at home, or in the closet, etc.)” they would say.

And I would reply, as cool as you please, “Hey, no problem. You’re the one with the pain, not me. I tell you what to do and you ignore me. Fine. No sweat. But don’t act surprised when you don’t get better. And you can come visit me as often as you want-I’m getting paid for every visit (big grin).”

Eventually, they would get the message and finally comply. And…wonder of wonders… “Hey, this feels BETTER.”

No kidding-you think I make this crap up?

Usually, people resist this, because they have this bizarre idea that a cane makes them look “old.” But gimping around, wincing with every step, looks positively youthful, right? Not to mention dangerous, as you can have your hip or knee give out at an inopportune time and…down you go!

Look. A cane is a tool. Nothing more. Nothing less. It cuts the joint reaction force on your hip and knee in HALF (when held on the opposite side from the painful joint). So, the cane usually results in instant pain relief, or at least substantial improvement. And it helps your body to heal. I show you the proper way to use one in my newly expanded PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD

http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html

I have the same problem with my father-in-law: he refuses to get a hearing aid, even though he could use one. He has this idea that it would make him look old. But saying “Huh?” all the time, when he missed what’s being said, doesn’t? (BTW, he’s 86!)

Oy.

I have much better success when I tell people to take another couple of softgels of my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA

http://www.favoriteformulas.com

for its natural anti-inflammatory properties. I guess that doesn’t have the same pejorative connotation in their minds as a cane. And you take it once and it’s “down the hatch,” not a continual source of irritation, visible to others.

But I suspect it has something to do with the value people impart to free advice, at least in part. A good friend of mine always says, “Ears that pay hear better than ears that don’t.” And I think he’s right.

Still, these people are my friends and I’ll help them, if I can. I give them the best advice I can, the same advice I gave to people who invested five or six hundred bucks to see me privately. These patients sometimes came from other cities, states, or even other countries, for my advice and my surgical skills.

All I can do is offer the advice. If they choose to ignore it, that’s on them. I’ve done my part.

So if you want a secret for better health and pain relief, here it is, again: DO what you’re told by your doctor. It’s for your own good and it will help your doctor decide what works and what doesn’t.

But remember, if you don’t, it’s your choice, it’s YOUR responsibility and YOU will suffer the consequences. So choose wisely.

Til next time, my friend, be well. Talk to you again real soon.

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health.

Dr. Bill

“The Wellness Warrior”         TM   

Yesterday was a kind of landmark…of the infamous kind. The oil spill in the Gulf hit the one month mark, since the disastrous explosion of the BP (British Petroleum) oil platform, which cost many lives and continues to gush light sweet crude oil into the once pristine waters.

The usual suspects are all atwitter about the environmental impact on the fish and other marine life, as well as the beaches lining the west coast of Florida, and possibly the Keys, the fishing industry and other flora and fauna.

Shameless politicians (a redundancy if ever there was one) have already begun to use this ecological disaster as an argument for shelving any plans to open what few areas are currently permitted for oil exploration and drilling. Another lesson on why we should abandon any fossil fuels, in favor of “green,” renewable energy sources.

Presumably they want us all to be Amish, plodding along in horse-drawn carriages, no electricity, no lights, no air conditioning…in short, a world of the nineteenth century. That would apparently make the environmental extremists happy.

Oddly, their ire is reserved for the good ol’ USA. Nary a word for the Chinese, who are drilling in our own back yard, absconding with oil that should, based on geographical proximity, be ours.

Look, all that renewable energy talk is great. I’m all for it. Except that, until it becomes truly available and cheap, oil is still the basis of wealth and the commodity that makes the world go round. It is still the foundation of our national economy and our national power, which I suspect is the real target of the green agenda.

It has been well documented that the green movement has been infiltrated by the far left, as a way to subvert capitalism. It’s the new home for the socialists and communists, worldwide.

Think about this for a minute.

If that oil rig explosion and fire, which started this massive, ongoing leak into the Gulf, had occurred on dry land, or fairly close to shore, instead of 48 miles out to sea and in waters over a mile deep, it would have been shut down in a few hours. Messy, yes. Disastrous, no.

