How I Deal With My Arthritis

To be alive is to hurt. One of the most accurate descriptions of what life means, is that it means pain. We live longer and cushier than our ancestors, and our minds dynamically scale our pain threshold to match our typical daily routine. What was the pain scale of a slave farmhand in the 18th century? Vastly different than most of us, for sure. Would our daily joint pains even register on the scale of someone who spends all day doing hard manual labor while suffering numerous injuries due to lack of protective gear, or even due to intentional abuse? In that version of life, a relatively painless day may simply be one without a beating. When I’m hurting worse than average I try to stop and give thanks that my situation is such that this pain is the worst thing happening to me this day. If it wasn’t the worst thing happening to me, I would probably not notice it. Today I’m noticing the pain in my knees and hands, so things ain’t that bad!

Sleep is the one area that I can say I do not do well. But I go with the flow and sleep when I can.

Fran Blanche

I too have a long an complicated relationship with arthritis. And I agree diet and will power count for a lot. At it worst though sleeping is so disrupted it is making me worse. So I reserve drugs just for that very extreme condition and deal with the rest. Usually moving about during the day gets better, only when I have a swollen knee foot or toe does it become problematic. Thanks for sharing I guess we all have different ways of coping.

veritanuda

A great informative video Fran. BigClive did one about his experience of coping with dementia in his family. Real people telling real life stories.

John Russell

Great piece of advice from someone who is dealing with it successfully and not some qualified professional who isn't. A restricted diet might be difficult for me but that'll be my only choice or incentive if I get it. I know someone who was prescribed too much of morphine due to arthritis but his will to live and come off it was greater when introduced to interesting stuff but I think that one was an exception. This person didn't like morphine and became sleepy too much.

MrMobodies

A builder as well and can build attics... or just about anything.

MrMobodies

Very inspirational. I love your scientific approach. I hope you get a lot of views on this video! Shouldn't be long and you'll be out giving lectures on this...

You are an amazing person Fran, the more I learn about you the more amazing I realise you are.

David Peaker

Wow Fran, you are a revelation! Truly interesting insight into the natural scientist that you obviously are. Well done!

Bill Rule

The NHS is amazing, I have sciatica and they have stuck with me to find the best solution to my pain. Also I have problems with my cholesterol and blood pressure, again my Dr has been superb in getting my levels down.

The part on pain management was particularly interesting. At 55 I have gone through the Morphine door, however in my case I strongly believe that it too can be managed, I don't try to remove all pain, just strike a balance of manageable pain. Paracetamol is also useful, it has a great synergy with morphine, allowing the morphine dosage to be managed. anyway I guess the real test will be whether I still functional in 5 years time.

Dr Andy Hill

Thanks for the info Fran. The mind is a powerful tool.

Rocco Rizzo

Hi Fran, I no how you feel i have rhumatoid arthrtits all over me ,but i still do electronics thanks to some wonderfull drugs via our nhs , i have 90% mobility at the momment ,i shall now watch video :)

Richard Vickers

I too have osteoarthritis, probably not caused by, but certainly accelerated by my stroke 9 years ago. At the moment it is mostly confined to my hips, primarily the left one, my stroke side. But also affecting my knees and also slowly occasionally moving to my hands and feet. I too have developed my own routines, that work for me. Really interesting to hear about it from your point of view though.

Dr Andy Hill

Thanks! Beautiful that you speak openly. I am sure some people appreciate. I don't have arthritis, but have other. Love the smile at the end. 😊

Thanks for that Fran, anyone here can probably relate at some level, either personaly or through relatives. People should be more like you and wise up, read, do research. Think. And Live! :-D Love you work. Happy holidays.

This is a great video Fran. I have a touch of arthritis, and I have nerve neuoropathy that is messing me up a bit. Basically everything you said would be good for me as well - but I have a weakness in my diet and a penchant for meats and pastries. I do walk daily with my dog - so I get the double benefit of the exercise and companionship. Thank you for sharing a lot of great information from your personal experience.

Thanks Fran... very informative and inspiring. I will admit when I first saw the video post that I questioned if I really wanted to listen to you "frant" about arthritis for 35 minutes. Well...I'm glad I did listen. i found your talk very interesting and the 35 minutes went very quickly.

Howard Simons

ive suffered with arthritis for about 35 years now. or since i was 9years old. it was JRA, now its mostly osteo from all the joint damage it did. i wish the gate keepers who sell shams called health insurance, were less of assholes.

Adric Menning

Amen! You are the first person I've heard who took the same evidence-based and observation-based approach to health. 1. Sports MDs are the only sane doctors out there. You don't need to be a jock to use them. Most can even be your primary physician (mine is). Make your MD your partner, not an authority figure Who Must Be Obeyed. Be willing to study and seriously consider their recommendations. Learn how to be a good customer for their services, always keeping in mind that they work for you: You must be in charge! 2. So many ailments start with underlying inflammation, often chronic, low-grade and extensive (including whole-body). Finding the causes is critical. For me, my various problems were HUGELY aggravated by processed grains (flour of all kinds - bread, pasta, etc.) and simple starches (rice, potatoes). 3. Meds and supplements should be, at most, episodic and rare. I, too, take no daily meds other than my asthma inhaler and a meal-specific antacid (e.g., always with Mexican because I love flamethrower "Burns Twice" salsa). I do take NSAIDS and opiates when needed, but ONLY at night, to enable quality sleep. Typically no more than 3 times per year. I take no vitamins, and instead get it from food and sunshine (D). 4. Make pain your friend. Listen closely to it, let it tell you the story of your body. It will let you know when special attention is needed. Effectively existing with pain during the day should be the default state, and it often takes conscious effort to diminish stress reactions and emotional reactions. In this area I have a near-miracle secret weapon: Flow. As an engineer, I get to be in flow for at least part of pretty much every day. When I'm in flow, I literally stop feeling my normal "background" pain. Flow works for me better than any pain reliever, including opioids, since it makes my mind sharper rather than duller. 5. Quality sleep EVERY NIGHT is also a near-miracle for overall health. For me, I have my going-to-sleep rituals (a few of them, so I don't wear them out). But the biggest improvement came from building up my ability for Lucid Dreaming. I haven't had a "bad" dream for decades! At worst, I have a dream that's so boring I wake up just to end it, so I can start over. Quality matters over quantity: While I normally like to get 7 hours sleep, I can go for most of a week on 4-5hours/night, but only if those hours are top-quality. Oh, and be sure get a mattress that actually works for you. 6. Cook your meals from scratch. Nothing pre-prepared. Fresh or fresh-frozen only (yay for Trader Joe's veggies!). For me, it's mainly just to avoid all the additives, no matter what they are. Because I'm lazy, my base foods are dark-green veggies (all of them) and eggs. To that I will add tiny amounts of meat, spices, whole grains, and other healthful flavorings (such as nutritional yeast). I make wicked omlettes, souffles, frittatas, and can pretty much stir-fry anything. This ties directly in to calorie restriction and weight management: Good home-made food simply satisfies better. My egg intake is limited only by my cholesterol numbers. 7. Exercise and mobility are key. But attention must be paid to all the body's systems: Skeletal (including cartilage and ligaments), muscular (including tendons and fascia), the nervous system (proprioceptor, sensor, and motor), cardio-vascular system (including lungs), and metabolic system. This is tough to learn and apply (many dead-ends). I worked with a physical therapist and a personal trainer, each of whom visited my sessions with the other, to help me develop my whole-body plan. Today at 63 I participate in triathlon, with strength training. But despite all this, I can't comfortably stand still for more than a few minutes, despite being able to very comfortably run long distances. And, of course, always stay fully hydrated: If your pee is yellow, you likely need to hydrate more. 8. Recovery and (gentle!) stretching are the flip-side to exercise. Treat recovery, including post-workout nutrition and hydration, very seriously. Make the foam-roller your best friend. Epsom Salt baths (unscented, for me) are beyond awesome. Get a deep-tissue massage whenever needed, and set money aside in advance. I like Thai Massage because they apply force from all angles, and move the joints and body around to get access to every muscle. I cry a little every time, but it's the kind of pain that is meant to be passed through, not resisted. Breathing and willful relaxation are keys to managing that pain. Those are the main factors, for me. There are lots of details! Plus, you may have noticed I didn't mention any of my conditions, other than asthma. Well, I have several more of them, and they ALL benefit from the above, without exception. This is about quality of life. Period. Nothing is perfect, especially our bodies, but within that imperfection can reside great joy and happiness, but most of all contentedness. My personal goal is to compete in at least an International/Olympic distance triathlon on my 80th birthday. To get from here to there means doing no dumb things with or to my body between now and then, and making specific plans to get there. Taking the long-view really helps deal with current discomfort, and also target ambitious yet realistic goals while consciously avoiding daily risks that could jeopardize them. Finally, all things in moderation, including moderation. Maintaining balance (emotionally, mentally, physically) matters more than being narrowly strict. That said, don't jeopardize your life-plans by letting the pendulum swing too far one way or the other. Indulging a temptation can also be healthy!

BobC

Thanks for the informative video. I agree with you that most of it is learning to adapt your life to give your body the best possible chance of maximum health, and consciously resetting what “normal” feels like so you’re aware when that changes but don’t keep expecting it to go back to “the way it once was”. It’s not the “instant fix” people hope for, but it does give a really opportunity to extend one’s “functional” life. Ewen

Ewen McNeill

Wow, that was good information.

William Alsing

This was extremely well done Fran. Are you going to also put it on YouTube? I know some people that need to watch this.