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

I’m not a big golfer, personally (tough to do when you have a fractured spine and crushed discs), but I fiercely admire excellence and achievement, especially when wrested from adversity. This was the third time that Tiger had this same knee operated on. He had a benign tumor removed in the late nineties, and arthroscopy in 2002.
 
If you were watching him walking in the Masters, he was wincing and in obvious pain from that left knee. It’s very possible that the distraction lost that tournament for him, but even there, he almost pulled it off and finished second. This guy is unbelievable! No matter
how you cut it, he is a true champion.
 
The “cartilage damage” referred to could refer to degenerative or traumatic damage to the articular cartilage, manifested as shredding, crevasses or flaps. If widespread, this could be consistent with arthritic changes, despite the fact that Tiger is only 32 years old. On the other hand, it could refer to a tear or degenerative shredding of the meniscal cartilage. No real details have been made available, so it’s anyone’s guess. But his pathology was likely one of these, or both.
 
What happens when the cartilage is damaged? Well, in brief, whether from direct impact, or from slow, progressive degeneration, the ice smooth resilient articular cartilage coating of the bearing surfaces of the knee joint become softer than normal and eventually begin to fragment and shred. Once the cartilage is physically disrupted, this unravelling of the protein fibers of collagen (that normally give support) speeds up and progresses. This is discussed and illustrated in detail in my LITTLE GREEN BOOK FOR ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN (see it at   http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html)
 
If the damage is to the crescent-shaped meniscus, it’s usually a tear. Thing is, any cartilage damage is a problem because cartilage, once physically broken or torn, cannot heal without very sophisticated surgical techniques (at least with current technology).  But there are a number of supplements, herbs, OTC medicines, and even food choices that can have a positive or negative influence on inflammation and
pain.
 
When Tiger was walking the links in pain, something within his knee was catching in that joint, causing traction on the capsule of the joint and/or the lining membrane. Problem is, if the thigh muscles are weakened by the persistent pain, they can’t stabilize the joint and help absorb the shock of walking (especially up and down the rolling hills of a golf course).
 
The solution, both before and after knee surgery, is to strengthen the thigh muscles, the quadriceps, so they will be able to absorb shock and supplement the ligaments to priovide optimal stability. To do that, a number of exercises designed to increase muscle tone, strength and power, and stretches for the antagonists on the opposite side of the thigh, are necessary. But not any old squatting motions will do. No, you need to strengthen your thighs strategically, based on the type of pathology you have. 

As an orthopaedic surgeon and, more important, as a knee surgery patient myself, I’ve collected the best and most effective exercises, specially modified to prevent or eliminate knee pain, in my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM  http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
 
Using a combination of the movements described in my PROGRAM, anyone can improve the stability of their knee and relieve their pain. Of course, as I mentioned yesterday, you actually have to DO the exercises. Nothing happens without effort. But if you do them, your thighs will grow strong and your knee pain will get better and better. Try it and see for yourself.
 
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

A number of my more conservative colleagues have always thought I was crazy, in this regard. They’d never take anything without a number of double blind, controlled studies, which on its surface, seems to make sense. Only problem was and still is that no one is making a buck on these things, in comparison to prescription drugs; therefore, no funds or incentives to conduct such studies. Still, I looked in the
literature for myself and found support here and there in various journals.
 
For example, I found buried in the Plastic Surgery journals evidence of the efficacy of Vitamin C in wound healing. They did a study of the tensile strength of scars in rabbits, and compared those given the human equivalent of 2 grams of Vitamin C a day with another group that had none. They made incisions in each rabbit and allowed them to heal. Then, they cut the scars out of them and hung weights on the scars, held on a hook, length-wise. They added weights until the scars tore apart. Guess what? The scars from the Vitamin C rabbits had three times the tensile strength of the other group. That’s a 300% increase in strength.
 