No one seems to mention this very obvious fact. Pressure from the EPA and the green movement has thus made insanity our national energy policy.

But it is what it is. And now, we have to live with the consequences of an idiotic, decades-old policy. 30 days and counting…and still the oil leak continues, wreaking environmental havoc.

Prior administrations and multiple Congresses have all had a hand in this. Yet, they can’t wait to lay sole responsibility on BP. There is plenty of blame to go around. But for heaven’s sake, we should at least try to be rational in our analysis of the problem.

I’ll tell you, a lot of members of Congress would benefit from the omega-3 fatty acids in my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA

http://www.favoriteformulas.com

You know, your brain is about 60% fat and half of that is DHA, one of the essential, long chain omega-3′s in fish oil. It stabilizes cell membranes, is an intrinsic part of the myelin sheath around every axon and helps improve brain function, cognition and memory.

And these guys could really use the help! A little fish oil and maybe their mental processes would be more acute. But that presupposes that their myopia is not deliberate…and I suspect it is. They ARE politicians, after all.

I mentioned before that I spent last weekend at a seminar at  Clearwater Beach, Florida. The oil slick had not put in an appearance, yet, but everyone was on the lookout for it.

One of our members went for a swim and a walk on the beach. She did well, but some of her companions complained of knee pain, after walking a while on the shifting sands. Turns out there’s a very good reason for that.

The sand is a very unstable platform for walking, so it places more and constantly shifting stresses on the knees, especially the kneecap.

For this reason, in the short term, if you have knee pain, either a kneecap problem, or a known torn meniscus, you should avoid beaches. If there is a mechanical problem within the joint, sand walking will make it worse and will aggravate the joint, as well, often causing increased pain and swelling.

The fish oil will help with the resultant inflammation, but to really address the pain, you need the specially modified knee pain exercises in my newly revised and expanded PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD

http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html

Done as instructed, these exercises will help to give you relief of your knee pain, often within 30 days, or less.

And it will give you something productive to do, while we all await the resolution of the ongoing saga of the BP oil spill. Let’s hope they figure out something effective, soon. Til next time, my friend, be well.

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

“The Wellness Warrior”          TM

A glorious weekend, it was, my friend. Weather was terrific, skies clear, not too hot, nor too humid, with a nice breeze and brilliant sunshine. And I got to spend it with some friends in Clearwater, where I was attending a seminar with other internet marketers.

I always learn a lot from them and this time was no exception. I also usually get asked a lot of medical and orthopaedic questions by my friends.

Some people ask me if it annoys me to be asked such questions, outside my office.

Well, first of all, I’m not in practice anymore.

But even when I was, this happened all the time, at parties, dinners, seminars, conferences and other public events, where they would run into me and it never bothered me.

In fact, I always considered it an honor that people would trust me and think enough of my opinion to ask me for it. Besides, that way, I was never at a loss for something to say-nothing people love more than talking about themselvesJ.

And, let’s face it, helping people is why I became a doctor. So if I can help someone, and especially a friend, I’m happy to do so.

One man had symptoms that sounded like sciatica: burning pain running down the back of his leg from his buttock, on one side. He was initially upset that his doctors had run up quite a tab, what with MRI scans, CT scans, x-rays and so forth, and yet, had no quick fixes for his pain.

He felt better when I pointed out that all that workup was both truly necessary for an accurate diagnosis and that it revealed nothing that couldn’t be healed by natural methods. It’s not like he was told he had an incurable tumor, right?

Sometimes, it’s all a matter of perspective.

But he was even happier when I gave him some advice that is sure to help him get fast pain relief. He currently takes my ultra pure, enteric coated, pharmaceutical grade fish oil: POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA

http://www.favoriteformulas.com

But he’s only been taking two caps a day. For optimal anti-inflammatory effects, at least two soft gels, twice a day, like I take myself, is what I recommend. Sometimes, more.

