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 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 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 15, 2010

Earlier this month just after the New Year, when I was still in the early stages of recovery from my hernia repair surgery, I had mentioned that there were going to be some changes coming down the pike, with Dr. Bill’s Clinic. One of them will be coming up just next month. I’ll be switching this daily email and the daily blog that it becomes, to another server.
 
This will mean a bit of chaos at first. But I can’t tell you how many people have told me that they’ve signed up, multiple times, to get my emails, but never received one. That includes my webmaster.
 
Now you may like my commentary, stories and health tips and find them valuable. Or you may find they’re not your cup of tea and move on. And that’s fine. I realize I can’t be all things to all people. And I realize that not everyone is going to agree with me. 
 
(Of couse, I tend to think of these latter people as narrow, ignorant, misguided, jealous bastards, while those who agree with me are highly intelligent, morally superior and perceptive, discriminating individuals, who are excellent specimens of the species, but I suppose that’s only natural.) 
 
But if you DO want to keep receiving these daily messages from me, you will have to take action, when it’s called for and OPT-IN AGAIN. Now, I know it’s a nuissance. And I know I’m going to lose some of my flock. Everyone who does this, does. But, whether you like my emails or you don’t, the fact remains that I work my butt off to knock them out, day after day. And I work too hard at it to accept that my efforts are, in large part, being wasted.
 
It’s far more likely that the “mail will get through” with this move and that you will receive your daily dose of Dr. Bill, without interruption. But, as I said, this will require some effort on your part, when the time comes.
 
Since you are here, that already tells me that you’re different from the herd. And so, instead of simply accepting that I will lose a number of my friends, through inaction or lack of information, I decided to give you a heads-up early, BEFORE the transition, so you will be expecting it and take the appropriate action, ie., sign up again and confirm that you WANT to continue to receive communications from me.
 
I will periodically make a number of repeat announcements over the next few weeks, which I hope will minimize the predicted loss of subscribers. It has to be done, though. And I hope you will want to make the transition with me.
 
But anyway, you have been warned.
 
The other big change is that, very soon, I will be posting PODCASTS on various medical topics on iTunes. The show will be called “The Wellness Warrior” and will feature episodes on health related topics that will help you be healthier, happier and live longer.
 
Some episodes will be 20 to 30 minutes long, mainly audio. Some will be short video tips, maybe a minute or two. But I hope that all of them will be interesting to you. Oh, and you can leave comments and ask questions and stuff, too. So, I hope you’ll sign up for them when they’re up and ready to go. I’ll keep you posted.
 
My first podcast will be an episode about Fish Oil–The Omega-3 Solution. I’ve already recorded it. I’m just fine tuning it, before it goes live. In this podcast, I’ll go over the many health benefits of pharmaceutical grade fish oil, especially my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA  http://www.favoriteformulas.com 
 
This will be an overview, explaining exactly what omega-3′s are, why you need them and how you can benefit from taking them. The following podcasts will continue in that vein, boiling down all the latest information to the essentials that you can use.
 
Later episodes will focus on the ways you can relieve your pain in simple, non-operative ways, that I cover in more depth in my healing program,  HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY   http://www.drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery   and still others will feature interviews with other physicians, surgeons and health care practitioners, to give you a well-rounded variety of opinions on a given topic. For example, I may interview a cardiologist on coronary artery disease and the things you can do to prevent clinical heart disease, or a rheumatologist, about how to cope with arthritis.
 
So, I hope you’ll stay tuned to the changes coming in Dr. Bill’s Clinic in the very near future. 
 
And if you have any particular topics you’d like me to address, or ideas about how I can make this more beneficial for you, please drop me an email. 
 
Meanwhile, thanks for all your support and for the kind remarks and comments that I often get from enthusiastic subscribers. I hope you’ll continue to want to be a part of my little health “family” and will take the necessary action, when the time comes.
 
Have a great weekend, my friend and be well. I’ll talk to you again soon. Til next time,

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 13, 2010

Just last night, as I was listening to the news, it was reported that a massive earthquake hit the island nation of Haiti, with a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter Scale. This is the largest, most devastating quake in over 200 years and promises to be a major disaster for the Haitian people. Its epicenter was near the capital of Port-Au-Prince and reportedly, every other building was knocked down.
 
Though the weather services are watching closely for potential tsunamis, the real danger remains the series of powerful aftershocks. One such hit last night, causing a number of buildings to collapse. The chaos is near total, with no food, services, medicine, or medical care.
 
By the time you read this, the relief effort will be in full swing, spearheaded, no doubt, by the good ol’ USA. We have our faults, especially lately, but there has never been, in the history of the world, as decent and benevolent a hegemonic power as the United States. And, as Martha would say, “that’s a good thing.”
 
Even under the best of circumstances, Haiti is an exceptionally poor country, one of the poorest backwaters in the world, certainly the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Ironic, because the other country that shares the same island of Hispanola, the Dominican Republic is a garden spot of the Caribbean. Perhaps it has something to do with their respective governments, or in the case of Haiti, its conspicuous absence.
 