So, years later, when I began doing my own surgery, I ordered oral and intravenous Vitamin C (as well as my own concoction of liquid vitamin B complex) on all my postop patients. And I was able to get the staples out of their incisions in three days, instead of the 10-14
days that everyone else needed. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
 
So I’ve been taking supplements since that time. Over the years, I’ve added to my own personal regimen, although I was always much more conservative with my patients. After all, a lot of this is a speculative gamble, and I didn’t want to gamble with my patients, without more solid proof. Over the last decade or so,  I’ve learned about and added other nutrients, including the protective compounds in many foods and the pain relieving effects of certain spices, which have additional health benefits, to enhance your life, as well. Some spices are so effective that they can be taken orally; others can be applied to the skin and relieve the pain in the joint beneath. 

I describe these spices, as well as a number of other dietary measures and helpful supplements, that can help to relieve joint pain, in my ADVANCED MASTERS COURSE   http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
The great thing about these naturopathic measures is that they work with conventional treatments and medications, often by different pathways, to bring long term relief and, in many cases, can help you to avoid surgery.
 
This course is the real deal–everything I know about eliminating knee pain, but in layman’s English. If you’re a therapist, trainer, nurse, chiropractor,  or a non-orthopaedic physician, or just someone who wants to know it all, this has all the information you’ll ever need, from across the entire treatment spectrum. And it’s available in a convenient, affordable monthly lesson format, to make it easy to learn and easy to own. So click on the link and sign up for yours today    http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
 
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

 Ever wake up in the morning and notice a “kink” in your neck? I know I have. Not so much any more, now that I’m no longer subject to the constant tension of being in practice, combined with the peculiar positions you can get into when you’re trying to do surgery. But when I was working, every so often, I would awaken in the morning to find I had a stiff neck.
 
The stiff neck was bad enough. But then, it would begin to spread down to the inner border of my shoulder blade, and the trapezius muscle on that side would knot up, like it was being goosed with an electric current. And any slightly quick turn, or any other head movement, was met with a painful spasm that would take my breath away. I dreaded the rest of the day, because it would only get worse and worse, as time went on and I became more and more active. You just haven’t lived til you’ve tried doing arthroscopic knee surgery with a wry neck. Sometimes the spasms would just make me nauseated. And I couldn’t take any serious medication–hey! I was operating! Just the pits….
 
For years, I attributed this occasional problem to an odd position I must have adopted during sleep. And that probably did play a role in triggering the spasms. But it turns out, I also had a very common problem: a chronic bulging disc at the C5-6 level. I only found this out later on, when I chanced to have an MRI scan, which demonstrated the pathology, clear as a bell.
 
Of course, I should have realized what the problem was. The pattern of pain distribution is classic: C5-6 nerve root radiates to the inner border of the scapula  (shoulder blade). But like I’ve mentioned before, physicians have big blind spots when it comes to their own health conditions, and I’m no different.
 
But I did learn a few things that help, which I’ll pass on to you now. First, if possible, eliminate stress. If you can lie down with a rolled face towel under your neck, cross-wise. A bath towel is too thick and a hand towel is too small. The face towel is just right. If you have a heating pad, use it–nothing soothes like pleasant warmth. Place the heating pad under your neck and upper back. Turn it up for about 20 minutes at a time. 

If you’re sitting up, slowly bend you head forward and feel the stretch in the neck and back. Then slowly begin to roll your head from side to side, back and forth. Eventually, you will loosen up enough to roll your head around in a circle. Go five times one way, then five times the other. if you have a “knot,” a tight spastic focus that’s painful in the upper back, get someone to massage it with deep thumb pressure, until it loosens up.
 
Tylenol can be taken for some pain relief, without making you groggy, or affecting your judgment. OTC medications like Advil or Aleve not only relieve pain,  but they are really NSAID’s, that will reduce inflammation, too. Just be sure you take them WITH FOOD, to protect your stomach. Be sure you take some oral calcium, magnesium and potassium supplements to minimize muscle spasms. A glass of tonic water,
which contains quinine, will often help with spasms, too.

If the episodes become too frequent or too severe, go see a doc. Sometimes, a shot of cortisone, right into the “bullseye” of the painful spasm will break it for good and give you long term relief. So if you ever have this curse, or know someone who does, you now have a whole litany of methods to relieve it. Use them in good health! 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