You may have noticed that yesterday’s email was a bit late–like, it wasn’t broadcast until after midnight, which pissed me off to no end. Fortunately, that was just after midnight EDT, and many of my subscribers reside all over the world, in other time zones. So only the east coast people were affected. But it was still mega annoying.
 
Thing was, I had it written and ready to go much earlier in the day, but my terrific merchant service, 1shoppingcart was on the fritz. “Error” kept coming up, every time that I clicked on the appropriate button and tried to send the email. Very frustrating, to say the least. So I saved my work, by clicking on “save draft.” And then, clicked off, hoping that whatever the problem was would be resolved with a little time.
 
Later, about 11PM my time, I logged back in, clicked on the “saved drafts” button, so I could retrieve the email and send it off, and guess what? The damn thing had ERASED 80% of my email! AAAAARRRRGGHHH!  I HATE when that happens! Must have been gremlins in the shopping cart….
 
Anyway, I had to rewrite nearly the whole damn thing again, from memory. Luckily, my memory isn’t shot just yet I was retyping frantically, with my rudimentary hunt and peck skills, re-saving every paragraph or so, just to be on the safe side. And I finished before midnight. YEAAA! Only, the line-up of others ahead of me pushed its transmission to after the witching hour. C’est la guerre….
 
Well, I guess I should be thankful that this doesn’t happen ALL the time. Anyway, when I was so rudely interrupted by the gremlins, I was telling you about my friend, who had recurrent knee pain. He initially had a very good response to the specially modified knee exercises I teach in my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM, at http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
 
But, like many people, he felt so good, he became lax and gradually stopped doing them. After all, he felt good, no pain, so the knee must be OK, right?
 
Err….no, sorry. The problem he had was a chronic degenerative condition. And that doesn’t disappear, just because you’ve compensated for it and relieved the resultant pain. So, absent the beneficial effects of exercise, the kneecap gradually fell back into the  abnormal tracking pattern that caused his problem to start with. Whether his actual disease was chondromalacia, or osteoarthritis of the patellofemoral compartment, the final result was recurrent anterior knee pain. 
 
As I mentioned, there are two fundamental components to treating this condition: 1.exercise and 2.measures to reduce inflammation. And they must be addressed simultaneously. 
 
Fortunately, there are many ways to combat inflammation. Conventional conservative treatments, home remedies, over the counter medications (with proper precautions), as well as a number of proven alternative treatments, which work by different mechanisms, can have a  synergistic effect to relieve knee pain. I cover a number of these, with specific instructions how to use and combine them, in my newest healing program,  HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY, which you can get at http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
 
Long term, there is no better treatment than exercise.  That’s why I include a Baker’s Dozen of the most effective, proven knee exercises and stretches in this new program, as well. Or you can get the full range of exercises and stretches in the PAIN-FREE PROGRAM, at   http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html  But either way, exercise is key in getting and maintaining complete pain relief and restoration of full knee function. 
 
If he follows my advice, my friend should get relief of his recurrent knee pain in short order, probably less than seven days. But to keep it, he’s got to do the work…and keep doing it.
 
You can get away with a lot and slack off when you’re young. Young tissues are forgiving. But as you age, more conscientious efforts are required. If you don’t do the necessary work, you will pay the price. It’s as simple as that.
 
Til next time, my friend, be well.
 
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
 
Dr. Bill

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 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, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved

Yesterday, I was driving to the local Home Depot, to return some fans that we originally purchased, but turned out to be too small. So I was given the assignment by “the high command” to return them for credit. So, I collected all the boxes from the back of the car, placed them on the cart, and wheeled the entire bunch to the return desk.

After completing the transaction, my companions and I walked outside to return to the car. As we passed by the front of the store, I saw an incredible sight. There was a very large, very rotund, middle aged woman, with a bright red mohawk, with both sides of her head shaved. I don’t mean that orangy reddish, or strawberry blond color we normally call “red” hair. I mean, neon, flaming scarlet RED! It was the sort of thing you might see on a teenager who spent a lot of time in the mosh pits and clubs, certainly not what you would normally see on a middle aged woman. 

I couldn’t take my eyes off her. And I couldn’t believe someone would actually walk around like that. WHY? Why would someone who is, to put it mildly, singularly unattractive to start with, emphasize their most unattractive feature and make it impossible to ignore her? Maybe that’s the point.

Or maybe, I’m just getting old. Who knows? Maybe she’s a lovely person underneath all that. But the odds favor a weird psychology. Contrast that with one of my old employees, who just emailed me to wish me a belated Happy Birthday.

This woman was a very large person when I hired her. We’re talking really big. But she was very nice, seemed competent and she clearly wanted the job. My office manager, who had found her and chosen her for me to interview, had warned me that she was a big girl. My attitude was pretty much, “So what? As long as she’s nice and can do the job…” But as I came to know her, and admire her abilities, I naturally became 
concerned about her, for health reasons.

Well, she made the decision to make a change. And then, she DID IT. Before my practice ended, she had lost 100 pounds, with a combination of diet and exercise, and most of all, discipline. Think about that for a minute. She lost enough extra body fat to make another whole person.

And here’s the thing–she KEPT IT OFF for a couple of years. See, that’s the thing that’s rare. It’s terrific that she lost so much weight. But KEEPING IT OFF–that’s where most people fall short.  Hell, I’ve lost and regained enough weight in my lifetime to form my own football team! So I fully and fiercely appreciate her achievement. But now, she’s done even more–she’s now reached the target she set for herself over seven years ago: she has now lost a total of 135 pounds! And kept all of it off. Just amazing.

And here’s the payoff: she not only looks far better, but she FEELS much better. Her blood pressure is down, her blood sugar is down, her knees and back don’t hurt, she has a ton of energy and she is justifiably proud of herself. Her outer self is a reflection of her new, inner self, “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace” (with apologies to the Book of Common Prayer).

If you ask her, she’ll tell you: exercise is key. She started with walking, then added bodyweight exercises, to raise her metabolic rate and burn those excess calories. No longer fat and flabby, she’s now fit and fabulous. And sensible dieting, combined with exercise has wrought a miracle.

How about you? If your knees hurt, you can use my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM for your exercises (see it at
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html ), or if you prefer a total body workout, you can try the best all around bodyweight exercises on the planet–Matt Furey’s Combat Conditioning http://drbillsclinic.com/combat_conditioning.html  But whatever you choose, just DO IT!
 
That’s it for today, my friend. Have a great weekend and be well. Til next time….

Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
 
Dr. Bill
 
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 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, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
All rights reserved