A new book by Professor/Dr. Rothbart says that a recently discovered foot structure which can be effectively treated without drugs or surgery has been proven to be the source of a great deal of chronic muscle and joint pain.

On first reading the book, “Forever Free From Chronic Pain: the pain sufferers guide to getting your life back,” I felt this explanation was fantastical, almost unbelievable. Could a slightly twisted foot really be the reason so many millions of people live in unrelenting pain?

But on a second reading, I began to develop a better understanding of the source of much muscle and joint pain as well as the way to resolve it.

Professor/Dr. Rothbart is a podiatrist and surgeon who spent the better part of his career in clinical practice and research. But in 1991, an auto accident left him with neck and shoulder pain that did not respond to traditional medical therapy.

He sought out alternative therapies and tried countless practitioners, but when continuing pain threatened his career, Professor/Dr. Rothbart finally decided he would have to help himself.

That’s when Rothbart began his research into chronic musculoskeletal pain, or pain of the muscles and joints. His work lead him to the discovery of a very common source of musculoskeletal pain that begins in the foot, but is frequently the source of pain in the knees, hips, back and all the way up to the jaw.

What Prof/Dr Rothbart discovered was an embryological foot structure that forms in about the seventh week of development. That is to say, the foot of the growing fetus does not develop normally.  This embryological foot structure results in lifelong poor posture and that forced poor posture, the doctor’s research proved, is frequently the source of chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Furthermore, the doctor discovered the condition is inherited. Typically, if you have chronic pain and this foot structure is the source, it’s likely one of your parents will have a history of chronic pain. You may also pass it on to your children.

The embryological foot structure he discovered now bears the doctor’s name: Rothbarts Foot.

The therapy Professor/Dr. Rothbart developed involves neither drugs nor surgery. It is, he says, geared toward normalizing the foot, which then automates the correction of poor posture and allows the body to heal without drugs or surgery.

The therapy is done in a unique way. It begins with specialized shoe inserts. As the foot structure is corrected, the foot sends new signals to the brain, literally reprogramming the central nervous system to correct the posture. As the posture automatically corrects, pain ceases. “This is not about managing pain,” says Professor/Dr. Rothbart. “It's about eliminating chronic muscle and joint paint. My therapy reprograms the brain to adopt perfect posture, thus removing the source of pain.”

If, after the initial consultation, the doctor determines you are a candidate for this therapy, he will help you plan a course of action based on your individual case. Regarding the time the treatment takes, Professor/Dr. Rothbart says it varies, but he compares it to the time it takes to correct the teeth with braces.

“It takes time, “ he says. “Typically, the therapy takes from 6 to 18 months. It involves consulting with me or being seen by me 5 or 6 times. Most of my patients find their pain reduced 30, 40, 50% in a week or two.”

“I don’t work miracles,” Professor/Dr. Rothbart says. "But what I can do, when people have this embryological foot structure, is effectively treat it and these people dramatically improve, even if they have concurrent problems.”

Professor/Dr. Rothbart explains that many who have been diagnosed with diseases ranging from fibromyalgia to arthritis and even muscular sclerosis also have Rothbarts Foot Syndrome. “When I normalize the signals being sent to the brain by this embryological foot structure,, the pain gets much better,” the doctor says. “ I haven't resolved the arthritis or lupus or whatever, but the patient feels much better because I have resolved one major source of their pain.

The doctor says that for the most part, traditional medicine focuses on pain management, not resolution of pain.

“One of the reasons I left surgery, ´ Professor/Dr. Rothbart says, “ is because I was so unhappy with the results. I found that many of the patients I gave joint replacements to returned years later with the same pain. “But pain is not the problem,” he says. “Pain is a symptom of the problem. I was treating the symptom. What I wanted was resolution of the cause.”

And the cause, discovered over 40 years of research, is frequently poor posture caused by a twisted foot. If this explanation sounds too simplistic to you, if you don’t believe poor posture could be causing your back or jaw pain, consider this: prior to 1945, correct posture was considered critical to good health. A good deal of medical care involved correcting the posture so that the body could heal itself naturally.

But in 1945, penicillin was discovered, and the entire focus of medical care tuned toward pharmacological treatment. Doctors began to believe, and the public was told, that science could develop “magic bullets’ to cure most anything. There no longer seemed any need for people to be proactive in building good health. And all that information about good posture as the source of good health was lost.

Today, the millions of people suffering from chronic pain stand in testimony to the truth: there is no magic bullet from chronic pain. And Professor/Dr. Rothbart’s research has brought him back full circle to where traditional medicine once stood—pointing toward good posture as the wellspring of good health.

