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How to Slow Down Joint Degeneration from Aging

by Pain Doc | Dec 11, 2019 | Uncategorized

Do you notice that it takes more effort than before to do simple things like run, squat, or get out of your car? You can still do them, but not as fast and springy as when you were younger. If you’re over age 40, it’s likely you can identify with this.

The inevitable reality of being mortal is that our body starts to deteriorate after maturity, which is around age 21. For those who “age well” the deterioration rate progresses slowly and is hardly perceptible until the later years; for those who do not age well, the changes can occur relatively fast and are obvious.

The main musculoskeletal changes associated with aging are:

Muscle atrophy, especially in the upper leg and glutes
Decreased muscular strength and endurance
Decreased cardiovascular endurance
Decreased ligament and tendon elasticity
Decreased joint cartilage thickness and suppleness
Increased body fat percentage

The focus of this article and following ones will be on slowing down the gradual breakdown of the musculoskeletal system via exercises, stretches, diet, new habits and routines and other lifestyle modifications. Yes, slowing down the aging process and extending your “full functional” years is very possible if you have a good plan, and diligently stick to it. In other words, start developing good wellness/ life extension habits if you haven’t done so already.

In this article, the topic is joints. I previously wrote about the importance of keeping your joints strong by doing specific joint exercises during your workouts. This discussion is on doing daily joint stretches to counter the degenerative forces that come with aging.

One of things most people first notice as a sign of getting older is decreased ability to absorb and rebound from external forces and mechanical stress. You start to notice that it takes a bit longer to jump up from a seated position and get up after falling. You find it more difficult to bend, squat and maintain other awkward body positions. If you trip and fall to the ground, it takes more effort to get back up. And, when running you notice that you can feel the shock in your knees more, and therefore do not run as long, or give it up entirely. The reasons for this are decreased muscle strength, decreased ligament and tendon elasticity, and most of all, thinning cartilage in the weight-bearing joints. It takes more energy and effort to do these things because your body “hardware” has lost some of its youthful, structural integrity. Your mindset /motivation to move may be unchanged but your body isn’t responding as quickly and strongly.

As you get older, the cartilage lining your synovial joints (the joints encapsulated by ligaments) loses fluid content. To compound matters, when you are past the age of 40, human growth hormone (HGH) secretion by your pituitary gland practically ceases. HGH is the “fountain of youth” hormone that is largely responsible for the features associated with youth: energy, high metabolism, supple skin, thicker muscles and thicker, bouncier cartilage. It’s why younger people can bounce right back up after falling down, making it look effortless.

If you are over the age of 50 and your occupation or recreational interests involved placing pressure on your feet, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, elbows or hands chances are you are experiencing aches and stiffness. Your age, plus your history are not doing your weight bearing joints any favors. So what can you do?

If you are over the age of 40 and feel the slightest stiffness in your joints, I highly advise you start a daily routine to keep your cartilage healthy. Your goal is to effectively counter the natural progression of osteoarthritis—the disease that involves advanced thinning of cartilage, bone-on-bone contact, and resultant chronic inflammation and joint dysfunction (stiffness, pain, reduced range of motion). It plagues millions of people over the age of 50. Practically all former football players have osteoarthritis.

By investing just a couple of minutes a day every day, you can literally save yourself years of pain down the road, and perhaps preclude the need to take harmful anti-inflammatory medications and even the need to get knee and/or hip replacement surgery. Instead of pain, you will be able to squeeze out a decade or more of pain-free movement. That is a huge, quality of life issue because most of the enjoyable things in life require some degree of physical fitness—walking, bending, lifting etc. and joint pain can severely restrict your ability to engage in these activities.

In my view, in order for a preventive measure to be feasible, it must meet the following criteria:

It must be practical, with minimal preparation required
It must be realistic – no super-human feats required
It must address the problem and have close to immediate results

Here is the basic routine that I personally do every day to guard against cartilage deterioration. I will update this post with a video that illustrates these exercises, but for now, here is the description so that you can get started right away:

Arm propellers – slowly and with focused intent, make large circles with your arms, with the left arm moving counter-clockwise and the right arm clockwise, crossing in front. Keep the angle of your upper arm about 30 degrees relative to the coronal plane of your shoulder to avoid jamming your shoulder joints. Do about 20 rotations, and then reverse directions of both arms.

This exercise moves the glenohumeral (GH) joint, where your upper arm (humerus) articulates with your scapula. Many people don’t realize that in a typical day, they rarely raise their arms above shoulder level. This prevents areas of the GH joint to get proper lubrication, causing the cartilage to “dry out.” This exercise exposes all parts of the cartilaginous-lined humeral head to synovial fluid, the “motor oil” of joints and even stimulates production of it. The rigorous movement also stimulates lubricin production, a compound that further reduces friction inside the joint.

Elbow propellers – similar to the arm propellers, rotate your lower arm (forearms) in opposite circles by keeping your upper arm relatively stationary so that most of the movement is at the elbow joint. There is some movement in the GH joint, but also some in the radio-ulnar and humero-ulnar joint. Do 20; reverse directions.

