My experience treating my arthritic ankle with magnetic therapy, ayurveda and Trul Khor Tibetan yoga.

I was a little skeptical about whether magnetic therapy would work on my ankle but I was getting desperate. I'm only in my fifties and I'm not about to give into aging just yet. Getting up at night was getting to be a bit of a shuffle though. Not one for dosing myself with mainstream medication I looked at the alternative. To be frank I was a bit peeved to be getting the condition at all. I do yoga and eat vegetarian - why would I get arthritis? Unfortunately it is a bit of a family trait, it's just another consequence of those genes in my body involved with inflammatory processes..

Copper of course is good but it does leave a rather green stain on your skin.

Indian ayruvedic medicine said it was a Vata imbalance - groan - its alway Vata stuff with me. So making sure I put plenty of warming (but not hot) spices in my cooking: cumin, tumeric, coriander, fennel, asafoetida and small amounts of mustard seed. Energy blockages and poor digestion can aggravate the Vata element.

Warmth and movement are good.

Looking somewhat skeptically at magnets as a solution I found that Web MD actually said they might work for some arthritic joints. Worth a go then. I initially tried a couple of locally purchased Hematite/magnetite bracelets but despite their name and supposed metaphysical properties they weren't magnetic, not that I could tell anyway, and they certainly didn't do anything for me. I looked for something stronger and found http://www.powerstonemagneticjewelry.com/ The ankle bracelet they advertised that was combined with Carnelian, that the ayurvedic practitioners recommend, had a joiner with actual magnets so I go one to try. It only took a few days to come all the way from America. Within an hour of putting it on I noticed, with a great deal of surprise, that the pain in my ankle had lessened and I had more movement. Improvement has continued. I wear the anklet most of the time, even sleeping but take it off when I'm near water, swimming and showering etc. I'm thinking of getting one for my other ankle now which surprisingly has improved as well but might still benefit from one of its own. I'm not saying it would work for everyone but it certainly worked for me.

Looking further into the energy blockages I did what I've been meaning to do for some time and god Tenzin Wangyal's book and CD about Trul Khor (Tibetan yoga) "Awakening the Sacred Body" which is particularly good for clearing blockages. I as much impressed with the energy releases I've been getting from these exercises as I am the magnetic therapy. Together with a few dietary tweaks I'm back on top of things. Definitely more mobile and enjoying running, which I started doing after, not before, my ankles started packing up.

BBC article on the dangers of overly browned meat helping to cause brain plaque.

If you have the APOE gene that predisposes you to Alzheimers you may be interested in this article published on the BBC news site yesterday

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26323720

For more information on the genetics of Alzheimers check out http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-genetics-fact-sheet.

Fortunately not a problem I have to worry about but since I have a fascination with genetics I come across these things.

Sprouted Lentil Burgers with Cashew and Pine Nut Pesto

I invented this recipe for myself. It has no gluten, onions, garlic, meat, dairy, sugar, salt, tomato or hot spices but the few people I've tried it out on reckon it tastes great.

• Sprout yourself a jarful of red or brown lentils, red if you can get whole red lentils. You'll need to sprout them 2-3 days until the rootlets start to appear. 
• Place in a blender with about a cup of cooked carrot and/or zucchini (you can vary what vegetable you add - sweet potato or pumpkin would work just as well).
• Add a large heaped tablespoon of chia seed and a similar amount or more of linseed. These two seeds are your glue and will hold the mixture together.
• Add plenty of cumin, tumeric, coriander, fennel etc to taste. I usually add a heaped teaspoon of each. These spices help to balance what Indian Ayurvedic doctors call the Vata element which I need to balance so those are the spices I often use. These spices also help with digestion. Tumeric, particularly is a good all purpose anti-inflammatory. Check out Web Md for all the details on why you might consider using more tumeric in your cooking. Not good for everyone though so check it out!
• Add about about a cup of water to the blender and mix. Add more water if the mixture "struggles" in the blender or if too sloppy add a little teff flour to thicken it once you've poured it into a mixing bowl. 
• Spoon large dollops into a pre-heated fry pan and brown both sides. 

While they cook make your pesto as follows:

Rinse your blender then add

• a cup of raw cashews
• half a cup of pine nuts - or whatever amount you can afford - they're quite expensive
• a good pinch of asafoetida Beware some asafoetida is mixed with wheat flour.
  
• a handful of fresh basil

blend

Put about two lentil burgers to a plate and pour a generous amount of pesto on top. Serve with any fresh edible flowers and leaves from your garden. For example marigold petals, mizuna, Italian parley, young kale - whatever is in season.