Senior Health: Joints
JoeMaine's Healthy Joint Program
In 2020 I had severe pain in my hips; had difficulty getting out of chairs, and needed to use the sink to pull myself off the toilet. A trip to the Orthopedic Doctor and x-rays revealed that I had moderate hip osteoarthritis in one hip, severe hip osteoarthritis in the other, and visible bone spur growth. In retrospect; one positive of the pandemic, for me, was that operations such as hip replacements were delayed. An injection of cortisone was offered but a forever path of steroid injections was not the direction in which I wanted to go. I was also tired of taking Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen, neither of which were helping the high blood pressure which was diagnosed at the same time by my Primary Doctor. My Primary was ready to prescribe medication and in addition wanted me to loose some weight and begin an exercise program. Exercise was impossible with the hip pain, but I could impact my diet. I've documented the work to lower my blood pressure without prescription medications. Here's the JoeMaine healthy blood pressure program.
So; totally confused in which direction to go, I started to investigate options other than surgery and prescription medication. I focused on the more holistic options and was overwhelmed with the offerings which ranged from naturalistic to bizarre.
I read about products, researched companies, read thousands of reviews and searched for solutions that were manufactured at a trusted facility NOT located in China. My top 3 products are; Curcumin, Collagen, and Krill Oil. I like to add Resveratrol to this and recently searched for a new source and updated the link below.
After about three weeks I had lost some weight, stayed religious about the pills, and was able to do some light exercise. The old pains from football injuries that I had in my knees were no longer present, and an arthritic big toe no longer caused any pain.
Now more than a year later I can do some pretty heavy-duty landscape work, walk for miles, and sit up without pain or trouble from any seated position. I don't miss the joint popping sounds or the Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen. It truly has been life changing. I wanted to share this information with you and have added the following information which has been distilled from my research and is edited from online data:
- Curcumin, a substance in turmeric, may help to reduce inflammation. Several studies suggest that it might ease symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, like pain and inflammation.
- Collagen type II is used for osteoarthritis. It is also used for other types of joint and muscle pain.
- Krill oil significantly reduced a marker of inflammation; also found that krill oil reduced stiffness, functional impairment and pain in patients with rheumatoid or osteoarthritis.
- Resveratrol, like curcumin, significantly decreases sensitivity to pain. Resveratrol alone suppressed inflammation and destruction of inflamed joint cells.
The specific products are listed below:
NOW Supplements, UC-II Type II Collagen with Undenatured Type II Collagen
Bronson Antarctic Krill Oil 1000 mg with Omega-3s EPA, DHA, Astaxanthin and Phospholipids
NOW Supplements, Natural Resveratrol 200 mg with Red Wine Extract, 120 Veg Capsules