Wrist stretches – interlace fingers as if to pray, then alternately pronate and supinate the hands while making a circular motion, stretching the wrist joints in all directions.

Finger flexion and extension – make loose fists with both hands, and then unfold the fists segmentally (extend the fingers) first at the metacarpal-phalangeal joints (knuckles), then proximal interphalangeal joints, and then the distal interphalangeal joints until your hands are flat, fingers fully extended. Then, reverse the process (flex the fingers segmentally) back into a fist. Repeat about ten times.

Collarbone stretches – this mobilizes the sternoclavicular (SC) joint, where the proximal clavicle articulates with the sternum (breast bone). The joints are identified by the two, large bony protuberances at the base of the neck. For this exercise, make a shortened swimming stroke with your arm: bring it backwards, raise it up for the stroke and with elbow bent about 90 degrees, make a big scooping motion downwards, reaching all the way back (palm of hand should be facing upwards), and then supinate your forearm and repeat the motion. You will probably hear some grinding noises in your SC joint as it moves. Do about 10 repetitions; switch sides.

Torso circles – This nicely moves the joints of the lumbar spine in a stirring motion—the facet joints and the intervertebral discs, forcing their hydration. Place feet about two feet apart and place your hands on the sides of your pelvis. Hinge at the hip joints (bend torso forward and down, being careful to contract your back muscles for support) and then move your torso in a large, counter-clockwise circle reaching the maximum lumbar active range of motion in all directions of the circle. Do ten circles; reverse directions.

Lumbar extensions – I recommend doing these especially if your job involves prolonged hours of sitting, such as a desk worker, airline pilot, or truck driver. Sitting flexes your lumbar spine, which encourages posterior disc migration, a risk for herniated discs. Simply place the palms of your hands behind you, just below your waistline. Then, lean backwards and bend over your hands (try to keep them stationary in space), arching your back and hold for two seconds. You should feel tightness in your low back. If not, bend back some more. Return to neutral. Do 10 repetitions.

Hula hoops – this targets your hip joints by moving your pelvic bowl around the femur heads. With feet shoulder length apart and hands on your sides, make big circles with your pelvis like a hula hoop motion. You should feel your hip joints moving even though your legs are stationary. By doing this, you bathe all areas of the femur heads and stimulate synovial fluid production.

Knee circles – the knees move mainly as a hinge joint (flexion and extension) but there is some ability to rotate and translate (move in a circular motion and side to side motion). With feet together touching, bend your knees bout 30 degrees and place your hands around them. Move your knees together in a clockwise direction 20 times; reverse direction.

Ankle circles – point your toes to the ground, and flex them against the ground by placing light, downward pressure. Then, move your ankle in a clockwise direction keeping your toes in place. This moves the many articulation points of the ankle, as well as the joints of the forefoot: metatarsal-phalangeal joints and interphalangeal joints.

BOTTOM LINE: As you age, your joint cartilage loses its fluid content and starts to get stiffer. If the joint doesn’t get much movement, it compounds the problem. You can arrest this process by diligently doing these exercises to ensure all your joints are tasked to move, which signals the body to produce more joint fluids.

Is it OK to Adjust Yourself and Others?

by Pain Doc | Oct 23, 2019 | Uncategorized

If you’ve ever had a kink in your neck, or felt your upper or lower back needed some “cracking” because you sensed restricted movement, then you are probably familiar with the benefits of spinal adjustments; also called manipulation.

So what exactly is a spinal adjustment?

Basically, it is a hand-delivered force into an improperly moving joint done to make it move normally. Vertebrae can get “stuck” in a rotated or bent position by numerous ways, such as sleeping on your stomach with neck twisted or a sports injury. This can feel very uncomfortable and may even cause sharp pain, arm numbness or headaches.

It is roughly estimated that about one million adjustments are done in the U.S. every business day, mostly by chiropractors. It is their “bread and butter” treatment because chiropractic is based on the belief that abnormal spinal alignment contributes to poor health, and manually correcting the alignment can improve health. Because they do it the most, chiropractors are considered the specialists most proficient at spinal adjustments/ manipulation.

According to ShareCare, about 30 million people see a chiropractor each year, mostly for various types of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. The benefit is improved range of motion (flexibility) and decreased discomfort/pain. Some patients experience other symptomatic improvement such as cessation of a headache or clearance of congested sinuses (there are medical models to explain this, but this isn’t the focus for this particular article). While there are pockets of naysayers, it is fair to say that getting your neck and back adjusted can be good for you.

Are You Actually “Adjusting” Yourself When You Crack Your Neck Yourself?

If you or someone you know “crack” your joints by twisting your neck or low back until you hear a pop. I personally know someone who has a daily routine for this, using her hands to forcibly twist her neck by grabbing the top of her head and chin like in the picture above, and rotating her head far to the left, then right; and then twisting her spine while sitting. I noticed that she gets an unusual amount of popping when she does this; seemingly with little effort. This excessive popping indicates that the spinal facet joints have become hypermobile from overstretching—they’ve lost some of the ligamentous support, allowing the joint to move more than it was designed to. Hypermobility of joints accelerates wear and tear, leading to bone spurring and disc thinning, which can eventually press on nerves inside the spine causing pain and weakness in the extremities. Although, as far as I know, there are no conclusive studies on the benefits or harm of cracking your neck often, I believe that it is best not to do it for these reasons.

