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Could this breakthrough treatment mean the end of joint pain?
19th August 2005
You've heard of masochists, right...?
They're people who enjoy pain. Some even pay to have pain inflicted on them.
'How crazy can you get?' I said.
'You wouldn't catch me doing that in a million years', I said.
So what did I do last Saturday...?
I forked out £110 to be stabbed with a needle and attacked with a drill.
I am, of course, referring to our family 'fun-day' at the dentist.
I had a scale and a polish (and that was before they even looked at my mouth - boom boom!) and escaped with just the one filling.
Not bad really, when you consider I have a sweet tooth the size of a rugby pitch.
Of course, after my discoveries about amalgam fillings in last Friday's letter, I opted for a nice, white non-amalgam filling.
'This will make you look like a Hollywood Star,' the dental nurse said with a kindly smile.
Hmmm... Danny deVito maybe.
Anyway, now that my teeth are taken care of, all I have to do is nurse my sciatic nerve back to full health, find something that will clear up my nagging rugby injury, find an instant cure for a pot belly, and I'll be sorted.
In fact, I may well have found an answer to one of the above already...
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Could this ancient therapy, used by Hippocrates, cure chronic back and joint pain for good?
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As some of you already know, my Rugby injury is something that's been with me for years.
Luckily, it doesn't affect me that much on a day to day basis.
I just grin and bear it, like so many people who suffer from aches and pains.
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But there's a little-known treatment that, according to reports, can end the pain of strained muscles, back pain, and even acute joint problems.
It's called prolotherapy... a cutting-edge treatment that encourages the body to heal and repair itself.
Hippocrates - the original GP - would treat soldiers with dislocated and torn shoulder joints by sticking a hot iron on the injury to stimulate new tissue growth.
Ouch!
Luckily, the treatment has moved on a little since then...
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Why causing more injury with nasty chemicals can help you get better
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Nowadays, the injured area is injected with a controlled mixture of chemicals, maybe three or four times, until the treatment starts to take effect.
'Hold up there... did you say chemicals?'
Yes I did, and usually I'm dead against the use of chemicals.
But this therapy has got me interested.
You see, rather than pretend that these man-made chemicals are doing you good, they are harming you on purpose!
The chemicals are used to cause 'micro-traumas' to the ligaments, so that your body's natural healing processes are triggered.
Clever eh?
First, millions of little white cells swarm over the evil chemicals and clean them up, then another gang of cells (called fibroblasts!) start to construct new tissue and repair the ligaments... all 100% naturally!
Apparently prolotherapy is successful 80% of the time...
and offers a much better chance of a lasting cure than other alternatives such as physiotherapy.
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Okay, it involves injections, and it involves chemicals...
two things I'd usually rant about till I was blue in the face.
But this treatment seems to be harnessing the nasty elements in chemicals in a most ingenious way.
I'm going to find out more about this, and I'll report back soon. In the meantime, if you think this is something you'd be interested in, try contacting the British Institute of Musculoskeletal Medicine at www.bimm.org.uk
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Suffer from arthritis? This tree may be able to help you...
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Indian Frankincense (or Boswellia) comes from the serreta tree found in India, Northern Africa and the Middle East.
The tree produces a gummy resin that local medical practitioners use to treat joint pain and inflammation...
but as per usual it's taking the West a couple of thousand years to catch up!
Now, men in white coats have conducted dozens of tests to confirm what the Indian healers knew all along - that boswellia is a potent anti-inflammatory that treats joint stiffness, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and lower back pain.
And of course, this being a natural remedy, there are no nasty side-effects.
So it looks like a winner. But of course, as with any remedy, check it through with your doctor first.
Okay. That's it for today.
I'm off to test my shiny new white tooth on a few biscuits and a cup of tea.
Have a smashing weekend, enjoy yourself, and I'll be back again in no time.
Yours as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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