There is an excellant article in this month's "Mother Earth News" written by a man who's also married to a doctor

In this article he states that "Prescription Drug side effects" are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.

He debunks some common myths about herbal medicines and lists 75 common ailments and herbal remedies that effectively treat them.

He also points out, it's pretty hard to die, or even get hurt, using herbal remedies and that his wife does prescribe herbal remedies when she believes they will be effective.

This is only one aspect of health care that "Modern Medicine" tends to ignore. Chiropractic approaches, nutrition, and message therapy are often ignored too.

To truly "advocate for ourselves" we must indeed take some personal responsibility and learn for ourselves what treatments and remedies are available and their effectiveness. It is silly to think that a doctor can know all there is to know about every condition they run across.

MNS provides what I think is an inspiring example when she related how she dealt with her hip pain. No surgery, drugs, or even herbs. It'd be hard to argue that this was not the "Best" approach by any measure.

Questioning one's Doctor is a kind of cultural taboo here in the U.S. That people are reluctant to do this is certainly, at least in part, a result of the responses they get when they do.

Criticizing "Doctors" may indeed be picking low hanging fruit but it is none the less important to understand that it is "Doctors" that are prescribing and monitoring the drugs that are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.

Jim Shaw's experience with his knee is another perfect example of why we should look to alternative approaches before deciding on committing to the sledge hammer approaches of prescription drugs or surgery. Ultimately, we must live (or die) with the results of the treatments and remedies we submit ourselves to.

So, I would suggest that our "Health Care Industry" needs to integrate other effective approaches into their tool bag of treatments and patients need to be taught to be proactive in learning what treatments are available.

On a personal level we can all do that ourselves right now and make it a part of our own "Personal Health Regimen".

Agreed.

I have to admit things, here at least, seem to be getting better. I went in last week for what I thought might be a broken foot bone - what had actually happened is the bone(s) in my foot managed to poke their way throught the meat layer (instead of the bands of tissue being above the bone they were next to and around the bone - not through the skin just muscles, tendons and other meat) - they had a DO (Doctor of Osteopathy) on staff in the walk in portion of our doctors office and he manipulated things more or less where they belonged. (As a side note - all the pain of weeks of healing into one session isn't for everyone!) I can't imagine such a doctor on staff even 10 years ago.

Heather

(your milage may vary)

Yes, all the time! Keeping fit is a passion for me, and helps with everything -- not just hiking. Regular exercise keeps me injury-free, makes daily tasks as easy as they were when I was a kid, makes waking up painless, improves my digestion, my eyesight, my sex life ... I could go on and on and on.

I've done some sort of frequent regular exercise all my life. I've come to ferverently believe in both cardiovascular exercise and strength training.

Of all the exercise methods I've tried, one stands far above the others for injury prevention and general fitness: Russian kettlebells. The way these things are used builds core strength like nothing else I've tried, and through the use of largely ballistic, off-center movements, prepares my body for exactly the sort of momentary extreme trauma that causes injury. Kettlebell workouts tend to build strength without bulk (making them a favorite among women), increase flexibility of connective tissue, increase cardiovascular health and VO2 maximization.

Kettlebells do require good instruction to use safely and effectively. I don't recommend picking these things up without proper training.

One more thought: While regular exercise is wonderful, I'm not so sure about the idea of a "routine". I think the best way to prevent injury is to switch up exercises regularly. Routines tend to strengthen the body for a certain finite set of motions -- injuries happen when we suddenly find ourselves outside that comfortable range. So the more varied the exercise, the better prepared I feel for the unexpected lurch, fall, twist, etc.

Hmmm... I guess I meant "routine" as in habitually or routinely making time for exercise, not a specific single exercise or standard "routine" (as in a dance routine or gymnastics routine).

Interestingly I don't don't find that exercise makes me any less achey in the morning, but it doesn't make me any MORE achey. I tend to be achey and stiff until my joints and muscles loosen up a bit.

MNS