The next question is, if you are able to pop your own neck or low back by forcibly twisting it, are you essentially adjusting it? Are you getting the same benefit as an actual chiropractic adjustment?

This is not easy to answer, because in order to get a scientific-based answer to this, a large study (many people) is necessary, which hasn’t been done to my knowledge. Also, the outcome (result of cracking vs. adjusting) is difficult to measure. As a chiropractor myself, here is my explanation of the difference between “cracking” your own neck and getting a chiropractic adjustment:

When you “crack” your neck yourself, you are essentially twisting or bending (depending how you do it) all your neck vertebrae at the same time. At some point, you get cavitation—the popping sound made by collapsing pockets of dissolved gases in the small facet joints of the cervical vertebrae, due to the expansion of those joints as you bend your neck to the side. There is a sense of pressure release and improved neck flexibility afterwards. Sometimes it can be verified by checking range of motion before and after; sometimes not. People who do it will typically say “it feels good,” or “it relieves pressure.”

On the other hand, a chiropractic adjustment to the neck targets just one vertebrae—the problematic one identified by palpation and/or x-ray, so it is more precise. It also incorporates an external force—the hand thrust—that forces the vertebrae into the direction where it is deficient; i.e forces it back to its normal range of motion.

Most people will tell you that the feeling after a neck adjustment is very different that the one you get by merely twisting your neck: it is a focused, louder sound and you feel a heightened sense of things immediately afterwards, similar to having a wax earplug removed or clogged nasal sinuses suddenly cleared. This may be explained by improved nerve firing, better circulation and restored neck muscle balance.

So these are the differences between cracking your own neck and having a chiropractor adjust your neck. But again, there are no studies I can reference that proves the superiority of one over the other. Currently, the evidence is subjective, or anecdotal.

Is It Easy to Do Adjustments Yourself?

If you have ever been to a chiropractor, you know that it does not take long for the chiropractor to do an adjustment – about 5 seconds total, including the palpation (feeling for the joint’s movement) and set-up of the thrust. On the surface, an adjustment seems like a relatively simple procedure to do (although more subtleties are involved that you don’t notice). In other words, it’s not brain surgery. This apparent simplicity is what encourages some people to try it on themselves or their housemate, partner or friend. They take note of what their chiropractor does and perhaps watch YouTube videos of chiropractors adjusting patients to see how it’s done. I even made a video on chiropractic adjusting a couple of years ago which you can see here. I will venture to guess that a lot of “adjusting” occurs outside of chiropractic and physical therapy offices.

So, is self-adjusting, or adjusting a housemate safe? Can it be beneficial? Most would say no, for the obvious reasons—you need to get proper training, it could be dangerous and you could hurt someone, etc.

There can also be legal implications to this, such as practicing without a license.

Obviously, the best solution is to seek the services of a licensed, experienced chiropractor who knows the ins and outs of adjusting. However, I do understand that some people cannot afford to see a chiropractor, or don’t have access to one; or simply don’t want to see one for personal reasons but still desire to obtain the benefits of spinal adjustments. As a big believer and advocate of self-care for managing musculoskeletal pain, I have an atypical perspective on this, which I’m sure most chiropractors won’t agree with. My view is that, with proper guidance, every day people can learn to do modified adjustments, or joint mobilizations to relieve pain and discomfort on themselves and others. These are basically targeted stretches that have elements of joint mobilization. Before I describe them, I will explain the distinctions between adjustments, joint mobilization and stretches.

An adjustment is a short lever, high velocity manual thrust into a joint. Short lever means that you contact a small protuberance of a bone and use it as a lever to move the whole bone (see diagram below). If it’s a spinal vertebra, you can use the bone’s transverse processes or spinal process as a lever to move the whole vertebra. You locate these structures, contact them with your hands, decide which direction you wish to move the bone, and thrust in the appropriate angle and depth.

The term joint mobilization is used to describe longer lever, lower velocity force applied to a joint; for instance, using the femur bone for leverage to manually circumduct the hip joint.

Stretches of course apply to the soft tissues—muscles, ligaments and tendons. They are done to elongate contracted fibers to increase flexibility, and are done by isolating the muscle and elongating it with movement. Stretching ligaments requires you to move the joint to its end range of motion, and then a few degrees past it.

Together, adjustments, joint mobilization and stretches are the three, primary tools of manual therapy for the musculoskeletal system. Note, however, that soft tissue mobilization is a term used to describe various forms of deep tissue/sports massage, and can also be considered manual therapy.

