Here’s a brief curbside consult, on how best to treat a potentially serious knee injury. I got this call yesterday, at home, from my vet. We’re on very good terms, since she takes care of all my cats and I give her orthopaedic advice, whenever she needs it.

Seems her son, an athletic young man, 24 years old, who still lives at home, injured his knee, while skateboarding. He apparently fell directly onto his bent knee, right on the concrete. BAM!

Wow, I’ll bet that hurt!

Well, he was seen by a local orthopaedist, who got the requisite x-rays of his injured knee and treated him with a knee immobilizer. If you haven’t seen or
experienced one, this is a removable canvas brace, usually about 18 to 24 inches long, used to maintain the knee in a straight position.

This brace is essentially a canvas wrap that encloses several long spring steel struts, back and sides, to provide some rigidity to the joint. It’s often used in ER’s because it’s easier, cheaper and more convenient than a cast, for acute injuries.
It protects the knee and keeps it straight, but it can be removed to shower, a VERY big deal, if you’ve ever been stuck in a real, solid cast.

Trouble is, he was and is quite resistant to wearing it. And, his mother (the vet) was not with him at the doctor’s office, so she has only such information as her son has decided to tell her, a limited amount, to be sure.

Worse, since he is a full grown man he won’t listen to anyone. So she called me and asked me to look at his x-ray and give her some advice for him. While he does have a very fine orthopaedic surgeon, everyone feels better if skilled friend confirms
the diagnosis and treatment plan. That’s almost universal.

She had told me that he had a fracture of his patella (kneecap). But that description can be anything from a major disruption of the entire extensor mechanism, which straightens your knee, and is a surgical lesion, requiring a major intervention, to a simple soft tissue injury, with a mere flake of bone avulsed (pulled out of the bone
attachment), which can be easily treated conservatively.

She sent the image file to me via the internet, while we were on the phone together, so I could review it for her, in real time. Luckily, in one glance, I could see that he had a simple, limited, undisplaced avulsion fracture of the proximal (upper) pole of the patella.

(These new digital x-rays are great for this. Years ago, I would have had to see the actual “film,” before knowing anything. Ain’t science grand?)

That all means that this is basically a soft tissue injury of the quadriceps tendon, with a bit of bone, ripped out of the rest of the kneecap, by the pull of the tendon. So, if bending is prevented, the fracture (and tendon) can heal without any further trouble.

The good news is, he could behave himself and heal without any surgery. It would be
as though the injury had never occurred.

The bad news is, he is apparently bull-headed, is refusing to wear his brace (“I can’t
wear that outside my pants!”) and can therefore screw this up, completing and displacing the fracture and dooming himself to a knee surgery that he might have avoided.

I laid it right on the line for him (or rather, for her to tell him that I said this): Look, he can either be an adult, stay in his brace, like his doctor told him to, and be healed and back in action in 3-6 WEEKS, OR…

He can be an immature jerk, screw up his fracture, undergo surgery (with all its potential risks and complications and expenses) and spend 3-6 MONTHS in rehab. And his knee will never be the same. It never is, after surgery. No matter how good the surgeon is (even me).

That’s why I always recommended surgery ONLY in cases where I had no better, or no other choice.

If this seems a little harsh, remember that I spent a long time in the trenches in practice. Sometimes, the best thing you can do with this type of patient is to hit ‘em, right between the eyes, with the truth, straight up, about knee pain.

Give them the options and tell ‘em, “Hey pal, it’s your leg, your choice. Now choose. What’s it gonna be? I don’t care, but YOU will bear the consequences of your own choice, not me.”

Faced with that either-or approach, that will usually break through the densest brain and make them behave like adults. Guess we’ll see if I’ve lost my touch, or not….

How about you? If you have a knee problem, acute or chronic, and you’d like an understanding of what’s going on in there, so you can understand your doctor’s explanation and get FAST PAIN RELIEF, then I have just the thing for you:

DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN:

http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html

This was my first information product, created so the average person could finally figure out what was going on in that painful knee joint. With explanations in plain, eveyday English and illustrations I drew myself, it gives you a working knowledge of your ailing knee joint, ways to determine what’s going on in there and most important…what to do about it.