Unlike prescription and OTC anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s), which are faster acting, but come with a long list of potential serious side effects (like stomach irritation, ulcer disease, even G.I. bleeding) the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, in fish oil exert their natural anti-inflammatory properties over a longer period of time, usually 8-12 weeks. And they lack those serious side effects.

And now, he can add to the fish oil, by taking my new JOINT HEALTH FORMULA, with its additional anti-inflammatory, New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel Extract.

http://www.favoriteformulas.com/jointhealth

I gave him a few other bits of advice and he left happy. I fully expect him to recover within a few weeks, if he follows what I advised him to do.

Then, there was a young woman with a sudden onset of pain in her right lower kneecap, apparently without any specific injury.

A thorough knee exam revealed some tenderness in FRONT of the lower pole of the patella, in addition to some tenderness beneath the patella, on just the right side of the lower pole.

These findings suggest both a proximal patella tendonitis (often called “Jumper’s Knee”) and our old pal, chondromalacia patellae, a degenerative softening of the articular cartilage, behind or beneath the kneecap.

The former happens from a sudden pull, that literally rips out a few fibers of the tendon from its bony attachment. This sets up an inflammation and any activity after that… any activity at all…just “fans the flames” and makes it worse.

Her range of motion, though, was outstanding and there was no joint line tenderness, swelling, excessive fluid, or ligament injury. So, she should improve following similar advice and using the same supplements I mentioned to the man with sciatica.

In addition, though, she will improve faster if she follows the other measures and modified exercises I teach in my newest healing program – HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY

http://www.drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html

Then, there was someone with shoulder pain and another guy with hip pain. In short, I had a mini “Clearwater Clinic” for orthopaedic maladies. Lots of joint aches and pains goin’ around, that’s for sure.

Ain’t middle age great? I can hardly wait for old age!

Well, I was happy to help. And if they do what I tell them to do, they WILL get better and quickly, too.

But that’s the thing about all conservative treatments-whether it works or not depends largely on whether or not the patient does as told, or is, as we say in the trade, “compliant.”  Guess we’ll see….

Til next time, my friend, be well. Talk to you again real soon.

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

“The Wellness Warrior”           TM

Between meeting new people and the queries I get sent from subscribers, to old patients of mine, who have managed to track me down (and sometimes become subscribers and customers), the week doesn’t go by that I’m asked about knee replacement surgery. It’s just astounding how much arthritis is out there.

Many of these people are not yet past 50, yet they’ve been told that they will need a total knee replacement (TKR) within 5 years.

Now, one thing I learned in my many years as a joint reconstruction specialist and that is that you really can’t predict the future of any given arthritic joint, because everyone is different. I’ve seen people who stayed at a moderate or mild degree of arthritic change and I’ve seen a knee or hip joint go from apparently normal to end stage, in under six months. And everything in between.

Part of the reason is that arthritis is still not fully understood. There are undoubtedly some factors of which we aren’t yet even aware. But there are a few major issues that we know are causal and related to rapid progression of the disease.

There are two major forms of arthritis: degenerative or osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis.

The former is what most of us think of and what most of us get, as we age. The latter is not as common, but it’s much more aggressive and devastating. It also potentially involves every tissue and joint in the body-that’s why it’s called a systemic disease.

In osteoarthritis, the articular cartilage loses water, becomes progressively less resilient and then, begins to shred and fragment. Eventually, the cartilage erodes to expose the underlying bone. As a byproduct of the process, the lining membrane (synovium) becomes more or less inflamed, secondarily.

By contrast, in inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis is the archetype of these diseases), the primary site of disease is the synovium, which grows out of control, producing enzymes that literally digest the articular cartilage and the surrounding ligaments. Because all joints throughout the body are lined with synovium, it can potentially involve any or all of them.

The final common pathway of all of them is bone surfaces that are stripped of the protective cartilage coating, exposing the bone and its nerves to friction, excessive weight bearing stresses and chemical irritation. All this results in varying degrees of joint pain.

Such a joint is said to be “end stage,” because all cartilage is gone from the weight bearing surfaces. And once gone, cartilage cannot grow back, ie., it’s the end of the line.