The poor people there have rarely been cut a break. They always have some a$$hole trying to run them down, everyone from drug lords to Papadoc, to the last guy our State Department was trying to prop up.
 
I’ve been there a few times, usually as a day trip during a Caribbean cruise, often to the beach at Labadie, and I’ve always been impressed with the grinding poverty. It’s been reported that the average person there lives on two bucks a day–unbelievable! So, the last thing these folks needed was a disastrous earthquake.
 
My brother-in-law, John, is a master diver, or was when he was in shape. He had been hired, along with another friend, Pete, to search for buried treasure off the coast of Haiti. No, really. Salvage companies have the records of ships lost off the coast of the island and often organize diving expeditions, to search for lost vessels and their valuable cargos, based on their manifests. He told me that, between the drug problem and the Voodoo, he never wanted to return there. 
 
The bottom line is, the place is dirt poor and this catastrophe will only make it worse. The toll in human lives and miserie is only beginning to be counted. Let’s hope for the best for the people of Haiti in this trying time.
 
I’ve never been in an earthquake, myself. But I have freinds who have. And they tell me that it has to be one of the most frightening and disorienting sensations you can imagine. With the very ground unreliable, shifting beneath you, rockin’ ‘n’ rollin’ it has got to be one scary situation.
 
If it’s anything like being at sea in a major storm, though, which I HAVE experienced, I should think that having strong legs and stable knees might make the difference between safety and falling, with broken hips, or worse. 
 
The best way I know of, to ensure that your knees are up to any challenge, is to develop the muscles and tendons around them, by using the strategic, knee pain exercises that I teach in my new, greatly expanded PAIN-FREE PROGRAM and DVD
 
  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
By strengthening those muscles, you not only relieve knee pain, and prevent it, but you make your knees as stable as they can possibly be. It’s not only good for you, it’s cheap insurance of stability, when the world around you is going to Hell.
 
Meanwhile, our thoughts and prayers will be for the People of Haiti. Let’s hope the relief effort and an end to the aftershocks will minimize the human casualties and misery.
 
On another note, today is just shy of two weeks since my surgery for a hernia repair. I’m doing much better, and improving daily. I got the OK to start walking for exercise, as tolerated, but no lifting, or serious abdominal exercises for 6-8 weeks. Well that makes sense. The protein collagen (ie., scar or fibrous tissue, of which we’re all made, and which is the substance of the hernia repair, takes about 6-8 weeks to fully heal, and then another 6-12 months to mature, so…).
 
The surgeon gave me the OK to restart my pharmaceutical grade fish oil, so I have. But I have to start slowly, just as though I were starting out, which I am, after a fashion. Too much, too soon and I’ll get diarrhea, which would really stress my new repair and probably not be too comfortable, either.
 
My POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA is an ultra pure, but very concentrated fish oil. I need to take one capsule a day, for a few days, then one, twice a day. As I reacclimate to the dose, I can increase in a week or so to two caps in the AM, one in the PM. And after another week, finally back to my maintenance dose of two caps, twice a day.
 
http://www.favoriteformulas.com 
 
By that time, its full anti-inflammatory effects should be in full swing, with relief of my chronic back and knee pain. Makes a real difference, I can tell you. You don’t really appreciate what it does, until you have to do without. Believe me, I know.
 
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 11, 2010

Later today, I go to see my surgeon for my post-surgical office visit. The incision is clean and dry, no redness (erythema), no drainage, no swelling and it appears to be healing very well. Nice and clean, with no signs of infection.
 
Of course, it’s a bit tender still, but nothing like it was for the first few days. As a surgeon myself, I know that it’s healing well, and I’m  grateful it is. But the doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient, or so they say. 
 
So, I will dutifully go to the surgeon and get his official evaluation and his blessing, before starting back on my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA,  http://www.favoriteformulas.com  my garlic, DR. BILL’S MAXIMUM ALLICIN FORMULA (only available for those already on my fish oil), which enhances the lipid lowering actions of the pharmaceutical grade, enteric coated fish oil, to make it a net cholesterol lowering agent, as well as lowering triglycerides.
 
Especially since this cold snap and nasty, rainy weather lately has made me feel my incision more lately, than before, I’ve really missed its natural anti-inflammatory action. Did you know that in a number of clinical studies, fish oil was found to have an equivalent effect to NSAID’s, but without their adverse side effects? It’s true. In fact, in cases of rheumatoid arthritis, fish oil use allowed some patients to reduce, or eliminate NSAID’s. 
 
And, as I’ve mentioned before, inflammation is a necessary part of this hernia repair, allowing the ingrowth of fibrous tissue into the implanted mesh. So I have had to forgo the comfort of my usual dose. But, as a result, all my joints are “talking” to me, my back is aching and of course, the incision site aches, too. So I’ll be glad to get the OK to start it up again.
 