Reading Dr. Rothbart’s new book, “Forever Free From Chronic Pain: the pain sufferers guide to getting your life back,” gave me new insight into why so many people are in chronic pain, and why the traditional medical community is so ill-prepared to treat it. It also gave me hope that for many people, help is finally at hand…or should I say foot?

If you want to explore Dr. Rothbart’s work and see if you might be a candidate for his therapy, you’ll find a vast amount of resources online. Begin with his book web site at Forever Free From Chronic Pain

There you’ll find a vast treasury of information ranging from patient stories to book reviews to interviews with the doctor. Here you can download a free chapter from his book and register for his free newsletter.

At his personal web site, http://rothbartsite.com/ you’ll find more resources, including a blog featuring some of the latest medical research Dr. Rothbart is involved in.

After exploring these resources, if you feel you might be a candidate for the therapy, you can explore the possibility of a long-distance consultation with Dr. Rothbart. In much that same way as many cardiologists now do long-distance consultation, Dr. Rothbart will speak to you by phone, determine if you are a candidate for this therapy and whether or not any tests need to be done. The cost of a long-distance consultation with the doctor, who currently resides in Italy, is 100 Euros, about $125 U.S. Dollars.

If, after the initial consultation, the doctor determines you are a candidate for this therapy, he will help you plan a course of action based on your individual case. Regarding the time the treatment takes, Professor/Dr. Rothbart says it varied for everyone, but he compares it to the time it takes to correct the teeth with braces.

“It takes time, “ he says. “But typically, the therapy takes between 6 and 12 months. It involves consulting with me or being seen by me 5 or 6 times. Most of my patients find their pain reduced 30, 40, 50% in a week or two.”

If you have been going from doctor to doctor, and yet find no relief from your chronic pain, I urge you to look into Professor/Dr. Rothbart's work for yourself.

### Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide information and motivation to people living with chronic pain.  You can stay in touch with her by typing your email address into the subscribe box in the upper right corner of this page.

All right, I admit I made most of that up, but the title is true. Pain Health News really is  included in the March Pain Carnival at the "How To Cope With Pain" blog.

A blog carnival is a round up of related blogs and posts, so blog carnivals are a great way of helping people with related interests and issues find each other. Dealing with chronic pain can be lonely, depressing and confusing. Each of us needs all the help and support we can get, but those ingredients aren't always so easy to find. That's why I'm so pleased to be included with the other good sites working to provide places where people with chronic pain can find understanding and resources.

Check out the March Pain Carnival at "How To Cope With Pain" to see all the articles included.  I promise—no cream pies in the face!

### Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide information, motivation and understanding to people dealing with chronic pain. To stay in touch with her, please use the subscribe form in the upper right corner.

But recently, some states have been taking steps to limit the sort of largesse that drug companies can pass to physicians. In Minnesota, for instance, the state ruled that pharmaceutical salespeople could not give more than $50 in free food to doctors per year. One pharmaceutical sales rep I know in here in Florida sat down and cried buckets when she saw laws changing. “There goes my career!” she cried. “Without freebies, I won’t be able to get my foot in the door at most medical offices.”

Her fears, it must be admitted, were justified. A study has shown that doctors in Minnesota are rejecting pharmaceutical sales visits more than anywhere in the country.

I didn't have to be psychic to  see that pharmaceutical companies would ferret out new ways of making sure their pill is the drug of choice when a doctor sits down to write a prescription. And today, I got my first glimpse of one of those new ways. I just saw a television ad for the Orencia Promise Program from Bristol-Myers Squibb. Orencia is a new drug for people suffering from moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis.

In a nutshell, the Orencia Promise Program is a co-pay program for new Orencia patients with private insurance. The program will pay the full co-pay for Orencia for the first 6 months of therapy. In addition, if you're not satisfied after 6 months, the program will pay your first co-pay of another RA medicine, up to $500 (Some restrictions and exclusions may apply. If you're interested in the Orencia Promise Program click their name to visit their web site.)

On the one hand, I’m pleased to see pharmaceutical companies throwing their money at patients for a change. While they’re at it, how about inviting us to some of those fine restaurants and weekend trips to Disney World for “educational seminars”? I could use a new laptop, too!

On the other hand,  I’m worried that bribing —err, “rewarding” patients could turn out to be an even bigger threat than the old method of rewarding doctors. With the world economy swirling down the toilet,  how many RA patients will be tempted to change therapies just to get their prescriptions—any  prescriptions—free for 6 months?

