On November 29, 2013, the ladder that I was standing at the top of, slid to the slick concrete below suddenly, causing me to fall twelve feet and land on my butt on the concrete. In pain, I was able to roll myself over to ease the pain. I had been completing the last part of a three hour physical inspection of the California Bungalow styled home my client was purchasing. Hearing the noise, my client, his retired emergency room doctor-father and the Realtor came running from inside the house. The doctor calmly asked the questions regarding what had happened, the location and nature of my pain and called the paramedics.
The paramedics arrived quickly, checked my blood pressure and checked my eyes for signs of a concussion. Transferring me from the ground to a Spine Board, then into the ambulance, I was en route to the hospital emergency room in minutes. Five miles later, I was whisked into the emergency room, where more tests and observations were made; then into the X-ray room. Because of the strength of my girdle muscles, used frequently on long bike rides, the initial analysis was that my bones, other than for my wrist, were intact.
As a precaution, I was kept under observation for about two hours. After determining that I did not appear to have any head trauma; and, that my pain had not worsened, they were prepared to package me for dismissal. One last precaution was taken – they wanted me to demonstrate that I could walk reasonably. I sat up on the hospital bed and slowly swung my legs over the side. Feeling some meaningful pain, I asked if one of their “grass fed” orderlies could be at my side when I stood up. The, I stood up and almost collapsed to the ground in pain. The orderly did his job and stopped my fall, placing me back onto the bed. Very quickly, I was shuttled to radiology for a CAT scan. Upon analysis, it was determined that I had suffered five vertical fractures in my right hip, in addition to the wrist fracture which had attempted to cushion my fall. I would not be going home right away.
Not Quite So Simple
The day of the accident was the Friday after Thanksgiving that year. The chief orthopedic surgeon for the hospital, Dr. Michael Bongiovanni, had taken some long overdue time off that weekend. While there were two orthopedic surgeons on hand, the decision was made that the ultimate treatment would be determined when the missing surgeon returned. San Diego is blessed to have some top rated hospitals; and, this one is a teaching hospital. So, there was a class of surgeons in training for orthopedics at the time. Each morning, the student surgeons and one of the training surgeons would stop by, check my charts and discuss me for a few minutes. Depending upon the training surgeon, I would listen as they would advise that I was most likely receiving a full hip replacement or a titanium plate shortly.
You can imagine the surprise of my wife and I when a couple of days later, Dr. “B” informed us that if I was willing to closely follow his instructions, ,” he would recommend no surgery! I replied that “I would be his best patient ever.” We questioned him extensively. His reasoning was that I had been practicing good nutrition and exercise so well that my bones had great density, they were nutritionally years younger than they were chronologically. And, he said that because of my years on my 18 speed road bike, my muscles had been strong enough to hold my hip together. That explained why the initial X-ray had not detected the fractures. And, that began the months long journey of rehabilitation, utilizing bed rest and physical therapy to allow the bones to heal on their own. Five months later, both the X-ray technician and the doctor had difficulty seeing where the fractures had been. My body had healed itself!
Today, there is no hip pain. I walk evenly, without a limp. And, because of no titanium plates or metal hip parts, I do not set off the alarms at the airport metal detectors!
Then, Why Did My Knees Hurt So Much?
I was never a great athlete; but, I tried enthusiastically. Football offensive lineman, ran middle distance in track and four years as a baseball catcher. I joined the Army before training runs were allowed to be in running shoes. Instead, we ran in combat boots for the first years (“Hooah!”). Then, I kept running, in proper shoes, until late in the 2000s. My left knee was almost always in pain. Then, while on a training exercise in the Reserves, I tore the cartilage in my right knee. The remedy for that was to remove the cartilage.
After the hip fractures had healed, Dr. “B” X-rayed my knees. What he discovered was that I had double sided bone-on-bone Osteoarthritis. He suggested physical therapy and hyaluronic acid injections into the joint. I elected to try the physical therapy and some relief was noticed. The therapy was strengthening the muscles and assisting the ligaments in holding the knees in place. But, the pain was still there. Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common joint diseases and is a significant cause of disability. 1)
Shortly thereafter, I had an appointment with my general practitioner, James Creek, who is a former triathlete. He was rehabilitating himself from multiple knee injuries that had stopped him from competing further. He examined my knees, twisting and bending my legs, and confirmed what my surgeon had diagnosed. Then, we discussed a different type of treatment. One that he was using on himself. And, he had just participated in his first triathlon in years!
By the way, what follows are the details of what I have done to eliminate joint pain in my body. You will notice that I was and am following directions from my doctors who are familiar with my health issues. Please do not do any of what I present until after you check with your doctor, too.
The Three Wise Men Knew About This.
