CODEPENDENCY

During my early recovery from sleeping pills addiction, I learnt from a friend who is a recovering codependent that most addicts and family members of addicts are codependents.  Since then, I have read a book on codependency, done some research on it and also have been more observant of myself and others.  Strangely, I discovered that most people including myself do exhibit a certain degree of codependency without realising it.  According to the experts, if we have about 5 to 10% of codependency symptoms, we are still considered normal but a little bit of therapy may make us heal and feel happier.  Beyond that, we can consider ourselves codependent and really need help in order to recover.  Otherwise, it may ultimately lead to self-destruction. 

A healthy relationship is based on interdependence.  It is about forming connections with other people. We give and take.  We set boundaries.  We show our care and concern for others without neglecting our own needs. We are able to let go and have fun.  Whereas in a codependent relationship, it is a one sided relationship.  Codependents usually put aside their own needs in order to meet the needs of another person. They believe that this is what a 'good' spouse, 'good' parent, 'good' children, 'good' friend or 'good' employee/employer ought to do.  This is just not true.  Every situation is different and defining what is and isn't our responsibility can help us make better choices.




Break the chain of codependency

 

Codependency is a dysfunction that causes us to lose ourselves in relationships.  We ignore our feelings, needs and problems while obsessing on the feelings, needs, and problems of others.  We possess an exaggerated sense of responsibility for others, and struggle with maintaining healthy boundaries.  Thus, we experience relationships as stressful, and often suffer from anxiety, depression, guilt and resentment.





Codependents often suffers from feelings of low self-worth or self-esteem but we try to mask our feelings by adopting a care taking role of others, fixing other people's problems, joking/wisecracking/clowning around or pleasing other people so that we appear to have a good image on the outside.  These actions are actually giving us a sense of importance, relieving loneliness, and/or avoiding working on our own issues and needs. It has been said that "When a codependent dies, someone else's life flashes before their eyes!". 

Here are some examples of codependency behaviours which we can find even among family members or  friends:-

1.  Mothers or wives of addicts who can't stop giving money to the addicts to buy their supply because

     they felt  pity for the addicts and blamed themselves for the addicts' problems.  They do not realise that  
     they are not helping but are enabling the addicts instead.

2.  Men or women who spends a great deal of their lives taking care of their aged and sick parent  
     without having a life of their own and neglecting their own needs.  When the parent dies, they feel lost
     and have no sense of purpose anymore.  They are unable to cope with the break of the routine and
     structure. 

3.  Wives who manipulate their control on their husbands and children by attending to all their needs so
     much so that the entire family becomes totally dependent on them.  So without them, the whole family will

     crumble.

4.  Women who are unable to let go of abusive relationships because they fear being alone without anyone
      to take care of.

If you are wondering whether you are codependent, see whether you can relate to the following list of most common symptoms of codependency:-

• Putting other people's needs before our own.
• Feeling responsible for other people's behaviours and feelings.
• Having low self-esteem but feel good when having done something for others.
• Having problem saying 'No' to other people because of the tendency towards people-pleasing.
• Afraid of being rejected by others or hurting other people's feelings.
• Feels resentment towards people who wont let us help them.
• Needs to be 'needed' to have relationship with people.
• Enables the person with the problem to keep going down the wrong path and denies to the person that he/she has a problem.
• Withdraws from others and acts like we don't care what others have to say.
• Doesn't realise that we have a problem and thinks that we are helping the troubled person when we are really not.
• Try to control events and people through manipulation.
• Unable to let go even in an abusive relationship.
• Unable to express feelings and afraid of intimacy

In the later stages of codependency, codependents may feel lethargic or depressed, become withdrawn and isolated, seek alternatives to living by pursuing other 'escape' activities, experience a complete loss of daily routine and structure or begin to have suicidal thoughts.  Examples of 'escape' activities are when people generally feel unhappy, bored or anxious unless they are playing video games, gambling, using drugs or alcohol, shopping, eating, pursuing a relationship, looking for sexual gratification, 'fixing' other people's lives and problems and even escaping into religion and 'converting' others to their beliefs.  Looking at the reality of the way we live our lives can help us determine if our lives are beginning to be unmanageble due to codependence.

