<p>Agree with Deborah - some docs say things without really knowing their patient and the impact of those words on their everyday routine/life. Hoping that the additional docs can shed some new light and solution to your ankle probs Brom…</p>
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<p>Sent BC another PM this morning.</p>
<p>And Ohio, how’re you doing? Check in sometime? Want to hear the adventures of Speedy. :)</p>
<p>Dad II, one of the meanings of the name Deborah is bee. :)</p>
<p>Brom- I hope you can get some better help from another doctor. Pulling for you!</p>
<p>Deb922, Do you take fish oil pills and glucosamine? That combined with weight loss seemed to really help my achy knee. </p>
<p>Congrats eddieo and good luck to you Brom. Hope you find a Dr. who might have some better ideas.</p>
<p>Tell me about fish oil. I’m such a no frills girl I just exist on what I eat . How can it help, what does it aid? How much , how often?</p>
<p>3.2 mi run at the gym. Felt much better than my run at the park a couple of days ago when for some reason my legs felt tight.</p>
<p>Fish oil – we have it here, but that’s about all I can tell you. 
Not sure when it was last touched.</p>
<p>I swear my husband had it at some point - ill have to ask him as well - but my guess is he won’t know much.</p>
<p>Bromfield, I really hope one of the two specialists will be able to resolve the problem for you. I’m glad you’re getting some additional opinions! </p>
<p>Boy, is it a gorgeous day outside today. Blue skies, nice breeze, sun, moderate temps. Today’s a rest day for me but Sabadog and I had a nice run at the field with one of his neighborhood buddies.</p>
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<p>Wheelchair users can be active.
[Wheelchair</a> racing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelchair_racing]Wheelchair”>Wheelchair racing - Wikipedia)
[Wheelchair</a> basketball - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelchair_basketball]Wheelchair”>Wheelchair basketball - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>3.1 mile run in the 60’s outside - thank you Mother Nature!!!</p>
<p>If you’re a Wells Fargo banking customer that relies upon your debit and credit card from them, this weekend might be a good one for weight loss. All their systems are down - ATMs, credit, POS…so if you were even thinking of dinner out using that WF credit/debit card or grocery shopping or getting cash to use at the farmer’s market, you are out of luck! I’m looking at the five dollar bill in my wallet and wondering how much I can buy at the market! Ahhh, technology.</p>
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<p>I would be interested in hearing what supplements people take, too. In my cabinet I have one bottle each of multivitamins, B vitamins, C vitamins (for cold season), D vitamins, probiotics, and fish oil, but I can’t remember the last time I took any of them.</p>
<p>And now, I am going to go do 3.1 on the treadmill. I have found “good reasons” to skip the past two days, and I know the more days I skip, the more it feels like a chore to get back to it.</p>
<p>Happy five plus pound loss, EddieO! </p>
<p>Bromfield, I hope you can find a solution for the ankle. I understand how frustrating it is to have no answer. Same here for a chronic dental/jaw problem. Speaking of which, Based on DH’s advice and common sense thinking, I had another easy day with just a two mile walk.</p>
<p>The only supplements I take are fish oil, vitamin d, psyllium husk fiber, and a multivitamin.</p>
<p>All are inexpensive, offer pretty consistent potential for benefit, and little to no downside risk. Based on my recent vitamin D blood test, I would definitely be far, far, far below even the most conservative recommendations. It’s just impossible to make enough vitamin D from sunshine in New Hampshire. I think that’s true for most people in the northern US. Cheap Vitamin D3 capsules from the drug store. Cold climate adults should probably supplement a miniumum of 1000 IU to as much as 6000 IU a day. I started taking 4000IU and had my levels tested after 2 months. I was just barely above the recommended minimum. I added a third capsule, bringing me up to 6000 IU a day. At least on paper, that should increase my blood levels up to the Vitamin D Council’s recommended target.</p>
<p>Fish oil… I take four 1200 mg caplets a day, for a total of 1440 mg of EPA/DHA. That’s probably a generous amount, but not a crazy high amount. This is supposed to help with favorable cholesterol ratios. My ratios are off-the-charts good. Does the fish oil help? I don’t know. I’m hesistant to rock the boat. It’s also supposed to be beneficial for joint pain. I don’t have any joint pain. Does the fish oil help? I don’t know…</p>
<p>Fiber is probably the one I am least confident in. Many people I tend to believe (like Robert Lustig) push fiber as a way of slowing absorption of food. Others claim a benefit in favorable cholesterol levels. It’s dirt cheap (I buy unflavored, unsweetened psyllium husk power from GNC – like Metamucil without the sugar). I put a heaping tsp in water, shake it up, and use it to wash down my fish oil before lunch and again before dinner. At the very least, it keeps you “regular” which is apparently important to some people. 