In my opinion, it is fine for someone to learn how to do modified forms of adjustments. Manual therapy is one of the safest forms of therapeutic intervention; even safer than taking aspirin. So if you’re an athletic trainer, massage therapist, acupuncturist or anyone else who is interested in learning how to adjust yourself or someone else, know that there are options. I believe the time has come for people to learn how to do basic manual therapy for the benefit of others. The trend may lead to a dramatic decline in neck and back pain in the population, much like how the fitness craze starting in the 80’s made people more lean and fit.

In the coming days, I will explain how to do some basic adjustments and joint mobilization moves that you can try—on yourself, and others. The key to doing these is to do them slowly and stay focused on what you are doing. Avoid sudden jerks especially to the neck. It’s not an issue when people stretch themselves and help stretch others. The techniques that I believe are safe and appropriate for non-trained people to do are similar in scope and complexity, but with some focus on moving the joints. Stay tuned!

The Consequences of Being a Bi-Pedal Animal

by Pain Doc | Mar 30, 2018 | Uncategorized

Humans are a bi-pedal animal: the only in existence as far as we know. Sure, bears, primates and a few other animals are capable of standing on their hind legs and walking, but it is not their natural gait. So, feel special that you belong in this class of animals!

There are many studies, particularly in the field of evolutionary biology that theorize why homo sapiens evolved to be bi-pedal, and the impact of the resulting evolutionary changes in our design. For one, being bi-pedal allowed our eyes to see further down the plains. Our species evolved to favor intelligence at the expense of strength and agility, so we needed a survival adaptation to give us an edge over things like saber- toothed tigers and other beasts. Being bi-pedal allowed homo-sapiens to see over the thicket, and give him enough time to evade faster-running predators.

Thank you nature, right?

Well, being bi-pedal comes with disadvantages; disadvantages that magnified as man’s intelligence grew and allowed him to invent things such as chairs, desks and heavy furniture. Being bi-pedal frees up the forelimbs, or arms, to carry things. Heavy things. This is why low back pain is one of the leading causes of chronic pain and disability. You don’t see dogs or horses get low back pain much unless they are in their final years. This is because as a qudra-ped they can’t pick up heavy things of course, and there is little axial force on their spinal column joints and discs, which lie in a horizontal plane.

When in a bi-pedal state– standing, walking, running– the spine does a wonderful job balancing the muscles of the limbs and torso. It is the anchor point and nexus of the major muscles of the body. When working/moving properly, the spine instantly adapts to changing loads (bending, twisting, carrying and releasing weight). When not, injury then pain results, and you get sidelined for a while. Blown discs, strained back muscles and even stress fractures can happen when the spine is not properly aligned and physically & neurologically conditioned– common in those who are overweight, sedentary, sit hours and hours every day, do heavy lifting at work and have a bad diet and other adverse & unhealthy lifestyle habits.

So does that mean you should spend more time in a recliner? No. Even though the bi-pedal standing position puts the most pressure on your back and weight-bearing joints, for most people it still is preferred over sitting because your body was naturally designed for standing, walking, jumping, crawling, stooping and all the various movements that are required to navigate a primitive terrain. The muscles become more toned and responsive, you burn more calories, and your organs work better in the standing position.

I understand that most people prefer to sit when they can. If your body isn’t well conditioned, standing puts a lot of pressure to the feet, knees, hips, low back, and even shoulders (from the weight of heavy arms). Sit down, and that pressure is instantly relieved. But if sitting becomes your preference, and you avoid walking and exercising then you are in danger of cutting your life span short. Many studies show that exercise and regular, moderate physical activity are a positive correlation variable to life expectancy. If you remove that variable, your life expectancy, at least statistically, drops. So if you get comfortable sitting and avoiding exercise, it gets more difficult mentally and physically to start up again. The more you put exercise off, the less likely you are ever to do it.

So, what should you do if you are in the sedentary camp? If you have pain or discomfort in any of your weight bearing joints?

The first thing I recommend you do is to convince yourself you need to get moving. Regularly. And don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m not talking about suddenly going to the gym 3x/week for one hour workouts. No, start gradually.

In fact, once you make the decision to start exercising again, don’t do anything major for at least a month. Instead, spend that time learning how to eat healthy. Swap the junk food and eating out for wholesome, nutrient-dense food prepared at home; about 85% plant, 15% animal protein (or vegetable). Drop the concentrated carbs (grains–breads, pasta, crackers etc., sugar, and even fruit juice, unless it’s diluted). Replace them with greens, whole fruits, nuts and seeds, and water. Clean, naturally-occurring, unadulterated, unrefined, untreated food from the Earth. Grass fed and pastured meat only, in small portions (8 oz. day max).

If you have pain, try self-rehabilitating. There are many exercise programs, orthopedic exercisers and home use therapy devices like the home infrared lamp, red light/laser, lumbar traction and PEMF to name a few, to help you overcome them. Combined with a healthy diet like previously mentioned, you stand a very good chance of curing yourself or significantly lowering your pain.

By the end of the month, you are ready to get going. Start with speed walking with hand weights, about 3 miles. Do this for a week or two. Then, move up to light jogging and light, home exercise. Again, don’t be too hard on yourself. Go at a pace that you can handle. You can choose a treadmill in the gym, if you prefer. I’d say a good mile pace would be a nine-minute mile or better, to get the best cardio benefit. Aim for 2-3 miles max.

