"Where ever flaxseeds become a regular food item among the people, there will be better health."-Mahatma Ghandi
Ever since the mid 1980's I've heard a crackling in my knees whenever I squat down and then stand up. In 1995 I began to experience pain in my knees when I walked and was diagnosed at the KU Watkins clinic with Chondromalacia-a softening of the cartilage underneath the knee caps causing it to lose its smoothness. The doctor gave me some exercises to get my knee cap tracking right, and some stretches to improve my flexibility and the distribution of pressure on my knee joints when I walk.(1.1)
I had no major episodes of knee pain until September of 2001. Since then I've tried everything I'd learned and more, including: "glucosamine sulfate", "glucosamine with chondroitin" (made from cow parts), crutches to give my knees a rest when I needed to walk, and anti-inflamation pills. Except for using cold packs, nothing seemed to work.
Then one day I was hobbling around at the Soulard Market in St. Louis near the free bread pick up area. Sister Mary, an elderly black woman said,
"What's wrong with you boy?" Since a lot of people were asking me that question I made it short and said "Arthritis". "Come over here. Gather round everybody! (talking loud and slow so everyone would remember) Now my mother was from the old school and she had arthritis just like you. And what she used was FLAX SEED. And it worked!"
Being desperate from frequent knee pain, even when I was sitting for long periods of time, I did some research on the internet and found that flax seed is loaded with omega 3 fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory qualities and help lubricate our joints(1.3) (1.5).
As it turns out, common and significant sources of omega 3's include: most fish, soybeans, some nuts and seeds. (2). The problem was that I had been almost completely vegan (Vegans consume no animal products) since 1999, and reduced my intake of soy after reading the findings of a long term aging study. "(3). Seeds as well as nuts were an insignificant part of my diet. I did use canola oil, but since omega 3s are easily destroyed by light and heat, containing the oil in a transparent plastic bottle and using it in my pancakes did not help much (4). I started out by sprinkling whole flax seeds in my cereal, but since the seed is very tough its doubtful I digested much of its rich nutrients. Then, I bought some ground up flax seed at the store and sprinkled it on my cereal. The days before I had even contemplated suicide if the pain I was experiencing continued for months. But the day I sprinkled a couple spoonfuls into my cereal was one of the most pain free days I'd had in weeks. The same cycle occured more recently when I went without consuming virtually any omega 3s for a week.
If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please write to me at: therings at fastmail.fm
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