Something a little different today, but it’s in a good cause and I promise to close with some appropriate music. (Although this is a tough subject to find music videos about!)
I read an interesting article recently that was critical of how some of the biggest health insurance companies will not pay for a cheaper alternative to knee replacement surgery, but they will pay for the expensive surgery itself. The treatment consists of annual injections of something called hyaluronic acid, which is said to help with osteoarthritis in the 
knees. It’s a common ailment that’s especially prevalent among us geezers and Medicare will pay for the treatment, but if you have other types of insurance you might be out of luck. Of course, you can always go for a full knee replacement, but we all know somebody who has had that and wasn’t happy with it.
While I in no way intend to pass myself off as a medical authority, I would like to pass along something from my own experiences in the hopes that it might give others another option. If it doesn’t work for you, then no harm done. But if it does, you’ll be tickled pink.
A little background first. I’m now in my mid-seventies, and several years ago I began to notice that my knees were both getting achy, one more than the other. I suffered with it for months as it gradually got worse, and since I had a friend who’d gone through the same thing I figured that I was inevitably headed for treatments and possibly surgery. But then my cardiologist — of all people — gave me an idea. He said that he and a number of his older patients had found relief from an over the counter supplement. He said it wouldn’t hurt to take it (with all my other pills) and it might or might not help.
I got some and tried it, and it wasn’t immediate but within a couple of weeks I noticed a definite improvement. Within a month I was 90% pain-free and that was something I could live with. It’s now about three years later and it still feels very good. So in the interest of maybe helping someone I thought I’d pass along the info. And I’m not making anything from this — in fact, I’ve never made any money from the GMC. (Those ads you sometimes see are not from me. They’re what allow WordPress to offer free blog hosting.)
The best known joint supplement is Osteo Bi-Flex, but there are a lot of other brands with the same — or nearly the same — ingredients that are a little less expensive. I’ve been using a brand called Puritan’s Pride for a year or more and it’s doing fine for me. I hope something works for you. If I’ve steered even one person to having less pain, then I consider this post well worth my time.
Geezer Music Club 