With treatments and methods drawn from across the entire medical spectrum, conventional mainstream, alternative and complementary, they all share one thing–
THEY ALL WORK! These are simple, easy to do methods that will relieve your
knee pain, FAST and help you avoid surgery and other aggressive treatments,
with little known secrets that are so powerful and effective you’ll scarcely believe it.

If you’re tired of not knowing what’s going on and not knowing all your options,
especially the non-surgical options, then THIS is the program for you. Click the link
and GET IT HERE: http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html

And for goodness’ sake, if the doctor tells you to do something, DO IT, dammit! He or she is telling you for a reason, even if they don’t have or take the time to explain why to you. After all, that’s why I’m here….

Til next time, my friend, be well.

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

Dr. Bill

P.S. Look, you MUST trust your doctor and the advice he/she gives you. If you DON’T, then you need a new doc. Meanwhile, arm yourself with knowledge, while relieving your knee pain. Click the link. GET IT HERE: http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html

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Over the past weekend, besides enjoying the festivities of Easter, I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Thomas Kinkade, “The Painter of Light,” on Good Friday.

He was one of the most popular artists in the country, known for his serene and luminous images of cozy homes, windows glowing in the evening forest, or glade, or partially swaddled in new fallen snow, wisps of white smoke curling
from chimneys (even in the summer). His work was comfortable, familiar and soothing, with widespread appeal.

While his works were widely distributed as mass produced works of art for the common man, his body of work was often dismissed as sentimental kitsch, by many critics in the art world. Yet, he made many millions from his evocative, sylvan scenes of an America that exists, perhaps only in rose colored
memories.

His pictures adorn many a wall in America, as well as greeting cards, lithographs, prints, even jigsaw puzzles.

According to the press releases, he was only 54 years old and he reportedly died very suddenly, apparently from “natural causes,” in his home in Los Gatos, California.

Now, this is a subject very close to home, for me. As long time readers know, my own father died from heart disease, just a week before his 54th birthday. He, too, experienced sudden death and a post mortem examination revealed coronary artery disease, with a tight blockage at the base of the LAD (left anterior descending coronary artery).

This is an all too common story in America and across the entire developed world, where heart disase remains the number one killer of both men AND women.

An autopsy is planned for Mr. Kinkade and I’ll bet you that it’ll show he had a heart attack, or perhaps a deadly arrhythmia. But the number one cause of sudden death is a heart attack, a consequence of severe coronary artery disease.

And, as I’ve said here many times, the first sign of heart disease is most often… sudden death!

Now, many people ask me, “Well, Dr. Bill, if that’s in my future, what can I do?”

The answer is…”PLENTY!”

Look, you CAN’T change your genetics; that much we know. BUT, we CAN change the expression of those genetic tendencies and, in so doing, change your fate for the better. That’s been demonstrated many times. It is a FACT.

So even if you have a less than great genetic legacy, there is no reason to feel that you’re doomed, or hopeless. Nothing could be further from the truth. NEVER SAY DIE!

YOU have the abilty to CHANGE your destiny, to improve your health, to reduce your cardiac risk and live a longer, happier life than you ever believed possible. BUT… you must be willing to pay the price.

And the price is being willing to make a series of small, simple changes in your lifestyle. As an old friend of mine used to say, “You can’t change, without changing.”

Fortunately, I’ve made this easy for you. It’s all laid out in my new heart healing plan,
my HEART HEALTH PROGRAM: http://drbillsclinic.com/heart-health.html

This new program consists of two DVD’s, which show you exactly what to do. My good friend, Matt Furey, Zen Master of Health & Fitness (R) interviews me in the first DVD. In this powerful interview, I reveal all the tips, tricks and strategies that I’ve learned over the years, for reducing your cardiac risk profile, lowering your blood lipids, thinning your blood to reduce the risk of clots, minimizing your chances for a heart attack (or stroke), boosting your immune system, reducing inflammation, burning off excess fat and avoiding
diabetes and all its complications.

If that wasn’t enough, the second DVD is a special HEART HEALTH WORKOUT, developed and demonstrated by Matt Furey, himself, to show you exactly what to do to ramp up your metabolism, burn fat faster, increase your oxygen use, lung capacity and your all-important cardiac reserve (that can help you survive a heart attack, if, despite all your efforts, you were to still suffer one).

When you add the many health bonuses that are FREE with each purchase, you have an all-in-one kit that makes better heart health simple to understand and easy to achieve.

