Which doc to see first??

[Teacher Terry]

Tybee I agree about preferring transplants to go to young people., A friend of mine had a heart transplant at 56 but was in superior physical health and so recovered well and is very active again. My husband just had a MRI to see if he can get a knee replacement. Walking and hiking are his favorite activities.

[herbgeek]

Cathy- is this something that might fit your needs? https://www.naturopathic.org/content.asp?contentid=60

They seem to focus on some items you've mentioned that are wanting in the doctors you've already seen- such as addressing the whole person, and using more "natural" approaches before moving on to pharmaceuticals.

[JaneV2.0]

I read a thought-provoking book not long ago called Radical Remission, by Kelly A Turner. On the face of it, it's a book about cancer, but I found the personal anecdotes fascinating. It reminded me of Bernie Siegel's books, dealing as it does with the transformative powers we all have within us. In a way, it also relates to Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind, (a psychedelic odyssey), in that it illustrates the wondrous work human minds can produce under the right circumstances.

[JaneV2.0]

And, in other news...I had got in the habit of starting my day with a couple of analgesics (aspirin or ibuprofen, sometimes even acetaminophen) washed down with an oversized, tricked out jar of iced coffee. But lately, I've been skipping the analgesics (they really didn't do much anyway.) I'm pretty chuffed about that, as they are the only drugs I take. I won't rule out taking them occasionally, and I keep planning on experimenting with CBD/HTC for symptom relief as needed, but I'm happy not to be drug-dependent at this stage of my life.

[lmerullo]

Dr. Greger and the whole foods plant based way of eating is exactly the food plan I'm following. I personally noticed a significant reduction in inflammation - to include less sinus issues. For what may be the first time in my life, I sleep with my mouth closed! I can breathe!

My husband has a heart arrhythmia and his cardiologist recommended exploring WFPB eating. Unfortunately my hubby is not open to giving up meat or dairy. His nutritional knowledge is limited, but he buys into the standard American meat and potatoes diet.

If you want to check this out further I recommend What the Health and Forks Over Knives - both available in Netflix.I

I think our gut controls our health in ways we are just now exploring. I also think we have diverted into a world of processing things so much that they are no longer identifiable to our bodies as food. When we can consume foods in their most natural state, the nutritional benefits are huge.

[JaneV2.0]

I was biting through my lip when Dr. Greger was mentioned--he used to pen glowing reviews of his own writing under the pseudonym Sam Iyyam or some variation thereof. Of course, I'm in no way a vegan, so that colors my views. You can't go too far wrong eating whole foods and observing which ones make you feel better. Or worse.

Your husband might find The Magic Pill or That Sugar Film or (Dr.Jay Wortman's) My Big Fat Diet or Fat Head more relevant. I found The Magic Pill very watchable. My favorite of these might be My Big Fat Diet, in which Dr. Wortman did a study of Canada's Metis First Nations people and had them follow a diet similar to their ancestral one, with near universal success. It was a definite feel-good film. I liked it so well, I bought a copy.

[Gardnr]

You continue to refuse known and well-documented treatment for problems. The fact that you refuse and prefer the suffering never ceases to amaze me.

[Tammy]

So Cathy - have you considered to just stop the doctors visits? If you disagree with their plans, and you take very few meds - why go? You might be happier just giving it up and enjoying life.

[Teacher Terry]

My aunt is sorry she didn’t do a knee replacement at 60. She is now 94 and uses a walker. She told us not to make the same mistake.

[Gardnr]

My aunt is sorry she didn’t do a knee replacement at 60. She is now 94 and uses a walker. She told us not to make the same mistake.

Great advice! Walking bone on bone grinds it down and it just gets worse with time. I waited 3y after my injury and was sorry. I'm thrilled with my result. I felt better day after surgery than the day before. It was incredulous to me how little pain I had compared to what pain level I expected. No narcotics needed. And I got my full motion back in 21 days by working diligently at it. Full 135 degrees my 6th PT visit-he fired me for the remaining scheduled visits.

Yes, it is big surgery, but life changing. Going from every painful step to not thinking about it at all? AWESOME!