Have Lifelong Wellbeing Newsletter

March 2025

Welcome to the 126th edition of the Have Lifelong Wellbeing monthly newsletter! 

If you are a new reader, please know it's my life's passion to erase pain from the world and empower lives to age with strength, truth, wisdom, and joy. This newsletter is a cherished labor of love and I thank you for allowing me into your inbox each month. I'm humbled by your trust in me to provide content of value and I will continue to strive to that end. 
- Eileen

UPCOMING CLASSES

This Month's LIVE MELT Class: Back to the Core

March 11th at 5 pm Eastern   Recorded if you can't make it live

Join us for a new MELT Class each month! Purchase 5 classes and get a class FREE! Special discount for Academy and paid level Private Club members.

LIVE IN PERSON classes at Hudson Valley Community College! Click on the Class title for more information.

• Exercise Away Urinary Incontinence: No Kegel  starts 3/25

On-Demand Virtual Classes

For those with a challenging schedule ~ recorded classes to access 24/7, INCLUDING an effective four class series for Urinary Incontinence done on your feet!

MARCH EVENTS FOR HLW ACADEMY STUDENTS

Monthly Reward Event

March 3rd at 12 pm Eastern

Special topic, guest speaker, training each month. This month is Dr. Ellie Phillips, expert on oral health and author of Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye. 

Student Choice Workout

March 3rd at 11 am Eastern

Specialty workout created based on submitted student request(s).

Office Hours with Eileen

March 5th at 12 pm Eastern

This month's teaching: Sciatic Pain - What it means and why it matters for lifelong wellbeing.   ~15-20 minute teaching followed by Q&A on any pain, aging, nutrition, or health topic!

This Month's Article

Preventing Joint Replacements Part 2

Before we begin this month’s NL, I want to share how wonderful it has been to physically be back on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College. I’ve taught Community Education classes there for over a decade; yet I’ve been using zoom solely since March 2020. I’ve really missed the live interaction of my students, and I’ve also realized just how much I love this college. It’s great to be back!

Being an alum, I’m very familiar with how amazing this school is and how much attending here changed the trajectory of my life as a single mom at the age of 30. I’m thankful to have attended meetings for the selection of a new president this past week and other exciting opportunities to present my input for the future vision for HVCC.

If you are local, I hope you’ll join me LIVE in one of my classes! HVCC really is a phenomenal
school that not only provides a number of associate degrees but also provides a stellar offering of non-credit courses in Workforce Development and Community Education. If you are curious, click HERE for more information. 

Did you know seniors can audit credit courses and even earn grades for free? No credit or degree can be earned for free, but who wouldn’t want to attend courses that interest them at no cost?

Ok, now onto the topic for this month…
                                   

                                                      Preventing Joint Replacements Part 2

As a reminder of what I stated last month: I can’t promise 100% prevention of the common things that happen (notice I didn’t say normal?). I can promise you will radically reduce your risks by applying this information.

Once again, much of what you’re about to read is not mainstream knowledge, but it SHOULD be!

Last month we covered statistics and how successful joint replacements are reported to be. This
month we will answer two very important questions:

• Why are they ‘necessary’?

• Can they be prevented?

Why are joint replacements necessary?

The statistics are kind of alarming when you look at the sheer number of joints replaced each year.
Remember this projection shared last week for just the United States? The American Joint
Replacement Registry reports the number of total knee replacements alone is projected to increase
to over 3 million per year by 2030. ¹

So, this begs the question, why are all these replacements necessary?

Let’s look at the mainstream reporting on this, shall we? The Mayo Clinic posts the Top 5 Reasons for Joint Replacement as: ²

       1. Pain
       2. Fractures or Injuries
       3. Joint damage from arthritis
       4. Degeneration from wear and tear
       5. Difficulty with necessary or enjoyable activities

If you’ve been following my content for any amount of time, you may be able to see what concerns me with this list fairly quickly. If not, let me explain.