On the diet front, I eat so much green veggies, especially raw leafy green veggies, that I probably get plenty of fiber. But, I don’t mine chugging two glasses a day and it increases my water intake as a side benefit… </p>
<p>Multivitamin. I just started taking these. One-A-Day or Centrum. I doubt that I need vitamins, to be honest, but my only “health issue” is low thryoid, which can be worsened by deficiencies in certain trace elements like iodine (and magnesium?). So I figured it probably wouldn’t hurt to take a vitamin pill once a day. Probably a waste of mone, but they are cheap.</p>
<p>Bromfield:</p>
<p>Do you think your foot infections are triggered by internal abrasions from the hardware? Or scrapes and abrasions from shoes and activities?</p>
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<p>I think it’s triggered by some internal abrasion. I had hardware removed two years ago from the other side of this same ankle because it became infected. Once that hardware was removed–the ankle/infected area healed. At the time, I asked if I should get the one screw on the other side of the ankle removed as well. The surgeon said since it wasn’t a problem, he was going to leave it. The hardware was originally put in 20 years ago (I fell while I was out on a hiking trail with my kids) and was fine until two years ago. I’m determined to get this fixed.</p>
<p>I couldn’t figure out how hardware was causing infections, but now it makes sense. Basically irritating or rubbing-raw the surrounding tissue. Sure sounds like the ultimate solution is getting the remaining screw removed. What a pain, huh?</p>
<p>Remind me not to fall and break my ankle!</p>
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<p>No supplements.</p>
<p>So sorry, Bromfield.</p>
<p>Broomfield, sending you hugs and the light to find a doc up to the task. My personal theory is that you’ve become so healthy your body is rejecting the hardware and wants to grow its own ;)</p>
<p>Well, I am good and “flung” from my little Celtic fling. Don’t know if it was the side planks or the jigging but the outer muscles of my legs are whining for the hot tub ;)</p>
<p>On Fish Oil –
The most research and common medically accepted therapeutic benefits of increasing Omega 3s (fish oil = DHA, EPA, and in Flaxseed oil ALA, which in optimal conditions, converts to DHA) are for coronary heart disease, to reduce triglycerides and increase “good” cholesterol, and to treat rheumatoid arthritis and reduce infkammation.</p>
<p>Ongoing and controversial research has covered everything from colon cancer to athletic performance via reduced oxygen demand. Cognitively, the Omega 3 “deficiency” in western diets and therapeutic benefits of fish oil are also being tested on a wide range of cognitive processes, including ADHD, depression, and even schizophrenia. The foregoing are issues resulting from dopamine production dysfunction, so its natural that Essential Oils would play a role in brain health, as does protein.</p>
<p>I have taken fish oil for years, before its benefits were commonly accepted by the medical community. In my case, originally I took it for eczema and arthritis, and I feel that it has over the years with some other practices greatly improved both. But I also found it good for my own overall mental alacrity, and credit it in part for my son’s strong academic performance despite inattentive-type ADD 
(That and protein, per the research.)</p>
<p>For anyone interested among the women, a routine of fish oil plus flax seed oil seems to be pretty effective at reducing or eliminating hot flashes…I’ve had several reports after recommending this combo to friends. Very anecdotal, of course. The same applies to pms, which benefits from GLA as well (evening primrose oil which has gamma-linolic acid in it…or borage oil.)</p>
<p>If you consider taking more than 3000 iu or are on other blood thinners or have any kind of bleeding issue you might want to do so under the supervision of a practitioner…otherwise it is fairly benign. Some folks do worry about mercury contamination but if you’re going to worry about that and worry about eating fish you should probably be just as worried about the heavy imbalance of Omega 6 oils in the western diet and the studies that show having too little Omega 3 to offset the Omega 6 leads to heart disease and cancer :)</p>
<p>SO…I don’t worry about the mercury, but I do try to source my fish oil from cold, deep, northern seas if possible, and I do buy mine from Shaklee because their track record for ingredient precision is great. I pay for a service that tests supplements routinely and publishes the research since the industry is otherwise unregulated here in the states.
( if you’re interested, [ConsumerLab.com</a> - independent tests and reviews of vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements](<a href=“http://www.consumerlab.com%5DConsumerLab.com”>http://www.consumerlab.com) )</p>
<p>So while I don’t take any “Meds” and am happy to be off naproxen, I do take a fairly robust range of supplements that over the years have made sense for me.</p>
<p>That looks like:
Fish oil (daily apx 2600 iu) and sometimes Flax (tablespoon in am)
D (5,000 iu)
Immunity (shaklee proprietary blend I like of extra C etc.)
Magnesium (500) (this is great for muscle spasms, btw)
Iron (have anemia…well, I don’t anymore, but I was actually prescribed this)
Baby aspirin
Multivitamin
Sublingual B12 5,000 iu (used to have a deficiency…do not seem to absorb it well)
Sublingual B complex</p>
<p>That sounds like a lot…but between allergies/eczema, SAD, anemia and arthritis w facet joint syndrome the good news is I don’t suffer ANY of these conditions anymore…of course, exercise is equally beneficial in just about all those condition :)</p>
<p>The above little program has evolved via trial and error and I don’t necessarily recommend it to others…I am ironically of the mind that you need specific things in specific amounts to improve specific conditions so I never used to even take a multi but in my case, this combo works! Hope that helps!</p>