subtitled "Your comprehensive guide to pain management, medication, diet, exercise, surgery, and physical therapies"
by ten people within the Dorling-Kindersley company
Hennepin County Library hardcover 213 pages with glossary, index, etc.
genre: non-fiction health
This book is beautiful to look at and has helpful information. As is true of all D-K books I've ever seen, the photographs, illustrations, etc. really help communicate the information well. With the Q and A sections, Myth or Truth?, inset diagrams and photographs, reading the main text can become disjointed.
Since I found the Stokes and Helewa book so incredibly helpful, I mostly skimmed this book looking at the "cool stuff" (since this also has to go back to the library). The sections on Maintaining Your Mobility and Protecting Your Joints are probably worth copying, but I'll focus on the other book for now and return to this blog entry (and this book) if I feel the need for more ideas!
Showing posts with label arthritis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arthritis. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 07, 2017
Arthritis: How to Stay Active and Relieve Your Pain
by Barbara Stokes and Antoine Helewa
Hennepin County Library paperback 406 pages plus resources and index
genre: non-fiction health
Oh my! I wish I had started with this arthritis book instead of spending time on that first one. Speaking of time, as I renewed this book the *second* time, I thought about just buying my own personal copy off Amazon. I probably should have! But I will blog it, photocopy some pages, and return it today.
This book was helpful, well-organized, and easy to understand. I made a list of some questions to discuss with my doctor and I made a list of things I can do to make a positive difference in mitigating the impact of arthritis pain in my life. (My left knee has been challenging lately . . . )
I want to photocopy pages 65-68 with the look at osteoarthritis. I am so grateful that I am as healthy as I am, but would like to be proactive. When my knee pain is really bad, it's hard to do the things I enjoy.
Pages 71-74 on fibromyalgia are pages I wanted to share with my friend Kim. They are probably not "news" to her, but it helped me understand what she is dealing with so much better.
Pages 220-228 are the range of motion exercises that I want to start doing! The directions and drawings are very clear and helpful.Pages 230-233 have the stretches that I want to start doing.
Pages 247-256 have the strengthening exercises. That's a lot of copying! I almost wish I'd just ordered my own personal copy of the book . . .
My personal list of "What I can do" items is from various places in the book. I'm excited to focus on what I CAN do instead of bemoaning my pain and challenges. My personal list:
Hennepin County Library paperback 406 pages plus resources and index
genre: non-fiction health
Oh my! I wish I had started with this arthritis book instead of spending time on that first one. Speaking of time, as I renewed this book the *second* time, I thought about just buying my own personal copy off Amazon. I probably should have! But I will blog it, photocopy some pages, and return it today.
This book was helpful, well-organized, and easy to understand. I made a list of some questions to discuss with my doctor and I made a list of things I can do to make a positive difference in mitigating the impact of arthritis pain in my life. (My left knee has been challenging lately . . . )
I want to photocopy pages 65-68 with the look at osteoarthritis. I am so grateful that I am as healthy as I am, but would like to be proactive. When my knee pain is really bad, it's hard to do the things I enjoy.
Pages 71-74 on fibromyalgia are pages I wanted to share with my friend Kim. They are probably not "news" to her, but it helped me understand what she is dealing with so much better.
Pages 220-228 are the range of motion exercises that I want to start doing! The directions and drawings are very clear and helpful.Pages 230-233 have the stretches that I want to start doing.
Pages 247-256 have the strengthening exercises. That's a lot of copying! I almost wish I'd just ordered my own personal copy of the book . . .
My personal list of "What I can do" items is from various places in the book. I'm excited to focus on what I CAN do instead of bemoaning my pain and challenges. My personal list:
- have a positive attitude
- focus on what I CAN do
- rest
- ice
- NSAIDs (Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) - Ibuprofen
- practice positive self-talk (page 167)
- relax / breathe / yoga
- walk, swim, bicycle (gradually increase distance and duration)
- consider alternative ways to do things
- get good sleep at night!
- work with an OT or a PT
- change position often
- get shoes that fit well (good support)
- take frequent breaks (stand up, stretch, relax)
- maintain good posture
Thursday, September 14, 2017
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:
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:
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 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!)
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