Pain
Pain in a joint is often not the fault of the joint itself. I’ve seen countless patients and clients whose pain was caused by other body areas not doing their job correctly. Once trained to address the actual ‘culprit’ causing the pain, the painful joint ‘victim’ magically becomes pain free.

Did you know your knee is really your lower hip and upper ankle? Did you know your ankles have a profound impact on not only the function and joint health of your knees, but also your hips, low back, shoulders, and neck?

If a person is seen as only a knee (or hip or low back, etc.) when they walk in the door the options
provided by a healthcare professional will be limited in how much they help…

Every single person is a WHOLE body, not just a part that gets taken off and put on a shelf when they go to bed.

Injury
If an injury causes serious damage to a joint, replacement may be a wise option; yet is not always needed. My dearest friend of the past nearly 30 years experienced a very severe break in her hip some time ago and did NOT require a replacement. She had surgery to repair the bone. She was in her 70’s at the time. It’s not always necessary to replace an injured body part just because someone is ‘getting older you know.’

Arthritis
This next item on the list is ALSO not always the cause of joint pain. Yes, if the joint damage from inflammation is severe, replacement may be warranted. The issue I’ve seen for many years now is the person I see post-surgical often states they had little pain and no trouble on stairs, etc., prior to the replacement. They were told there was damage observed via imaging and the joint needed replacing.

This brings me to a disturbing fact. There’s a growing trend among people as young as their 40’s getting

hip and knee replacements! There’s an increase in total knee replacements occurring primarily in patients 45 to 64 years of age. ^3,4

Does anyone see this as disturbing as I do? What I find confusing is the reported reasoning behind this statistic.

Here’s a direct quote from an orthopedic surgeon and clinical assistant professor at Ohio State
Wexner Medical Center, Nicholas Greco, MD:

“Active people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s want to eliminate their pain and continue to run, cycle, hike and play tennis. Surgery has become a more acceptable option, while surgical and physical therapy advances have greatly improved outcomes and made surgery recovery easier.”

Are we really seeing joints so damaged they need replacing in people this young so they can continue with their favorite activities?!

The million-dollar question is this: Have they been assessed as a whole body and trained to restore authentic 3 plane function BEFORE their bones are cut and prosthetic devices are pounded into them?

Are we really discounting the trauma to the human body and believing this is a good idea for everyone instead of actually addressing the dysfunction in the body’s biomechanics to rule out all other measures?

The number one cause of joint damage is next.

Wear and Tear
This is a puzzle to me since wear and tear is NOT the cause of joint damage, per the study reported by the Stanford School of Medicine.⁵ They state the real cause of joint damage is chronic inflammation.

What does chronic inflammation have to do with wear and tear? If wear and tear causes joint
damage, why doesn’t every person over the age of 90 have severe joint damage in all their weight
bearing joints?

And why does only ONE knee or hip get replaced in the average patient and the other one often
found to be ok? Were they walking around on one leg all their life?

What I’ve seen as a major cause of joint dysfunction has little to do with old age and much more to do with diet, lifestyle, and what amount and kind of physical activity or training has been done over the years. More on those after we cover the last on the list of 5 reported reasons joint replacements are needed.

Difficulty with Necessary or Enjoyable Activities
Obviously, quality of life is extremely important. One of the statements I make often is, “Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.” I admit some confusion about this statement as it would seem to be the same as the first reason on the list, Pain. The only difference is they’re tying this reason to the ability to function and enjoy life; not just isolating the reason to pain. BUT, wouldn’t pain be the reason these things are difficult in the first place? My response to this remains the same as my response to the first reason listed. Please see above.

That brings us to the last section of this newsletter.

Can joint replacements be prevented?

The answer, I believe, is a resounding yes!
First, I want to state if you have already had a joint replacement, this doesn’t mean you did something wrong. We all live our lives to the best of our ability and knowledge. Those we seek for help can only provide information based on what they know. No one can share information they don’t know. Most professions spend many years learning what they know. They want to help people.

