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Strong and Supple Joints How to Keep Hips and Knees Happy

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Occasional knee or hip pain aff ects tendons and ligaments include fatty fi sh, almost everyone, keeping us from lentils, nuts, vegetables like spinach and daily tasks, making sitting painful broccoli, and colorful fruit like strawberand walking diffi cult. Causes can range ries and oranges. from over-exercise to injuries, obesity and arthritis as we age. By the time we reach Practice tai chi, qigong or hatha yoga. 65 years or older, 69 percent of women Th e gentle, low-impact movements and and 56 percent of men have arthritic stretches associated with these approaches symptoms, according to Boston University get synovial fl uid fl owing in the larger researchers. Costly joint replacement surjoints, eff ecting smoother mobility and gery which carries a high risk of adverse increased fl exibility; numerous studies eff ects is oft en recommended for advanced document that they reduce joint pain and cases, but by taking simple, natural prestiff ness. “Th e key is not just to stretch, ventive and remedial measures proactively, but to balance strength and stretching in we can strengthen our knee and hip joints, a safe, mindful way,” says Andrea Trank, handle related problems if they arise and a health coach and yoga teacher in Fort remain physically strong and active. Myers, Florida. Although personal or class Ways to Strengthen found on YouTube.

Hips and Knees

instruction is best, how-to videos can be

Consume foods that nourish bones and Walk every day. In a four-year Northwestconnective tissues. For strong bones, eat ern University study, people at risk of knee foods rich in calcium, magnesium and osteoarthritis that walked at a moderate or potassium, such as dark leafy greens (bok brisk pace for at least 10 minutes a day, one choy, Chinese cabbage, kale and collard hour a week, had one-eighth the disabled greens), fi gs, nuts, tofu, avocados and bone mobility of those that walked less. Posbroth. Six prunes a day boosted bone denture helps: Walking straight and tall while sity in women over 70 with osteoporosis, extending each leg back as far as it’ll go will research shows. Foods that support fl exible “really let your glute muscles work,” advises

Ways to Lower Pain Levels

Consider the right supplements. Obtaining 1,000 milligrams daily of calcium and 600 international units of vitamin D is essential for bone health, according to the National Institutes of Health; consider taking a supplement if the diet is not adequate. In addition, study-proven options that reduce joint pain in the knees and hips include glucosamine and chondroitin, S-adenosylL-methionine (SAMe) and avocado soybean unsaponifi able.

Th e benefi ts of bodywork. A massage can loosen up tight muscles and realign structural issues in the knees and hips while also lowering stress-producing cortisol and raising levels of pain-reducing serotonin. A study at Canada’s McMaster University found that massage works on the cellular level to reduce infl ammation and promote the growth of new mitochondria in muscles. Useful styles are Swedish, deep tissue, myofascial release and shiatsu. Ask for references from friends, medical practitioners, fi tness centers and natural health stores or fi nd online a certifi ed practitioner with at least 500 hours of training.

Try acupuncture. A new meta-study of 39 studies with 20,827 patients concluded that acupuncture eff ectively reduces pain for as long as 12 months, and the National Institutes of Health endorses it for knee pain. “It is believed to stimulate the nervous system and in turn, the way the brain registers pain signals,” says acupuncturist Daryl Th uroff , at the Yinova Center, in New York City. Find an acupuncturist at nccaom.org/fi nd-a-practitioner-directory.

Supplements for Suppleness Glucosamine and chondroitin. Research suggests this combo reResearch suggests this combo re- lieves pain, improves joint mobility and slows arthritic damage to the joints. One study found it benefi ts up to 70 percent of people with knee arthritis, and a large multinational trial found the mixture to be as eff ective at reducing pain, stiff ness and swelling in knee osteoarthritis as the nonsteroidal anti-infl ammatory drug (NSAID) celecoxib. It appears most suited for treating moderate to severe pain and takes two months to take eff ect.

SAMe. Th is naturally occurring S-adenosyl-L-methionine molecule builds strong joints by delivering sulfur to cartilage, and research shows it may be as eff ective as aspirin and ibuprofen at improving joint function. It takes a month to take eff ect, but doesn’t have the side eff ects of NSAIDs. It’s also been shown to lower depression.

Avocado soybean unsaponifi able (ASU). Routinely used to treat osteoarthritis in Europe, ASU improves symptoms of hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) and reduces or eliminates the use of NSAIDs, a meta-analylsis concluded; it also appears to reduce OA’s progression.

Consult a chiropractor. People with osteoarthritic knees that underwent two weeks of chiropractic knee adjustments had substantially less pain, better mobility and fewer grinding and clicking sensations in the knees, reported a study in Th e Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association. In a small study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Th erapeutics, four out of fi ve patients with hip arthritis noticed improved symptoms aft er nine or fewer chiropractic treatments. Many chiropractors off er not only spinal adjustments, but also a range of treatments from exercises to prolotherapy.

Explore injection therapies. Known as regenerative medicine, these therapies use injections in the knee or hip to naturally stimulate the body to produce collagen and rejuvenate tissue. In a British Medical Bulletin meta-study, 82 percent of patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee were satisfi ed with prolotherapy, which uses dextrose injections. Platelet-rich plasma injections use centrifuged platelets from the patient’s body, and have been used by athletes like Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal to treat sports injuries.

Ronica O’Hara is a Denver-based health writer. Connect at OHaraRonica@gmail.com.

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Julie Johnson Local Resident Shares Natural Gifts

by Lisa Marlene

Born a sensitive, intuitive and empathic person with the natural gift s of clear seeing and clear sentience, Julie Julie Johnson Johnson was fortunate to have a grandmother who nurtured her innate gift s. “My grandma also had these abilities. When she realized that I had them, too, she began teaching me to not be fearful of my gift s, which I began actively exercising around age 9,” says Johnson, a native Floridian residing in Cape Coral. “For more than 30 years, I’ve been helping people that come to me for clarity on life issues which are interfering with the joy and happiness they want to experience. Because every problem is unique to the individual, I help them to understand what I see from a fresh perspective, and then I help them to focus on the method of meditation they will best respond to in order to restore positive energy,” advises Johnson. Johnson doesn’t record sessions. “I’m very sensitive to energy, and being true to my natural gift s, which I didn’t have to read books about or take classes to learn, I fi nd that the frequencies of the recording device interfere,” she explains. Due to COVID-19, Johnson is not seeing individuals in her offi ce. She is conducting telephone sessions.

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