Just like addiction, codependency is a disease as there is no cure for it.  So is recovery possible?  Absolutely.  Here are some of the steps for treatment and prevention:-

• Admit that we have a problem.
• Understand that we did not cause the other person's problems.  We can't control the other person and we can't cure or save the person.
• Do not make excuse for ourself or others for the person.  Accept that the person has a real problem and needs help.
• Join a support group for codependents such as Al-Anon or Codependent Anonymous (CODA).  It is a spiritual (not religious) program and can work even if you are an atheist.  You will not be persuaded to give up your religious/spiritual or atheistic beliefs.  It is merely a method by which you learn to change your codependent behavior.
• Try as hard as we can to stop being a codependent for this person.  The more we refrain, the closer we will be to helping our self and the other.  Your group support and Higher Power can help you with this.
• Seek therapy as codependency may be rooted in childhood.  Therapy can also help to identify the underlying cause of codependency.
• Be responsible for ourself and others in the family to live a better life and make sure that we are healthy and happy.
• Spend time on more productive and meaningful things for ourself as well as the community.

Recovery requires conscious effort to change.  We need to be honest with ourselves.  We need the help and experience of others who are in recovery.  We need a good and relevant therapist to help us see the light.  We need to accept our powerlessness over people and events. We need friends who are open and honest with us and we need to be open to their feedback. Very often, a part of being codependent is a resistance to being able to have fun and play.  So as part of recovery, we need to learn how to let go and have fun. Ultimately, we must have the courage to change.  We all deserve to find peace and happiness.


"Recovery is learning to function in relationships." -- Melody Beattie

There is a free local support group called Co-dependent Anonymous (CODA) Malaysia.  For more information, please call Renu at 012-6839544 or check out their website at  http://codamalaysia.wordpress.com

STRYKER HIP REPLACEMENT COMPLICATIONS

Here's another interesting post contributed by Drugwatch.

Stryker Hip Replacement Complications

Around 450,000 hip replacement surgeries are done every year, giving people relief from pain and allowing them to once again participate in everyday activities.

Stryker Orthopaedics is one of the leading manufacturers of hip implants, which are often required as a result of osteoarthritis, arthritis, trauma, obesity, bone death or other hip conditions.

Two of Stryker's popular hip implants, the Rejuvenate and the ABG II, were designed to be long-lasting and provide a custom fit for patients. Unfortunately, many patients instead required painful and expensive revision surgeries to replace the implants.

Stryker’s implants can lead to complications like metal poisoning, bone tissue death and chronic pain. In July 2012, the manufacturer recalled the two hip implants.

Serious Complications

The unique design of Stryker's Rejuvenate and ABG II gives surgeons freedom to customize implants for individual patients using several neck and stem components. The neck components are made of chromium and cobalt, and the stems are coated with titanium. The necks and stems meet at a metal-on-metal junction, which can release metallic debris into the body during normal movement.

Metallic debris can affect the tissue around the implant, turning it a grey color as the tissue becomes oxygen-starved and begins to die. If patients have metal sensitivity, this can be particularly dangerous, leading to metal poisoning. Metal ions in the blood can also cause emotional imbalance, severe headaches, and cognitive and nervous system problems.

Other complications resulting from metal debris can include:

·         Formation of cysts or pseudotumors

·         Implant failure

·         Implant loosening

·         Deterioration of bone around the implant

·         Osteolysis (bone lost around implant that leads to inflammation)

·         Severe joint pain

When patients experience these or other complications from implants, they may need revision surgery to remove the defective implants.

Safety Alert and Recall

More than 20,000 people received the Rejuvenate or ABG II before Stryker issued a warning about the implants in April 2012. A few months later, Stryker recalled the two hip systems.