The problem is that the information I’ve learned from many amazing and brilliant people is not taught mainstream. There are those attempting to get this information into the schools and colleges. Sadly, it is resisted by those in charge of curriculum standards. That’s another newsletter for another day.

So, how to prevent the ‘need’ for a joint replacement?

There are just two main things to consider.

The first is how you nourish your body. 

The second, and just as important, is proper training and conditioning to maintain healthy joint and muscle function.

Let’s begin with food, shall we?

I find it interesting that the Arthritis Foundation website clearly states what you ate all your life did not cause your arthritis; yet Stanford Medicine clearly states the Western diet that is high in calorie-dense
processed foods, unhealthy fats, and low in nutrients and fiber increases the inflammatory process of joints, compounding their degeneration. They also list that high sugar intake has been linked to arthritis pain. 

The final comment I want to share from their site is this. “Switching diets may reduce pain and inflammation, boost mobility, and slow cartilage degeneration.” They recommend a diet rich in legumes, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains being known for joint health benefits.

I left out the inclusion of healthy fats from their stance as this often confuses people and leads them to make poor food choices out of lack of knowledge. Whole foods such as avocadoes and olives, walnuts and almonds are healthy foods. Oils are not healthy foods. Oils negatively impact your circulatory health and if you are wanting to achieve healthy weight loss, even these whole foods listed are not your friends, but I won’t digress…

I can paper the walls in my office with studies that relate food choices to chronic degenerative
conditions, of which arthritis is a major player. I won’t regale you with a long list of them here. I will emphasize that fiber intake is seen to be a major factor in reducing the risk of osteoarthritis⁶ and as a reminder, fiber is only found in plants.

Animal foods have zero fiber. Animal foods also play a role in the increase of arachidonic acid which is a known inflammation promoter in the body. If you have arthritic joint pain and you consume animal foods, I want to encourage you to eliminate them for just a week and see if things don’t improve in the areas of pain and mobility. Then, test this strategy by consuming an animal-based meal and observe if the pain returns or increases. As a reminder, animal foods are any foods with a mother or a face, even if it swims. This includes dairy products.

Before I end up writing the length of a book chapter on this topic, I’ll move on to the next important fact when it comes to preventing the ‘need’ for a joint replacement.

Authentic training and conditioning to maintain healthy joint and muscle function is often not well known by even well-meaning physical therapists and athletic trainers. This can make it seem as if finding the right information is like the proverbial needle in a haystack.

I’m going to clarify this right now for you in a handful of paragraphs. Combine this information with the right diet and your life may change radically for the better. Ready?

First, ensure your ankles have full mobility and stability in all 3 planes of motion. This means they must move well AND be stable in all directions to promote healthy knee function. Your knees count on what happens below much more than you know. A common cause of knee pain that occurs while descending stairs is impaired ankle range of motion. Performing weight bearing calf stretches and dynamic stability exercises in all 3 planes is critical for your knees (and your whole body) to be truly supported from below.

Second, ensure your hips are functioning with full mobility and strength in all 3 planes of motion. A common cause of knee pain ascending stairs is weak hips. Performing weight bearing stretches, lunges, and squats in all 3 planes will help your knees (and your whole body) to be supported optimally from above.

Third, you must train your trunk in all 3 planes of motion. This area can be called the 'silent saboteur' as it intimately impacts the shoulders and neck above and the low back and hips below. If you struggle to turn to back up your car, this is an area that needs attention! When was the last time you trained your trunk? I'm not talking about a simple sidebend. There is something called Type 1 and Type 2 motion that is essential for whole body function. 

While inactivity wreaks havoc on your whole body, not just your knees, ankles, hips, etc., the wrong kind of exercise can be almost as damaging as NO exercise.

There are extremely inauthentic exercises performed in countless gyms across the country every single day; like this one...

Mainstream exercise knowledge tends to be stuck in just one plane of motion and focuses on
isolating body parts. It’s crucial to learn to train in all three planes as a whole body as this is how
your body is designed to function in real life. This means training your ankles/calves, hips, and trunk must be done forward and backward, sideways, and turning.

Since learning accurate movement really requires demonstration, a free 3-plane Movement Performance
Assessment and exercise video are available at mwpPrivateClub.com.

Next month: Have a question or topic you’d like covered? Email me and it may be found in April’s
Newsletter.

References:

1. Inacio, M., Paxton, E. W., Graves, S. E., Namba, R. S., & Nemes, S. (2017). Projected
   increase in total knee arthroplasty in the United States - an alternative projection model.
   Osteoarthritis and cartilage, 25(11), 1797–1803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2017.07.022
   
   

2. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/top-5-reasons-for-joint-replacement

3. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs [Internet]. Rockville (MD):
   Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2006 Feb–. PMID: 21413206.

4. Kurtz SM, Lau E, Ong K, Zhao K, Kelly M, Bozic KJ. Future young patient demand for
   primary and revision joint replacement: national projections from 2010 to 2030. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2009 Oct;467(10):2606-12. doi: 10.1007/s11999-009-0834-6. Epub 2009 Apr 10. PMID: 19360453; PMCID: PMC2745453.

5. https://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/robinsonlab/documents/robinson_nat_rev_rheum_16.pdf

6. Zhaoli Dai, Jingbo Niu, Yuqing Zhang, Paul Jacques, David T Felson. Dietary intake of fibre
   and risk of knee osteoarthritis in two US prospective cohorts. Annals of the Rheumatic
   Diseases 2017;76:1411-1419.
   

Would you like to locate the core issue(s) of your pain, balance deficits, or weaknesses and learn how to address them with powerful (safe) self-care methods so you can move without pain and age without decline? You can work with Eileen one-on-one! Just ask a question or schedule a consultation via Zoom by clicking the button below.

You CAN resolve pain and age independently by training authentically and nourishing well.

Recipe of the Month: Fettuccine Alfredo

Alfredo sauce is something you would never expect to be vegan, low fat, and still taste rich, creamy and delicious. Well, prepare to surprise your taste buds! Don’t tell anyone it’s healthy. Let them enjoy it☺

3 cups sauce (about 4 servings)

• 4 heaping cups cauliflower florets (1 medium head)                                 

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic                                                                       

• ½ cup non-dairy milk                                                                                 

• ¼ cup nutritional yeast                                                                               

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice                                                             

• ½ teaspoon onion powder                                                                             

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder                                                                     

• ¾ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste                                                                 

• ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste                                                            

• Fettuccine pasta (preferably whole grain)

Cover cauliflower florets with water and boil for 3-7 minutes until tender. Drain well. Sauté minced garlic over low heat (scant amount of water if sticking) for 4-5 minutes until softened and fragrant, but not browned. Blend all ingredients until a super smooth sauce forms. Pour the sauce back into the pot and add cooked, drained pasta. Heat if needed and salt again to taste.

Tips: Feel free to add in your favorite sautéed, roasted, or steamed veggies. Think peas, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, or red bell pepper. You can also use this sauce to pour over veggies or baked potatoes and forget the pasta. You could even use roasted garlic instead of minced and powdered. See below. I must admit, roasted garlic has become my favorite. What a flavor punch!

Roasted Garlic: I can only say WOW!!!

Remove any loose outside layers. Cut the tops off exposing each bulb. Lay face-down on an unbleached parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10-15 minutes. Begin peeling each clove slowly, starting with the outer layers and working your way inward. Or you can just squeeze out the garlic if using right away. Will keep fresh in fridge for a week in a sealed glass jar.  

Serve spread on bread, mixed in sauces or topped on your favorite meals.

Want peace & joy instead of fear & stress?