At that point, resurfacing arthroplasty, also called a total knee replacement, is necessary for pain relief, correction of any angular deformities (caused by eccentric erosion of the bone) and restoration of function.

Once your knee has become end stage, TKR IS necessary, when symptoms demand it. And, for the right case, it can give dramatic relief. It’s really analogous to a crown on a diseased tooth-it’s a resurfacing with man-made parts, metal and plastic, to take the place of the absent cartilage.

Prior to that, however, there are a number of things you can do to slow, or even stop the progress of the arthritic process.

Some measures are just common sense, like losing weight and avoiding impact activities, like running or jumping, or using a cane, to unload the knee or hip.

Others are less obvious, like local heat applications, the use of magnetic therapy (yes, it DOES work, within limits), injections of special hyaluronic acid compounds, to relieve pain and lubricate the joint (viscosupplementation), specific dietary changes and supplements known to relieve inflammation and support degenerative cartilage.

One example of the latter is my JOINT HEALTH FORMULA

http://www.favoriteformulas.com/jointhealth

With seven different nutrients known to help maintain and support degenerative cartilage, including glucosamine sulfate, and the potent anti-inflammatory properties of New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel extract, it “burns no bridges” and gives your arthritic joint a chance to regenerate.

I recommend that you take that, as I do, together with the known anti-inflammatory properties of ultra pure, enteric coated, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, like my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA

http://www.favoriteformulas.com

Finally, the importance of strategic exercise, to strengthen and tone the muscles around the arthritic knee cannot be overstated.

Strong muscles not only support the joint, but they help absorb impact and share the load of weight bearing with the diseased joint surfaces. Specific exercises, like the Quarter Squat, the modified Hindu Squat, or the Hack Squat, when modified for those with arthritis and other causes of knee pain, can make all the difference.

I teach exactly what doses of supplements to take, what alternative and conservative mainstream treatments work and  what specific modifications to make in knee pain exercises in my newest healing program, HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY

http://www.drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html

You see, there ARE things you can do to stave off a trip to the operating room.

There may come a time when your pain is so bad, despite all conservative treatments, that walking “on vended knee” is an option that cannot be avoided. And there’s nothing wrong with a truly necessary surgery-it can transform your life. But it can’t match the original equipment and it won’t last forever.

So, delay that trip to the O.R. as long as possible, with these proven non-surgical measures. The key is to take action NOW.   

If you do what I advise, your knees may well last longer than you think, perhaps indefinitely. Til next time, my friend, be well. And have a great weekend.

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

“The Wellness Warrior”      TM

For the second time in less than a year, the battery in my Prius died, without warning. I had driven it back from Port Canveral after our mini-vacation cruise and it had only sat there in the drive for maybe two days. But when I went to start it up-nothing, nada, zilch, zip. It just lay there. Not a peep out of it. Stone dead, it was.

Now, before you think I’ve lost my mind and have become a bona fide tree hugger, let me assure you that my purchase of a Prius had nothing to do with bogus global warming B.S. I don’t believe I’m “saving the planet” by driving a hybrid and I do believe that those who do are misguided fools.

No, I’m driving a Prius because when the last gas crunch occurred and gas was over four bucks a gallon, I resolved to minimize my dependence on the oil producing nations, from whom we have to import oil (because of insane U.S. energy policies, shaped by environmental extremists), most of whom hate our guts.

So, to minimize the bite at the gas pump, I decided to get a hybrid. And if you’re going to drive a hybrid, might as well get the best and most efficient hybrid available. And that would be the Prius.

Then, more recently, Toyota began having all that bad press, with sudden acceleration of some of their cars, causing death and destruction, apparently without warning. And the Prius was one of those. Great.

Still, I was happy with the car. OK, it can’t accelerate as quickly as a Mercedes-Benz and it lacks the panache, but it has a pretty good high end and it’s taken me back and forth to New York several times, without any trouble. Yes, the battery died once. But I felt that was a rare event and I just drew the short straw.