Now this is your heart we’re talking about. And you only get one.

And if you’re like most everyone else in the country, you probably already have some coronary artery disease, right now, just waiting to cause you major trouble. Most everyone does. THAT’S why it’s such a dangerous and widespread disease.

And why it’s so deadly.

But you can slow, halt or even reverse the blockages, BEFORE they cause you grief,
IF you will make the simple changes I recommend in my program… and make them in time.

So…what will it be? Stick your head in the sand and hope…or take some responsibility for
yourself and take action NOW. If you’re ready to make a change, I can help. Just click the link.
GET IT HERE: http://drbillsclinic.com/heart-health.html

Til next time, my friend, be well.

Yours for reduced cardiac risk and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

P.S. Do this NOW, while you’re thinking about it. Remember, you may not get a second chance. The FIRST sign is most often… SUDDEN DEATH, like Thomas Kinkade, or my Dad. For your family,
for your yourself, click the link. GET IT HERE: http://drbillsclinic.com/heart-health.html

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Dr Bill’s Clinic, Inc., 816 Turtle River Court, Plant City FL, 33567© 2012 All rights reserved.

Now that Easter and Passover are past, well except for the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches, which are on the Julian Calendar (instead of
the Gregorian Calendar like the rest of us), for whom Easter is yet to come (on April 15th), it’s time to stop eating all that crap and lose the winter fat.

When it comes to eating manufactured crap that’s bad for you, Easter is probably not nearly as bad as Halloween, or Christmas, in which candy and other “goodies” are present in massive overabundance, but it still ranks right up there. Marshmellow chicks, assorted chocolate bunnies, easter eggs, large and small, even Godiva assortments, and my all time favorite, jelly
beans. Talk about your instant sugar infusion!

Jelly beans in particular were my personal bane. Oddly enough, although I would eat any jelly beans available, one after the other, all flavors, except licorice, until they were all gone, I always preferred the cheaper ones. They had a different, more robust texture than the refined pectin Jelly Bellies that President Reagan made so famous.

But either way, they were absolute poison for my teeth, as well as my metabolism. Nothing makes you fatter faster than pure sugar and that’s
exactly what all those great tasting Easter treats are.

That big belly I used to support didn’t just come out of the ether, you know? Between pizza and jelly beans, it’s a miracle I’m still here to tell you about them.

Nowadays, I don’t touch them. Kind of like being any type of addict: Better not to test your resolve than to fall off the wagon for good.

So, whether you’re a hopeless jelly bean addict, or you just like to eat gobs of great tasting food, it’s time to get serious and get rid of the excess fat, stored over the winter. And that means to STOP eating all the extra crap that you’ve been eating.

Know what they say, right? When you’re in a hole, first, stop digging.

Now if you can’t manage that “cold turkey,” then start by cutting back on those empty calorie treats. Eat a bit less ice cream. Lay off the candy.
Replace sodas with water, or seltzer, or green tea. Reduce the starchy carbs, like potatoes, or rice.

And get busy with some physical activity you enjoy, to boost your dormant metabolism into higher gear, so you’ll burn fat faster.

Or, if you’re really smart and motivated, get my RAPID FIRE FAT LOSS PROGRAM: http://drbillsclinic.com/rapid-fire-fat-loss.html

http://drbillsclinic.com/rapid-fire-fat-loss.html

Pictures don’t lie. I was porky, old and fat. Certainly on my way to a heart
attack, or stroke. I was “digging my grave with my teeth.” Today, even if I’m
not Olympic material, I’m still a helluva lot better off than I was. And I was
able to give away a lot of “Fat Clothes” to others, who haven’t yet made that
transition.

Using this program, which incorporates the best parts of many diet plans, over the years, I made the change. I lost about 60 pounds. And I’ve managed to keep it off. How about you?

Nearly every top cause of death in the U.S. and all other developed countries, with a Western type diet, is closely associated with obesity. That means heart attacks, strokes, cancers, diabetes, lung disorders, accidents, even cancer.

Are you tired of living with a ticking time bomb inside your gut? If you are and if you’re ready to make a change, you just can’t do better than my program. It’s designed for sofa slugs and couch potatoes and people with virtually no will power.

And it’s based on real science, the basic, fundamental, physiological principles that make your body work. So, it simply CANNOT FAIL, as long as you actually DO IT.