The April warning, classified as an "Urgent Safety Alert," stated that the implants were associated with "fretting and/or corrosion at or about the modular neck junction," that can "lead to increased metal ion generation in the surrounding joint space." It was sent to hospital risk managers and surgeons.

Meanwhile, dozens of implant recipients had reported adverse events, like metal toxicity, to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Finally, on July 6, 2012, Stryker recalled the Rejuvenate and ABG II, and stopped global production and marketing of the implants. Stryker says that patients who have received these devices and are suffering from side effects should seek medical attention. Medical professionals can provide evaluations using X-rays, MRIs and blood tests to determine if metal ion levels are too high.

There are more than 50 Stryker lawsuits pending in New Jersey state court, and hundreds more claimants are expected to step forward in the coming months.

Alanna Ritchie is a content writer for Drugwatch.com, specializing in news about prescription drugs, medical devices and consumer safety. Feel free to follow us on Twitter.

EXERCISE POST TKR

Very often, we have been told that we should not do any exercises that involves high impact activities such as jogging, running, aerobics, football, basketball etc. after TKR.  This is to avoid early failure of the knee replacements which may lead to a revision.

When I started to do my high intensive exercises which involves jumping jack as cardio, I was worried about my implants.  But I wanted to do it because its really effective for cardio plus it helped me to lose some pounds before.  So I tried and initially, it felt a little unnatural but after a while, I got the hang of it.  However, the whole time I was doing it, I was worried about my implants.  When I shared about this experience in my blog, some of my readers raised their concerns about me doing the jumping jack because they were advised by their OS not to do such activities in order to prevent loosening of the implants.  This confirmed my fears and so I stopped doing it. 

On the other hand, some of my forum members have said that they could not care less about the implication.  The reason they gave is that after being unable to do the things they loved for so long, TKR has enabled them to resume their love for sports and if they ended up needing a revision, so be it.  Now that's a whole different attitude which is really brave and I must admit that I tend to be more cowardly in this area.

So is high impact activities safe for implants or not?  There is an article in Arthritis Today titled Knee Replacements Not Harmed by Most Sports.  It said that a new study suggests that high-impact activities don't contribute to the early failure of knee implants.  This study suggests that those long-held assumptions could be wrong.  The study compared two groups of people with knee implants over a period of 7.5 years.  The sport group that ignored doctors' advice to avoid high-impact activities did not show any significant differences in wear or tear mechanical failure compared to the control group who followed doctors' advice.  Its even more surprising that the control group had a higher rate of loosening, wear, fracture and overall mechanical implant failure than the sport group. 

So why aren't high impact sports affecting the implant after 7.5 years?  The researches felt that it could be due in part to better-made prosthesis that are thicker and stronger than ones produced years ago.  They also think that patients practising these kinds of sports were probably doing it before the prosthetics so they have experience and are probably more able to protect the prosthesis by being more careful and paying attention to their knees.  However, there are concerns that the length of the study is only medium term and what is required is to show a longer term of 15 to 20 years. But the researchers said that intermediate follow-up lends credence to the idea that more activity is ok for implants.  They also said that its worthwhile reporting even though it doesn't conclusively prove they are safe.  So patients have to decide whether its worth the minimal risk in order for them to lead an active lifestyle.

Another inspiration is Dick Beardsley who is a recovering addict, motivational speaker and marathon runner.  He had battled back surgery and 2 TKRs due to injury and is still running.  You can check out his blog to read about his experience with TKR and running. 

So where does all this information lead us to? I think the answer really depends on the individual.  Fortunately for me, I am not into high impact activities.  I enjoy walking, cycling, stretching and strength training.  I have also recently added dancing as an exercise through a home video.  I can conclusively say that if I accidentally ran after a thief who snatched my bag or if I suddenly decided to jog lightly down the hill during my walks, I would not worry about my implants anymore!



