I wish I could say I haven’t been writing because I’ve been gone fishing, but that’s not the case.  I haven’t been writing because winter is so hard on my arthritic hands.  I got through Christmas, but I’ve been in a lot of pain since.  I kneaded a batch of sourdough bread last week, and my hands were numb for hours afterwards.

I’m going to be trying a new treatment on my hands pretty soon, so hopefully it’ll help, and I’ll be able to post a positive report for those who also suffer such problems.  The treatment is a laser bio-stimulation, and my daughter, the periodontist, will be doing it for me.  She uses a laser in her practice for gum surgery, but it also has bio-stimulation applications.  Recently, I had an experience that made me even more eager to try an extended bio-stim treatment program.

I’ve been getting regular medical massages for a couple of months from a therapeutic masseur, Bob Tripp, in my hometown, and these treatments have helped tremendously with my TMJ and head pain from clenching because of all the other pain.  Jaw, head, shoulders, and heel pain is all much, much better.  Interestingly, the treatment that helped the most on my heel pain was moxa.  Moxa is a method or technique of heating the tissue to stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself.  I don’t know much about it other than what Bob told me.  He said it is used with acupuncture sometimes, but he does it with a small butane or propane applicance that heats up the tissue as he works it.  I was in such pain in my feet after Christmas, I could barely walk, and I couldn’t put any weight on my right heel. One moxa treatment, and my heel was so much better I really was astounded.  I had been considering seeing a podiatrist, but now I feel no need!

The laser Amy, my daughter, uses does something similar in the bio-stim application.  It heats the tissue deep down, and the heat continues to radiate for hours, even as much as day, after treatment.  Amy has done it for me a few times before, but we’ve never done an extended period of treatment as we intend to start at the end of the month.  I have hopes it will help my hands and other joints that are being affected by chronic and systemic erosive arthritis.

In the meantime, even writing these few short paragraphs has my thumb joints protesting and my little fingers going numb.  Here’s hoping I have something positive to report the next time I check in.  Later, friends.