Look, Summer is fast approaching. It will be here again, before you know it. Want to look and feel a lot better, come Memorial Day weekend? You can do it. I can help. But YOU have to make the first move. I can’t do that for you.

So, click the link. GET IT HERE: http://drbillsclinic.com/rapid-fire-fat-loss.html
And get started today. No more excuses. No
more reprieves. Do it. NOW.

Til next time, my friend, be well.

Yours for rapid fire fat loss and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

P.S. Remember, nothing happens until somebody moves. Click the link. GET IT HERE: http://drbillsclinic.com/rapid-fire-fat-loss.html
And get started on the path to a brand new YOU, today!

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Dr Bill’s Clinic, Inc., 816 Turtle River Court, Plant City FL, 33567© 2012 All rights reserved.

Amazing as it seems, here we are at Easter again. It seems early this year,
but it is always the first Sunday, after the full moon, which follows the
northern hemisphere’s vernal equinox.

And the full moon is today, Good Friday, so called because of the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice that redeems the sins of the world and
provides salvation for all who believe in Him, according to Christian
doctrine.

For Christendom, the world over, this is the Holiest Day of the Christian
calendar, even though Christmas has become more universally celebrated.
That’s largely because of its message of hope, peace and good will and its
ever increasing secularization over the decades.

Today, Christmas is a Federal Holiday, celebrating the birth of Jesus, but
also incorporating many pagan elements, like holly, mistletoe, the yule log,
“Christmas” trees and evergreen wreathes.

Even its timing is pagan–the time of the Roman Saturnalia, since the historical Jesus of Nazareth is believed to have been born sometime in August, based
on astronomical calculations.

But Easter is what it’s really all about for Christians: the Resurrection
of the crucified Christ, the ultimate triumph of life over death.

Yet even here, there are pagan elements that have crept in, like the colored eggs, jelly beans (symbols of fertility), rabbits (ditto), even the very name, Easter.

“Easter,” from the old English “Ēostre,” or German “Ostern”, comes from
Teutonic/Anglo-Saxon mythology. It is derived from Eostre, or Ostdra,
the name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of Spring, to whom the month we call
April, and the Anglo-Saxons called Eostur-monath, was dedicated.

So Easter is actually a festival of worship of the pagan goddess of Spring, or
fertility. The festival was co-opted for the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ by the First Council of Nicaea, in 325AD, appointed by the Emperor Constantine,
and therefore, it now always falls on a Sunday.

Some Christian denominations do not celebrate the holiday, as there is no
instruction to do so in the scriptures, and those of the Eastern Rites, who
use the Julian, rather than the Gregorian, Calendar to calculate the date,
celebrate it on a later date.

And then, there is the Jewish Passover, always associated with the Passion
of Christ, as The Last Supper, thereafter commemorated as Communion,
representing the body and blood of Christ, was a Passover meal. This year,
that holiday is celebrated on the 7th, right between Good Friday and Easter.

What is common to all these traditions is the yearning toward the light and
new life that Spring heralds, an end to Winter (Death) and a preparation for
Life (Summer).

So, whatever you celebrate, or even if you don’t, enjoy this springtime
awakening of hope and life and light. In that spirit, be sure your speakers
are on and please click this link, my Easter gift to you. Enjoy!

http://www.last.fm/music/Georg+Friedrich+H%C3%A4ndel/_/Hallelujah+Chorus

Happy Easter, or Happy Passover, my friend.

Dr. Bill

P.S. After eating all those Jelly beans (another Easter tradition
that I used to love–before I gave them up to resurrect my waistline)
you may want to try my RAPID FIRE FAT LOSS PROGRAM:

http://drbillsclinic.com/rapid-fire-fat-loss.html

Summer is closer than you think… and you want to be ready.

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Dr Bill’s Clinic, Inc., 816 Turtle River Court, Plant City FL, 33567© 2012 All rights reserved.

The other day, I read an interesting factoid in an article by Jessica Whitfield, writing for Medill Reports, from Northwestern University, out of Chicago, whose fine work is hereby acknowledged, with thanks. The subject of the article was the conclusion of Dr. Nausheen Akhter, who specializes in cardiovascular disease in women, echocardiology, and general cardiology, in a recent seminar she presented at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine.

