Arthritis: Drug-free Alternatives to Prevent and Reverse Arthritis

What Doctors Don't Tell You series
Lynne McTaggart, editor
Hennepin County Library paperback 195 pages plus extensive reference notes and index
genre: non-fiction DIY healthcare

I had been on the waiting list for several months for the only copy of "Arthritis for Dummies" that I could find . . . and then realized that it was lost. So I looked for other books on arthritis and thought this one sounded great. The first half of the book put me off, but I plowed through. The second half was actually worthwhile and interesting. I have two more arthritis books on hold at the library, so it will be interesting to make some comparisons (though I'll probably skim-read them . . . this was *not* fun reading).

Page 45 - Steroids. The writer(s) are basically talking about what's typically done and what that's so bad (ibuprofen, surgery, shots . . .). I tagged this page because of one sentence: "Steroids have even been used as a replacement for baby's gripe water." That came after the long sentence "Most doctors work on the assumption that steroids are safe if taken over a short period of time, . . ." I think my take-away was "What the heck is gripe water?!" But I'm not even curious enough to look it up. The next paragraph goes into all the ways that steroids can destroy your health and your life. Having seen what they did to my mom after her temporal arteritis diagnosis, I don't need a lot of convincing. I just didn't like that the first half of the book was so alarmist about how arthritis is typically treated.

Page 53 - Safer surgery was a very interesting section. I hope to not need knee replacement surgery (certainly not in my 50s!), but it may well have to happen someday. Notes:

• Use the cementless variety of ball-and-socket replacement if your bones are strong
• insist on a hospital and a surgeon with a long and successful track record in performing this particular operation
• Opt for tried-and-tested materials. (Exeter, Lubinus, and Charmley have the best record . . . )

Page 76 - Omega-3 vs Omega-6 and how much of each in relation to the other. Some of this escaped my brain. I don't really understand the differences and the significance of what they do in the body. I checked my fish oil pills and they are the Omega-3 kind. I only take them because we have them and I know it's supposed to be helpful. I think I originally bought them for Pepper for her hip dysplasia. She hated them.

Page 80-1 The section on "Free Radicals and 'Earthing'" - I was ready to be done with the book when I read this part. "Crackpot!" was my honest opinion. Then I went back to the start of the section and read "One interesting hypothesis for the rise of unchecked inflammation . . . " Ah. At least they called it an "interesting hypothesis" because I'm pretty sure that if I walk around barefoot or in leather soled shoes on earth, my arthritis isn't going to go away.

Page 99 - Foods to Avoid . . . and it's pretty much what my friend Jenifer said about doing a 30-day cleanse. No alcohol, carbonated beverages, artificial additives, sweets, dairy, breads, cereals (except oatmeal), crackers, pasta, flour, etc. Yeah. I guess I'll take pain over a lean meat and veggie diet.

Page 110 - Again with the omega fats. Ugh! I'll just try to eat more fish. Except I think my tilapia isn't the right kind. And salmon is expensive.

Page 142 - Glucosamine and Chondroitin - Yep! I'll get some when I go to Costco. This is what we gave Pepper and it definitely seemed to help her. It sounds as though these can actually help the joint and the synovial fluid. It's worth a try, even though I'm not a fan of supplements.

Page 165 -Chapter 12 is "Lifestyle for Healthy Joints" - finally! I tagged this sentence: ". . . doctors began to appreciate that a person's general mind-set about injury or illness played a crucial role in the amount of pain he or she experienced." Yes! Attitude makes a difference! I'm not sure how much is nature and how much is nurture, but I feel as though I'm hard-wired to be negative. I do *not* like that about myself and have been striving for (and praying for) a more positive attitude. It's a struggle for some of us! Some of the items listed in this chapter were hypnotherapy, biofeedback, Emotional Freedom Technique (sounds like Del's "tapping" thing), manipulation-based techniques (like chiropractic, ultrasound therapy, etc.), massage (I could go for that!), copper, spa therapy, and exercise (swimming is appealing to me).

Page 177 - Building Up Your Knees:

Page 178 - Checking for ligament laxity . . . interesting, but I'll pass. Whether or not I'm more prone to injury, I know I need to make healthy choices for my body.

Clean Up Your Lifestyle:

• drink pure water
• brush your teeth twice a day
• know your chemical sensitivities
• ditch those implants 
• get connected (socially)
• attitude is everything (make yours positive!)

Chapter 13 "At a Glance Tips to Help You Prevent or Deal with Arthritis" basically summarizes the entire book in quick form . . . which would have been great if I'd done a preview of the book before ready it start to finish. Ugh! These are great suggestions and I seriously thought about scanning pages 190-1 to capture the most pertinent advice . . . but I'm incredibly sick of this book and just want to return it to the library now. (Thinking positively - it will be one less item cluttering up my life! Woohoo!)