Calling all Holistic Medicine Practitioners and Natural Foodists
I will admit I'm homeopathic skeptic (honed in part by the smarts of Brian Dunning). I agree that your practices have value, make people feel better, and can improve quality of life dramatically. I just don't agree with wild eyed medical claims of miracle pain relief, longer life, and less disease per capita among followers of your practices. But I'm in a bit of a pickle. Background
I have what amounts to massive arthritis and a seriously degenerated meniscus in my left knee. (Caused by a small missing bone chunk on the knuckle of my left femur removed in late 90's after osteochondritis dissecans caused the piece to eventually separate and it was removed.) Back then, there were no real options to "fill in the missing spot with some nice smooth material" to avoid the constant grinding away of cartilage over the years. I remember asking the Doctor "What does the future hold for my knee" and he said, "Just don't choose a career where you go up and down ladders for a living." Allrightythen. There probably were options then but what can you do...you listen to your Doctor and move on. Fast forward 20+ years to about 6 months ago. The usual cracking, grinding, and occasional "give out" in my knee turned into constant pain and swelling. MRI's and 2 great Orthopedists later and the diagnosis is the same: There are no options that will provide real relief. You can try braces, daily anti-inflammatories , injections (cortisone or orthvisc) but those are questionable at best, can be pricey, and won't work forever. Your only real option is knee replacement but DON'T do that until you are older and/or really not able to function because although very safe...SOMEONE WILL BECOME the outlier who has infection, a failed replacement requiring multiple tries, amputation (above the knee), and of course...the ultimate complication--death. I agree with the docs and appreciate their tactics. Suffer and deal because if you can still function and work around it, no sense in hacking off your parts plus technology does improve so longer waits could mean Steve Austin like bionics. So I'm in a position where I'd prefer not to take the drugs daily and I'm limping full-time which I know is causing "gait modification" which is causing muscle tension/strain/atrophy, etc. and my mind is subconsciously using this as a crutch to avoid exercise. (Yes cycling and swimming are great alternatives but I'm suggesting that my brain is giving me an out. Psychology yes. Easy to overcome...not right now. Additionally, I've let my weight creep to gastronomic proportions and I realize that 60lbs less down force on said knee must be a good thing. Offer
I am willing to submit to the wishes of a holistic-natural regimen to improve my knee and overall wellness stemming from my situation if a local Des Monies based person (or team) would care to do a case study on the results. I'm making assumptions of course that this is valuable to you and your industry...but I may be WAY off here so excuse my ignorance. Maybe you'd like me to lose 60lbs before we start so that element of variability is resolved...ok...let's do that. I will become an advocate for you and share my story far and wide. I'd need you to provide me the supplements or treatments so I don't have to invest gobs of cash into this. I will be honest and will follow your instructions explicitly. CAVEAT: I do hope that your plan does not involve impossible requests like "never have a steak or a glass of wine" ever again. If it does...I just don't see that happening and it's quite abnormal to advocate for complete elimination of things that can be consumed in moderation. Fat doesn't kill. Animal flesh doesn't kill. Wine doesn't kill unless abused, etc. Maybe I'm being silly and natural medicinal practices are so widely accepted that I need to just visit a health food store and pony up. So be it. But, if skeptical me can restore range of motion, reduce pain and edema, and get never have to get a knee replacement...I think we'll both win. You will find me 100 ways to Sunday if you're interested but the fastest method is doug AT mitchgroup DOT com. Please if you know someone, forward this on and let's see if this pathway holds promise. Otherwise, I'm still hunting down clinical trials and such around the Interwebs. Thanks team.
I have what amounts to massive arthritis and a seriously degenerated meniscus in my left knee. (Caused by a small missing bone chunk on the knuckle of my left femur removed in late 90's after osteochondritis dissecans caused the piece to eventually separate and it was removed.) Back then, there were no real options to "fill in the missing spot with some nice smooth material" to avoid the constant grinding away of cartilage over the years. I remember asking the Doctor "What does the future hold for my knee" and he said, "Just don't choose a career where you go up and down ladders for a living." Allrightythen. There probably were options then but what can you do...you listen to your Doctor and move on. Fast forward 20+ years to about 6 months ago. The usual cracking, grinding, and occasional "give out" in my knee turned into constant pain and swelling. MRI's and 2 great Orthopedists later and the diagnosis is the same: There are no options that will provide real relief. You can try braces, daily anti-inflammatories , injections (cortisone or orthvisc) but those are questionable at best, can be pricey, and won't work forever. Your only real option is knee replacement but DON'T do that until you are older and/or really not able to function because although very safe...SOMEONE WILL BECOME the outlier who has infection, a failed replacement requiring multiple tries, amputation (above the knee), and of course...the ultimate complication--death. I agree with the docs and appreciate their tactics. Suffer and deal because if you can still function and work around it, no sense in hacking off your parts plus technology does improve so longer waits could mean Steve Austin like bionics. So I'm in a position where I'd prefer not to take the drugs daily and I'm limping full-time which I know is causing "gait modification" which is causing muscle tension/strain/atrophy, etc. and my mind is subconsciously using this as a crutch to avoid exercise. (Yes cycling and swimming are great alternatives but I'm suggesting that my brain is giving me an out. Psychology yes. Easy to overcome...not right now. Additionally, I've let my weight creep to gastronomic proportions and I realize that 60lbs less down force on said knee must be a good thing. Offer
I am willing to submit to the wishes of a holistic-natural regimen to improve my knee and overall wellness stemming from my situation if a local Des Monies based person (or team) would care to do a case study on the results. I'm making assumptions of course that this is valuable to you and your industry...but I may be WAY off here so excuse my ignorance. Maybe you'd like me to lose 60lbs before we start so that element of variability is resolved...ok...let's do that. I will become an advocate for you and share my story far and wide. I'd need you to provide me the supplements or treatments so I don't have to invest gobs of cash into this. I will be honest and will follow your instructions explicitly. CAVEAT: I do hope that your plan does not involve impossible requests like "never have a steak or a glass of wine" ever again. If it does...I just don't see that happening and it's quite abnormal to advocate for complete elimination of things that can be consumed in moderation. Fat doesn't kill. Animal flesh doesn't kill. Wine doesn't kill unless abused, etc. Maybe I'm being silly and natural medicinal practices are so widely accepted that I need to just visit a health food store and pony up. So be it. But, if skeptical me can restore range of motion, reduce pain and edema, and get never have to get a knee replacement...I think we'll both win. You will find me 100 ways to Sunday if you're interested but the fastest method is doug AT mitchgroup DOT com. Please if you know someone, forward this on and let's see if this pathway holds promise. Otherwise, I'm still hunting down clinical trials and such around the Interwebs. Thanks team.
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