- Many ill-informed MDs, much like NPR's Dr. Zorba
Pasture for instance, claim that glucosamine (for Arthritis) has not been
proven to work in the first place and that the success stories are largely
anecdotal, in the second; successful resolutions of arthritic health issues
due to the use of glucosamine are only the result of the "Placebo
Effect." You know, like a headache going away as a result of
a sugar pill. The rest of the Zorba tale in a moment.
-
- Contrary to Dr. Zorbie and the evil Vioxx, Celebrex,
Bear Aspirin cabal -- glucosamine has had over 300 studies and 20+ clinical
trials! All of these trials report that glucosamine works great for most
folks... works marginally well for a few, and doesn't seem to work
at all, for a very small percentage.
-
- I suspect those not experiencing any relief
just didn't stick with it long enough, thus falling victim to
the one characteristic that makes people impatiently abandon glucosamine
for aspirin or something more dangerous. It's that damnable lack of
immediate gratification.
-
- Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS),
like aspirin, work almost immediately (complementing our "immediate
gratification society," remember) but they do NOTHING to actually
fix the problem and in fact block that "Cox 2 Pathway"
helping to repair the cartilage deformation causing the pain... that's
why they call aspirin a 'Cox 2 Inhibitor'... folks!
-
- So, to recap, aspirin relieves the pain, marginally,
now... ...but while facilitating worse pain, later on, in the long
run. Fact! On the other hand, glucosamine, usually takes
at least 2 weeks to relieve the pain... and with some folks as long as
a month! Dust now or diamonds later, folks?
-
- You see, glucosamine is not an anti-inflammatory or a
pain reliever, it is the raw material (...made less with age!) to
REPAIR the damage... ...so in 2 or 3 weeks the pain goes away like *magic*,
but without the toxic pain relievers.
-
- Of course, due to that bothersome principle of relativity, 2
weeks is a long time with your joints in a carpenter's vise. But,
come on... honored reader... ...wouldn't you rather... repair the
damage! Then, painlessly and inexpensively, continue the joint
maintenance with the same stuff that Mother-Nature uses? The
preceding is of course preferable compared to just temporarily masking
the pain now... for greater illness later... requiring more expensive pain
relievers and drugs? Reader, it's in your hands.
-
- The 100% accurate "Dog-Test":
-
- OK, forget about the 300 studies & 20 trials
alluded to earlier... the "Dog Test" is fool-proof.
-
- Several years ago I started back lifting weights after
a long lay-off due to an injury. That's when I realized that my occasional,
if burgeoning elbow twinge was arthritis. My joints became very swollen
& inflamed every time I tried to work out. I took Aspirin
for a while, but being a Holistic kind of guy, I started taking 1500mg
of Glucosamine Sulfate (GS). Sure enough, within 2 weeks the
pain just faded away... Hello!
-
- This worked so well, as advertised, that I started giving
1000mg of GS daily to my 16 year old dog, so arthritic that it
would take her about 90 seconds just to stand up & take her first
step. Well you guessed it... in about 2 weeks she was able to get
right up and take-off at a pretty good clip, for an old gal. She seemed
grateful, too...
-
- Well, being a self-styled scientist of some conscience,
I felt I was obligated to conduct an experiment to insure it
was the GS and not some sort of doggie remission. After a couple
of months, with very little apparent stiffness, I quit
giving her the GS. Sure enough, within 10 days she started showing
the first signs of slowing down and was right back to her old
"Stove-up" self in 3 weeks.
-
- Yes, I started giving her the GS again, and just like
before, she sprang back in about 2 weeks...and for the next 3 years,
until she "laid down" for the last time, she could get up
& down with youthful ease. Cut. Print! That's a wrap.
-
- Your Doctor should be treating you as well, reader, as
I treat my dog. You think?
-
- Consider, because of the way we have "screwed around"
with Mother-Nature by creating all of these drastically different
doggie body-shapes, joint problems are more common in dogs than in
humans... so it's easy to find an old arthritic dog if you want to do the
"Dog-Test" yourself. If you adopted an elderly arthritic dog
from the pound, say, before being euthanized, and then relieved her joint pain...I'm
sure she would really appreciate it, love you until the end of her days,
and protect you with her life.
-
- Here is the 'coup de grace' to the Zorba anecdote alluded
to earlier:
-
- Dr. Z's radio show is live and because he has to respond
to questions from callers, it is unrehearsed. Well, after he made
the bogus "placebo" comment to a caller's query reference GS
alluded earlier, Zorba's "side-kick", Tom, reported that
he took GS for his arthritis and that it worked great!
-
- Zorba then pontificated it was likely that "placebo
effect" we've talked about...Then, out of the blue, Tom (inadvertently
I'm sure), cut Zorba's legs right out from under him! Tom reported
that his old dog could no longer climb the stairs and that after taking Glucosamine...
the dog could run up the stairs!
-
- I'm sure I don't have to point out the obvious...
but, I will. Dogs really don't appreciate the subtleties of
the "Placebo Effect," reader. With dogs it's "pure
vanilla"... they are, what they are. They don't do psychosomatic,
eh?
-
- Good Vet - Bad Vet...on second thought, they're probably all
bad. (I'm talking mainstream Veterinarian medicine, not Holistic Vets).
Sorry in advance to all the Vet lovers, folks, I'm just judging a tree
by its fruit.
-
- Did you know that in Mainstream (Non-holistic) Veterinary
Medicine there are two completely opposing philosophical views toward animal
care? Both approaches are designed for maximum profit (sound
familiar?) ...pretty much at the exclusion of everything else.
-
- Vets who look after large commercial livestock will use
nutrition & supplements to prevent disease because that's how
the industry makes the most money, by having big, healthy livestock complete
with all the nutritional building blocks. As a result, many diseases
in farm animals are prevented, out of hand, by taking vitamins, minerals,
trace minerals & EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids). Those very same
diseases in humans, unfortunately are "managed" by toxic pharmaceuticals
treating symptoms only, and doing nothing to fix or prevent the disease...
-
- WHY? You already know the answer. That is
where the most money can be made.
-
- Now to the other philosophy. In contrast, Vets
who look after your pets... have a different attitude... the same
attitude, not so astonishingly, as MD's who look after humans, actually!
Maximum profit drives that train remember. Mainstream medicine makes
us sick ... keeps us sick ... while giving only the appearance that
something positive is being done! Treating symptoms, merely,
yet preventing or curing NOTHING.
-
- Unlike big farm animals that have to be sold for profit...
if you & *Fluffy* get sick and waste away, who cares? In fact, the
soullessly psychopathic multinationals are counting on it. Humans
& pets don't generate revenue if you prevent their disease, reader...
can you see? They generate revenue by being sick & staying sick,
while the medical community manages their disease.
-
- Don't misunderstand me. Large animal Vets will
not hesitate to feed animals unhealthful stuff as long as it makes them
fatter for increased profit... for example, cattle feed high in meat protein
(cows don't eat meat!) or polyunsat vegetable oils (all that Corn,
in "Corn-Fed" Beef) suppressing the thyroid, causing weight
gain... just like in humans! It sickens me, and should you... ...and
in fact, DOES!
-
- Ironically, the use of Poly-food oil in both livestock
& humans, to gain weight, is the desired effect in both cases --
FAT livestock generate more profit when sold for meat and FAT
humans generate more profit when kept sick & on expensive, toxic
drugs for the rest of their increasingly miserable lives...
-
- The following conversation with my dog's Vet illustrates
how "Pet Vets" & Human MDs operate the same way.
-
- Me -- "What is the first thing you recommend
for arthritis, Doc"?
- Vet -- "That would be our Doggie Aspirin, Mr. Graham."
- Me -- "What's the second thing you recommend"?
- Vet -- "Our finest Doggie Celebrex , Sir!"
- Me -- "What's next?"
- Vet -- " Well, Mr. Graham, that usually does
the trick."
- Me -- "Doc, instead of just masking the pain,
why don't you try to repair the damage with Glucosamine?"
- Vet -- "...Ah, well Mr.Graham, as it happens,
we actually have Doggie glucosamine available."
- Me -- "Oh really? Well Doc, why
didn't you recommend Glucosamine... FIRST?"
- Vet -- " ...Ah, well...hum-muna, hum-muna...
Ah, yeah, I guess from now on I could do that... and will that be
cash or charge"? ...Of course I was giving him the old "Maybe
I'll twist your nose off your sweating face" glare!
-
- So there you have it folks...it's all about profit and
has virtually nothing to do with prevention & cure...well, unless you're
an expensive commercial milk-cow...then you will be covetously fed every
nutrient, vitamin, mineral, trace mineral & EFA for optimum
health & disease prevention, as is profitably available. See
how that works?
-
 Lastly, there are numerous supplements
helping to alleviate joint pain, but in deference to the late "Great"
James Coburn, (he was the tall, quiet knife-thrower in "The Magnificent
Seven"), I would like to recommend a natural form of Sulfur...
-
- MSM ( Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane ). You may be allergic
to Sulfa - but it is impossible to be allergic to Sulfur.
-
- Mr. Coburn had arthritis in his fingers so cripplingly
bad that his ruined hands had that terrible "bird-claw" look
to them. Because MSM actually relieved his terrific pain, he
gave permission to use his likeness & testimony for promotion of MSM...
...even after his death! I'd say that's a solid for MSM, eh?
-
- Here is an excerpt from his CNN Obit -- "...He told
The Associated Press in a 1999 interview he "healed himself"
of the arthritis with pills having a sulfur base. His knuckles remained
gnarled, but he said that the pain was gone." There it is. Be
smarter than your doctor. Be treated as well as a cow.
-
- ...And thank you, Mr. Coburn... until next time, Sir,
and I see you on the other side...
-
- ...Those of us still this side? Well be!
-
- Alan D. Graham
- (334) 774-0395
- alan068@centurytel.net
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