Doctors are influenced by their patient’s requests.  “Naturally I want patients to be involved in their own health care,” one doctor told me. “If they express interest in a drug with potential benefit and I see no contra-indications, I’m inclined to let them have a trial of it.”

But this tactic of throwing money at people to get your drugs in play is the same old double-edged sword. It’s only that this time, the sword is being passed to the patient. As a pain patient, what’s your take on this issue? Use the comment box below to state your opinion. Meanwhile, I'll be on the phone to Bristol-Myers Squibb to see if that link I provided to their website  is worth a new laptop to them.

### Bonnie Boots recovered from totally disabling chronic pain, but still has occasional days when she feels like hell. That's why she publishes Pain Health News, providing information, motivation and conversation to people challenged by chronic pain.

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What?!!

Well, he may not have said exactly that, but my doctor did point out that my lab tests show I'm far healthier now than I was a year ago…and I say my improved health illustrates that a bad economy can be good for pain patients.

I know that's the opposite of what many people are thinking right now. With the world economy in turmoil and no quick fix in sight, it's easy to let your mind run away with "stinking thinking."

Stinking thinking is what Alcoholics Anonymous labels the type of negative, fatalistic thinking alcoholics often go through when they reach for recovery. It's thinking that says, "Thing's can't possibly get better. They'll only get worse."

People who are challenged by chronic pain can be just as prone to stinking thinking. Lately I've been hearing from pain patients who are terribly fearful of the declining economy and what it will mean for them. While I'm fully aware of the dangers of a world economy in recession, I'm also fully aware that stinking thinking can amplify those dangers-not just in our thoughts, but also in our reality.

Once you let fear get a grip on you, things start looking worse. Before you know it, fear is leading you to make bad decisions, and soon things don't just seem worse. They ARE worse! So let's put the boot to stinking thinking by making a list of all the things that can and will be better because of a shrinking economy. Because believe it or not, there ARE benefits to having less disposable income.

Benefit Number One: Many pain patients will start asking their doctors to help them cut down on prescription medications. I'm already seeing news headlines that indicate the numbers of prescriptions being filled is falling, a clear sign that people hard pressed for cash are cutting back on medications.

This can easily bring to mind fears of people suffering because they can't get needed meds.  (And if this is you, check here for helpful resources.)

But let it also bring to mind the number of people who will suddenly find they've been improperly or overly medicated. As I've said before, I was overmedicated for two whole years; time that drifted by as I sat bathed in the blue light of the television, drooling in my own lap. When my insurance benefits finally ran out, the doctors who'd been treating me wished me "Good luck!" as they slammed the door in my face.

I was desperate, afraid and depressed…until the morning I woke up and discovered the last of my medications had worked their way out of my system. For the first time in years, I was thinking clearly. With my brain function restored, I was able to seek out new resources and new methods of treatment and take my first real steps toward recovery.

When I worked as an organizer of self-help recovery groups, I frequently helped people make written lists of all the medications they were taking so that a pharmacist or physician could review it with them. It was alarming to discover how many people were taking 12 or more medications-often a warning sign a person is overmedicated or at high risk for negative interactions. In many cases, this happened because Doctor A didn't know what Specialist B had prescribed, and vice versa.

If the cost of prescriptions is becoming a burden for you, take this first step. Make a complete list of all your medications, including over-the-counter and herbal remedies. Review everything you take with your doctor, your pharmacist or a qualified giver of second medical opinions to make sure all of your meds are necessary, that you have the proper dosage and that there are no negative interactions. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you can save-both in terms of money and your health.

Benefit Number Two of living with a weak economy: Many people will start taking better care of their own health. We all know the rules of healthy living: exercise, don't smoke, drink in moderation, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and avoid fattening foods and empty calories. 

But knowing those rules is one thing. Following them is another. For most of us, our weaknesses are attempts to help ourselves. Smoking helps some people feel calmer, and they can't motivate themselves to quite if they don't have an alternative resource.

For others, eating empty calories helps them find a little comfort in an uncomfortable world. They'll find it difficult to quit if they can't find another source of comfort.

But with the cost of everything soaring, many people are finding that the pain in their wallet is overriding the comfort of smoking or overeating.

I've felt this myself. My doctor had warned that my cholesterol was creeping up and I might need medication to control it. I was ashamed. I knew my creeping cholesterol was likely related to my fondness for dining out. But a fine meal seemed like such a small pleasure to give myself. Especially, I rationalized, when I work so hard!

