Update 2013 Targets

Posted: 12/07/2012 in Osteoarthritis Diet Development
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Hello All

A busy few weeks since I have last updated due mainly to work and Christmas diverting focus. Life has carried on and just sort of got filled in by all the external sources that seem to get in the way like TV, Sport good win by England over the All Blacks and Shopping!!!!

I have applied to be a volunteer trainer for Arthritis Care in the New Year delivering their Arthritis Pain Management course that I recently attended. I know from experience that if you teach something it enables you to understand and be better at it. It will also allow me to help others and learn from other people’s experience. Like all charities you have to wait so I will see in the new year what progress has been made.

With the option above in mind I am structuring my Pain Management Programme with my own experience and the skills and strategies learnt on the course into a 90 Success Journal to not only note down progress but to focus and making the use of strategies part of my daily life and essentially a habit.

Key things to date I have found useful

  • Relaxation Techniques and the start of meditation 15 mins makes a lot of difference
  • Exercise particularly walking
  • Mobility movements and some stretching
  • Magnetic Bracelets
  • Some of the diet options

The jury is out on cider vinegar and honey and I am most intrigued by this so it is something that I will keep up and be like Sir Ranulph Fiennes he is a firm advocate and while I am unlikely to go to the Poles I do want to have better fitness and mobility.

The rest of the pills I am skeptical on multi-vitamins seem logical and potentially cod liver oil if I do not have enough fish but the others seem to have little benefit.

Tried writing a diary and found that after several weeks I am a 100% emotional eater mainly when I am down and stressed much less so when happy, this is coupled with life stress results in limited diet results.

I feel I have traveled far and my next goal is to just lose weight as I have made good progress on Pain Management.

More info soon

Re Evaluation 2013 Target

Posted: 11/12/2012 in Osteoarthritis Diet Development, Osteoarthritis Mobility, Osteoarthritis Pain Management
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Hello All

I have not written anything over the last few weeks as stuff just seemed to get in the way, its amazing how life can just flash by.

I have made some progress with my mobility as I am walking better and for significantly longer 30mins is the norm and at a reasonably fast pace. I am coping much better with my painful symptoms of osteoarthritis as I have applied many of the techniques on the pain management course I have attended. Details of specific strategies I will share over the coming week.

For the last couple of weeks I have in addition to the above mentioned strategies been using magnet therapy with some strange sensations and less pain. Many people have mentioned this and there are loads of options on the market and online and the price varies considerably. I have done some research and the only ones approved for medical use are “Bioflow” and brief explanation of how they work is here http://www.bioflow.co.uk/info-Technology

I was drawn to this technology and company as not only are they classed as a medical product with patented technology but they have had successful clinical trials briefly described below:

In 2004 the British Medical Journal published the results of a two-year trial sponsored by the Arthritis Research Campaign into the use of Bioflow® on osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. The report documented this peer-reviewed clinical trial in full.

What this study reports

  • Static magnets are widely used for the relief of pain.
  • Evidence about their efficacy in osteoarthritis is contradictory.
  • Placebo effects are particularly difficult to control because of the easy detection of magnetism.

What this study adds

  • Bracelets with static magnets decrease the pain from osteoarthritis of the hip and knee, over and above the effects of placebo.
  • These benefits are supplementary to those from usual treatments.

The British Medical Journal insists on a high level of integrity in any trial they publish and this is the first peer-reviewed trial in the world directly relating to specialist static magnets in regard to pain relief.

Detailed report available for download here (scroll to the bottom) http://www.bioflow.co.uk/info-Press

In addition to reduced pain I have felt even more relaxed especially in stressful situations and I have been noticeably calmer which can only be positive. I am trialing for an extended period of time to ensure as for my use it’s not only a focus for placebo.

Diet has been progressing but only lost 3 additional pounds and I feel that despite recent rants I just am not trying hard enough! I am going to re-evaluate my weight loss targets for the 1st December and record a detailed “Mood Diary” to include not only what and how much I have eaten but also how I felt prior during and post eating to try to get to the roof cause.

So far my progress has been changing things externally and now it needs to focus on internally!

Stephen

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