On some days, lift heavy weights. But, I highly recommend you get at least one session with a professional personal trainer at your local gym. Let the trainer show you basic strengthening exercises, and most importantly proper form. You want to make sure you don’t hurt yourself.

Oh, and lastly: if you must sit down for prolonged periods every day due to your job, check out this article for prolonged sitters. It’s got my recommendations for those who sit at a desk all day, or sit in a car/truck all day. These things can literally save you from spinal surgery years down the road!

Remember, the human body has a preference for being in the bi-pedal position most of the time when you are not sleeping. You must do all you can to move in a way that naturally accommodates the design of your body. Modern living has wreaked havoc on the body and resulted in countless of cases of chronic, musculoskeletal pain throughout the developed world; do what you can to prevent yourself from being a statistic.

Dr. Dan

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How Magnetic Fields Can Affect Chronic Pain and Healing

by Pain Doc | Mar 6, 2017 | Uncategorized

When it comes to “pain relieving products,” there is definitely no shortage.

Perhaps you’ve run across pitches on late night TV commercials, magazines, websites or email spam about the latest “miracle” pain relief device or medicinal product. Chances are, they either don’t work or don’t work as well as advertised.

When on any day an estimated 100 million people in this country are experiencing some kind of pain– low back, hip, knee, etc., it’s not surprising that you’ll see a lot of ads for pain relief. Pain tends to make people motivated to do something about it.

But what if there is such a device or product that works well enough that it should deserve your attention?

Then, I think it is definitely worth checking out. As you know, I am a big, big advocate of self-care: whenever it is possible to avoid invasive medical procedures, I say go for it. “Invasive” to me means putting a drug inside your body or breaking the integrity of your body (surgery). The statistics seem to indicate that traditional allopathic medical treatment for disease, especially chronic degenerative disease, is “hit or miss;” with missing happening more and more at an unacceptable rate.

Did you know that medical errors are the #3 cause of death in the U.S., according to statistics? Adverse reactions to drugs and surgical interventions are responsible for prematurely ending the life of the recipient in way too many cases.

Given this reality, I say do all you can to treat pain or other disease using nutrition, physical activity, physical medicine, relaxation/stress reduction techniques and select modalities.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you probably are aware of one of my favorite modalities to treat pain– red light therapy. Red light (from 660-880 nm wavelength) and infrared light (non-visible) can be effectively used to treat chronic pain and actually enhance soft tissue and nerve tissue healing.

For an explanation of how red light therapy can help you manage joint and muscle pain, watch my YouTube video where I explain it.

The second modality that I recommend you try if you have chronic pain is Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy. PEMF has medical research that confirms its effectiveness in enhancing healing of bone and cartilage injuries or damage.

PEMF has long been known to have therapeutic benefits. In the 1960s, researchers demonstrated that electromagnetic field energy, or “magnetobiology” could help bones heal themselves.

In order for something to be therapeutically viable, it needs to be able to create a physiological change in the human body that benefits the body in some way. For example, COX-2 anti-inflammatory medications chemically block enzymes responsible for generating inflammation, thus reducing pain. Heat dilates blood vessels and increases circulation, which reduces pain and increases mobility in a muscle; cold constricts blood vessels, reduces swelling and numbs nerves which can reduce acute pain.

As for magnetic fields, evidence shows that they can influence cell membranes, since cell membranes rely on tiny electrical charges to change their permeability. When there is inflammation and swelling present, cell membranes dictate what passes into and out of the cells into the extracellular space.

During inflammation and recent injury (acute phase), red blood cells clump together, resembling a stack of coins. This is known as “rouleaux formation” and is due to increased levels of serum proteins, particularly fibrinogen and globulins.

rouleaux

PEMF seems to have the ability to thin out thickened blood by loosening rouleaux formations. This allows blood to flow faster to and from an injury/ inflamed site, delivering oxygen and reparative agents faster.

rbc pemf

Currently, the subject of magnetobiology is experiencing a surge in interest in academia, with a staggering 350% increase in articles published on the topic over the last 15 years. What can this mean?

Whenever there is a flurry of research activity in a particular field, it usually means that scientists are finding promising results in their research; i.e. they are seeing something actually work in the lab.

The findings are published in peer-reviewed medical journals read by researchers around the world. The world-wide, academic collaboration decides whether the topic is valid and worthy of further investigation. Based on the volume of research, that is the case for pulsed electromagnetic therapy. What this means to pain sufferers is that PEMF is worth looking into; it has passed the stringent “snake oil test” of medical research involving randomized, controlled clinical trials. I have summarized two of them below.

Low frequency and low intensity pulsed electromagnetic field exerts its anti-inflammatory effect through restoration of plasma membrane calcium ATPase activity — Ramasamy Selvam, et. al.

This study involved artificially causing rheumatoid arthritis in rat leg joints by injecting an irritant into the joint. A control group, a group treated with PEMF, and a group treated with a traditional anti-inflammatory medication where used.