I’ll also be glad to start some mild knee pain exercises for my aching knees, like those in my newly redone and expanded PAIN-FREE PROGRAM and full length DVD  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
 
Combined with walking and isometrics, I can begin the long process of rebuilding my fitness, a step at a time. Luckily, he did a subcuticular closure, meaning there are no sutures to be removed–a long suture under the edges of the skin gives a hairline scar and a tight closure. There wasn’t even a drop of blood, when I took off the initial dressing. Good job, all in all.
 
So, I’m looking forward to a positive evaluation, now eleven days and counting, out from my surgery. This will take about six months to really mature, but this is a good beginning. Thank God! If there’s ever going to be a problem or a complication, it’s gonna happen in a doctor, guaranteed. 
 
Well, over the weekend, we had that plumber return and install a couple of new toilets for us. I went upstairs, to say hello and came up on him, kneeling on the bathroom marble floor, while setting the base of the commode. And, whaddyaknow…he was wearing KNEE PADS! Just like I told him to. 
 
You know, usually, I give folks good advice and more often than not, they ignore it. People often don’t respect or value what they don’t pay for. But not this guy. I told him I was proud of him. He said, “Hey, if I’m told something by a guy who knows what he’s talking about, I listen.”
 
Well, good for him. If he sticks with his new protection, he’ll be real happy a dozen years from now, when he DOESN’T have to suffer with patellofemoral arthritis. For more simple, but effective tips on preventing, or treating knee pain, try my LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
 
So that’s it for today, my friend. Talk to you soon. Til next time, 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 8, 2010

As luck would have it, everything seems to break down, or go wrong, all at the same time. Ever notice that? We’ve just finished the stress of the Holidays, gotten past the loss of our oldest cat, Misty, had and dealt with my recovery from recent surgery and… wouldn’t you know it? The toilet breaks down and was running and running and running….and it’s only a week into the New Year.
 
Now these are old toilets, original equipment in this house, which makes them about 19 years old. So even the old bolts are rusted. Because they’re located in guest rooms, on the second floor, they don’t get much use. 
 
We only found out there was a problem when my wife decided to sleep up there, so as not to inadvertantly injure me during sleep, in my postop recovery (belly’s still pretty sore, but getting better, daily). Naturally, with me physically out of action and my wife lacking the physical strength to turn a rusted bolt, or even turn off the water, we had a problem.
 
So, we called our plumber. Normally, he would come right over. But, as we were in the midst of a true “when it rains, it pours” episode, he was tied up installing a massive water heater for a hotel, in which 4,000 people had no hot water. Figures, right?
 
So, he sent over an assistant today. Nice guy. John’s his name. He’s only 28, next month. And he’s making his living as a plumber. We took him up and showed him the problematic toilet.
 
He knelt on the marble floor, while he opened the commode and saw what was what. Turns out that, given the age of the old unit, it would be smarter to simply replace the old appliance with a new one. Figures, right? 
 
He turned off the water, so at least we weren’t still wasting it, by letting it endlessly run. But because he was a young guy and a nice guy, I decided to give him some free advice, that will make a big difference to his future comfort.
 
You see, a plumber, like a bricklayer, roofer, rug layer, or any trade that must kneel on unyielding surfaces to do their work, all have the same problem. They MUST assume that position, but it eventually causes severe knee pain. That’s the plumber’s dilemma. Here’s the solution:
 
Never, NEVER kneel on a hard floor, especially marble, concrete, brick, porcelain tile, or even wood, without a knee pad, of some kind. Here’s why.
 
The knee joint is designed to bear weight from top to bottom, NOT front to back. In other words, the kneecap (patella) is not designed to directly bear the stresses of weight bearing. This has consequences for the protective cartilage coating behind the kneecap, over time.
 
These abnormal forces may lead to degenerative softening of that cartilage coating, leading to knee pain due to chondromalacia patellae. I describe this and what to do about it in great detail in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, which you can get here:  http://www.drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html   and the specific, startegic exercises, that can relieve that knee pain over the long term, are outlined, step by step, in my newly re-written, greatly expanded PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD, which was designed as the perfect companion to the Little Green Book.
 
http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html 
 
In the short term, knee pads are the way to go. The problem is that for some, like this guy, John, the straps of knee pads pinch and bind the backs of their knees, thereby discouraging their use.
 
So, instead, he should use a small pad upon which he can kneel, either cloth, a section of carpet, or a gel pad. In any case, the object is to spread out the body weight over a larger area. This effectively reduces the unit stress on the relatively small kneecaps, same principle as snowshoes, reducing pain and preventing compression damage to the retropatellar cartilage.
 
Simple. Easy. Cheap. And, most important, effective. And likely to keep this young man from developing knee pain and arthritis in the years to come. Keep this in mind, whenever you have a similar home care project, that requires kneeling. 
 
And be sure to take my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA,   http://www.favoriteformulas.com   an ultra pure, enteric coated, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, with maximal omega-3 fatty acids and potent, proven anti-inflammatory properties, that reduce joint pain, back pain and have numerous heart, brain and blood vessel benefits. I take it, twice a day, every day (at least when I’m not pre-or post-surgery). You should, too.
 
Well, that’s my tip o’ the day, my friend. Have a great weekend and be well. Talk to you again real soon.
 
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