I used to play rugby in my younger days. Quite frankly, I was brilliant - fast, nimble, great foot-balling skills, and every other attribute that aging ex-players like to invent about themselves! Still to this day, I allow myself to dream sometimes that I could have played for England, if only I'd been noticed by one of the big clubs (and had 300% more talent)!
The funny thing is that I now actually feel incredibly lucky.
During my career in medicine, I saw so many aging ex-sports people (both professional and amateur) suffering with severe chronic pain and mobility problems which were often a direct result of injuries sustained playing sport.
Rugby, football, tennis and badminton were the biggest culprits in my experience, but ultimately it is rugby that has left patients with the most widespread problems throughout the body.
There are over 100 forms of arthritis, the most common being osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Sports related arthritis is often referred to as secondary arthritis and occurs as a result of a traumatic injury, joint damage and years of repetitive pounding upon the joint. But normal work activity can often be blamed - jobs such as typing, construction and factory work, and working as a shop assistant - where joints can take a real hammering.
As in all forms of arthritis, this leads to wear and tear of the tissue around the joint. The loss of that natural cushion means that the bones will literally grind against each other causing chronic pain and severe reduction in mobility and suppleness. It's only now at the age of 65 that I've started to have my own struggle with arthritis, but I feel fortunate not to have suffered from it earlier. According to the law of averages, I could have suffered a lot more when I was younger, as I've had bad injuries with my knee and broken the same wrist twice - all down to rugby.
It's only in the last couple of months that I've started to feel stiffness and inflammation in the index and middle fingers on my right hand. I never broke them, but I did develop an agonizing habit of dislocating them - twice the index and three times the middle finger.
Fortunately, it's possible to relocate them immediately, but the cumulative effect of those injuries combined with other bruises and swellings over the years have finally taken their toll.
You can make your own luck
I'm convinced that the reason I've avoided arthritic problems for so long is all due to the way I've tried to look after myself, paying special attention to those joints that I felt were most likely to develop problems (wrist, knee and fingers).
I managed to stave off the onset of any problems, in particular, by taking natural supplements over the years. Not only have they helped to prevent the condition from starting but they are also proven to slow down further deterioration of a condition whilst bringing pain relief.
Ways to help yourself:
1. Watch your weight - the heavier you are, the more pressure you put on your limbs, especially the joints.
2. Light exercise, a gentle swim will reduce inflammation and aid mobility.
3. Heat therapy gloves (as recommended here before). Try to prevent the hands and wrist getting cold (see list of products opposite).
4. Seek advice from a physiotherapist and establish a daily routine of flexibility exercises.
5. Use pulse therapy - MicroDoctor is the most effective device available today (see list of products opposite).
6. Drink Queen of the Meadow (Meadow Sweet or Filiendula Ulmaria), a plant extract that alleviates pain and is a natural anti-inflammatory. Normally taken with tea.
7. Use Blackcurrant, take it naturally for best effect. It has been used to treat arthritis for centuries and is particularly good for the knees. Drink the juice and apply the remaining slush to the affected joint.
But now I need that something extra
I've dodged the bullet for a long time but finally my repetitive finger injuries have caught up with me. At one point during the summer it was so bad that Maria had to type the newsletter - the pain and stiffness were just too much.
I had another look at the arthritis products I mentioned here before and I was reminded that the two main ingredients of Artrosilium. Were Queen of the Meadow and Blackcurrant.
Knowing their proven worth, and understanding that a formulation with both would be even more potent, I sent away for six tubes which should take me up to Christmas.
After only three days, I could feel a significant difference. My fingers were more supple and relaxed, the pain had gone and the muscles around my fingers were moving comfortably once again. Overall, a fantastic result!
I've since started applying it daily to my knees and wrist, using it as a preventative measure. I know it's been only six weeks but all the joints - knees, wrist and fingers - feel completely normal, supple and pain free. If you would like to give your joints a chance of functioning normally and prevent any chronic pain from setting in, I couldn't recommend a better daily treatment than Artrosilium.
I'm continuing to take a regular dose of Queen of the Meadow in my tea and the odd application of Blackcurrant. You can never get too much of a good thing, especially when you know there are no side effects - unlike the worrying potential dangers of NSAIDS that I listed here last week!
Finally, I've received loads of letters asking me about the Q Link pendant experiment where I gave a number of you the chance to give me your views on its effectiveness.
I'm currently in the process of gathering the results and should be able to give them to you within the next couple of weeks - make sure you click on for that one!
After writing the newsletter, I often dream about some of the things I've written - I can't wait to go to bed tonight as I'm already planning to score the winning try for England against New Zealand - might even go to bed with my old boots on!
Anyway, that's all from me for now. Keep smiling and stay healthy!
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