To find out whether PEMF has any stabilizing effect on membranes, this study measured PEMFs effect on:

• Edema/ swelling
• Levels of antioxidants
• Plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA)
• Intracellular calcium (Ca+) levels
• Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in blood lymphocytes

Effect of PEMF on SWELLING: PEMF reduced swelling by 70.71% compared to 77.50% for the group treated with anti-inflammatory medication (diflonac).

Effect of PEMF on ANTI-OXIDANT LEVELS: Cells need anti-oxidants to neutralize free-radicals, which damage cell membranes and DNA. The anti-oxidant levels were decreased in the arthritic group compared to the control (untested) group. However, treatment with PEMF and diclofenac resulted in a significant rise in anti-oxidant activitiy.

Effect of PEMF on CELL MEMBRANE FUNCTION: PMCA is a protein found in all cells’ plasma membrane (shield or covering) that helps pump calcium ions (Ca+) out of the cell as they build up. It is necessary to keep Ca+ ion concentration low in order for the cell to carry out its normal, biological functions (signaling). When there is inflammation such as that caused by rheumatoid arthritis, it generates oxidative stress (free radical damage) to the cell membrane, resulting in decreased activity of PMCA and buildup of Ca+ ions.

The study demonstrated that PEMF could stabilize the membranes and restore PMCA activity, thereby maintaining intracellular Ca2+ level at extremely low levels. This, in turn, decreased the inflammatory PGE2 levels (prostaglandin—the precursor substance of inflammation) and consequently suppressed the inflammation.

CONCLUSION: low frequency and low intensity PEMF is indeed beneficial in reducing inflammation without potential side effects indicating that it could be a viable alternative therapy for treatment of RA.

Pulsed Shortwave Treatment in Women With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Multicenter, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Thiago Yukio Fukuda, et.al.

One hundred twenty-one women (mean age=60 years, SD=9) with a diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis (OA) were tested to see if pulsed electromagnetic therapy could reduce their arthritis. “Low dose” and “High dose” groups were created to determine the best therapeutic dosage.

Participants were distributed randomly into 4 groups: 35 participants did not receive any treatment (control group), 23 received a placebo treatment, 32 received low-dose PSW treatment (power of 14.5 W, treatment duration of 19 minutes, and total energy of 17 kJ), and 31 received high-dose PSW treatment (power of 14.5 W, treatment duration of 38 minutes, and total energy of 33 kJ). An 11-point numerical pain rating scale and the Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score were used to assess pain and function in 3 stages: at initial evaluation (pre-treatment), immediately after treatment, and at 12-month follow-up.

Results: The results demonstrated the short-term effectiveness of the PSW at low and high doses in patients with knee OA. Both treatment groups showed a significant reduction in pain and improvement in function compared with the control and placebo groups. There were no differences in results between PSW doses, although a low dose of PSW appeared to be more effective in the long term.

Note: These results were achieved without physical exercise, which could have positively influenced the results.

Conclusion: Pulsed shortwave treatment is an effective method for pain relief and improvement of function and quality of life in the short term in women with knee OA. On the basis of the results, application of PSW treatment is recommended in the female population with knee OA.

The Bottom Line:

Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy is a safe and viable method for reducing inflammatory pain. Research suggests that electromagnetic fields can influence cell membrane permeability and increase weak cell energy output, resulting in dissipation of various symptoms of illness, including pain.

Best of all, it doesn’t involve using harmful and addictive medication. Since there are numerous variables in pain cases (age, general health, pre-existing conditions, injury severity, etc.) people will have varying results using PEMF. If you are experiencing musculoskeletal pain, I highly recommend you give PEMF a try.

The following two devices are two, popular consumer-level pulsed EMF devices. They are easy to operate and do not cause any pain. Some users report nearly instantaneous relief while others report relief after several treatment sessions. Again, it all depends on your particular health situation.

Compare PulsedEMF Devices:

What’s the Best Natural Pain Relief Herb or Supplement?

by Pain Doc | Feb 16, 2017 | Uncategorized

I am often asked, “What supplements or nutrients have the strongest pain relief qualities?”

Great question. After all, most people these days worry about the side effects of popular over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Thanks to the wide reach of the internet, almost everyone knows about the dangers of drugs such as ibuprofen (kidney damage), aspirin (stomach bleeding), and opiates (constipation, addiction, sudden death), just to name a few.

Virtually all medications will have an adverse effect on your GI tract (stomach and intestines), kidney, liver, heart, and/or muscles and joints. Obviously, you won’t feel like superman taking these pills on a regular basis. Pretty scary, especially for those with chronic pain.

However, with nutritional supplements the pain-suppression properties are not as quick-acting or in most cases, as potent as synthetic drugs. But, if you can lower your pain through other means– home therapy, an anti-inflammatory diet, exercise and stretching, meditation etc.– then you won’t need dangerous, strong medicines to keep the pain down; herbs and supplements will be enough to do the trick.

If you have any sort of chronic musculoskeletal pain, I recommend that you maximize your body’s healing potential via an ongoing nutrient-dense diet and certain lifestyle changes, then resort to safer nutritional supplements/herbs to keep the remaining pain down. You may not even need these herbs if your body does a great job healing itself.

Never underestimate the power of food and the human body’s ability to heal and regenerate itself. Like a seedling, if you give it the proper nourishment and environmental conditions, your body will respond dramatically.

With that, here are three supplements that I recommend trying for joint and muscle pain. There are many others, of course, but today we’ll focus on these:

Cissus quadrangularis

Cissus quadrangularis is a succulent (like a cactus) vine originating from Africa and Asia. According to Web MD, it is one of the most commonly used medicinal plants in Thailand, and is also used in traditional African and Ayurvedic medicine.

While it is used for a wide variety of disorders such as PMS pain, obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and ulcers, cissus quadrangularis is best known for healing bone fractures, strengthening bones and relieving joint pain in athletes and body builders. In fact, it is commonly referred to as “Bone Setter.”

How does it work?

Like many herbs, unfortunately, much of the evidence is anecdotal. Large clinical trials involving hundreds of people are the best standard for confirming the therapeutic value of a nutritional supplement, but there aren’t such studies at this time.

However, anecdotal evidence; i.e. documented cases of people benefiting from the herb should not be dismissed. Nothing like actual humans (not rats) to vouch for the effectiveness of something.

Speaking of rats, test tube studies and research in animals show that cissus quadrangularis has antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. A study involving rats “demonstrated the anti-arthritic potential of C. quadrangularis and …validates its traditional use for the treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory disorders.”

As far as dosage goes, there is no set therapeutic dosage for cissus quadrangularis. It depends on age, body size, health status and level of pain. Start out with small doses; increase gradually every other day and note effects. Stick with the dosage that gives you max benefit.

Dr. David Williams Joint Advantage 5x Gold

Dr. David Williams dedicates his life to personally exploring the far reaches of the globe, investigating medicinal herbs used by the local populace. When he finds one that’s worth investigating, he makes sure medical research is strong enough to support its therapeutic value before he recommends it.

Meriva – “Golden” pain relief

His latest formulation, Joint Advantage Gold 5x is his flagship product for reducing joint pain. It features Meriva, an especially potent variety of curcumin.

Curcumin is a bright-orange herb that comes from the rhizome of the turmeric plant. Research confirms that curcumin has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and even tumor suppression properties. It offers protection at the lipid-rich cell membrane, as it is a fat soluble molecule. So when you take curcumin, make sure to eat it with a meal that contains fat.

A study referenced in the Alternative Medicine Review found that the curcumin in Meriva is 45 times more bioavailable than ordinary curcumin; which means more of it gets into your cells, not to your urine.

In two clinical studies, Meriva decreased joint discomfort and stiffness by over 50% and significantly decreased inflammatory markers, especially the notorious C-reactive protein (CRP). Take that, Ibuprofen!

Pain relief from an ancient tree

The other potent, pain-relieving ingredient in Joint Advantage Gold 5x is a concentrated form of Boswellia Serrata called AprèsFlex.

Boswellia comes from the sap of the Boswellia serrata tree, native to the Indian sub-continent. The herb is often referred to as the Indian version of frankincense, which comes from the sap of the Boswellia saca tree species found in Africa.

Boswellia works by inhibiting lipoxygenase enzymes (LOX), which are powerful contributors to inflammation and disease. By inhibiting LOX enzymes, Boswellia effectively blocks leukotriene synthesis.

Leukotrienes play a major role in promoting numerous age-associated, inflammatory diseases including arthritis, inflammatory bowel disorder, cancer, and pulmonary (lung) disease. It is especially known for reducing cerebral inflammation.

In addition, Boswellia has been found to improve blood supply to joints and restore the integrity of weakened blood vessels, with no side effects.

Regular Boswellia extract contains glycoproteins which act as a barrier to digestion, but the AprèsFlex formula combines other natural components of the tree that dilute and weaken these glycoproteins, improving absorption into the blood stream.

In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 59 subjects with stiff and achy joints took 100 mg of AprèsFlex or a placebo daily for 30 days. Three tests were used to measure discomfort, stiffness, and physical function—and in all 3, AprèsFlex soundly beat the placebo (fake supplement).

In a measure of pain intensity, AprèsFlex showed a 14.8% better reduction than the placebo starting in just 5 days.
In a measure of daily functions hindered by discomfort, AprèsFlex showed a 16.3% better reduction starting in just 5 days.
After 30 days, those taking AprèsFlex reported a 40.1% improvement in joint comfort–a 41.3% improvement in stiffness–and a 38.8% improvement in functional ability.

So if you have sub-acute or chronic pain in any joint of your body—hands, low back, hips, knees—give JAG5x a try. It contains the research dose of 1,000 mg. Make sure you take it with a healthy meal that contains good fats, for better absorption.

Check out Joint Advantage Gold 5x Here.