But twice? In less than a year? Hmmmmm…

Anyway, I called Toyota and since I was under warranty, they sent a wrecker to retrieve the car. Because it’s an electric car, BTW, you need to give it a mini-boost, just to open the lock, which is electrical, and then, to get the gear out of Park and into Neutral, so it can be moved.

Several hours later, they called to tell me it was fixed. Yep. Bad battery again and it was replaced-again. But they could find no electrical draw, or other reason for its failure. That doesn’t thrill me, I must say. Anyway, they said they’d send a driver for me, to come pick up the car.

Sure enough, a while later, a van pulled up to get me. The driver was a clean cut, very powerful looking guy. On the way to the local Toyota dealership, he told me a bit about himself. Turns out he was just honorably discharged from the U.S. Marines, after 20 years or so on active duty, most recently in Afghanistan.

That would explain why he reminded me a bit of Captain America.

First, I thanked him for his service to our country. He was a pretty impressive man, I can tell you. His own son is also currently in the Marines. Seems it’s a “family business,” with multiple generations serving in the marines. He himself was a master gunnery sergeant, now retired.

As you might imagine, he had quite a few adventures over there. He shared a few of them with me, which I can’t really reveal here. But, like many middle aged guys, he also now has some aches and pains, especially after the various traumas his knees have sustained over the years of his active duty.

For my part, I told him about my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA, an ultra pure, enteric coated, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, packed with EPA and DHA, the long chain omega-3 fatty acids and all the healthful benefits they promote:

http://www.favoriteformulas.com

And I recommended that he try a few of the specially modified knee pain exercises that I teach in my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM:

http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html

By strengthening the VMO muscle, that big tear drop shaped muscle on the inside of the thigh, just above the patella, you can change the dynamics of the sore knee joint and change the tracking pattern of the painful kneecap.

Combined with the anti-inflammatory properties of the fish oil, these exercises can help to relieve knee pain, with natural methods.

By then, we were driving into the service bay of the dealership.   I just had to ask him what he really thought of the new Administration’s handling of Afghanistan. I mean, here was a guy recently on the front lines, who knew what was really happening out there. I was really curious to know what he thought.

He just looked slyly to the side at me, with a grim little grin, and said, as if by rote, “Sir, I cannot criticize the chain of command, or the Commander-in-Chief.”  

I pointed out that he was now retired, so he was now entitled to express his opinion. While he remained respectful, and reticent, I got the distinct impression that he thought they had no idea what they were doing. And he should know. Well, that’s what I thought….He did agree that November couldn’t come soon enough….

And with that, I shook his hand, said good-bye to “Gunny” and wished him well. It’s guys like that who keep us all safe. Semper Fi. I was proud to meet him.

Ah well, the good news is that this whole episode didn’t cost me anything, but time. The little car was all set and ready to go. And so far, it’s running well, with the new battery…but for how long? Guess I’ll find out…

Til next time, my friend, be well. Talk to you again, soon.

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

“The Wellness Warrior”        TM

One thing I normally don’t do is go to the movies. Instead, I generally wait until the movie comes out on DVD, or Blu-Ray, and then, for the price of two tickets, I have it for good. My wife and I have collected quite a few films, over the years, and have amassed a pretty good sized library of thousands of productions, from the early 80′s, on.

We started with the old CED movies (that no one even remembers anymore).

CED’s came in a rigid plastic case, about the size of an old LP vinyl record album. You inserted this case into a slot in a special player and then, extracted the sleeve, leaving the disc inside. It played by means of a stylus riding microgrooves, cut into the record (like a “needle” on the old time turntable record players) and played images and sound (but only monaural, not stereo).

The video expert, from whom I bought these, assured me that it would take over 300 playings, before the disc would wear out.

Unless you’re a Rocky Horror aficionado, no one is going to watch the same movie 300 times. That was my reasoning. 

And laser discs, just coming out at the same time, were much more expensive and only had about 50 films in the lineup, at that time (I think Jaws was the first). I had 400 plus CED’s, with more to come….seemed like a reasonable choice, at the time.

Shows you how wrong you can be, using perfect logic. 