Dr. Creek prescribed that I begin a regimen of Organic Bone Broth with a scoop of Organic Collagen II in it. Type II Collagen appears to have positive effects on inflammation and degradation in human joint diseases. 2) Brewing connective tissue into bone broth provides the body with natural compounds from the cartilage. Tissues and bones contain collagen. So, cooking collagen turns it to gelatin, which provides the body with amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. So, by dissolving the collagen in the Bone Broth, I was actually getting a double dose of collagen. Type II collagen can improve knee joint symptoms, such as pain, stiffness, and poorer physical function, in people with osteoarthritis. 3) In addition to providing support in supporting bone and joint health, collagen assists in:
- Boosting gut health,
- Strengthening immune function,
- Strengthening hair & nails,
- Promoting skin elasticity.4)
Next, he wanted me to take Turmeric and Boswellia capsules – daily. I knew what Turmeric was, a spice used in Indian Cuisine; but, I had never heard of Boswellia. His answer was that it was Frankincense. The active ingredient in Turmeric is curcumin. Curcumin has a long history as a pain reliever in Ayurvedic medicine. It has been shown to support healthy inflammation. 5)
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the fourth leading cause of disability in the world. 6) Osteoarthritis is a common, chronic, progressive, skeletal, degenerative disorder, which commonly affects the knee joint. In a randomized, controlled clinical study, patients with OA were either given 500 mg of Curcumin three times daily or 50 mg of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) twice a day for 28 days. At the end of the study, both groups showed similar improvement in severity of pain. In the Curcumin group, none of the participants required Histimine-2 (H2) blockers such as Pepcid. However, 28% of the NSAIDS takers required H2 blockers. 7) This is a very beneficial result because NSAIDS are associated with long term serious risk such as gastric ulceration, GI bleeding and congestive heart failure. 8) Time for a full disclosure. Since my cardiac arrest in 2019, I have not taken the Turmeric supplements. One of the effects of Curcumen is because the supplement can enhance the blood-thinning effects of my prescription medications, perhaps to dangerous levels.
Boswellia is an extract of gum resin from the bark of the Boswellia tree. Primarily grown in India and North Africa, the most common name of the plant is Indian Frankincense. This is another Ayurvedic herb. It’s suggested uses are for treating osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, as a diuretic, and for painful menstruation (Boswellia is NOT recommended for women who are pregnant). 9) During multiple, randomized, placebo controlled studies pain, stiffness and difficulty in performing daily activities improved significantly within 30 to 60 days of beginning treatment. And, the improved condition continued for as much as a month after the treatment stopped. 10) The study of interactions of Boswellia and prescription blood thinners is very limited. So, I have stopped taking this as well, for now.
What I Found Out
My experience with the treatment was amazing! Within two weeks of beginning, the knee pain was noticeably less. Within a month, the pain was gone. Each morning, I got up and prepared my breakfast. From additional reading, I found that the bone broth and collagen had a more immediate effect if taken on an empty stomach. Personally, I enjoy drinking this hot so I heat up the bone broth before I add the powdered collagen and stir. This precedes my morning coffee. When I’m shopping for collagen, I want one that is hydrolyzed. When collagen is hydrolyzed it essentially means the amino acids within it have been broken down, so they’re easier for your body to absorb; and are also easier to dissolve completely. I choose BioTrust Ageless Multi-Collagen Protein Powder.
- Enhanced with Essential Collagen Support Nutrients
- It is delicious!
- Naturally Unflavored—No Sugar or Artificial Sweeteners
- Non-GMO and FREE of Gluten, Soy, Dairy, and Artificial Flavors, Colors, and Preservatives
- FREE from Antibiotics and Synthetic Growth Hormones
- Keto – and Paleo – Friendly
Kettle & Fire Organic Bone Broth was equally a surprise. Most merchants that sell Bone Broth give you two choices – Chicken and Beef. Kettle & Fire actually gives you 20 flavor choices. How can that be? They’ve added flavors from a variety of organic vegetables – leeks, carrots, onions, bay leaves and more– that are cooked into the chicken bone broth as it is cooking. There have always been recipes using bone broth as the base for great soups; but, the chefs at Kettle & Fire have created a cook book using their broth as a primary ingredient. But, for my morning drink, I choose the Chicken Bone Broth. I really like the taste!
1) Felson DT, Zhang Y. Hannan, et al. 1995. The Incidence And Natural History Of Knee Osteoarthritis In The Elderly. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/art.1780381017.
2) Crowley DC, Lau FC, Sharma P, et al. Safety And Efficacy Of Undenatured Type II Collagen In The Treatment Of
teoarthritis Of The Knee: A Clinical Trial. Int J Med Sci. 2009:6:312-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.7150/ijms.6.312.
3) Jon Johnson. What are the benefits of bone broth? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323631#summary.
4) https://smarter-reviews.com/lp/sr-collagen?
5) Appleton, J. Turmeric and Frankincense In Inflammation: an Update. Natural Medicine Journal. 2011; 3(9).
6) Dhaneshwar S, Chitra K, Prakashchandra G, and Satyanand K. Safety and efficacy of curcumin versus diclofenac in knee osteoarthritis:. Trials. 2019; 20:214. 1186/s13063-019-3327-2.
7) Side Effects from NSAIDs. July 23, 2019.
8) Cunha, John P. BOSWELLIA. https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_boswellia_indian_frankincense/drugs-condition.htm
9) Eustice, Carol. Boswellia for Osteoarthritis. https://www.verywellhealth.com/boswellia-for-osteoarthritis-2551981