A former food writer, I know my way around a kitchen, especially if that kitchen belongs to any of the best chefs in Florida. I've paid a price, especially around my waistline, for writing about all the best restaurants, but I couldn't get myself to slow down until dinner tabs starting resembling the national debt.

One day, I looked at an eye popping check for a dinner I could easily have made at home for just a few dollars and said "enough is enough." Now I'm back home on the range, cooking from scratch, which is benefiting both my wallet and waistline.

My cholesterol level and blood pressure are now something to brag about. And I've rediscovered the pleasure I used to take in cooking, back before I started letting chefs do it for me.

Cutting back on restaurants was always an option I had, but not one that appealed to me until prices crept past my comfort zone. Cutting back on prescriptions was not something I even considered until my insurance benefits dried up. Yet each of these-once I was pushed towards them– had real and instant benefits for me.

This recession will have consequences for everyone.  Let's remember that many of those consequences will be good ones–especially for pain patients. We'll eat healthier. We'll quit smoking. We'll take fewer medications. We'll explore alternatives to high-priced and inadequate medical care and we'll even make all sorts of new discoveries about what we-and the world-are capable of, all because we're being pushed to it.

If you're finding some aspect of your life is improving or you plan to make positive changes because of the recession, I'll welcome your sharing in the comment boxes.  Let's remind each other that even in a bad economy, we can choose to find good news. I'm Bonnie Boots, and that's what I think!

### Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide information and motivation to people living with chronic pain.  You can stay in touch with her by typing your email address into the subscribe box in the upper right corner of this page.

It offered me a set of ebooks containing information on serious health issues ranging from cancer to heart disease. Each ebook came with a sales page that could be published on the internet to sell the book. Each ebook also came with a related email course that could be given away free to get people to sign up for a mailing list.

Because so many people turn to the internet for health and medical information, sets like this are considered "hot." And because the price was barely $30, I guarantee they'll sell out quickly… but I won't be one of the buyers.

You see, I don't know much about cancer or heart disease. I know what I read in magazines and what my doctor tells me. You probably know more about these issues than I do. There's no way I could read though those ebooks and know whether they contain current, reliable information or not.

Chance are, the people that buy this set of ebooks and sales pages won't know any more about cancer and heart disease than I do. Chances are, they won't care if the books are reliable or not. They're just looking for things to sell on the internet.

Why should you care about this? Because YOU are the target audience the sellers of these ebooks are looking for.

There are thousands of internet marketers all around the world just trolling cyberspace looking for people with health problems so they can sell them crap.

I publish Pain Health News because pain has been a huge part of my life. Because I know what it's like to be crippled with pain, I'm very particular about what I share and recommend. Because I know how vulnerable pain patients are, I have a tremendous feeling of responsibility for you, my readers.

I know, from sad experience, what it's like to be seeking pain relief and be exploited by people who look at you with dollar signs in their eyes. That's why I got so angry when I received this offer for ebooks on cancer and heart disease.

If you buy a book on gardening that contains unreliable information on marigolds, it's not going to have a huge impact on your life. But if you buy a book that has unreliable information on cancer, heart disease…or pain…it could have all sorts of negative consequences.

So here's my warning to you. When you see sales pitches for health-related items, whether that item is a book or a drug or a nutrient or an appliance, do your homework before you buy. Check out the person or company selling the item or service or drug you're interested in. Look for references. Look for reviews. Look for verification of the claims that are being made.

I know how seductive advertising can be when it offers pain relief. I say, with some embarrassment, I've bought it all. But I learned. I am now a world-class expert in using Google to track down and verify every claim made for an item I'm interested in. I don't buy so much as a bottle of aspirin without Googleing to see where it's manufactured. Here are a few tricks I've learned for tracking down reliable information.

Before you buy any product, especially online or on TV, go to Google, type in the name of that product, the plus sign and the word "review." For example, you would type in the Google search bar "kinoki + review" (without using the punctuation marks.) Then search again, typing "kinoki + study" (again, without the quote marks.) Then type in "kinoki + complaints" (again, without quotes.) Of course, you can go far deeper with your searches–and you should — when an item involves your health, but just these 3 simple searches will bring you thousands of returns filled with information you can use to decide whether or not an item is worth buying.

How do you find products to help with pain? Do you rely on TV ads? Do you look though catalogs? And how do you decide what's worthwhile? Feel free to share in the comment box below. Your participation in the conversation is most welcome!

### Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide information, motivation and conversation to people in pain. Subscribe using the box on the top right side to receive updates.

(The poster I defaced for my post illustration was orginally titled "Cry Of The Werewolf" starring Nina Foch, a 1944 Columbia Movies release)