Capsaicin Home Made Compound

Here’s a simple home remedy you can try for pain. Get some cayenne pepper at your grocery store, located in the spice section. Pour about 1-2 ounces in a small bowl, then pour about 3 ounces of light olive oil in it and mix. Using your fingers, rub it into your painful joint.

Capsaicin is the substance in peppers that is responsible for generating the sensation of heat. It can relieve pain temporarily by uptaking into the neural synapses—the space between connecting nerve cells where neurotransmitter molecules act to polarize the cells; thus interfering with pain signal transmission.

To enhance this therapy’s effect, apply an infrared heat lamp over the painful area for 10 minutes. This opens the skin pores and increases capillary circulation, which enables more of the capsaicin to reach those nerves.

Well, that’s it!

If you have joint or muscle pain, give these natural alternatives a try. The first two nutrients work primarily by blocking the inflammatory process; the last by interfering with the pain signal to the brain. Best of all, they won’t hurt you like the big pharma drugs can.

Grounding – An Invigorating and Zero Cost Activity for Good Health

by Pain Doc | Jan 18, 2017 | Uncategorized

Here’s a quick health tip I’ve been meaning to share with your for a while– “grounding,” or “Earthing.”

Your body is a mass of cells, water and organic matter comprised of molecules. These molecules are made of atoms bonded to one another. And, there is the constant activity of biochemical reactions that produce mobile molecules that enable our organs and systems to function — signaling proteins, enzymes, catalysts, co-factors and so on.

Our bodies are constantly exposed to the magnetic fields of the earth, weak ionizing radiation (ionizing= capable of creating ions – more on this later) from the sun; and more significantly, magnetic fields generated from electrical wiring in our homes and offices, and radio frequency waves (mobile phones, remote control devices, etc.) generated in huge amounts in our environment.

Who these days isn’t exposed to a lap top, cell phone, home and office electrical wiring, outdoor power lines, transformers and light bulbs?

Do you think these fields may have an effect on our atoms and therefore cells; and therefore cell function and body function i.e. health and the way you feel?

I will admit that I am no physicist, but I do know that electrons can be “stripped” from atoms by other atoms and ionizing radiation, and through cellular respiration (extracting energy from food at the cellular level) which produces free radicals. And when this happens in large numbers, it can have an adverse effect on the body.

When an atom has the same number of protons (+) as electrons (-), it has a neutral charge. When the number of protons and electrons differ, there is either a positive or negative charge, and the atom is called an ion.

When it has one more electron than protons, it has a negative (-) charge and is called an anion (pronounced ANN-eye-on). When it has one less electron than protons, it has a positive charge (+) and is called a cation (pronounced CAT-eye-on). It is the positively charged atoms or molecules that are harmful due to their instability. These cations are better known as free radicals; and for positively charged oxygen molecules, reactive oxygen species (ROS). Your body has anti-oxidant defenses that neutralize much of these ROS as they are formed in the body, but low anti-oxidant levels and excessive ROS production spells trouble, especially over time.

Free radicals seek stability by “snatching” an electron from nearby molecules. When that happens, the donating molecule becomes unstable itself, and seeks an electron elsewhere. This cascade effect causes electrons to be stripped from cell membranes, proteins and other nearby molecules, affecting their ability to carry out their functions.

Oxidative stress is the cumulative effect of long-term stripping of electrons (called reduction) from tissues, resulting in damage. Oxidative stress is implicated as the mechanism of tissue degeneration in chronic degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis and diabetes. It is also the basis of one of the theories of aging.

According to Dr. Joeseph Mercola, a well-known natural health researcher:

It is known that the Earth maintains a negative electrical potential on its surface. When you are in direct contact with the ground (walking, sitting, or laying down on the earth’s surface) the earth’s electrons are conducted to your body, bringing it to the same electrical potential as the earth. Living in direct contact with the earth grounds your body, inducing favorable physiological and electrophysiological changes that promote optimum health.

So, when was the last time your feet touched the earth?

When the weather is hot, more people are open to walking barefoot outside. There’s nothing like walking on soft beach sand and soaking your feet in a cool stream. But during the winter months, it is less common for people to walk barefoot on the ground for obvious reasons.

And regardless of the season, it is easy for some to go for months without having their feet touch the earth. You put on your shoes in the morning, work in a building, come home, take off your shoes and stay inside until the next day and repeat.

What I recommend you do is make it a point to walk barefoot on grass for ten minutes a day; or at least every couple of days to discharge positive ions that have built up inside your body.

It is even better, as I explain in the video, that you do it after or during a rain shower. Large volumes of water moving through the air and crashing down to earth release billions of negative ions (remember, negative ions are the good ones) which can negate the positive ions in your body. A large waterfall and ocean waves crashing against the rocks are other good areas to pick up negative ions for health.

Lush forests and places with thick vegetation on a sunny day are another good source of taking in negative ions as plants emit them through photosynthesis. Better yet, how about both? Now that’s something your body will love. If you are fortunate to live near the ocean and a forest, you can do a lot for your health by walking barefoot in those areas and doing what I call a “positive ion detox.”

Give it a try, and take note of how you feel. It’s magical.