Well, here we are in Orlando, where it’s cloudy but not even raining yet. And the press has worked itself into a lather over the approach of Fay, a tropical storm with hurricane potential. Now, it is true that Fay has spawned some tornados, apparently killed ten people and should be taken seriously. But so far, virtually nothing that has been predicted has happened.
 
I’m well aware that meteorology is an inexact science. That’s rather like saying King Kong is a large monkey. I mean, these guys are wrong so often that they could probably do better if they flipped a coin. They know it’s raining when they look out the window. For all the sophisticated computer models, specialized radars and scientific analysis, they are clueless about what’s going on in the real world.
 
See, the problem is the computer models. The models are accurate ONLY if the premises on which they’re based are valid. Wrong assumptions, wrong results. Since the facts on the ground (or rather, in the air) are always changing, it makes it tough to accurately predict what’s actually going to happen. You see, I understand their limitations, but talk about your overpaid guys!  They get paid whether they’re right or wrong! In fact, most people expect them to be wrong. Meanwhile I was supposed to be perfect–any deviation from perfect is assumed to be defacto evidence of malpractice. Feh! Makes me sick!
 
Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad we don’t have to deal with a major hurricane. It’s just annoying that every prediction these guys make is presented with a certitude that keeps us all in a state of fear. That was the premise of a very good book by Michael Crichton, he of Jurassic Park fame, of the same name (State of Fear). His theme was the constant “state of fear” that the media tries to keep the public in, with one dire prediction after the next. And it’s absolutely true.
 
And here’s something else to think about: this is the same “science” that supports those who buy into the whole apocalyptic “global warming” business. Almost all of it is based on computer models, just like the day to day weather, apparently with the same degree of accuracy. 

This would explain the phenomenon of melting polar ice caps, rising seas (which, given Al Gore’s time line, should have swallowed several coastal cities by now) et al, which are a product of extrapolated computer models. Same problem: if the assumptions on which the models are based are faulty (ie. warming, such as it is, is the product of man made activity, greenhouse gases and the like), the results are, too. This is why the polar ice caps of Mars are also observed to be receding, absent ANY man-made activity (so far as we know). And it explains why our polar ice is now INCREASING, contrary to the predicted findings of the models.
 
People who are fully invested in the whole global warming enterprise are aware of these disturbing variations in the real world from the computer models. That’s why you now hear more about “climate change,” than global warming these days. Here’s a clue: the climate is ALWAYS changing–that’s what it does. And all climate is a function of the activity level of the SUN, the source of all energy on earth. The amazing thing is not that climate varies now and again, but that the narrow range necessary to preserve life on our little planet is remarkably constant.
 
So while the meteorologists and weathermen appear to be fey on Fay, I’m going to look out my window, onto the real world, and see what the weather’s doing. Still cloudy, still no rain, mildly breezy here in Orlando. But the radio says twisters were noted in Southern Florida. Which way will it go? They have NO IDEA, though they have plenty of predictions. Ah well, let’s hope it misses us. We’ll soon know…
 
Speaking of the crappy weather of the Hurricane Season, ever notice that your joints ache when it’s about to rain? Or that you feel sleepy when it’s cloudy and damp? Well, that’s a function of specialized nerve endings in the tissues around your joints that respond to a fall in barometric pressure (baroreceptors). Any inflammation, as from synovitis, arthritis, a chronic sprain or strain, a recent fracture (even if healed) aches with damp weather.
 
You can ease those aches and pains with some local heat applications and the various anti-inflammatory measures I teach in my newest program, HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY    http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
Using measures from across the medical spectrum, you can relieve pain, reduce inflammation and restore function in your painful knee–without surgery. 

Til next time, my friend, stay dry, stay safe, and 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

My wife picked me up at the airport the other day, after my flight to New York. It was good to see her.  Especially since I had worn a green polo shirt, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and it was COLD outside the airport, if you’re used to Florida temperatures. Once inside the nice, warm car, with the butt warmers on, I settled in for the road trip to Southampton.
 
While we were catching up on events, I noticed that she was squirming in her seat. I asked what was the matter and she said “My butt is sore.” Turns out that she’s noticed this just the past few days,  just about the time that her new car was delivered and she started driving it. Hmmmmm…. 

Well, further questioning revealed that what was actually sore was her right greater trochanter.  It just seems like her butt to her because the trochanters, the hard bony lumps at the outer upper part of the thighs, that lay people often refer to as their “hips,” actually roll backwards, toward your butt, when you sit. To make matters worse, and what was probably the cause the onset of this pain, the new seats have a deep “bucket” profile, moreso than the car she’s been driving, til now.
 
So the side walls of the bucket seat press in on the trochanters, which roll backwards, right into the “bucket.” This extra pressure rubs the bursa, a sac of fluid that normally lies over the prominence of each trochanter to allow gliding of the soft
tissues over the bones. This extra pressure causes inflammation, a bursitis. Once started, the bursitis is worsened by any additonal pressure or friction.
 
If you develop trochanteric bursitis, for whatever reason, there are things you can do to relieve your symptoms. First, avoid that activity that’s aggravating the symptoms. In this case, a pillow or gel pad in the seat can cushion the trochanters and raise the level of the seat, to eliminate the sidewall contours of the bucket seats and the pressure they apply. Next, rest and sleep with the legs apart, to relax the soft tissues over the bony prominences. Often the best way to do this is to place two or three pillows between the knees. Finally, you need to reduce the inflammation, by using OTC medications, Advil or Aleve, applying local heat, and using the various alternative measures. Although it’s directed primarily at the knee, a complete discussion of all the methods to eliminate inflammation is described in greater detail in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK. See what I mean at   http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
 
Oh yeah. One more thing–while you’ve got pain, use a cane in the opposite hand. This will reduce the pull of the hip abductor muscles on the tender greater trochanter and allow it to heal more readily. I’ve not only treated many people, besides my wife, for this condition, but I’ve had it myself, as well. So I can tell you, first hand, that these measures work.  If you ever suffer from this problem, they’ll work for you, too. 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