knee

The REAL Reason Your Knees Hurt

Let me ask you a question – what is knee pain keeping you from doing right now?

Maybe you can’t play with the grandkids… or work in the garden… or enjoy a round of golf with your buddies. 

For the longest time, doctors have claimed that knee pain is a direct result of being overweight. 

But lots of people lose weight, and their knee pain doesn’t improve. 

Here’s the truth: the relationship between knee problems and your waistline is MUCH more complicated than we’ve ever been told. 

But understanding the relationship is the first step toward FINALLY banishing your pain for good. 

When I treat knee pain, I focus on giving patients proper nutrition and helping them control inflammation. 

And it works. 

Cartilage (which makes up all joints) is both a cushion and a lubricant. If you don't provide your body with the right nutritional building blocks for cartilage, you'll never have enough cartilage in your body. 

And inflammation is well known to destroy cartilage.

Give the joints the nutrition they need, tamp down inflammation, and you’ll get better. 

But I haven't been able to ignore the statistics which say obese people are more likely to have knee and joint pain.

A new study, reported in JCI Insight, opened my eyes. In the study, scientists found a strong correlation with being overweight and a disturbed microbiome (your collection of gut bacteria).

This makes complete sense to me.

The microbiome is very active in helping us digest food, protect our bodies, and absorb essential nutrients.

Your microbiome also plays a very strong role in inflammation.

So, people who are overweight often have a disturbed microbiome and that leads to more inflammation in the body.

And that leads to more pain in your knees and other joints. 

Let’s fix all those problems. 

Dr. Scott’s Plan for Healthy Joints: 

  • Exercise: In general, the more active you are, the healthier your joints. Any exercise where you are moving your joints works: try walking, running, golf, tennis, or others. If you already have sore joints, then consider exercises that don’t put pressure on the joints: try cycling and swimming. 
  • Maintain healthy weight: Losing weight is important for good joint health.  Each extra pound you carry around puts four times the pressure on your knees.  So, if you remove 10 pounds from your body, you have just taken away 40 pounds of pressure off your knees. Focus your diet on vegetables and healthy proteins. 
  • Take a probiotic: The only way to make sure you are getting enough healthy gut bacteria is to supplement. 
  • Boswellia serrata: This herb has been used for over a thousand years to help maintain joint health. Studies show it can improve joint comfort in as few as five days.  
  • Collagen: This is the most abundant protein in the body and it helps to ensure the health and vitality of your skin, hair, tendon, cartilage, bones, and joints. It even helps to reduce wrinkles. Most of us don’t get any collagen in our diets, so supplementation is your best bet. 

Health and Happiness,

Scott Olson

Dr. Scott Olson, ND

Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: feedback@livingwelldaily.com – and click here to like us on Facebook.

Dr. Scott Olson, ND

Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND

Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.

View More Free Articles

Humble Gut Bugs are Heart Disease Superheroes

Unless you’ve been living on a remote island, you likely have an idea of how vital good gut health is for your overall well-being. After all, what we’ve learned about the microbiome’s relationship to our health in the last few years is nothing short of mind-blowing. A well-balanced microbiome has been linked to a lower...

Read This

Forget Fasting and Try THIS Instead

Thirty years ago, one of my hippie cousins gave me a jar filled with liquid and a mysterious white blob floating in it. Puzzled, I asked them what it was. They called it a “kombucha tea starter.” I was curious enough to give it a shot and make some of the tea. The process was...

Read This

Five Game-Changing “Hacks” for Optimal Health

The other day, a patient told me she was doing “everything” she could for her health. When I asked her what she meant, much to my surprise, she told me she stopped using the microwave. I assure you that’s NOT everything. Sure, microwaving food has some downsides. But let’s be realistic; avoiding them won’t significantly...

Read This

The Vitamin NO Diabetic Can Afford to Ignore

The fact that so many Americans STILL have low vitamin D is puzzling. After all, the research showing how VITAL the vitamin is to our health is overwhelming. For example, maintaining adequate vitamin D levels reduces the risk of osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disease, respiratory infections, depression, and more. But new research...

Read This

Mailbag: Holistic Hacks to Manage Parkinson’s Symptoms

“My husband has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and I’ve noticed that his tremors and stiffness seem to be getting worse. Is there anything that can slow the disease? I’m worried about the side effects of his medications.”  -Barb Hi Barb, A holistic approach focusing on physical activity, nutrition, and brain health is essential to...

Read This

One Ingredient Diet Hack TRANSFORMS Your Health

Trust me, I get it. You TRULY want to improve your health and feel and look better. However, just thinking about dieting makes you feel frustrated, exhausted, and ready to give up before you even get started. Because, let’s be honest, change is hard. But what if I told you that improving your health doesn’t...

Read This

Microplastic Mayhem Threatens Your Heart [ALERT]

As a regular Living Well Daily reader, you likely already know quite a bit about microplastics. After all, I’ve often written about the dangers they pose to our health. More research is needed to determine the precise damage ingesting microplastics causes, but we’ve already learned a thing or two. For example, studies have linked them...

Read This

Eyes Unlock Dementia Secrets a DECADE Early

The eyes are the window to the soul. We all know the old saying, of course. Its precise origins are unclear (it’s been attributed to the Bible, William Shakespeare, and Leonardo Da Vinci), but we know it’s true. After all, our eyes DO have a way of exposing our feelings. However, it’s not just emotions...

Read This

End the Afternoon Slump with THIS Evening Trick

We often joke about the afternoon slump and drifting off in our easy chairs. But the reality is when that fatigue keeps you from doing the things you love (or need) to do, your quality of life takes a serious hit. Take napping, for example. A daytime nap can be a refreshing luxury when you...

Read This

Confused About Protein Powders? Read This

So, you’re interested in trying protein powders. You may be planning on making breakfast smoothies with one. Or perhaps you’ll use it as an afternoon pick-me-up instead. A high-protein drink can be a great way to start the day because it helps you stay full far longer than a sugary bowl of cereal or a...

Read This