ARTHRITIS

The word "arthritis" comes from the Greek arthron meaning "joint" and the Latin itis means "inflammation".  So arthritis literally means joint inflammation.  There are so many types of arthritis but the most common is Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
 

Recently, I was tidying up my home library and I found two old books on Arthritis which I had completely forgotten about.  One was written by Stephen Terrass and the other by Patrick Holford.  I read the books again and found a lot of interesting information.  According to Stephen Terrass, it is believed that arthritis has been around for some time.  Scientific literature tells us that the fossil of a large, swimming reptile called the platycarpus, which lived almost 100 million years ago, showed evidence of arthritis.  Signs have also been detected in the bones of cavemen, and in the spines of several 8,000 year old Egyptian mummies.  And in Roman times, it was considered such a burden that the emperor Diocletian exempted citizens with severe arthritis from taxes.  Wouldn't it be nice if this is applicable today? Because I think most of us would be eligible for tax exemption!

It was also said that OA being the most prevalent form of arthritis affects three out of four people over the age of 50.  A fatalist would say that arthritis is almost a certainty - like death and taxes.  However, the author points out that this is far from the truth because it can be prevented. I agree with that because so much of research have been carried out today and most of us have become more educated and conscious of our health.  Apart from genetics, research has pointed out that our diet and lifestyle can cause arthritis.  Therefore, we hold much of the ability to eliminate such problems.  Of course, medicines and treatments are important but the one sure thing to cure arthritis is to prevent it in the first place.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

One of the most common arthritis is Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).  RA is a form of inflammatory arthritis and an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own soft tissues and joints. As a result of the attack, fluid builds up in the joints, causing pain in the joints and inflammation that is systemic - meaning that it can occur throughout the body. RA most commonly affects the joints of the hands and feet but it can also cause elbow, shoulder and neck problems. Joint swelling is often more pronounced in RA.
 

The cause of RA is still unknown but most scientists agree that a combination of genetic and environmental factors is responsible. Researchers have identified genetic markers that cause a tenfold greater probability of developing RA. There are nearly three times as many women as men with the disease. In women, RA most commonly begins between the age of 30 and 60. It often occurs later in life for men.
 

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) is another auto-immune condition but it tends to affect children and adolescents. There is a broad spectrum of JRA with some patients having just one joint involved and others having many problems. The most commonly involved joint is the knee. The only cure for JRA is joint replacement. I have come across two people who have JRA with severe joint damage at the knees. One of them got both of her knees replaced at age 28 while the other did a bilateral TKR at age 31. While TKR helped them to gain their life back, their biggest challenge was finding an OS who was willing to do TKR for them at that young age.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis.  In my earlier post on OA, I mentioned that it is commonly thought that OA is caused by a wear and tear condition due to ageing.  However, studies have now shown that OA may be caused by other factors such as inflammation.
 

I came across Dr Robert H. Shmerling's blog where he said that he heard about a joke when he first started studying arthritis  -  A 90 year old man sees his doctor complaining of pain in his knee.  His doctor asks him, "What do you expect? You are 90 years old".  The old man replies, "Yes, but my other knee is also 90 and it feels fine".  Isn't this hilarious?  And I think it proves a point.
 

It was also said that studies conducted on runners in 1998 over a nine-year period showed that members of a running club ages 50 and older had no higher incidence of OA than an otherwise similar group of non-runners. 
 

What about people who suffers from arthritis of the hands?  It was said that when OA affects the hands, this is the best argument against a direct connection between use (or overuse) and OA. Finger joints with OA look very similar to the knees with OA, yet not everyone bears weight on the hands. If 90% of people are right handed and if OA was purely use-related, there ought to be a lot more right hand arthritis compared to left hand arthritis but this is simply not the case. 

So what causes OA if its not the wearing out of joints?  Apparently, OA may not be caused by one single factor.  It can be caused by a combination of factors such as advanced age, obesity, genetics or injury. However, I find it hard to understand why OA is affecting more and more younger people.  Some of them are not even obese, did not experience any injury, are physically active and healthy.