Her main point was that cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of death among women, with a lifetime risk of 32% for women over 40 years old. Considering the stereotypes, and perhaps more popular female oriented causes, such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, or stroke, this finding is somewhat counter-intuitive.

Women are somewhat “protected” from CV disease by their estrogen (female hormone), which delays the onset of heart disease until later in life.

But heart disease has been climbing in the ranks for years among women. And now, it’s finally achieved primacy among their top causes of death. Not exactly what the feminists had in mind for gender equality, is it?

Dr. Akhter notes that although they see mostly women in their 70′s, after menopause, younger women may, in fact, be most at risk of coronary artery disease.

The key seems to be recognizing risk factors based on those issues identified in the original Framingham Study. These include increased age, high blood pressure, diabetes, family history of heart disease, and smoking history.

In addition, women often present with atypical signs and symptoms that may well be different from those in men. Some women develop chest pain as a result of microvascular disease, with plaque developing in the tiniest blood vessels, even if the main arteries are wide open. This is also typical of diabetes, which is a disease of the smallest blood vessels, a fact that many people don’t realize.

Dr. Ahkter believes that women need to be more aware of their risks and what they put into their bodies, including foods, drinks, smoking and exercises.

In addition, once diagnosed, treatment options include controlling blood pressure, increasing omega-3 fatty acid intake, and control of blood sugar for diabetics. (Fish oil can help with all of these.)

I agree, except that I believe that EVERYONE needs to control their blood sugar, not just diabetics. After all, many people who have the genetic codes for insulin resistance simply don’t know it. Given enough sugar, over a long enough time and the susceptible may develop insulin resistance and eventually, type II diabetes.

So here’s more proof, from a cardiologist, yet, that what I’ve been telling you all along is valid. To reduce your cardiac risk profile, you need to be proactive and take steps to change your diet, your bad habits and your activity level.

Trouble is, that’s usually perceived as difficult. But now, with my new HEART HEALTH PROGRAM, it’s a snap!

Heart disease is a topic very personal to me–it killed my father a week before his 54th birthday. And I’ve got those genes.

True, I never smoked; I don’t drink; and I’ve lost…and kept off about 60 pounds, with a deliberate effort and a fool-proof program of my own design. But still, those genes are there. So if I want to live, I have to be vigilant. I have to make serious, positive changes.

And so do you.

Because, at the end of the day (to coin a phrase), you’ve gotta play the hand you’re dealt. You don’t have a choice in that. But you can still win in the game of life… if you play your cards right.

You can’t choose your genes. They are what they are. But you CAN choose to slash your risk profile, eliminate negative habits, and basically, change your “evil ways.” You can give your heart a fighting chance, by using the simple, easy to follow steps that I outline for you to follow.

These are the same ones I use for myself. So I KNOW they work. And they will work for you, too… IF you will follow my advice.

This program includes a DVD, in which I explain what heart disease actually is, how it harms and eventually kills you, and the role of diet, lifestyle and bad habits in that process.

Then, I outline, in progressive, simple steps, exactly how to improve your odds of living an much longer happier and healthier life than would otherwise be your fate.

All of this is in down-to-earth, everyday English, so it’s easy to understand the concepts and simple to follow them. This is life-altering, life-saving information. This is REAL positive change.

But, there’s even more.

There’s a SECOND DVD, by my friend Matt Furey, Zen Master of Health & Fitness, ^(R) who designed and demonstrates the HEART HEALTH WORKOUT, just for you. Follow along with Matt and improve your oxygen absorption, increase your lung capacity and your cardiac reserve. This alone is worth a multiple of your investment in this program.

This is information that can, quite literally, SAVE YOUR LIFE!

So, what is your life worth to you? How about to your family? Is your security and theirs, worth a little extra effort? If you think so (and I think you should) then take action, right NOW, and click this link: GET IT HERE!

Let’s face it: If your heart fails you, nothing else matters. So DO IT NOW…and LIVE! Til next time, my friend, be well.

Yours for reduced cardiac risk and your optimal health,

Dr. Bill

P.S. Remember, for men and now, for women too, cardiac disease is the number ONE cause of death in the USA and across the developed world. Follow me if you want to live. Click the link. GET IT HERE. And DO IT NOW. Sudden death is the most common first sign of undiagnosed heart disease. So, don’t delay. Tomorrow may be too late….

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