My knee pain gone! Two simple remedies that really work
Have you noticed the new pickleball craze popping up on former-tennis courts all over the country? Tennis used to be my game, my passion and my joy. I played at the club level in high school. But time took its toll on my body and eventually I only equated tennis with pain. I played occasionally, waiting months in between for the memory of the pain afterwards to be forgotten. Friends had been asking us to play pickleball for ages. I usually scoffed, puffed out my chest, and claimed to prefer tennis (a real sport!). We finally succumbed this week….and had a blast! What’s more, I had no pain the next day! Pickleball itself gets some of the credit but I have also added two new health habits the last few months that anyone with joint pain can try.
A Heavily Studied Supplement
Glucosamine Sulfate usually synergistically combined with Chondroitin Sulfate and Methylsulfonylmethane (known as MSM) is a heavily studied supplement even in conventional medicine for its beneficial action on joints. Diagnosed conditions like osteoarthritis of the knees can be severely disabling and patients tend to end up taking large quantities of pain medication and anti-inflammatories both of which are detrimental to overall health. Knee replacement surgery is all too common with its slow recovery and associated costs. I’ve included links to a handful of studies below for those needing to see the data. I’ve been taking this supplement for over a year and it is the only one that I know immediately if I missed a day. Supplements don’t work like drugs. They work with your body in ways you don’t notice. Correcting deficiencies in nutrients can (and should) happen slowly, health improves gradually. While it did take a few days for me to originally notice a difference, if I’ve skipped a day or not taken the full dose for a few days (3 large capsules for me taken with meals) I do notice it.
It’s a cheap supplement. But don’t be misled into grabbing the cheapest bottle from your local grocery store. Seek out high quality, validated brands. I like Jarrow Formulas version and can purchase 240 capsules for under $30. That is nearly a 3-month supply for me. The recommended dose is 4 capsules but I’m only 5ft 2, 130lbs and 3 works great for me. Give it a go. Take it diligently and don’t pass judgement until you’ve been on it at least a month.
Water is Magical
The other remedy is even easier but I have only truly embraced it for the last couple of weeks with amazing results. I’ve always known drinking clean pure water was important to health but it was an area I struggled with. I don’t drink sodas or coffee but I am a tea drinker. Herbal teas, mostly Tulsi tea which is a medicinal adaptogen, good for hormone regulation. With the water I drank when taking my supplements (I take a lot) and the constant cup of tea at my side I thought I was good. Then I was researching about hydration (for my book due out in the Spring!). My eyes were opened to just how critical water is to health, and the amount it needs. The “8 glasses a day” mantra is just the start. One functional medicine doctor recommends you take your weight in pounds and drink half to two-thirds of it in ounces every day. For me this would be a minimum of 65oz which is more or less the eight 8oz glasses but more is better.
I did attempt to drink more earlier in the summer by putting sliced lemons and cucumbers in a jug of water infusing in the fridge. I probably drank two extra glasses a day if it was a warm one. But I have now fully changed my routines to drink my first full glass of plain room temperature water as soon as I wake up. I typically don’t have breakfast and my first batch of supplements until about 3 hours after I wake up, I only had herbal tea before. But even my herbal tea can be a diuretic (pushes water out of the body). Coffee is as well. So now I focus on a couple of glasses of water in that 3 hours before breakfast and keep filling up my glass (or water bottle if I’m out and about) throughout the day. I was actually keeping track and measuring in a jug the first few days. It’s amazing how difficult it is to get even close to 65oz never mind beyond. It took over a week. But I really feel the difference and now I’m getting into my new routine it’s becoming easier. Aside from my body feeling better I have more energy and my brain seems to be clearer. And it’s only been a couple of weeks.
I can’t wait to get back on the pickleball court!
Here’s a few links for further reading:
