Pain-Free at Last!
Inez J. has been my patient for more than 10 years. When I first saw her, she was 65 years old and had been suffering with osteoarthritis of the spine for about 10 years. It had started with a little morning stiffness and progressed over the years to nagging pain. Certain activities exacerbated it, but the dull, underlying pain was almost always present.
What was really bothering Inez at that time was her left knee. She had undergone arthroscopic surgery almost a year before, but it hadn’t helped. The pain slowed her down, and Inez’s style is anything but slow. She had difficulty walking, and much to her dismay, she even had to use a cane occasionally. She took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) when the pain got out of hand, but they always upset her stomach. Although Inez always put on a brave front when I saw her, I knew that this constant pain was taking its toll.
I started Inez on a comprehensive nutritional supplement program. I told her not to expect overnight results, as these agents worked slowly to retard the breakdown of old, damaged cartilage and facilitate the production of new cartilage.
I had wanted at that visit to run a stress test on her to evaluate her heart function, but she was having such a hard time walking that she was unable to stay on the treadmill long enough to get a significant reading. Therefore, I recommended that she rub DMSO on her knees several times a day. Three days later she came back and took the test, walking on the treadmill for eight minutes at increasing speeds, pain-free!
Inez has since kept up this program. She can’t remember when she last took an NSAID or other medication, but she wouldn’t forget her supplements for the world. This 75-year-old woman, who owns and operates a craft store, exercises regularly, and travels frequently, can now run circles around people half her age.
— from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD
Prolotherapy Eliminated Pain From Degenerated Shoulder
Dick Randolph of Fairbanks, Alaska, is as active as anyone I know. This avid outdoorsman hikes miles into the wilderness to fish and hunt. He tears around on a snowmobile, chops wood at his remote cabin, and, believe it or not, soars through the skies on a paraglider.
At age 66, the only thing that ever slowed Dick down was shoulder pain. Small wonder: he’d been diagnosed with large, complete rotator cuff tears and joint degeneration in both shoulders. The constant soreness and restricted range of motion, which were exacerbated by paragliding, made him seriously consider the surgery his orthopedist had recommended. Until he read about prolotherapy in Health & Healing.
Prolotherapy involves injections of a mildly irritating solution into the joint space. This promotes a massive healing response that strengthens the ligaments and tendons responsible for stabilizing joints. Prolotherapy doesn’t mask pain—it eradicates it. When the supporting structures hold the joint in proper alignment, pressure is taken off the nerves. Pain subsides, range of motion returns, and cartilage degeneration slows down.
Dick’s first treatment helped so much (he could move his shoulder more freely than he had in years) that two months later he flew from Fairbanks to the clinic for his second treatment. From here it was on to Idaho for paragliding, which he now does with little or no pain.
— from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD
