Sport Injury Testimonials
DATE:
NOVEMBER 17, 1995
FROM:
ELAINE DOUGHERTY
734 CLAY AVE.
SCRANTON, PA.
TO: DR. FEREYDOON BATMANGHELIDJ
FOUNDATION FOR THE SIMPLE IN MEDICINE
2146 KINGS GARDEN WAY
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA 22043
I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED YOUR WILKES-BARRE SEMINAR AND COMMENTED TO MY FRIEND THAT IT WAS THE MOST INTERESTING EVENING I HAD EXPERIENCED IN A LONG TIME. DURING THE QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD, I EXPLAINED TO YOU MY EXPERIENCE WITH A KNEE INJURY, BUT WITH THIS LETTER, I HOPE TO BRING MORE DETAIL AND MY REASONING IN THE MATTER.
ON OCTOBER 7, 1993, WHILE RUNNING PLAYING TENNIS, I INJURED MY LEFT KNEE. I HEARD A POP AND A SQUISH AND COULD NO LONGER BEND THE KNEE. FORTUNATELY, I DID NOT FALL TO THE GROUND, I WAS ABLE TO HANG ONTO THE NET BETWEEN THE COURTS. BECAUSE OF THE PAIN, I LABORIOUSLY HOBBLED TO MY CAR AND DROVE TO MY CHIROPRACTOR'S THINKING HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP. HE WORKED ON THE KNEE FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR WITH ULTRASOUND AND I STILL FELT NO IMPROVEMENT. ONCE AGAIN, IT WAS EXCRUCIATING TO GET IN AND OUT OF MY CAR, BUT I DID MANAGE AND FINALLY ARRIVED HOME AT ABOUT 8:30 THAT EVENING. I HOBBLED UP TO BED AND TOOK EXCEDRIN FOR THE PAIN AND TRIED TO SLEEP WITHOUT GREAT SUCCESS. THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS EVEN MORE PAINFUL SO MY HUSBAND DROVE ME TO THE KNEE CENTER IN WILKES BARRE FOR AN EXAMINATION AND WHAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE ARTHROSCOPIC SURGERY. DR. COOPER REFERRED ME TO THE MRI CENTER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THEY REPORTED THAT I HAD A BUCKET HANDLE TEAR OF THE LATERAL MENISCUS. DR. COOPER SUGGESTED THAT SURGERY SHOULD BE A LAST RESORT BECAUSE OF THE DIVERSITY OF COMPLICATIONS POSSIBLE. HE SUGGESTED THAT I STAY OFF MY FEET AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE (I AM A WALKER AND WALK 3 AND A HALF MILES A DAY) BUT I COULD GO TO WORK AND DO LIGHT THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE. AS LONG AS I KEPT THE LEFT KNEE STRAIGHT, I DIDN'T EXPERIENCE INTENSE PAIN, BUT I LIMPED FOR MONTHS. I WENT UP AND DOWN STAIRS ONE STEP AT A TIME FOR MONTHS. I RETURNED TO LIMITED TENNIS PLAYING ABOUT THREE MONTHS LATER BUT WAS UNABLE TO RUN. AFTER PLAYING TENNIS, I HAD TO WRAP MY KNEE IN AN ICE WRAP FOR A HALF HOUR BECAUSE OF THE PAIN. THE DOCTOR PRESCRIBED TWO WEEKS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY W141CH HELPED SOME. AFTER ABOUT FOUR MORE MONTHS, I BEGAN TO GET THE COURAGE TO TRY RUNNING DURING TENNIS. I COULD DO MOST ACTIVITIES, BUT FREQUENTLY WHEN I RAN I WOULD GET A SHARP PAIN AT THE SIDE OF MY KNEE. THANK GOD THE BODY KNOWS INSTINCTIVELY HOW TO HELP ITSELF, AND IF I WOULD RAISE MY LEFT FOOT UP TO MY KNEE FOUR OR FIVE TIMES, THE PAIN WOULD GO AWAY. AT THAT POINT, I FELT FORTUNATE THAT I HAD FOUND SOMETHING TO EASE WHAT I FELT WOULD BE CHRONIC KNEE PAIN.
MY INSTINCTIVE THERAPY CONTINUED FOR ALL OF 1994 AND IN JANUARY OF 1995, 1 READ AN ARTICLE IN THE METRO ABOUT THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF WATER. I PURCHASED "YOUR BODY'S MANY CRIES FOR WATER" AND IT MADE SENSE TO ME. ON PAGE 45 YOU SHOW A WELL-HYDRATED AND DEHYDRATED JOINT COMPARISON. AND EVEN THOUGH I WAS DRINKING CLOSE TO TWO QUARTS OF WATER A DAY, I REASONED THAT MY KNEE PAIN WAS PROBABLY CAUSED BECAUSE THE KNEE CARTILAGE WAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY HYDRATED BECAUSE IT WAS THINNER AND SOMEWHAT BRITTLE, IT HAD A TENDENCY TO GET CAUGHT BETWEEN THE BONES DURING CERTAIN KNEE MOTIONS. IT WAS AT THAT TIME THAT I DECIDED TO INCREASE MY WATER INTAKE TO THREE QUARTS A DAY.
AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS OF THE INCREASED WATER INTAKE, I WAS ABLE TO RUN AGAIN. I CAN EVEN DO SQUATS WITHOUT ANY PAIN. AND IT'S WONDERFUL TO PLAY A VIGOROUS GAME OF TENNIS WITH NO FEAR OF PAIN THANKS ONLY TO YOUR WATER CURE.
SOME TIME AFTER THAT, I SAW A HEALTH ARTICLE IN THE NEWSPAPER ABOUT A MENISCUS REPAIR TECHNIQUE. IT WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE KNOWN AS MENISCAL REGENERATION WHICH REPLACED THE DAMAGED CARTILAGE WITH A COLLAGEN-BASED "SCAFFOLD". THIS ARTIFICIAL MENISCUS IS SLOWLY REPLACED BY NATURAL TISSUE AS THE BODY ABSORBS IT. WHEN I SAW THAT ARTICLE, I TRIED TO PHONE MY PHYSICAL THERAPIST THINKING THIS WOULD BE VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR HIM TO PASS ON TO HIS PATIENTS. I WAS TOLD THAT HE NO LONGER WORKED FOR THE HOSPITAL SO I EXPLAINED TO ANOTHER THERAPIST THAT I HAD LITERALLY CREATED MY OWN SCAFFOLDING AND HEALED MY BUCKET HANDLE TEAR OF THE LATERAL MENISCUS BY DRINKING WATER AND SUFFICIENTLY HYDRATING MY TORN MENISCUS.
I LEFT MY NAME AND PHONE NUMBER SO THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT COULD PHONE ME FOR SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTS BUT NO ONE FROM THAT HOSPITAL WAS INTERESTED IN YOUR WATER CURE. I VERY MUCH BELIEVE THAT WATER, PROPER NUTRITION, EXERCISE FRESH AIR, A POSITIVE ALTRUISTIC ATTITUDE, AND THE NUTRIENT OF NATURAL DAYLIGHT AND SUNLIGHT ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE THERAPIES FOR GOOD HEALTH AND BEST OF ALL, THEY'RE ALL FREE. AND THE ONLY SIDE EFFECTS ARE A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT AND WELL BEING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. I HOPE THIS LETTER WILL BE HELPFUL TO OTHERS.