My recent sojourn to the Northern Command was all too brief–just long enough to uncrate some of the stuff we had shipped up there (like my books) and spend a little time with each other. So, leaving my bride with the majority of our cats, I flew back today to Orlando, to minister to the remainder of our brood and to start to prepare the house for Christmas with the family.
 
I never miss her more than when we first part at the airport. After over 34 years, I guess we’re stuck with (and on) each other.
 
All the bulkhead seats in front (which have a lot of leg room, even if they don’t have tray tables) were already occupied by the wheelchair brigade, by the time I got on board. Second choice is any of the three seats next to the left mid-plane exit, which also have nearly as much leg room as a true first class seat. Nope. One guy was already there and guarding the remaining seats for his pals, who were further back in the boarding line.
 
OK. Third time’s the charm, as they say. The seats just across the aisle, in front of the other mid-plane exit were the next most desirable–not quite as much room as the left side, but more than the standard seats. I got the aisle seat. Another, older man was already seated next to the exit hatch.  Since the plane was not that full, we were able to keep the middle seat between us empty. Voila! Legroom and comfort–can’t ask for anything better than that on a plane these days.
 
Hell, they don’t feed you anything but tiny packaged nuts and chips. Forget about real food. You still get a soft drink or water. And the flight attendants, while competent….let’s just say that I’m old enough to remember when they were stewardesses, young and beautiful, before the P.C. Killjoys decided that was sexist and verboten (of COURSE it was–that was the point!). 
 
This, on top of the mandated TSA harrassment that passes for security checks, courtesy of our “friends” in the Middle East, makes flying an experience that once was a pleasure, but is now barely tolerable, if you’re lucky. 
 
Well, it is what it is. At least it gets you where you want to go and it’s still reasonably fast.
 
As it happens, my in flight companion remarked that he needed these seats so he could stretch his right leg out. Turns out he had some aching knee pain and he had discovered on his own that straightening his sore knee out helped him get some temporary relief.  I asked him about his knee and explained my interest.

He told me his name was Hank and he’s a 73 year old guy who developed this knee pain over time, “right under (his) kneecap,” without any specific injury. He was on some kind of “pain pill” (probably an anti-inflammatory medication) but he couldn’t remember its name. Turns out he’s NOT seeing an orthopaedist. He got the prescription from a family friend, who happens to be a cardiac surgeon! 
 
Now, if you have to choose, you’re far better off getting orthopaedic care from a cardiac surgeon than you are getting cardiac surgery from an orthopaedist , but I digress….

Anyway, I asked him a few questions and determined that he most likely had arthritis in his patellofemoral compartment (behind his kneecap). I made sure he knew to take his medication with food or milk, to protect his stomach from bleeding, reflux, gastritis or ulcers. No one had mentioned that to him (very common failing, as it turns out).
 
Then, I advised him to apply local moist heat a few times a day, use some special herbs and a few effective alternative treatments, and I told him to do some specially modified knee exercises, like those I teach in my popular, newest healing program, HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY, which you can get at   http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html 
 
Hank seemed to apprecate what I had told him during my impromptu “clinic at 37,000 feet” and promised to do what I had advised. I gave him my card and suggested that he visit my website, to sign up for these daily emails. He also said he was going to see about getting my HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY program. Given his symptoms, I think that’s a good idea, too. Click here for yours:
 http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
 
Then, we landed and he thanked me. We got our stuff and went our separate ways, as travellers do. But I’ll keep an eye out for him on my subscriber list. If you’re out there Hank, it was good to chat with you. Hope you feel better. And Merry Christmas to you & your family!
 
Til next time, my friend, be well. Talk to you soon.
 
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

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