Knee Surgery No Better Than Placebo
Finnish researchers report in New England Journal of Medicine that arthroscopic partial meniscectomy is no better than sham surgery in patients with a degenerative medial meniscal tear and no knee osteoarthritis.
About 700,000 arthroscopic partial meniscectomies are done each year in the United States, at an estimated annual cost of $4 billion. Recently, a randomized trial showed that arthroscopic partial meniscectomy combined with physical therapy provides no better relief of symptoms than physical therapy alone in patients with a meniscal tear and knee osteoarthritis.
The researchers conclude that arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy provides no significant benefit over sham surgery in patients who have a degenerative meniscal tear but who do not have knee osteoarthritis.
If considering knee surgery for a meniscus injury, you may want to do a trial of over the counter anti-inflammatories, fish oil, turmeric, and a trial of physiotherapy.
I’ve found that the right combination of over the counter glucosamine plus chondroitin, offers a safe and effective way to alleviate osteoarthritis related knee pain
Grass Fed Beef Is The Healthy Choice!
Grass-fed beef contains less overall fat but more of the healthy omega-3 fats and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Alpha linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Grass-fed beef contains considerably higher levels of the same omega-3’s found in oily fish. These three essential fatty acids are absolutely necessary for optimal health, especially cardiovascular and brain health.
Omega 3 and CLA fats provide an assortment of health enhancing functions including reducing inflammatory chemicals, boosting immune function, reducing low moods, and increasing mental clarity.
A Healthy Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio
To prevent excessive inflammation in the body, a healthy diet should contain only about 1 to 3 times as much omega-6 fatty acids as omega-3 fatty acids. The standard American diet, however, contains up to 30 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3, contributing to the epidemic of chronic inflammation-related diseases. The average omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of grass fed beef is about 1.5 to 1:00, while the grain fed ratio is a bout 7:1
Grass fed beef contains two to three times more, healthy CLA, than what is found I grain-fed beef. CLA has been shown to reduce obesity, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, diabetes, insulin resistance, inflammation, and various types of cancer, especially breast cancer.
Grass-fed cows have much higher amounts of several health enhancing nutrients. Compared to grain fed beef, grass fed beef have 7 times more of the potent antioxidant, carotene, three times more vitamin E. Vitamin E is an important antioxidant for defense against cancer, heart health, and vision.
Grass fed beef contains higher concentrations of all B vitamins including thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin B12. That’s nearly twice as much total fat in the conventional steak compared to grass fed beef. Another great reason to eat grass fed beef is to avoid the over use of antibiotics so often used in grain fed industrialized livestock.
You can read more about how to reduce inflammation through diet associated with arthritis at on my website: Pain, Osteoarthritis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Looking For A Natural Laundry Soap – Make It Yourself
There is no shortage of laundry detergent soaps, dozens of choices on the shelves. However, you should know that while most detergents do in fact get the clothes clean, they are usually loaded with potentially toxic chemicals.
The average laundry soap has a number of harmful substances in it that could potentially enter be absorbed by your skin or through the air you breathe. When buying laundry soap from the grocery store, you can be sure that a product labeled with a dozen warnings is probably not going to be good for you or the environment. Buy products scented with natural essential oils instead of artificial fragrance.
Fortunately there are all-natural, safe and effective soap detergents on the market. I trip to your local health food store or through Amazon, should provide plenty of good choices.
Avoid using chlorine bleach to whiten clothes. Instead, try borax.
And for those with an adventurous spirit, you can make your own all- natural soap.
Here’s a safe all natural soap recipe, add 11 cups of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda to 15 cups of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda and seven cups of Dr. Bronners Castile soap and three tablespoons of essential oil (such as lavender or lemon). This recipe should get you through months of doing laundry.
- 3/4 cup Dr. Bronner’s Pure Liquid Soap (For laundry, I like to use the lavender, almond, and citrus varieties)
- 1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
- 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax or substitute with Baking Soda 20-
And best of all with a little effort, your all-natural, friendly to the environment, laundry soap costs about $2.88 for two gallons, or 96 loads if you use the suggested 1/3 cup a load.