According to Dr. G's blog, he said that he started to experience arthritis symptoms at 46 years of age.  He did not have any of the traditional risk factors like obesity, joint over-use or sport injuries so he started to think why he is getting OA so early in life.  He found through his own research that OA is not a disease of ageing or degenerative disease.  He said that more and more research over the past 10 years is showing that OA starts out very similar to other chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes etc.  Ageing is not the cause.  It is chronic inflammation.  It is the bad type of inflammation which is also responsible for a lot of other diseases.

I have much earlier shared a link to a study by Stanford University School of Harvard in my post on OA still exists after TKR?  The study suggests that OA results from inflammatory process, not just wear and tear.  It was observed in the study that there were increased numbers of certain specialized inflammatory proteins early in the progress of OA, before it becomes symptomatic which suggested that inflammation might be a driver, rather than a secondary consequence of the disease.  Right now, they don't have anything to offer OA patients to treat their underlying disease but it would be incredible to find a way to slow it down.

All the above information suggests that there is a paradigm change in the underlying disease of OA.  Perhaps this explains why it is affecting more and more younger people. The more I researched, the more it is pointing to this direction.  In my earlier post on "pH Balance and Arthritis", it was said that an acidic body may lead to inflammatory diseases.  I wonder whether all these findings are connected.  Anyhow, I am certainly hoping that the experts find a solution soon in order to prevent or slow down OA.  Until then, lets be more proactive by taking a good look at our diet and lifestyle and start making necessary changes.  Even if it can't reverse our arthritis condition, maybe it can help to prevent more damage.



Arthritis

  

REFLECTIONS OF 2012

         

Yea, tis the season to be jolly!   Its the best time to go to the malls and snap, snap, snap. Look at the colorful pictures that my daughter, May helped to snap.  Christmas spirit is everywhere and its the happy time.

This year has flown by so quickly for me.  It has been 20 months since I had my bilateral TKR and 7 months since I started this blog.  One thing's for sure, I haven't counted time as much as before.  During my early recovery, I have always wondered when will all this be over.  I used to be envious of people who have been out of TKR for years but look at me now, in another few months, I will be hitting my two year mark. So it just goes to show that everyone will get there, its a matter of time.

About two months ago, I experienced pain along the side of my right knee and down the leg.  I felt pain when I put pressure on my knee and when walking up the stairs.  Naturally, I was worried and started to think about what I had done to have caused this.  The first thing that came to my mind was whether there was anything wrong with the implant. Then I started to notice a small lump at the front of my right knee.  So I consulted my OS and it was a relief to hear that the pain was caused by a pulled ligament and nothing serious.  With one week of anti-inflammatory medicine, the pain was gone.  He suspected that the lump is probably a blood clot and nothing to worry about.  Its a relief that the lump has gotten a lot smaller and not so noticeable now so I'm not worried about it anymore. 

About two weeks ago, I spoke to a friend's friend on the telephone.  She had TKR on one knee last April which was thirteen days earlier than mine and it was at the same hospital as mine too.  She complained that even though she does not have pain anymore in the knee but she still feels the numbness around the surgical scar.  I told her that I still have that too and that its normal because one nerve at the front of the knee had to be cut in order to gain access.  I explained to her that its very hard for the OS to join back the nerve therefore, the numbness may end up being permanent.  Then I asked her when she plan to do the other knee and she said that she might not do it anymore.  I asked her why and she said that her TKR knee doesn't feel natural with the numbness.  Then I asked her whether her knee felt natural before TKR and she said obviously not.  In the end, she admitted that she was scared of going back to do the other knee and that she was envious of me having done both of my knees at the same time.  You see, this is a classic example of some people who ended up with one good knee because the fear of going back to do the other is too great.  Anyway, I gave her some encouragement and hopefully, she will gain the courage to do the other knee.

Some experienced TKRers have said that they do forget that they have TKR knees.  I felt encouraged listening to such feed backs but until today, I have not reached there yet.  At times, I do forget especially when I am focused on doing something.  But at other times, I am reminded of them with the clunking sensation (caused by friction between metal and plastic).  Maybe I tend to be quite observant of my knees too. On top of that, I still have the stiffness, tightness and numbness at the surgical scar.  My range of motion is at 120 degrees which is the same as before TKR.  However, the good news is that I feel great.  I don't have pain in my knees and I can sleep well. I can walk very fast.  I can run up and down the stairs.  I can do all my exercise movements.  I can go shopping for quite a long period.  And I can go for holiday trips.  In other words, I have my life back!