Laser discs, with their crisp images, stereophonic sound and “immortal” discs (because nothing but a beam of laser light ever touched them) went on to take over the industry. CED’s stopped production, you can’t get the machines to play them and today, no one even knows what you’re talking about, if you mention them.

Laser discs were supplanted by the DVD, which are now in the process of being subsumed by the Blu-Ray discs, with full high definition (1080p) images and multitrack Dolby sound. That’s the thing about technology-it gets old fast and is then replaced by the next enhancement.

Anyway, the point is, I rarely go to the movies. 

Last time was to watch The Dark Knight in an IMAX theater, with an 80 foot screen. The time before that, it was Iron Man. This time, it was to see Iron Man 2. You see the pattern, here? It’s the comic geek in me that succumbs to the temptation and can’t wait the usual six months, or so, for the home theater version to come out.

Of course, my wife is not having any of this and is frankly embarrassed by my fanboy tastes. She always has been. But hey, every boy needs a hobby, right?

So I went to the early matinee the other day and enjoyed the film, which was great fun. Robert Downey Jr. is a great actor and he has absolutely “nailed” the character of Tony Stark, the high tech genius and military industrialist, who is Iron Man.

Now, to enjoy this film, and comic book characters in general, you have to indulge in what a famous statesperson once characterized as a “willing suspension of disbelief.”

No human being could live through the impacts and supersonic flights of Iron Man, even wrapped in that high tech metallic cocoon. Your aorta would avulse (rip out) from your heart, or your spinal cord would snap, from inertia, inside your body, armor or no. But hey, it’s make believe! And it’s fun. And it’s entertaining.

So I enjoyed seeing one of my early comic heroes on the silver screen, again. 

As I was leaving the theater, I heard behind me a woman say to her companion, “God! My knees hurt! ” No kidding. 

Well, she was sitting up in the higher rows of the theater, which were arranged, odion style, up an inclined plane, for better visibility for the folks in back. So she had to walk down a fairly steep hill, in effect, and that was after over two hours of keeping them fixed in a bent position, while watching the film. No wonder she hurt!

Odds are good that she has chondromalacia patellae, a very common degenerative condition of the articular cartilage behind the kneecap. The protective cartilage gets soft, eventually shreds and may even erode away, becoming full-fledged patellofemoral arthritis. This hurts like Hell, when you attempt to climb or descend stairs (or inclined planes, as in this case), squat or kneel.

You can learn more about it in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN:

http://www.drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html

Best way to treat this painful condition is to first, reduce inflammation and then, change the dynamics of the knee. 

The former is done with anti-inflammatory drugs (which have a number of adverse side effects, like gastritis, ulcers, or G.I. bleeding), or more naturally and safely, with pharmaceutical grade fish oil, like my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA:

http://www.favoriteformulas.com

The omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, which are contained in the fish oil, have potent, proven anti-inflammatory properties that are used to treat forms of arthritis in Europe and Asia, as a first line treatment. And they do that without significant adverse side effects.

The other part of the equation is that the muscles around the knee are often imbalanced, leading to maltracking of the patella-it’s pulled too far to the outside, resulting in abnormal stresses on the cartilage, causing pain and softening.

The cure for muscle imbalance is exercise. But not just any exercise. It must be strategic exercise, so you build up the weaker muscles and restore balance and proper alignment to the kneecap. You can do that by using the specially modified, strategic exercises that I teach in my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM:

http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html

No, I didn’t stop and talk to the lady. She didn’t know me and I doubt she’d have appreciated my eavesdropping on her complaints (though I really couldn’t help it). But if she has enough pain, she will go see her friendly neighborhood orthopaedist, who will tell her just what I’ve told you.

Fortunately, chondromalacia usually gets better with these conservative measures. I know. I’ve not only treated thousands of my patients for this disease, successfully, but I have it myself. And I’ve kept my own symptoms at bay for years, using exactly what I’ve recommended to you. So, the next time you have knee pain at the matinee, you now know what to do….

Til next time, my friend, be well.

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

“The Wellness Warrior”              TM

It’s been a long haul together. Some, including my own family, gave us six months, before we crashed and burned. Just no way that two such strong willed people, under one roof, could possibly manage to stay together, through the proverbial thick and thin, for any length of time. Highly improbable, at best.

And yet…

Here we are. The cynical might suggest that it was just to spite our critics that we survived, against all odds, against all common wisdom. And like every couple, we’ve had our ups and downs.

But once I had the epiphany that everything was my fault, one way or another, and that the bride was always right, had always been right and would always be right, irrespective of facts, why, things have been very smooth.

It’s amazing that most men never learn that the secret to a long and happy life together, in fact, the great secret of life itself, is just two words: “Yes, dear.”

Once you figure out that that’s just the way it is, you learn to go with it, like you learn to live with gravity-just accept it, as part of what IS and you’ll be way ahead of the game. It’s like that old saying: “Women and cats will do as they please. Men and dogs had just better get used to it.”

I’ve got a woman AND cats, so you can just imagine…builds plenty of character, though.

Still, I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. And there’s been plenty of water under the bridge, lots of life’s good and bad, sickness and health, that we have faced and shared together. Regardless of why we originally got together, it’s those trials, faced together, that forged the bonds that will last a lifetime.

It was 36 years ago, tonight, at about 8:15PM, that my wife and I were pronounced man and wife, in a formal  ceremony, in her mother’s grand home, in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia. Every so often, I look at the photographs from that night and wonder that we were ever so young (and so thin).

I was a new intern at the Medical College of Virginia. She was a lab technician and phlebotomist. I was exhausted all the time, from lack of sleep and stress, and admittedly, not at my peak most of the time. She was a vision of loveliness, an island of beauty and serenity in a sea of tumult and chaos.

Somehow, almost magically, the blood samples of my patients were always drawn, before I could get to them, first thing in the morning. I was so out of it, that it never even occurred to me why that was happening. I just accepted it and got on with the rest of my duties. I soon found out why.

We had a visceral attraction that was overwhelming. But I was going to remain fancy free. I was not going to get tied down to one woman. Nope. Not me.

My father once told me: “Bill, the smartest guy in the world is dumber than the dumbest woman. It’s just how the good Lord designed it.” I had no idea what he was talking about.

I soon found out that he was right. Ten months later, and I’m still not quite clear on exactly how this happened, but I was saying “I do.”

I never had a chance….

Well, that was the beginning. It’s been a long and mostly happy road with my wife, my lover, my partner in life, my best and most trusted friend. We’re now together longer than we’ve ever been apart. And she’s still trying to change me. And I still smile and say, “Yes, dear” and then, pretty much do what I want. Hey, it works.

We do have our differences, in books, in movies, in radio, T.V., and especially in music (she hates Jethro Tull and Meat Loaf, though we both love Queen). But we share some common interests, too, like our brood of cats, our politics (she’s even to the right of me-a frightening thought), our enjoyment of architecture, interior design and good food. We also enjoy long walks together, travel and road trips and more recently, share a taste for healthy eating. As for vitamins and supplements…

Well, like me, she does take my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA twice a day, every day (with garlic).

http://www.favoriteformulas.com

And she has been known to use the exercises I teach in my newly expanded PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD for relieving knee pain,

http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html

though you must understand, she does live with me. So she largely ignores what I tell her to do, even though patients came to me from across the globe for my advice and treatment.

As Kahlil Gibran once wrote: “A prophet is forever without honor in his own land.” So it goes….

Well, today we mark another year in our lives together. And even though she’ll be upset with me that I’m writing about “our personal lives,” which she hates, I couldn’t let this day pass without telling everyone just how very lucky I feel to have her as my wife. She is my life, my love, my sweet darlin’…and still, my bride. Happy Anniversary, baby. The adventure continues….

Til next time, my friend, be well. Talk to you again soon.

