| One of the most common questions I receive: "I'm | | | | Have your hormone levels checked. A few simple |
| having pain in my knees and joints. My knees even | | | | blood tests will let your doctor know if you are |
| hurt when I get on the bikes at the gym. Is there a | | | | hypothyroid (be sure to run free and reverse T3/T4 - |
| certain exercise that can help in strengthening my | | | | many doctors only run TSH, which is not adequate) or |
| knees, or any other advice you can give? Someone | | | | if you have other hormonal issues. Resolve those first. |
| said to take fish oil." | | | | Again, and I cannot stress this enough, many hormone |
| Osteoarthritis, or "wear and tear arthritis", is actually | | | | issues are resolved naturally through exercise and |
| common at any age, although more common as we | | | | nutrition. Trust me, as I have ALL of them. My |
| get older and remain physically active. | | | | hormones took an early nosedive in my 20s. Even |
| May people suffer joint pain because of the opposite - | | | | though I require natural hormones to make up for a |
| inactivity. In fact, I believe this is the root cause of most | | | | defective pituitary, my hormone requirements are now |
| joint issues that have nothing to do with injury. Like | | | | less than half of what they were. Through training and |
| anything else, we either use our joints or we loose our | | | | eating properly, I have managed to cut my medications |
| joints. Over the years, if you've lived a sedentary life, | | | | in half from the time when I was obese. That's the |
| you'll find that the body shifts its biochemistry to | | | | power of exercise and nutrition. |
| support only what you are requiring it to do. | | | | Let's assume that your hormones are fine. What if |
| One of the things I speak about is how the body and | | | | you're just having "natural" wear and tear? Well, there |
| mind work together. Unfortunately, this is one of those | | | | are some great places to start before you go diving |
| times when the mind has a mind of it's own. I'm going | | | | head-long for the cortisone injections. |
| to go out on a limb here and voice my enthusiastic | | | | First, do consider fish oil. Fish oil (EPA/DHA in the |
| opinion on what's going on. Some doctors will pitch and | | | | correct ratios, such as in Carlson's Brand) works |
| scream about this, but others back me 100%. I'll let you | | | | wonders for the joints and connective tissues, as well |
| decide. Then I'll give you some great solutions for | | | | as being one of the healthiest substances you can put |
| helping knee and joint pain that's not being caused by a | | | | in your body. Fish oil has been shown to reduce |
| chronic injury. | | | | inflammatory markers related to heart disease, reduce |
| First, there's our old friend calcium. Calcium is touted | | | | blood pressure, lessen the likelihood of stroke, and |
| heavily for conditions such as osteoporosis - however, | | | | even control blood sugar levels. Many Type 2 diabetics |
| the media is only giving you one segment of the story. | | | | have removed themselves (under a doctor's care) |
| The real culprit here is your hormones. As you age, | | | | from medication with the help of fish oil, exercise and |
| unless you remain physically active (even more-so | | | | proper nutrition. |
| than when you were young), the body alters its | | | | Again, "proper nutrition" is not a one-size-fits-all |
| hormonal production. Thyroid levels and testosterone | | | | prescription. If you're 55 and obese, you do not want |
| levels decrease. Low testosterone has been directly | | | | to role model a 25-year-old personal trainer whose |
| linked to problems with bone density. The lower the | | | | only fat resides between his ears. Listen to someone |
| levels, the more brittle the bone can become. | | | | who's been there. That makes for certainty, and |
| Enter osteoporosis. | | | | certainty is the key to success. |
| These hormones also cause a drain on the body's | | | | Next, look into a three-supplement "stack" I |
| nutrients, including calcium. However, replacing calcium | | | | recommend to some of my clients who really suffer |
| will no more cure the problem in many cases than, say, | | | | from joint pain: MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), |
| replacing water from a bucket with a hole in it. You | | | | Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Each works is a slightly |
| have to plug the hole - and that is best done through | | | | different way. Glucosamine has the most amount of |
| hormonal management, dietary shifts, and exercise. | | | | medical research behind it, but MSM is deemed as a |
| Let's take thyroid: the Mayo Clinic published an article | | | | "miracle cure" for a lot of people. For others, it has |
| just last week on the connection between low thyroid | | | | limited use - but the 'stack' is the best natural approach |
| and joint problems and muscle pain. I overcame | | | | I've found, when combined with fish oil, for relieving |
| hypothyroidism and the associated joint pain that | | | | joints and muscles from non-injury-related pain. |
| accompanied it. You can, too. It takes some work, and | | | | Dosages vary, but a good start would be: |
| in some cases some medical intervention, but often | | | | Glucosamine: 1,000mg per 100 pounds of body weight |
| thyroid levels can be managed naturally. | | | | Chondroitin: 400mg 2-3x per day |
| A friend of mine, Jackie Lee, at age 72, looks 52 at | | | | MSM: 1,000mg 2x per day |
| best - and acts 22. She still tumbles, dances, teaches | | | | Fish oil: 2-4 grams per day in liquid form (Carlson's |
| yoga, competes in figure and even bodybuilding shows | | | | lemon-flavored fish oil actually tastes good) |
| - and she's been hypothyroid for decades. She | | | | Again, be sure to pass these recommendations by |
| manages it through a combination of specific amino | | | | your physician. |
| acids, her lifestyle nutrition plan (she's a vegetarian; I am | | | | Last, but not least, move. You may want to start with |
| not), and of course exercise. Her story is quite inspiring. | | | | Yoga, believe it or not. Yoga can relieve joint and |
| Now, since we know that thyroid, testosterone, and | | | | muscle pain like you would not believe. I used Yoga |
| other bodily hormones have a lot to do with joint and | | | | stretches when I injured my lower back in 2002, and |
| muscle pain, doesn't it make sense to start there and | | | | the healing was remarkable. |
| work our way outward to a solution? I think so. | | | | |