To be honest, I did not know much about OA and TKR before my surgery than I do now.  I used to think that after TKR, everything would be back to normal.  Its obviously not true but maybe so for a  small minority of people.  It all depends on how much damage have been caused by OA. With the knowledge that I have gained, I know that OA has caused permanent damage to my body.  My range of motion and stiffness have been greatly affected by the damage of muscles and ligaments.  The tightness and numbness are caused by the TKR surgery and they are very likely to become permanent.  But the most important factor is that TKR has removed the pain in my knees and gave me my life back.  So all the other sensations that I am still feeling is nothing compared to what I have now.  They do not impair my overall function.  I can only blame myself for my ignorance about OA and for delaying the surgery.  However, looking at the bright side, this experience has given me a passion for sharing my experience, doing research on arthritis and TKR and writing this blog in order to create awareness and help to inspire those who are battling the same problems. 

Some of you may have noticed that I wrote about the importance of pH balance and alkaline diets in my earlier posts. I have been consuming more alkaline water and food on a daily basis.  Actually, I have been drinking 2 to 3 litres of alkaline water for more than a year now and it includes calcium ion powder, lemon and baking soda.  However, I realised that I don't consume enough of greens and fruits.  But now, I am consuming tons of it through my green smoothies everyday.  I have been doing this for a few months now and  I noticed that my immune system is better and my acid reflux problem has improved.  I do believe that an acidic body causes lots of medical problems including inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.    And I cannot take for granted that after my bilateral TKR, other parts of my body would not be affected.  In fact, some parts have already been mildly affected. Thus, something has to change.  I am hoping that by consuming more alkaline water and green smoothies, adopting a healthier eating habit and regular exercise may help to reverse or prevent more damage due to arthritis.  Overall, I am happy with my progress and feel blessed with this medical miracle of TKR.  And I certainly hope that I will continue to be inspired to write more posts in 2013.

To wrap up this year, here's wishing everyone "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  May the new year bring you lots of good luck, good health and the courage to change the things that you can.






With daughter, May

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO DO TKR?

This is a very common question being asked in TKR forums.  In fact, I noticed that some people joined such forums for months or years before they even schedule their TKR surgeries.  I believe that these people know  they have a problem but they wish to find out in detail before they make a decision.  Well, it's good to learn as much as possible in order to be more prepared.  However, if learning more is going to put you off, then it may not be a wise thing to do.  In such instance, I would suggest that you just learn enough to help you make a decision and make necessary preparations before the surgery.  After all, you have plenty of time to learn more during recovery which is quite a long process.

 

In my case, I have to admit that I did not know much about TKR except way after my surgery.  I was in denial for some time but I knew that I had hit rock bottom when the pain became unmanageable.  Then I went running to my OS to fix the problem.  I was told that I needed a bilateral TKR because I was already bone on bone in both knees and it had resulted in joint damage.  Without any hesitation, I immediately scheduled a surgery which was only about  a few weeks away.  At that time, I was helping my daughter to organise a charity event so I fixed the date right after the completion of the event.  I'm glad I did that as I did not have to go through the anxiety of waiting.  Though I had to move around in great pain but it was the excitement of the preparations and adrenalin from the success of the event that kept me motivated.  To be honest, I could not wait to get over with the surgery as I have endured enough.  It was only early this year that I started to join TKR forums and learnt so much from fellow TKRers. 

It's quite common to see some people who are happy to have finally scheduled their TKR surgeries but subsequently, begin to question whether they have made the right decision.  Most of the time it's because they suddenly experienced less pain in their knees and they begin to feel that their condition is not as bad as what other people are experiencing.  Actually, this is a sign of nerves and its perfectly normal.  Its also quite common to see some people who keeps questioning whether they are the right candidates for TKR because their pain is not as severe as what they see others experiencing.  Since then, I have learnt that  sometimes an x-ray can show very bad damage but the person does not experience much pain.  On the other hand, there are cases where the x-ray showed little damage but the person has extreme pain.  This is quite puzzling and  even some medical professionals find it hard to explain to their patients.  However, these people do admit that while they do not have severe pain but they walked with a limp, have bad posture,  experience pain when climbing up and down stairs, have restrictions in carrying out certain activities,  have limited range of motion etc. So the question remains when is the right time to do TKR?

I know its hard to pin point a certain time.  But some people have said that they knew its time when:-

1. they felt that enough is enough
2. they are unable to do the things they love
3. nothing works anymore
4. there is no quality in their life
5. they are merely existing and enduring life

Well, here's something that can help you to determine whether its time for you to do a TKR.  Just answer the following questions honestly:- 

1. How long can you walk and stand without pain and stiffness?
2. Are you limping when you walk?
3. Do you have a bad posture with aches and pain?
4. Are you able to climb up and down stairs normally without pain?
5. Are you able to do daily chores without restriction and pain?
6. Are you able to go shopping and holiday trips?
7. Are you able to do any exercise or play any sports?
8. Is the knee pain affecting your sleep?
9. Are you having bow legs or knock knees?

If you score poorly on the above questions, then the answer is obvious.  We do not have to just endure life.  We are supposed to have a better quality of life.  TKR is a medical miracle that allows us to gain back our life and it is one of the most highly successful surgery.  In fact, many people including myself waited too long to do TKR and as a result, suffered more damage from OA (refer post on OA still exist after TKR?).  And after finally having gone through TKR and enjoying an  active lifestyle with pain free knees, this is what most of us said  "WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?"

GREEN SMOOTHIES & ARTHRITIS

In my earlier post on pH balance, I mentioned that its important to consume more alkaline food and water in order to have a healthy pH balance as it helps our body to function properly and prevent diseases including arthritis.  Alkaline food include most fresh fruits and green vegetables.  But how many of us actually consume lots of fruits and leafy greens in particular on a daily basis?  If I look at our diet today, I think most of us will not score well on this.   

Recently, I read a book called "The Body's Natural Instinct" by Professor Chang Jia Rui, M.D. who had researched the body's natural instincts for over 20 years.  He said that "If we all know how to improve our diets, and were willing to consume more green vegetables and drink a large amount of water, illness would automatically disappear".   He also said that "No matter what kind of illness you suffer, it is caused by one single factor, and that is acidic toxins". 

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the dietary guidelines report stated that "greater consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, with a reduced risk of cancers in certain sites (oral cavity and pharynx, larynx, lung, oesophagus, stomach, and colon-rectum), and with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (vegetables more than fruit).  Moreover, increased consumption of fruits and vegetables may be a useful component of programs designed to achieve and sustain weight loss".

All these information really emphasises the need for us to consume more fruits and leafy greens.  Now I'm sure most of you would be asking "but how much is enough?" According to the USDA, the recommendation is 5 to 12 servings a day or 2.5 to 6.5 cups a day depending on calorie needs.  But as a general rule, the more fruits and leafy greens we consume, the better.

A very good alternative to increase the consumption of fruits and leafy greens is to make green smoothies.  Green smoothies was actually created by Victoria Boutenko in 2004.  Since 1994, she and her family were faced with numerous health problems such as obesity, juvenile diabetes, hyper thyroid, chronic fatigue, arrhythmia, chronic rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and allergies.  When medical doctors did not leave them with any chances of recovery, she began researching nutrition and even studied what wild chimpanzees ate because they share with humans 99.4% of genes and have extremely high natural immunity against aids, hepatitis C, cancer and other diseases .  She was surprised to discover that Chimpanzees ate 40% of greens and it was also observed that when they ate a fruit, they would wrap a leaf around it like a sandwich.  She became convinced that greens are the most important food for humans.  She also discovered that in order to get the nutrients, the leafy greens have to be broken down to the tiniest pieces preferably down to the molecules.  In simple words, we need to chew our greens to a creamy consistency in order to get the benefits.  And in order to digest the released minerals and vitamins, hydrochloric acid in the stomach has to be a very strong pH between 1 and 2.  This is something that is not easy to achieve and therefore, she came up with the idea of blending fruits and leafy greens into smoothies which eventually helped her and her family to fully reverse their symptoms and regain vibrant health.  However, it must be noted that she and her family are also on a 100% raw vegan diet and they do exercise regularly.

