My Rude Introduction to Arthritis

Let me begin by stating upfront that I realize that a great many people suffer from much more serious arthritic conditions than I. This article is not to trivialize their conditions in any way. My intent is to explain how this disease manifested itself in me and the treatment that I have undertaken.

Being an avid golfer, I like many other men can hardly wait for spring to arrive. In 2004 spring came early. My first round I walked 18 holes with a push cart as I usually do. I did not feel any abnormal pain at this point. The next day I went to the driving range to work some of the kinks out of my swing, and hit a large bucket of balls. Later that evening my left knee was in so much pain that I could not stand with any pressure on it, walking was very painful. This persisted for 2-3 weeks, it did finally start to get better, but only marginally, golf had been degraded to using a power cart, there was just no way I could walk 9 holes, let alone 18. Making any full swing was painful from the pressure put on my left knee.

I finally went to an Orthopedist, and after x-rays of both knees and a range of motion exam, was told that I had Osteoarthritis. The doctor showed me the small space left between the bones of my left knee, and told me that the meniscus (a pad of cartilage that cushions the joint and prevents bone to bone contact) was thinning and was in all likelihood torn. He told me that a few years ago, the standard treatment was to surgically repair the meniscus . however this type of repair was only effective at relieving pain about 50% of the time.

The more accepted treatment now, was to prescribe a series of exercises designed to strengthen the muscles around the knee joint, and a pain reliever to control the pain, so that I could exercise. He also suggested that I investigate and take glucosamine which is a natural healing product not regulated by the FDA. He stated that recent large scale studies had shown that glucosamine was effective in slowing down the loss of cartilage and may even contribute to regeneration of damaged cartilage.

Because I had previously had problems using Ibuprofen, he prescribed "Bextra" (a cox 2 inhibitor drug) that seemed very effective. Of course 2 weeks later came the scare about "Vioxx" also a cox 2 inhibitor drug, and I stopped taking "Bextra", which is now not prescribed by many doctors. I started taking Ibuprofen again, however only in great moderation, I have had no ill effects. I continued with the exercises, some gradual improvement was noticed. I also continued taking glucosamine.

All of these measures have contributed to effective pain relief, however even more relief was noticed after losing about 10 lbs. This reinforces the notion that excess weight plays a large role in knee pain.

As of now (going into spring of 2005) the pain seems to be under control, my activity with the possible exception of running, is not restricted in any way. And my golf swing, once again needs work!

Resources for more information:

Arthritis and Glucosamine Information Center

Flexicose Homepage

Arthritis Foundation

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center Arthritis National Research Foundation

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Arthritis Insight

Benefits of Dream Analysis

Have you ever written yourself a letter in which you unload your concerns, worries, hopes and deep-felt thoughts? Probably not... though the Dr. Phils of our world would probably applaud the practice as deliciously therapeutic in the quest for self-awareness!

Each time you enter the world of dreams, you are, in essence, writing yourself such a letter. Your subconscious mind, without the distractions of the day, puts your life, your feelings, your emotions, your hopes and your plans all together. All the insight you could hope for is right there, ripe for analyzing!

Examining the nightly escapades which occur behind your eyelids will give you all of the insight and inspiration you need. Like the swallows to Capiatiano, you'll return again and again to your dreams to give you the answers you seek.

How can Dream Analysis actually help you?

First of all, it helps to understand that what occurs in our minds when we are fully asleep is reflective of the emotions and thoughts we have while fully awake......granted sometimes they suffer in the translation, but our emotions are certainly at the root. The basic feelings make their way from our consciousness to our unconsciousness.

The difference is that when we are awake, we are too blamed busy to stop and say, "I'm wrapped tighter than a plus-sized woman in spandex.......I need some down time." We just keep getting after whatever it is that's stressing us out and don't take any time to really look at the condition of our psyche.....something that quite often isn't in as good working order as we suspect.

However if you're having particularly troublesome, mad-as-a-hatter dreams, you can discern that you need to take a good long look at your lifestyle. Are you too busy? Are you being pulled in more directions than you can possibly stretch without snapping? Is there something in your life which is more bothersome to you than you gave it credit for? Try to work some time into your day that's all about relaxing, whether it's yoga, golf, walking, reading....whatever you can do that gives your brain a break.

Other times our dreams let us know that we simply need to start paying more attention to certain people in our life that we may be taking for granted. If we dream about a relative we haven't seen in a while, we should give them a call. If we dream of starting an argument with our spouse, we should give them a little more attention than usual. Many times, our proverbial "guilty conscience" knows only one way to reach us, and that's while we are asleep.

Another very interesting way dreams help us is in the healing process after a traumatic experience. Following such an occurrence, we will often dream about the tragedy itself, or of something equally morbid. It's our mind's way of wrapping itself around what has happened. The dreams will eventually stop all together, as soon as your subconscious has come to grips with everything.

Sometimes it helps to discuss your dreams with others. If you think your dreams are trying to tell you something in particular, discuss it with someone. An outside opinion can often do a world of good.

When you take an honest look at your life and at your typical day, it will be obvious what your dreams are trying to tell you. Most people miss out on so much because they discard their dreams and forget all about them.

Not Just a Bath Oil

Did you know that AVON's Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil is more than just a bath oil? Just look at the list of uses we've found, "tried and true"!!
1. It's a bath oil.
2. It's an after shower moisturizer.
3. It can be used to remove makeup.
4. It's a suntan oil (not a sunscreen, however).
5. Pour a little in the water of your foot saver to help moisturize your feet while you relax them.
6. It's a hot oil treatment to soften nails.
7. It's a good massage oil for those overworked, sore muscles.
8. It's a good insect repellent for people and their pets (as recommended in Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazines, plus "Dear Abby").
9. It helps relieve itching caused by insect bites and dry skin.
10. Sponge it on screen and around doors and windows to keep crawling bugs, as well as, flies and mosquitoes out.
11. It's a good wood cleaner, conditioner and polish for natural wood. (Cuts grease and dirt from kitchen cabinets with ease).
12. It removes chewing gum from hair, skin, and most nonporous
surfaces.
13. It removes glue and gum left from price tags and labels
from glass, metal and most plastics.
14. It cleans tape marks left by bandages from skin.
15. It cleans ink from skin and most vinyl and painted surfaces.
16. It gently cleans heavy grease and oil from skin and nonporous
surfaces.
17. It removes soap scum from shower doors, shower curtains, windows, and bathroom and kitchen fixtures.
18. It removes lime and hard water deposits from windows, fixtures, shower doors and tile.
19. It removes tar spots from car finishes without damaging paint finish.
20. It's an oil lubricant for fitting pipe joints that won't slip together as easily as they used to.
21. It removes paint and stain from skin -- much gentler than turpentine!
22. It cleans paint brushes easily, and leaves them as soft as new.
23. It removes gum from carpet.
24. It cuts grease and dirt from range hoods.
25. It removes candle wax from furniture, carpeting, and clothing.
26. It removes scuff marks from patent leather shoes.
27. It removes Liquid Nail (paneling glue).
28. Two glass bowls or glasses stuck together? Drizzle a little SSS down the sides and they'll come apart easily -- no breakage!
29. It removes "ring around the collar".
30. Wipe down vinyl surfaces inside your car to preserve the vinyl. This article originally appeared in the June 2000 issue of Jet Aviation's Flight Attendant News.

My Tummy Aches and My Joints Hurt! Is there a Connection

Inflammatory disease of the bowel- regional enteritis (Crohn's disease) and ulcerative colitis- are often associated with arthritis. This occurs because inflammation in the bowel and the joints may share a common immunological abnormality.
Patients can present with abdominal pain, weight loss, and diarrhea.
Clinically, the arthritis that accompanies inflammatory bowel disease occurs in two different ways. The first pattern typically affects the larger joints of the lower extremities such as the ankles and knees. The heels may also be affected. Sometimes the fingers or toes can swell and look like little sausages. This type of "peripheral" arthritis occurs in about 20 per cent of patients who have inflammatory bowel disease. The activity of the arthritis parallels the gut activity.
In the second type, the arthritis can affect the low back- the sacroiliac joints that join the pelvis to the lower spine. This type of arthritis occurs in about 15-20 per cent of inflammatory bowel patients. A genetic marker called HLA-B27 is present (found through a blood test) in 50 per cent of patients who have inflammation of the sacroiliac joints. Stiffness in the low back along with limited range of motion is seen. This type of arthritis does not parallel the gut activity.
The diagnosis is usually suspected from the presence of bowel symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal cramping. Rarely, the arthritis may precede the bowel symptoms.
The diagnosis is confirmed by laboratory testing, x-rays, bowel visualization (colonoscopy), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The treatment for the arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease is remarkably similar to that involving other types of arthritis. Typically anti-inflammatory drugs and disease-modifying drugs are both used. Anti-inflammatory drugs should be used with caution since they may cause the bowel disease to flare up. More recently, biologic drugs have been used with success to treat inflammatory bowel disease. The arthritis not surprisingly, also responds.