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

“The Wellness Warrior”           TM

Came across a news release over the weekend that should make all of us sit up and listen. It seems that the Los Angeles Laker’s 7 foot starting center, Andrew Bynum has worsening right knee pain. He was reported to have developed a small tear in his meniscus, after running on it in practice. And he has had some complaints in that knee for a while, now. He took most of the last four days off, in the six day hiatus before the conference finals. Though his coach, Phil Jackson, said he was running pretty well in practice, but “with some limitations,” it’s clear his knee is getting worse. Bynum has been working with his therapists to try to reduce the pain and swelling, no doubt using many of the very same conservative, non-operative methods that I outline in my healing program, HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY http://www.drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html It’s apparent that he wants to finish the season, without undergoing knee surgery. His thinking is probably correct. A small tear is likely not causing the majority of his knee pain symptoms, because small tears are generally NOT unstable-they don’t get caught between the moving parts of the joint, which is what causes instability (and pain). I discuss this topic in much greater detail in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN: http://www.drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html In general, knee pain and swelling are caused by synovial inflammation, irritation of the lining membrane of the joint, which leads to pain, stiffness, and excessive production of joint fluid (ie., water on the knee). That being the case, non-operative treatments are the most sensible and probably most effective course of action. And rest is a sensible part of that conservative approach. You know, it always amazes me that people don’t “get” that. Your body needs time to rest, if it’s going to heal an injury, or even if it’s just to allow the swelling of any inflamed tissues to recede. That’s one of the major issues when treating professional sports figures-they simply can’t just give it “tincture of time.” There are millions of dollars at stake in pro sports and a player who is drawing big bucks, but can’t perform, is a drain on the resources of the team. This guy is a case in point. He missed the entire LA Lakers performance to the NBA finals in 2008, because of a dislocated kneecap and arthroscopic surgery was slated for May. He also missed the last 13 games of this season, with a strained Achilles tendon. He would seem to be pretty injury-prone player. Why would this be? Well, he is way over on the right of the bell curve for height, at 7 feet. I should think that, because of his excessively long thigh bones, the leverages in the knee are much greater in him, than those in the average man. And that translates into greater applied force to the menisci, as well as the articular cartilage surfaces. There might also be some other anatomical differences that lead to problems, as well, like a shallow trochlea groove (the anterior depression, in which the kneecap rides, on the lower end of the femur). But I’m just speculating. I don’t know any of that for a fact. The point is, conservative, non-surgical methods of treatment can and often do relieve pain, reduce swelling and stiffness and restore function. Besides the usual expedient of anti-inflammatory drugs (like prescription or OTC Aleve, or Advil), which have a long list of adverse side effects, like G.I. distress, reflux, gastritis, ulcers and frank bleeding, natural cures can be very helpful. Chief among these is pharmaceutical grade fish oil, like my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA http://www.favoriteformulas.com The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, EPA and DHA, are known to have potent anti-inflammatory properties, but lack the significant and dangerous side effects of NSAID medications. Their downside is that they do take some time to work. I’ve found that using NSAID’s in the short term (with appropriate protective measures, like taking them with food or milk, to avoid the problems mentioned above) and fish oil in the long term works very well. Now, if in addition to synovial inflammation and swelling and physical damage to the internal structures, like menisci, there is damage or degeneration of the articular cartilage, then we are dealing with arthritic changes, too. And although those degenerative changes are irreparable, still they can be slowed and remaining cartilage can be maintained by providing the correct nutrients, like those in my JOINT HEALTH FORMULA: http://www.favoriteformulas.com/jointhealth As you can see, knee pain, and joint pain in general, is multi-factorial. We can learn a lot by studying knee pain lessons from the pros, who have to potentially deal with it, on a daily basis. Knee pain is aggravated by activity, especially stressful activity, like sports. But it is helped by rest, anti-inflammatory agents and appropriate exercises. In this way, you can often delay or even avoid knee surgery and return a player to full function. You may not be a major league sports figure, but these lessons apply to all of us, not just athletes. And if we apply those lessons to our daily lives, we can give our bodies the chance they need to relieve our pain and heal. Til next time, my friend, be well. Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and your optimal health, Dr. Bill “The Wellness Warrior”              TM   Quick Links…~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our Website: http://www.drbillsclinic.com                   http://www.favoriteformulas.com   Contact Information~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ phone: 813-650-8252 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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