I am so glad that I started to make green smoothies for myself and my family as it is really helping us to consume a healthy amount of fruits and leafy greens  You will be surprised that it is so easy to make and very pleasant to drink because the taste of the greens is actually masked by the fruits.  You can go to Incredible Smoothies to read about all the excellent information on green smoothies and recipes.

The health benefits of consuming green smoothies indicated by Incredible Smoothies include the following:-

• Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables (particularly greens)
• Easy digestibility and Nutrient Assimilation
• Rich with chlorophyll
• Alkalising
• Antioxidants
• Increased energy
• Mental clarity and focus
• Increased fibre intake
• Clearer skin
• Natural weight loss
• Reduce cravings

We can use any leafy greens for making green smoothies.  I have tried spinach which gives the most pleasant taste for the green smoothies so its easier to start with.  Bok choy, lettuce and any other local greens can be used too.  I have also tried watercress (sai yong choy) which has a strong flavor and bitter taste but it has powerful nutrients.  Other greens which you can use (if available in your market) include kale, swiss chard, collard, dandelion, turnip, beat and parsley.  It is also best to rotate the greens in order to enjoy the variety of nutrients. The general nutrients of leafy greens include potassium, dietary fibre, folate, protein, vitamin A, C, K, calcium and iron. I also added cucumber to my smoothies as it has powerful nutrients.  According to Naturalnews, cucumber helps to control blood pressure, aids in weight loss and digestion, reduce cholesterol, promotes joint health, relives gout and arthritis pain.  It also contains a hormone which is needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin which has been found to be beneficial to diabetic patients.  For arthritis, we can also add 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder and one chunk of fresh ginger into the green smoothies as these ingredients have anti inflammatory properties and promotes blood circulation.  In fact, most leafy greens have anti inflammatory properties.

As for fruits, we can use apples, bananas, oranges, lemons, watermelon, pears, papayas, grapes, strawberry, mangoes etc.  The general nutrients of fruits include potassium, dietary fibre, protein, Vitamin A, C, calcium and iron.  However, for diabetics, it is recommended that you use more greens and choose fruits that are lower in sugar.  You can refer to WH Foods for more detailed information on the nutrients of fruits and vegetables.

The ratio for making green smoothies is 40% greens and 60% fruits but you can slowly work up to 50/50.  Sufficient water should be added.  I am using coconut water because of its excellent nutrients and sweetness.  I usually make a large batch of green smoothies and leave it in the fridge and it would be finished within a day. Each of us drinks around 2 to 3 glasses a day.  According to Victoria Boutenko, the green smoothies can be kept fresh within 2 to 3 days in the fridge probably because of the large quantities of antioxidants in the fibre.  Of course, if you can drink the green smoothies fresh from making, that would be ideal.

Now all we need is a blender to make the green smoothies.  In the picture you see below, I tried my sister's high end powerful blender to make the green smoothies.  It was excellent - very smooth.  To be honest, right now I am using a cheap blender which my husband won from a golf competition but it still works well - probably takes a little longer to blend.  But it still serve its purpose.  Maybe when it has done its time, then I will consider upgrading to a better one. 

So what are we waiting for?  Lets start making some green smoothies!  Still not convinced?  Perhaps  the picture below showing my daughter, May and nieces, Jess and Sue-Ann enjoying their green smoothies will convince you to start making those yummy and healthy green smoothies.

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